Happy Birthday, Grandmommy!

Today is my Grandmommy's birthday. I hope there are birthday parties in Heaven and that she is celebrating big today. She would've been 92 this year. She's been with Jesus for 12 years now, but I still think of her every day. She had a HUGE impact on my life. Just this picture alone brings back so many memories. We went shopping for her dress together at the Bealls in Bryan. She knew purple is my favorite color and I just know she picked it for me.:) My Grandmommy taught me so many things. Here's a short list:

1. how to make the BEST homemade mac & cheese
2. a love of nature and gardening (hey, I have the love, just not the time right now!)
3. how to be a Godly, submissive wife
4. food made at home beats any restaurant food
5. the country life is the BEST way of life
6. the joy of a porch swing

Most important of all, Grandmommy taught me about God. She took me to church and to VBS every time I was at her house. I would wake up early in the morning, but she had always gotten up first and had her morning drink (Tang+instant tea---blech!) and her Bible. Grandmommy loved the Lord with all of her heart, mind, soul, and strength, and lived her life for His glory. Every time she would write me a letter or call me, she always ended by telling me she was praying for me.

She even helped start a mission church in her little town and went to great detail to plant many flowers and organize a prayer garden. She started a Crisis Center for the needy in town. She spent countless hours collecting and organizing donations so the less fortunate would be blessed.

I miss her tons and I think about how happy she would be to see us living the country life with our family. She would love my boys so much and they would adore her, I just know it. I tell them about her all of the time and show them pictures. She left a legacy that I can only hope to leave for my family.

I was able to spend her last few minutes on earth by her side and I read Psalm 23 to her over and over. I had put the Bible in her lap and put her hand on top of it. Somehow, maybe through a prick the nurse had made in her finger for a blood test, a drop of blood fell from her finger onto this verse. It brought such joy to me because even in her unconscious state, it was like she was letting me know how filled with joy she would be in God's presence.

"I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells." Psalm 26:8

I am so thankful for all that Grandmommy invested in my life--many, many summers, many drives to Frankston to meet my Mom halfway, many trips to MP to see dance shows and football games, numerous shopping trips, and most of all, the TIME she gave to me.  I thank the Lord for giving me a grandmother like her. Not every girl is as blessed as I was. Her legacy will live on for generations to come.