A Beautiful Life…
On August 18th, the world lost a little bit of sunshine when my grandmother known as “Ma” passed away in her home surrounded by people she loved. She was 93 years old and lived a beautiful life. One of her greatest joys in life was her family – she raised six children and always said that her most important and cherished role was being a mother.
As I type this, tears are flowing down my cheeks. I miss her so much already. She was a very special person in my life and played such a huge role in who I am today.
She taught me to live life to the fullest, to laugh often, to dance whenever and wherever possible and to never take any days for granted. I also learned so much from her about being comfortable and confident in my own skin… and letting my authentic self shine.
Anyone who can get a TSA Agent to smile, while getting mad at him for trying to confiscate her full bottle of water that she tried to take through security, has to be pretty special… 🙂
I know many of you have felt a connection to Ma from her presence here on Hip2Save. She absolutely loved being a part of Hip2Save and raved about the Hip2Save community – so thank you for bringing her so much joy throughout the years with your kind and uplifting comments, emails and messages.
Although I am feeling so much loss today, I can’t also help but smile a bit as I picture my grandmother and grandfather together again… smiling down on myself and my family.
I am writing this post on August 20th, my birthday. Today, I not only celebrate my own birth, but I celebrate the amazing life my grandmother led. I celebrate how blessed I am to have gotten to spend so much of my 34 years here on earth with such an amazing person. I celebrate all of the laughs, all of the love, and all of the incredible memories that I’ve had because of having Ma in my life.
Today, I celebrate life and I know she’s right there celebrating it with me.
I love you, Ma. I know you’ll always be by my side.
Collin,
What a beautiful life to celebrate! This post is a wonderful testimony to her life and how fully she lived life to the very end. Ma was so much fun, my kids and I loved watching the two of you on your videos. I am so sorry for your loss of Ma.
Happy birthday, I hope you are surrounded my those who love you today!
So sorry about your loss, you two had so much fun. I will miss seeing her beautiful smile in all of your posts…
I am sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss!
I am so sorry for your loss. She was a true joy when you had her on Hip2Save! She always let her spirit of love sore through the videos into our homes. What a wonderful lady and a wonderful legacy! Cherish her memory, as I’m sure you will, and I believe she will always be by your side. Sending prayers and love from Oregon!
Prayers go out to you and your family. How blessed you were to have her in your life and for so long.
I am so sorry for your loss! My prayers are with you and your family at this sad time!
I’m so sorry for your loss. Your touching post brought me to tears. Huge hugs.
So sorry for your loss.
My heart jumped in my throat when I saw the title of this post. Shoot, now I’m crying too. Loved all the posts that included Ma, and you are so lucky to have such an amazing Grandma in your life. What an incredible woman! It hurts right now, but soon it will be a comfort to know she’ll always be shopping right next to you. So glad she taught you to dance, that’s my fave part about your shopping trips :).
What a beautiful tribute to your grandmother! My deepest, most heartfelt sympathies on your loss.
So sorry for your loss Collin.
I was trying to write something, but i can find words… Ma is now making God smile as she do with all of us your followers. God bless you and your family. Ma we will miss you.
My heart is breaking for you…..God Speed Ma…..I so enjoyed watching your videos, they always made me smile!
Collin, I am so deeply saddened to hear about your loss. I hope the wonderful memories of your time with her will be some consolation.
I am so sorry for your loss…my prayers to you and your family.
I am sorry for your loss Collin. What a blessing you have had, with Ma in your life for so long! She really has been a role model to all of us women on your site. I hope that all of us, as we get older will be as full of life, joy, and adventure as she was. God comfort you and your family at this time.
So sorry for your loss!
Please accept my sympathy. I’m so sorry you lost your dear “Ma”. It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate her life and how special she was on your own birthday. Best wishes to you and God bless.
Fly, Ma, Fly!!
You could totally see the bond you and Ma had…we grew to know her through your posts and the time she spent with you. Your children are lucky to have had her live with them for a bit…you are lucky to have cared for her for that time…she was joyous and full of life. I’m glad you shared her with your hip2save family.
Thank you for sharing your grandmother with all of us. Your family is in our prayers.
I am so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. All of you hip2save are thinking about you during this time. She will truly be missed!
Oh Collin.. So sorry for your loss 😥 what an amazing legacy Ma has left you and your family and what joy in knowing you will see her again one day! Our prayers for you and yours!!
You are in my prayers. Cherish the wonderful memories you have.
I’m sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed your posts with Ma.
I am so sorry for your loss, Collin. I could always tell through your posts and pictures that you and Ma had a great time together. Sending healing prayers and thoughts your way.
So sorry for your loss! I always enjoyed when she made an appearance. She had so much spunk!!!
Said a prayer for you and your family! It was so evident how special Ma was to you. In learning about her through you, you seem to posses her great qualities. You’ve blessed my family and I through your blog and I’m forever grateful for that! Thank you for sharing your Ma with us. Prayers that you are comforted during this time!
Oh No!! RIP Ma! I’m sorry for your loss Colin, but all of us want to give you a heartfelt hug. Thank you for letting us get to know this wonderful lady, she may not have been our “ma” but she made us smile and had a place in our hearts. I hope you find the strength and comfort you need during this painful time. Hugs!
I’m so sorry to hear about ‘ma’! I think we all feel like we knew and loved her! It’s so awesome that you had such a great, close relationship with her-I know you will cherish the times you were able to spend with her and make her happy! Hopefully you will still be able to have a happy birthday and enjoy your memories! Thanks for sharing her with us! 🙂
collin im so sorry very sad to hear that. ma always brought fun and love to our lives. may god bless her
I am so sorry. She brought smiles to many of us who while we never got to meet her personally, we got to know her through your blog. She gave me many laughs with her amazing personality. My condolences to your family.
Sorry for your loss Collin. She always looked so happy in your posts and I am sure she will be missed by many.
Sorry for your loss!!
So sorry for your loss, the loss of a grandmother to a granddaughter is beyond words. The bond shared with common threads of passionate interests is one that is bittersweet, you shared so much with each other, but now going forward will feel that loss everytime that you are doing the activity you shared. May you know peace in this time of grief, and may you know she will still be with you, watching you as you continue the interests you both shared and enjoyed together!
I’m so sorry Colling for your lost . She always made me smile in your videos she will be miss.
Oh Colin! I’m so sorry for your loss. Seeing the hijinks you two got in always made me smile. Her spirit lives on through you and all the good work you do. Happy Birthday too.
I loved watching your videos when Ma was in them! She reminded me so much of my own grandmother who I lost 5 years ago (my grandmom was 94). Big hugs to you and your family! I know the pain you are feeling – you will miss her every day but so glad we both have happy memories of our grandmothers!
Collin, thank you for sharing your Ma with all of us. You could always see the joy in her face, probably being so proud of you and who you are, and how much you help people. May the Lord comfort you and your family during this time. God Bless you.
It’s so beautiful to see you carrying on her “specialness”. No one could ask for a better legacy.
You were blessed to have her in your life, and you in hers.
So sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family. May all of the wonderful memories bring you peace.
I am sorry for your loss but at the same time i think you and ur family are soo lucky to have had such a loving presence for a long time with you. She was such a sweet soul..i really enjoyed all her posts with you.Cherish the memories and dont let go. And happy Birthday..Enjoy every birthday of yours as a tribute to your ma.
I’m so glad you have someone like her and I’m so sorry you’re going to be separated from her for awhile 🙁
So sorry for your loss Collin. I enjoyed seeing her smiling face on this site, and you could just tell she was fun and full of life, and that you shared a close bond! My thoughts are with you and your family.
I am so sorry for your loss. We will miss her too! Prayers to you and your family
So sorry about your loss. But remember she would always be with you. I lost my grandma at early age she was bedridden due to so many problems and i was very close to her but until the end she was always helpful to others like she has always been and i carry her legacy of kindness so i know she is with me 🙂 whenever i do something good and kind.
sorry for your loss Collin. She was a joy to watch and always put a smile on my face. I’m crying reading this as my grandma is a big part of my life. Prayers for you and your family.
Sorry for your loss. She was an amazing person loved watching her.
Thank you for your post about your lovely grandmother…… At this moment of rushing around and over everyone…. It reminds me to be slow and ENJOY those around me….life is fleeting…..EMBRACE today and those you love….for we are not promised tomorrow….my condolences