I have been wanting to write this blog for a couple of weeks, and at the same time wanted to avoid it. The first day of school this year (with students) was Thursday, August 20th. This was my oldest son's first day of kindergarten. It was my husband's first day of a new teaching job, after being out of the classroom for 10+ years. It was the first day of my second year as an elementary art teacher. That seemed to be enough to keep us occupied, but on the contrary, a couple of other life-altering events occurred for us in that same week...one of which I'm finally ready to share through writing.
Earlier that week, I got a call from my mom and she told me that my grandmother had gone home. Although she had been in the hospital and recently moved to a nursing home, I still don't think anything prepares you for that call. Soon after, we found out that the services would be held Friday morning, August 21st. After making arrangements to miss the second day of school, it was all I could do just to wait to get home and hug my mom.
We had a beautiful, sad, wonderful time celebrating Patty's life with family and friends over the weekend. My mom sang Amazing Grace at the graveside service (beautifully and without flaw). My big brother shared a beautiful message at the memorial service about the things about life he learned from Patty and some sweet memories. We looked at pictures and shared stories with my parents, uncle, aunt and cousins. It would have made Patty so proud and given her so much joy to know that she brought us together again for a very special time.
It wasn't until after I got home that God began bringing some sweet stories to my mind about Patty that I hadn't thought about in a while. In order to honor her memory and legacy, I want to share two of them with you now.
The first is most recent. When she fell and had to go to the hospital earlier in the summer, mom discovered some relatives that she didn't know. Patty had a cousin in Arizona who called her to check in from time to time. When Patty was in the hospital and her cousin could not reach her, he became worried and didn't know what happened. His daughter contacted my mom and Patty and her cousin were reunited through a phone conversation once again. He told her that his wife had cancer and was going to die soon. When he couldn't reach Patty, he thought he had lost her, too. He confided that he felt very alone. My sweet grandmother, who always had a positive and encouraging word for anyone the Lord put in her path to minister to, reassured him that she loved him and that God loved him and that he was going to be ok. I was so sweetly reminded that we always must be ready to answer God's call to minister to those He puts in our lives by simply sharing the words He gives us to say.
Another story that came to mind is one from much longer ago. When I was in Junior High, I was going to a friend's house for lunch one day and my mom came to tell me that Patty had a stroke and was in the hospital. I didn't really understood what it meant, but I could tell it was serious. Once she was stabilized in the hospital, she was very scared and couldn't remember anything. I cannot imagine the fear she was experiencing or what was going through her mind in those moments. With tears in her eyes and the inability to recognize the loved ones standing around her, she picked up her Bible and said "He loves me so much." What faith. What incredible trust. What an awesome God we serve. His Word was planted so deeply in her heart that no physical attack could remove it. She knew nothing else, but she knew that her Jesus loved her and that He was with her. What a beautiful testimony it has given me. In any circumstance, no matter how scary or bleak it may seem, we can always be assured that God loves us and stand on that truth. It is enough.
I miss my grandmother and think of her often. I am so happy that she gets to be with the Father she spent her life serving. I am glad she is no longer in pain, struggling on this earth with all that comes along with a cursed world filled with hurt and sin. Mostly, I am thankful that she left a legacy of love, faith and family. She was one of the strongest women I knew, and it inspires me to be strong too, and mostly to depend on God's strength, just like she did.
No comments:
Post a Comment