Both my grandmas passed away these last few weeks. Just a week apart from each other, at the ages of 93 and 94, and while I haven't even had the space and time to process it all, I have thought so much about their lives and the legacies they leave behind. Both such strong willed women with a beautiful frankness about them, neither of them ever shied away from speaking their minds. And I love that. And I want to live like that. And it's made me think about what type of legacy I want to leave behind and how I cultivate that today, here and now.
This last Tuesday, we had the burial and memorial service for my dad's mom, my Grandma Gladys. Thus, it's forced me to really think about who she was as a human being, who she was as a woman, and how deeply she loved and was loved by all those she encountered. And it's made me think about the mark she leaves on all of us, but the truth is, it's truly not the mark SHE has left, but the mark Jesus has left through her on all of us. You could hear that mark in every single thing that was said about her - all 4 of her sons spoke, and all of their words were laced with such deep gratitude for who she was, for the joy she brought into their lives, for the way she loved them so freely and fiercely.
My dad gave the eulogy and shared some beautiful things, but one of the stories he shared (and I'm sure I won't do it justice) was about a time his mom came to visit him in Maui when he was living there - my dad's out on a sailboat he was working on however many feet/yards from the beach and my grandmas hooting and hollering at him from a restaurant on the beach. She's waving her arms and hollering his name, and his friends are like who is that? And he's like, I think that's my mom. So naturally, he jumps off the boat and swims to shore to see her!
Peter and I talked about this story of the hollering mom and the son who jumps for about 30 minutes or more yesterday. And Peter just said it's the Gospel in a simple story, "I'm just not sure who Jesus is as it could go either way. Is He the one hollering and calling his name from the shore, or is He the one jumping off the boat?" And then this led into the most beautiful conversation about how we want to live, as a father/mother, as a son/daughter, as a husband/wife, as a follower of Christ. Are we unashamedly calling out His name from the shore? And are we willing to jump off the boat to swim to Him?
So many other beautiful things were shared by my uncles and cousins, and every single thing shared was laced with grief, joy, and so much laughter. One uncle shared about her legacy of faith and how the faith of future generations rests on her shoulders. And it's so incredibly true. So many of us know the Lord and have a relationship with Him BECAUSE of her, and it's so beautiful to think about the generations that will come to know the Lord in our family because of the seeds that were planted by this woman.
And my brother, sister and I got up to together to say a little something about her, something which I literally wrote in the wee hours the night before. And I'll share my thoughts below, but after the service, some random person came up to me and said that was the most Christ-centered memorial service I have ever been to! And I just thought, thank you Jesus, as I'm sure that would have been my grandmas prayer - that Christ would be honored and glorified through all of it, and my goodness, He most certainly was!
So I was just going to come up here and wing it, but then when I informed my husband of this, he kindly suggested I write out my thoughts ahead of time, probably to prevent me from keeping everyone here a little too long!!
Anyhow, as some of you may know, both my grandmas passed away within a week of each other. And it’s made me think so much about their lives and the legacies they leave behind, which has then caused me to think about what type of legacy I want to leave behind and how I cultivate that today, here and now.
And today, we gather together to honor my dear Grandma Gladys. And when I think about her I cry tears of tremendous joy knowing she's right where she wants to be, with her Father in Heaven, and she leaves the most beautiful legacy of faith behind in all of us. That woman sowed and planted so many seeds all for the glory of the Lord!!
When I think back to my grandma and the things she taught me, so much of it circles back to Jesus. And so much of my own faith journey starts with her.
I remember asking Jesus into my heart with her at the tender age of 6.
I remember her praying scripture and God’s truth over me, always.
I remember her anointing me with oil and my baby’s with oil as she blessed us and marked us for the Lord.
I remember her boldness and her beautiful frankness as she never shied away from speaking truth.
I remember telling my now husband that she most certainly didn’t have an accent, and then laughing upon their first encounter at the way she pronounced Mercedes. Okay, okay, I guess I was wrong!
I remember her laugh and her deep, deep love for her family.
I could go on and on and on with the things I remember and loved about her, but the one memory that truly transcends them all is just that the way that woman lived!
Christ had set her free, and she was free indeed, and when you were in her presence, you could hear that freedom laced throughout her words, you could see it in the twinkling of her eyes, and you could feel it with every bone in your body! And when you would leave her presence, you felt as though you had just had a visit from God Himself! And it was a true honor and privilege to witness the way she fully lived into that freedom.
And as I look out at all of you, I am reminded of the most beautiful legacy this woman leaves behind.
May we all take this opportunity to consider the legacies we want to leave behind, and may we be encouraged to cultivate that today, here and now, never forgetting that as long as we live and breathe, He’s not finished with us yet!
And to my grandma, Well done, good and faithful servant. What a full life you have lived all for His honor and glory! Until we meet again.
No comments:
Post a Comment