My Grandma passed away two weeks ago. A beautiful lady of God who raised three children, including my mom, by herself and who had the best work ethic.
She served her local church with her gift of music (organ, piano, and handbells,) for decades and had endless amounts of energy. She loved to garden and maintained her house and lawn by herself until recently. All of my memories of her have been playing over and over again in my head.
You see, when I got word that she had passed away it was via a text at 3 am in our Abu Dhabi hotel room. We had 2 more hours of sleep until we were to be up for our early morning flight to Jordan. I cried into my pillow and willed myself to get some more sleep.
When our 5 am alarm went off, I told Ian the news, hugged him, and had to kick into gear. We had a plane to catch and it wasn't to go back to the States for a funeral. Mourning came in bits and pieces over the next couple of days.
Many years ago we made a decision as a couple. We saw the gift of new life that had been given to us and knew that this gift was worth everything we had. We put aside our own worldly dreams and goals (through a continual refining process,) for our lives, left behind our loving family and friends, and moved thousands of miles around the globe to be with a people who had not yet discovered the gift of new life.
There are times when we look back at what we left behind and yearn for a different life. We ask ourselves if it is worth the heartache. Wouldn't it be easier if .... Wouldn't we be better off? Isn't it my right to mourn with my family?
My Grandma would have been the first to tell me that it is worth it all. she would tell me to look straight in front of me at the task at hand, remain focused, love deeply, and never regret the choice that we have made.
I am so grateful for the example my Grandma was for me, my family, and all that met her. I wish I could have been there to honor her and the life that she lived. She was beautiful both inside and out.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. -Matthew 13:45-46 emphasis mine
I hold in my hands that pearl and see all that I sold it for, but my grandma, she would have said that the pearl was worth the price.
3 comments:
Oh, I am so sorry! I can't even imagine. My grandmother (who is 90 and my only grandparent) just had her hip replaced totally out of the blew and I've been coming to terms the past few days with her age and what that means. It's been so hard. I will be praying for your family.
I loved my "Aunt-in-law". She was like an older sister for whom I always had the utmost respect. What better way for you to honor her and her faith than to be about our Father's business. Grieving is certainly easier when surrounded by familiar faces but no doubt God will grant you comfort of soul in your loss. Mike Mann
That pearl is multiplying - you have a whole lapful of pearls with prospects of thousands more to come.
Post a Comment