As I was deciding what to wear this afternoon, I came across my LEAST favorite piece of clothing! It is a dark blue sport coat. Not only are sport coats uncomfortable and restrictive, but can make the temperature in the room ten times hotter than it really is!
Probably the reason that this sport coat is my least favorite article of clothing, is because it was my dad’s. And it was given to me on the day that he passed away…I wore it to his funeral. Since that day, I have worn this dark blue sport coat to many, many funerals. That seems to be the only time I ever wear it, except for an occasional church event.
Today, I came across it as I was preparing for yet another funeral. Todays funeral is another special person…Its my grandma’s. So it seemed appropriate to share about her in my “blog” today.
She always set a great Christian example for me as I was growing up. And out of all of the stories that I can remember most about her, if you take out the “special” grilled cheese sandwiches cut diagonally that she used to make me, or the Ramen noodles with bits of real chicken in it that she could whip up in no time, or the carrots that my grandparents grew in their backyard that were SO big that I could poke my finger through each slice and wear as a ring. The most precious memories that I have of my grandma, are the ones of when I was little and would spend the night at my grandparents house.
Most every time I would get up in the wee hours of the morning to go potty, I would always see a bit of light peeking out around one of the guest bedroom doorways. It may be 1, 2, or even 3 o’clock in the morning, but my grandma would be in there, in private, on her knees praying for hours. The strange thing about it, is that the next day nothing was ever said about it…No attention drawn to it, no pleas for a pat on the back, nothing! I really wouldn’t understand why until much much later in life.
And if you don’t believe in God, please indulge me as I “chase this rabbit” for just a second, but looking back I now finally understand that her actions weren’t about her and her glory, but rather about God and His glory. That the spotlight not be put on her, but rather God. I suppose that is why she never mentioned or rarely mentioned her late night hours praying. I suppose that is why she never talked about it, even though I would hear her praying while gardening and she didn’t know that I was hiding nearby…
So looking back on this day, I am thankful for a grandma that prayed for her family and friends. I am thankful for the memory and legacy that she left to me. And as we were singing “Praise the King” in church yesterday morning, I couldn’t help but think to myself that today, she is singing with the King.