Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Rosie Posie Photography by Brittany Hymes

Taken November 2012
Rosie Posie Photography by Brittany Hymes all started with a passion. I, Brittany, on the right in the photograph, have been taking pictures as a hobby since I was young, but as a business hobby for almost five years now. The name Rosie Posie was recently the official registered name given to my business (after just being my first and middle name, Brittany Rachelle, while I tried to find a name that would stick), I felt I would never get tired of hearing the name of the lady there on the left, my sweet Grammy Rose. My grandmother passed away three months before I got married and that was very difficult for me. We always joked about her having nine lives because it seemed year after year we got that scary call from my cousin who lived with her that we better get to the hospital, she would be on a ventilator when we got there, as usual her congestive heart was causing problems and we were all so scared, time and time again she fought through like a trooper but we always feared the day she wouldn't. Not long after her 86th birthday we got a phone call, not quite as panicked as usual but the diagnosis seemed to be worse. We all gathered at the hospital, and you could tell she wasn't sure why we were all there, each time someone new would walk in the door, "well what are you doing here, is everything okay?" I lived at the hospital those few days, slowly she slipped away, and it got to the point where she wasn't functioning much on her own, her breathing wasn't her breath but rather a machines air filling and emptying her lungs. One night while taking my fiance home I pleaded with God, asking him if He was going to take her to please allow me to be there with her. On Sunday March 3, 2013 the machine that was breathing for her turned off. They said with the shape she was in it would be just minutes. All of us gathered round and just held on to one another. 15 minutes passed, 45 minutes, and hour and a half, she just kept breathing faintly. One thing you must know, my Grammy was from Buckhannon, WV, and there wasn't a thing my family would do that good food wasn't involved. My cousin had ordered some pizza to be delivered at a certain time, it had arrived around the two hour mark. The room started to empty as family went out to eat. Myself, my fiance and my uncle, her oldest stayed. It wasn't long after the room was emptied she opened her eyes, my fiance just happened to look up and saw her looking at him, he nudged me. I looked at her, and she was looking at me, I stood up and took her by the hand and started running my fingers through her hair, I kept telling her it was going to be okay and that I was there, moments later she took her final breath. My fiance went and got the family, as we all gathered together my cousin Sara said, "it's just like Grammy to make sure we're all fed! She had to make sure we were eating before she could go."

I miss her every single day and I love that I have found a way to honor her always. She meant so much to me and I feel weird having my first post be about the end of her life rather than the amazing memories I have with but that moment will always stay with me. A life fully lived coming to an end with family and friends close by. Family is so important, and while some families are divided through though times, our family thrives and grows stronger. The cliche I wouldn't be where I am today is so true, without my Grammy Rose.

All of this is in honor of her.