Monday, March 22, 2010

Legacy

There are lots of things I could tell you about my Grandma.

She married at fifteen and she and my Grandpa were married for over 50 years.

She spent most of her life living in the same little house in Albuquerque New Mexico.

She never drove a car.

She fixed iced tea by the glass, carefully portioning out just the right amount of sugar and just the right amount of lemon. It was perfection in a glass.

Her homemade rolls were the best on the planet.

She worked crossword puzzles like a pro.

She used the expression, 'well good gravy' if she goofed.

Mostly though, when I think of my grandma the word that comes to mind is faithful.

She knew the Bible. She knew it because she read it and she studied it and she taught it. You could ask her a deep theological question and she would always preface her answer with , “Well now, I don’t know that much but….’ Right GG. We started calling her GG when my niece was born…it stands for Great Grandmother.

When I was not quite a year old my dad was sent to Okinawa for a year. My pregnant mother along with the three of us children already here all moved in with my grandparents while he was away. My baby sister was what you’d call ‘challenging’ as an infant so I spent lots of time with my grandma. I called her Gaga. Yes, as in Lady. We were obviously ahead of our time.

Anyway, she was special. Very special. When I hear the word prayer warrior I think of my grandma. When she prayed for you, you felt it. I remember once when I was a young mom and was beating myself up about something she sent me some thoughts on grace. I keep it in my bible to this day and when I see it I think of my grandma and her special love for me and how she prayed for me all of my life.

I have a story about my grandma that is one of my favorites and it goes like this...

My grandmother taught a Women’s Sunday School class for fifty years. Seriously. Do you know anyone who does anything for fifty years? She was a gifted teacher too. Anyway, her church honored that faithfulness and they had her come up front to be recognized. Standing in front of a very large congregation she was asked how it was she came to be a Sunday School teacher in the first place. And this is what she said…

She said that one Sunday she saw the pastors wife making a beeline straight for her. We all know that feeling, right? She said she just knew that the pastors wife was going to ask her to do something so she told God then and there that no matter what the pastors wife asked, her answer was going to be a firm NO. And the pastors wife said to my grandma, “Maryjane, is there any reason why you couldn’t teach a women’s Sunday School Class?’

Oh that just makes me smile. God has a sense of humor.

My grandma lived to be 91 years old. Recently I was sharing with my mother (her daughter) a concern I had about one of my kids. And my mom said, ‘You know, last night I woke up in the middle of the night and just felt like I needed to pray for your girl, nothing specific, just a sense that I should pray.” And she did.

And perhaps that is the greatest testament to my grandmother’s faithfulness.

I hope one day my own daughters pray for my future great grandchildren.

I want to leave that kind of legacy for my own children.

One of faithfulness.

Like my Grandma.

This post is part of the One Word Blog Carnival...visit Bridget to read more posts featuring today's word-faithfulness.

26 comments:

  1. "Well, good gravy, Joyce!" You've got me crying and laughing all at the same time and first thing in the morning, too. I want to hear more about GG.

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  2. What a beautiful tribure to your Grandmother!

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  3. Beautiful post! Loved the Lady Gaga part!

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  4. AMEN...what a beautiful tribute to your grandmother. I, too want to leave this kind of legacy behind. These are high standards are grandmother's have set for us.
    Hugs, andrea

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  5. I want to be a Prayer Warrior. :)
    Just sayin'

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  6. Lovely tribute! Thank you for participating in the Carnival. I really like that little joke of God's.

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  7. What a beautiful post! It's grandmothers like that who are responsible for the majority of the good in this world.

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  8. What a wonderful woman! You described her so well. I feel the love you have for her. And such a great legacy to leave for you and your daughters!

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  9. I had a grandmother like this. She lived to 94. Her life spanned from horse-and-buggy to the Space Shuttle. And she never stopped praying. Your post brought all of that back. Thank you.

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  10. Oh, Joyce, I'm like Rebekah! I'm laughing through my tears! What a precious Gaga you had! I'm in tears because I lost my precious grandmother when I was only 13. I just bemoaned the 51 years of her being in heaven. I miss her so much. I'm so glad I got to read this. And thank you for your comment on my post. Blessings to you!

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  11. What a wonderful post! It is rare these days to find someone so faithful and committed to living their lives in a way that glorifies God. A great example for all of us. Thanks for sharing.

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  12. What a beautiful tribute to GG. That is the kind of legacy many of us long to leave behind. Fifty years of anything is pretty amazing! Thanks, Joyce.

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  13. Joyce, what a sweet-loving tribute to a beautiful lady Gaga :)! I am a firm believer that when the "faithful" older generation says before answering a question, “Well now, I don’t know that much but..." we should be really listening. Thanks for sharing and stopping by my blog. I appreciated your kindness.

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  14. What great memories and what a special lady! Feel very fortunate and blessed that you knew your grandmother!

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  15. What a great post. I miss my grandma too and it was so good to be reminded of the truly good people who have graced our lives.

    Thank you

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  16. What a beautiful post! It is such a blessing to have faithful and loving oldies in our lives who pray for us and leave such a rich legacy. Thanks for sharing about your grandma!

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  17. A great tribute. (My mom is Ga Ga, too. But bears no resemblance to the Lady)

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  18. What a wonderful trip down memory lane. I missed out on having a grandma. What a wonderful blessing to have shared such lasting heart-felt moments with such a wonderful woman.

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  19. What a wonderful legacy Gaga left behind ... in many ways, but particularly in YOU. And what a loving tribute. Is that tow-headed tot YOU in the top photo? Cute!

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  20. Tea by the glass? What a neat little tidbit to throw in there that tells me everything I feel I need to know about her :)

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  21. Wow -- what a great tribute and a great story -- and the pics are awesome.

    You made me smile and you made me regret -- I never had a grandmother to call Gaga.

    Truly an awesome post.

    Louise

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  22. Joyce, what an awesome post about your precious Grandmother. And what a woman she was!!! Like you, I would like to be remembered for my faithfulness too. Your Grandmother is a fine example. I love the Sunday school story. God does have a great sense of humor sometimes, doesn't he? Very good post, Joyce. I enjoyed it very much. Love & blessings from NC!

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  23. What a sweet post! GG sounds like a lovely, godly woman. What a legacy she left behind. Both of my Grandmothers were godly, praying women who had such an influence on my life. Thanks for sharing your Grandmother with us.

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  24. I came by to read your Idol recap and found this. Really amazing. I love this story so, so much! I have a post about my grandmother on my blog that I go to to read to remember her (It's called '101 years' and linked on the front page side bar if you're interested.) What a wonderful legacy she has left for all of you!

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  25. She sounds like a WONDERFUL, Faithful, Humble, Christian. She lives on as you share her story with us. LOVED it!

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  26. Joyce, what a beautiful, heartfelt post. I loved reading about your Gaga. She sounded wonderful!

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