My heart is heavy

Early Friday morning my stepmom lost her long battle with cancer at the very young age of 49.
She was an amazing woman who gave so much to my family.
My dad met her when I was fifteen, she had no children of her own and inherited me, a surly teenager. She took that in stride and loved me as if I was her own.
My dad and her owned a Nursery for seventeen years, creating it from nothing and making it into a very successful business. They worked tirelessly at the Nursery and when they weren't working there, they were working on their land and building their dream home.
During the last year of her life, while battling cancer, she laid every tile in their living room.
She loved nature and her animals, cooking meat for her dogs and cat. Despite the fact that she was vegetarian she learned how to cook salmon and chicken for my dad.
She was an amazing cook who created her own recipes.
In the last few years she learned how to make natural soaps and lotions, selling them at the farmers market and online.
She was there when my son was born, and I'll never forget the look on her face when she saw him for the first time. She turned to me with tears in her eyes and said " Oh Autumn he is just beautiful" and thus began a special bond between grandma and grandson.
When we would visit, she always cooked for us but she would make Bug a special plate with all of his favorite things.
She helped me through labor and birth, holding my hand.
When she passed, I was honored to be at her side, holding hers.