I hope you’ll indulge me a bit this week, as I share memories of my grandma and the lessons I’ve learned from her. As I reflect on her life, I see her many Christ-like qualities and how we can learn from her even after her passing.
Like Christ, Grandma served and never expected or wanted to be served. She was a church organist for 51 years, sang in the choir and volunteered with the church’s women’s club. The heart of her service though was her family. She cared for my brother and me in our early years so that my mom could work. In my many memories of grandma, she’s wearing an apron and often in the kitchen. She prepared meals for her and grandpa to eat together. She loved holiday meals with the whole family. When her dining room was full of family, she was most fulfilled.
Matthew 20:28 (NLT): “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
She modeled Christ-like humility. She never wanted to be the center of attention. As the family surrounded her bed in her final days, we commented how she would hate us making a fuss over her. We wondered if she was waiting for everyone to leave before she would surrender to death. A week before her death she shrugged off my mom when she told grandma that she loved her.
Matthew 18:4 (NLT): “So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
I also recall her submitting to her husband as the Bible instructs women. She allowed grandpa to lead the family, to make decisions and to support the family. She contributed and had her say but she didn’t try to control everything. I have much to learn from her in this regard.
Ephesians 5:21-24 (NLT): And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
She was also very frugal. Having lived through the Great Depression, she was a good steward of resources and knew the difference between need and want. She reused tinfoil, plastic storage bags and rubber bands. She could make the most of the produce from the garden by canning tomatoes, green beans, peas, raspberries and strawberries. Rhubarb pie was often on the menu for dessert. She even made her own yogurt (which I can still taste today – nasty!). There wasn’t much processed or convenience foods around grandma’s house and I would be shocked if she ever went to a drive-thru.
She also was a ferocious knitter and all the grandchildren can likely remember a pair of mittens, a scarf or even an afghan that she made for them. (My afghan is draped over the chair in which I now sit.) She didn’t buy extravagant gifts for any of us; instead she gave us gifts of love that took her time to make. Today, I cherish those gifts and the love that went into making them. She knew we didn’t need all of the toys and brand name clothing money could buy. We really just needed love and warmth.
Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV): “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
In one of my most vivid memories, grandma scolded me for using the name of God in vain. “Don’t you swear!” she said. I was probably five at the time. Even then, saying “God” or “Jesus Christ” in an irreverent way was prevalent and accepted, and sadly, it is more so today. Now it makes me shudder when I hear someone abuse the name of God.
Exodus 20:7 (NLT): “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”
As my grandma’s generation passes on, our society stands to lose sight of a simpler way of life — a way of life centered around God and family, not money and activities. My life looks much different than grandma’s. While I don’t have a husband or kids, I can still follow her example of servanthood, submission, stewardship and reverence to God. I could be half the woman that she was.
Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT): This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’”
Amy, Your postings about your Grandma really touched me. I lost my Grandma several years ago, just a few months after my Grandpa passed away. I still struggle with feeling like she died too young, even though she was 84. She was still vibrant and active. Much like your Grandmother, my Grandma also was a church organist, and an avid knitter. I still remember the THRILL of getting a “horse sweater” from Grandma when I was a kid!!! I have saved all the baby clothes she knitted for my son, and the sweaters and afghans she knitted for my husband and I. They are precious to me. I remember the simple things about her…sitting with her in the balcony at church and watching her play the organ, as a child all the way through adulthood. She was a master pie-maker. She also had a very productive garden, and loved bird-watching. I adored her, and look forward to seeing her in Heaven someday.
What special memories, Barb. It sounds like our grandmas had a lot in common — many things that were common to their generation. It makes me sad to think that things like gardening and knitting and pie-making may lose their appeal in our hurry-up society. Wouldn’t it be nice to return to what seems to be a simpler way of life?
I hear you loud and clear. I crave a simpler, kinder way of life…living in the city is draining the life out of me. It’s not really living, it’s mostly just existing.