Goodbye "Gramma" Ruthie

We said goodbye today to "Gramma" Ruthie. She passed away August 10th very peacefully. (Peyton calls her grandma ruphie)
Kirk was out of town so I took Peyton to the funeral. Ruthie and Peyton had a special bond, therefore, Peyton truly thought of her as a grandma. I had some 12 x 12 cardstock so I made a "We will miss you Ruthie" card for her and put pictures of both girls on it and let Peyton decorate with stickers- something Ruthie could keep with her always. She didn't have any kids, therefore, no grandkids of her own. Peyton brought a smile to Ruthie every time they saw each other and Peyton ate up the hugs and smiles she got.
She really did look beautiful laying in her casket; she had great color and even a nice lipstick on. Peyton asked her typical 3 year old questions... why can't Gramma Ruphie wake up? why does her body not work anymore? why is that closed now?(the casket before the service) where is she going? (as she is getting placed in the hearse) why is she going for a drive? why does she get to lay down in that car? After Papa Larry drives her (she thought papa was going to drive her to the cemetery since he was working the service), who is going to drive her later? who is going to watch Gramma Ruphie when we go home?
They were ligitimate questions, but how do you answer such a tough, hard to explain, question. I was prepared for the questions, but not quite in an explanation a 3 year old could understand. Peyton said she missed Gramma Ruphie tonight already so I know she knows something happened. I told her she was in Heaven waaaayy waaaayy up in the sky and she said - I don't see any houses up there. It's hard to explain the concept of Heaven and your spirit. I did the best I could. I told her she was in the clouds, in the sun, in the moon, in her sticker book.
If you ever got a chance to know Ruthie, you'd know in 10 seconds she loved her stickers. We'd get cards in the mail and you wouldn't even need to open the envelope to know it was from her. Seriously, there would not just be 1 sticker, there would be like 15 - it was amazing there was enough room to write our address out. She was a really special person and I got to see her about twice a year at family events. She was generous to say the least, kind, thoughtful beyond words, and truly -just so special. It was apparent at her funeral she was loved by anyone who had the chance to meet her and Peyton was sure lucky to have had a chance to really know her and create a special bond that only a "gramma" and grandchild could know. Peyton will remember her forever I'm sure.
Rest in Peace Ruthie, you will be missed!