My grandmother died at 92 this week. She was an amazing lady and will truly be missed. Granny taught me about kindness, patience, and discipline. One of her most prominent characteristics was her tidiness. I cannot remember her home every changing. Ever. The only thing that changed were the pictures she had out, reflecting her aging children and grand children. I am certain that her room in heaven is already straight and won’t be changing for at least 1000 years. Granny was a pillar in our family and an amazing example as a Christian. You always knew where granny stood on an issue and you an knew she wasn’t going to bend. She had quiet determination. Granny lived independently until the last five months of her 92 years. What a lady.
I was blessed to be with her a few days before she died. She didn’t really have any energy and had a hard time staying awake. She got to see Jonah for the second time in his life and got to meet Elijah (both her great-grands) for the first time. They both brought smiles to her face. What a blessing. Missy, the boys and I started to leave after we had said our goodbyes. She understood that this was the last time she would see us in this life. She said, “You don’t have to go.” You know that is tough to hear. So Missy and the boys stepped out and she and I talked for a while. She perked up for the very first time when we talked about favorite Bible verses. I told her one of mine was Revelation 21:5 where Jesus says, “I am making everything new.” I told her that was what God was doing with her. She lit up and started sharing about her favorite Bible verses. She said that she had hers written in the back of her study Bible. Mom went and found that list and I plan on memorizing those in the near future.
Before I left her I just had to bless her. This goes back to a family practice we have adopted with our sons, reciting “The Lord bless you and keep you over them. I bent down over her and recited, “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you.” Then I said, “And what is he going to give you?…you know.” She quietly said, “Peace.” I said, “Granny, God is going to give you peace. This is not how the story ends.” So now Granny is at peace. Praise God for that.
It is hard to have peace when a loved one dies but Granny certainly made it easy on us by living such a godly life. Granny, you will be missed but we know this is not how the story ends. So we have great hope.
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Through tears of empathy, I say “God bless you and all the family. Praise him for her life and for the blessed hope of reunion!” – Love in Jesus, Edward
Edward,
Thank you so much for your thoughts and blessings. Hope you had a great thanksgiving.
thank you for sharing your last visit with your granny, matt. what a blessing to have had her with you for so long. praise God for that beautiful hope of Heaven.
Thank Emily for reminding me of the great hope we have in Christ. God is so, so good.
Matt,
What a wonderful memory you have of her!
It reminds me of the last time I saw my grandfather alive. I was with a cousin; we had taken him back to his room in the nursing home. After visiting with him for a while, as we were preparing to leave, he asked if we could pray together. Of course we agreed. He reached his hands out to us and placed one on each head as he prayed. When we left, my cousin asked if I had felt like I was in the presence of Jacob or of Isaac as they blessed their sons. I do not remember the specifics of his prayer – but I remember how much I felt blessed by it.
I’m glad you have that memory to hold onto for as long as you live. By the way, your custom of blessing your loved ones is a great one. I think I shall want to borrow it off of you!
Jerry
Jerry,
Thanks for sharing your story. I am glad you have had people in your life who have helped you grow…your spiritual growth has helped my own. God bless…