Going Home

Our sweet, funny, smart, loyal and loving Wanda left us on Friday, April 10. All Thursday she was itching to get home, restless in the hospital bed. Once we started to make the move, and we assured her that she'd make it home, she seemed for the first time to truly rest. 

Once home, she acknowledged being here and waited patiently until her body was finally ready to let her go. We are so grateful to have gotten her home and to have had that special time with her in the house my parents built 35 years ago. 

Thank you for loving and supporting our mother and wife through the past four years. This is one of our favorite pictures of her, taken when she was very much alive and very happy to be outside hiking with her friends.  Below that is the obituary that will run in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press tomorrow. 

Wanda Leigh Taintor, 65, of Signal Mountain, passed away on Friday, April 10, at home surrounded by family. A longtime Signal Mountain resident, former Bright School teacher and lover of all things fun, Wanda leaves behind a loving husband, Pat, and three children, Kit, Callie and Case, and their spouses, Demian, Mike and Sophie, and two grandchildren, Davis and Patrick, along with another grandbaby due in June. Wanda joins her parents, Curtis and Louise Spicer, and her brother Eddy, as well as friends who went before her, in heaven, where she is surely already the life of the after party. To all who knew her, Wanda will be remembered as a “wandrful” and thoughtful person, who always took time to cultivate friendships and was generous and loyal to family and friends. Born in Virginia, Wanda attended Longwood College, graduating in 1971, before marrying Pat and moving to Tennessee, first to Nashville and then to Signal Mountain in 1974. In 2007, Wanda received her Masters in Education from the University of Connecticut. (At the time, one of her friends remarked, “why do you need a Masters? For your obituary?” Wanda got a kick out of that and would laugh to see it mentioned here.) No one loved living more than Wanda. She was the friend, wife and mother you’d call to laugh with, cry with, travel with, drink wine with, sew with, and smile with. If we all lived like Wanda, we would live fiercely, travel widely, laugh often, smile broadly, give hugs freely, and love friends like family. Wanda will be remembered at St Timothy’s on Signal Mountain on Monday, April 13 with a visitation at 3 pm, service at 4 pm, and a celebration of life to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her name to St Timothy’s, a church community where she worshipped and raised her family. The family would also like to take this opportunity to thank her many friends who have helped through this journey; we are truly, truly grateful.

Now the Green Blade Riseth

After a pretty dim January and February, we were all hoping for a more positive March and April. The highlight so far was one good week in early March, and unfortunately now we're back to what Mom called the "dark ages" in a blog post she never published.

Over the past week or two, Mom has taken a turn for the worse, culminating in a trip to the ER this weekend. There are a bunch of things going on that may or may not be related, all making life pretty miserable outside of the moments of levity and fun with family and friends. (thank you all)

The problems (muscle tightness inhibiting walking, confusion, racing heart, pain) may be related to drugs, or they could just be the leukemia taking over. That is what the doctors are trying to figure out as they work to stabilize her and get medications out of her system. She is currently in the cardiology ICU after a spike in heart rate.

Case is in Chattanooga with dad, and Kit is flying in today. Unless something changes, I'll be heading that way tomorrow evening.

Though of course we hope for some miracle (it is Easter after all), it is seeming like the best outcome may be getting her stabilized and comfortable to send us all home with hospice support. I know she has felt and appreciated all of your love and encouragement along this journey, and I ask for prayers of peace and comfort for Mom at this point.

It is hard to leave her alone in the ICU when visiting hours are over, but I am reminded that she is not truly alone. Please remember her especially in those moments, when she is physically on her own.

We also wanted to share with you one of her favorite hymns, "Now the Green Blade Riseth," which incidentally is one that we sing at St. Timothy's almost every Easter. She says it is her favorite because it was always all of our favorite. She loves singing, and unfortunately for her, we are all pretty terrible at it, though we sang this one fairly well ever since learning it in youth choir.

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many years has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

In the grave they laid Him, Love Whom we had slain,
Thinking that He’d never wake to life again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

Up He sprang at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain;
Up from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

When our hearts are saddened, grieving or in pain,
By Your touch You call us back to life again;
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

We all listened to this version today (useful because it has subtitles): http://youtu.be/g-5Bi2jM40E