Of course we will miss her here while the rest of us remain on earth. But we have such a hope that we will be seeing her again when it’s our turn to answer the call.
We rejoice in knowing her as an amazing woman while she walked this earth. She had many battles to face, which is why she was such a strong fighter. I will share the eulogy I was honoured to bring forward at her funeral in just a moment.
The title of this blog allows me to share what I have been experiencing during this time of "loss". I have had my moments to reflect and grieve, but I have felt God's continual peace in the process.
I know that I will be seeing my grandmother again, because she had accepted Jesus into her heart and lived a life that brought glory to Him, and so have I.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV
“For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation for all people,
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled,
upright, and godly lives in the present age,
waiting for our blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us
to redeem us from all lawlessness
and to purify for himself a people for his own possession
who are zealous for good works.”
Titus 2:11-14 ESV
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This is the eulogy I shared with the family and friends who attended the funeral service.
I felt that it would be appropriate to share here as a snapshot of who my grandma was...
mind you, this is an incredibly short synopsis, she truly was an incredible woman.
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Where do we begin in attempting to summarize the precious eight-seven years of this incredible woman, in which we are gathering to honour today, Iolanda Bruno.
<addressed the family, which I will not name here for privacy purposes>
Nonna was strong, she may have been short but she was a fighter. She knew how to preserve, but she also knew how to love. And she loved hard; she welcomed every person she met with a warm heart and smile.
She loved the Lord her God with all her heart, she was a great example of faith and was constantly in prayer for her family. Over the last few years I, personally, had the privilege to spend a few minutes with her every morning in prayer before I went to work. She would always tell me that she thanked God for me, and that I was a person of great faith, but in reality, it was her faith that encouraged me to grow in my own.
Her hands were always busy, doing something to add value to each of our lives; whether it be through meal prep, laundry, cleaning, mending clothes, and even hearts. I’m thankful for those hands and the example they have been to me, and to us, as a family. We are definitely all hard workers because of her example.
Nonna was a peacemaker; she hated arguing and always desired to see her loved ones at peace with each other at all times. She was gentle and tender-hearted. She led a quiet life and minded her own business. But she was more than willing to be present and hear you out, doing her best to help in any way possible and would offer advice as best she could.
She had such a sense of humour, and has definitely passed on the joy and laughter to us. Nonna literally had her own dialect; she would constantly be making up words that she didn’t even know the meaning of, or how to explain it.
She always wanted to ensure that you had eaten. I believe that she thought if you had been fed, you would be happy, and in turn, so would she. She was also an amazing cook.
She wanted to make sure you were comfortable and comforted. I heard a memory from one of her nephews, Paul, of when he was 4 or 5 years old, and he’s given me permission to share it here. He had slept over at my Nonno’s and Nonna’s house, his aunt’s house, and woke up in the middle of the night crying and wanting a balloon... and he recounts that they got balloons and blew up like 10 or more of them for him. He said it plainly, “Zia Iolanda was a very giving Zia and the love she would show to anyone that she would meet was always over the top.”
In conclusion, one thing I can say for sure... she was ready. As hard as it is for some of us to say goodbye, she was ready to go home and be with the Lord. Because there would be days my dad would come from work and ask how she was doing, and she would simply reply, “I’ma still-a here.” And my mom informed me she told all the doctors, at every appointment she went to, that she was ready to go.
And today we are here to celebrate the life of this beautiful woman, Iolanda Bruno. She will always be in our hearts, and her example of faith will continue on in ours. We are her legacy, and I am excited to share more of her story with you on one-on-one basis.
So... Nonna, you are so loved, and you will be missed but not forgotten. You have arrived to your final designation, heaven, to abide in the eternal glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Looking forward to seeing you again one day.
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