Thursdays with Grandma

I had the most amazing time with my grandma yesterday.  My puppy, Walter, spends his days at Grandma’s because he drives me nuts at work and gets bored at home, and since Grandma ADORES him, he stays with her.  I went to pick him up yesterday and ended up having the most awesome talk with my grandma.  We so rarely get the opportunity to talk with just the two of us, so this was very nice.  We were talking about how she had gone to lunch with some old friends yesterday, and she mentioned her friend, Dell, talking about her granddaughter’s busy schedule being the reason for her single state.  That, of course, got Grandma and me on a tangent about my single state (how does that always happen?).  It was so good to talk to her and get her take on things.  I realize, now that I’m older, how much Grandma has given up in these last few years.  Grandpa has gotten so mean and cantankerous that he can’t go to church without causing a scene, so Grandma hasn’t gone to regular Sunday services in years (except for when she was visiting my aunt, uncle, and cousins in TX a few months ago).  I know she misses it.  But what’s awesome is that she still stays in her Word.  She still gives Godly advice, and she’s so wise about life.  I guess that’s because she’s lived it.  Looking back over the events of my grandma’s life, I see a woman who has always given to others.  But I also see a woman who took chances and flew in the face of convention.  I see a woman who made good choices and bad choices, both.  I see a woman who is stronger and wiser because of the life she’s led.  I see a woman who understands the meaning of grace, mercy, and love.

It’s easy to think that our grandparents and their generation don’t get “it” or don’t have the wisdom to navigate in “our” times.  But with a little bit of conversation and questioning, I’m sure that the stories of our grandparents’ and their friends will surprise you.  This is a generation that saw the Great Depression, fought in World War II, lived through the Cold War, listened in shock as broadcasters announced the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and a myriad of other things.  I know that my grandma did some sketchy stuff for her day and time, things that we wouldn’t even blink at now, but I know that through everything, God was faithful.  He was faithful to Grandma through disapproving family, disobedient children, uncertainty, tough times, and happy times, too.  Her testimony to God’s goodness is evident in her daughters and grandchildren.  Because she trusted God, she handed down a legacy of Faith and Love that carries on into me and my family, all over the country.

I pray that I and my cousins can live up to the legacy of Faith that Grandma handed down to us.  Not that we would become millionaires or celebrities (the millionaire part would be nice, though!), but that we would listen to her words of wisdom and faith and learn from them.  I pray that my cousins and I become men and women who bring honor to Eva Rosemary Roby Esau and the God that she serves.

I love you, Grandma!