A Fitting Memorial to a Godly Christian Grandmother... from a dear Christian friend who did NOT have a Godly, Christian mother.
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Today
was Mother's Day at our church and our Pastor and Deacon handled it so
well, reminding all mothers that they are to be a GOOD EXAMPLE of a
CHRISTIAN to their families.
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A
few Grandmothers were present and were thanked audibly in the Prayer,
Praise, and Testimony time. That was fitting. Because of the mature way
they handled it all, thanks were given but flesh was not lauded. It
was a good way to do this and no hearts were sore and sorrowing...
mothers and non-mothers alike.
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Grandma was an anomaly to me; she was not like ANYONE I knew. She died when I was young... maybe 11 or 12... so I didn't know her for a long time.
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She
was SUCH AN EXAMPLE of a Holy Christian. I remember two things about
her: she never said a derogatory word about anyone... at times , she
would close her lips and keep them closed... but that was it.
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And,
she was quiet and did not chatter along. She was always so glad to
see her children come, greeting them at the doorway with her quiet smile
and a gladsome light in her eyes.
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- Grandchildren kissing grandmother
She
would greet us and then bustle into the kitchen --- no matter how short
a visit it was to be --- to put out a vegetable meal with creamed
corn, green beans, peas, mashed potatoes and gravy ... with home-made
bread, home-made jam, and applesauce, and sometimes: Strawberry
shortcake !
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She
always had a cake or pie prepared for such occasions. ( They didn't
have a phone until much later in life.) She didn't serve meat because
they were just poor and could not afford to buy it. They used to
butcher their own animals for meat, but by the time I knew them, their
butchering days were over.
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But
The LORD, today, would not even let my mind drift towards sorrowing
over my own mother... but rather, HE+ moved my mind to consider
GRANDMOTHER.
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She
was not the doting kind of Grandmother to us, but rather was quietly
kind to all. I remember being able to help her wash and dry dishes
once; I loved it . It was REAL LIFE.
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She
pumped her water from a well out on the porch, heated water on her
stove, and washed the dishes and rinsed them CAREFULLY with a cup of
water over a bowl, before I could wipe them. The Mennonite ladies in
the Old Order Communities remind me of Grandmother, in how they conduct
themselves. She was an old-time Methodist and took her church work very
seriously.
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Today, for the first time, I saw how The LORD used GRANDMOTHER to shape my life.
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Daddy
was not my biological father; mother had been married to an unfaithful
young man, my physical father, and divorced him. Mom had gone through a
lot of distress over her unfaithful husband.
.
But
Grandmother was not happy with Daddy's marriage to Mom. Although she
never spoke a word about it, it went against her Christian standards.
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But Mom regarded Grandmother.
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So,
to do right, my Mom started making me say the "Now I lay me down to
sleep" prayer every night, kneeling on my bed. ( I was 4 when this
happened, when we moved to a large town after Daddy married Mom. Before
that time, Mom never prayed with me, read the Bible, or attended
church. Nobody in Mom's family did.)
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Then,
my mother taught me --- every night --- to say Psalm 23 and then the
LORD'S PRAYER. I was very little, not even in kindergarten yet. But,
Mom did this as long as I could remember while I was in kindergarten. .
Mom
started sending me to a nearby church for Sunday School every Sunday. I
had to walk the few blocks alone. ( It was a different world back
then. ) I remember her dressing me up, doing my pig-tails, and me
bringing home Sunday School papers.
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All
THIS WAS BECAUSE of GRANDMOTHER'S INFLUENCE. Mom thought GRANDMOTHER
would approve of this up-bringing.... which I never had before
GRANDMOTHER entered my family circle.
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Oddly
enough, when we moved to the farm ( I was six and starting 1st grade ) ,
Mom quit doing that with me. I suppose she was too busy with my little
brother, who was a toddler, and doing the garden and house work. She
did not say nightly prayers with any of my brothers and sister like she
did with me, never.
.
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But,
she continued to send me to a close-by church for Sunday School and
eventually church. Daddy didn't care, one way or the other .... how
sad, Grandmother's own son .... but Mom thought that was the way to "be
good."
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Mom
later dropped all effort at being a Christian Mom and reverted back to
how she was. I think if Dad would have done differently, Mom would have
too --- at that point in her life ---- before becoming so hardened in
life, sadly enough.
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But GRANDMOTHER ! I think she never knew what great influence she exerted on me and my Mom, who had had NO Christian training or exposure.
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Isn't
that a marvelous testimony to a GODLY woman ? Truly, my friend, the
influence of a Christian GRANDMOTHER cannot be over-rated .
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