Heroes

When Chris and I were going through our pre-marital counseling Joe and Deirdra asked us who our earthly heroes were and why. Thankfully Chris had to answer first so I had some time to think, not that I needed to think of who my hero was, it’s just that I have three so I was trying to decide which one to tell about. Turns out, I told about all three. I guess I’m a bad wife because I have no clue how Chris answered. However, my answers are the same today as they were back then.

My Granny – It’s really hard to give one reason as to why my Granny is one of my heroes because there are a whole host of reasons that I could easily choose. She had the most beautiful silver hair you’ve ever seen and she wore an apron every day, not just a short one that tied around the waist but the kind that also looped around her neck. And she always had a safety pin or two pinned to it just in case of emergencies. I love my Granny so much. She and my Granddad moved in with my family when I was around two. My mom worked outside the home so Granny was my live in baby-sitter. Now that I’m an adult I realize it couldn’t have been easy for my parents to have my grand-parents living in our house, but it was great for me. Granny would tell stories endlessly about her life growing up and the years they spent living on the Dale farm. I heard those stories over and over but I never got tired of them. If I were asked to sum up Granny in one word it would be LOVE, and yes, with all capital letters. She was like an old mother hen tucking her little chicks up under her, she would grab you and pull you in really close and hold you really tight. She loved with everything she had, and not just her own - she also loved everybody we loved. She gave her heart so freely and so beautifully, I have never met anyone else like her. Granny lost her husband and four of her children before the Lord called her home, I often wonder why she was called to endure such heartache for those she loved so very much. But I find comfort in knowing that more than she loved any of us, Granny loved her Jesus and she knew that one day she would be reunited with those who had gone ahead of her. One of her favorite hymns was The Old Rugged Cross and she lived every day of her life clinging to that Cross. On March 23, 1996 my Granny quietly and peacefully left this earth with me, Phillip & Dianne at her side. She was finally able to exchange her cross for a crown. And I know without question when she arrived at the throne she pulled Jesus really close and is still holding Him really tight waiting there for the rest of us to arrive.

My Mom - My mother was a strong independent woman. She worked outside the home, long before most women did, until she became too ill to work. I believe she actually loved her jobs. Oh, she grew weary like most of us do, but I think she really liked going to work every day. She worked so that my brothers and I could have some of the extras in life. Money was tight in our family but we never realized it until we got older. There was no guessing where you stood with momma, she always let you know just what she thought about everything, even if you really didn’t want to know. Looking back on her life I’ve come to realize my momma was a daddy’s girl. She loved her mother but her eyes always had a special glow with just the mention of my granddaddy. I love imagining her running around as a little girl following her daddy through the fields chattering nonstop, and my granddaddy was so very patient so I’m sure he would have just listened with his heart and encouraged her the whole time. My mom was a tough cookie but she had a soft side that not enough people got to know. We lost momma in August of 1984 when she lost a very courageous battle to breast cancer. She fought with everything she had to beat that dreaded disease, but in the end she just had nothing left to fight with. I watched her suffer and I saw her take her last breath. I was so afraid to be in the room with her when she passed away but so very glad now that I was. I can only hope that if I’m ever faced with such a tough task I too can display the same courage and raw determination that she did. I miss her terribly.

My daughter – It was snowing on April 15, 1980 when we were driving to the hospital. I was only 18 years old when I gave birth to Christy, just a child myself. Looking back now I have to thank the Lord for her two wonderful grandmothers, not sure how I would have survived those early years without them. When Christy was a wee four year old she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Some people probably wouldn’t have understood the weight of that diagnosis, but having watched my dear granddaddy battle the same horrible disease I knew all too well exactly what it would mean. Christy has lived a life filled with much pain but she has never once faltered. And in spite of her struggles she has grown into a beautiful, happy, fulfilled woman of God. She is so very strong! She faces every day head on and is so determined not to give up. She has more fight in that little body than a hundred soldiers at war. I am humbled by her strength and truly amazed at her tenacity. God has entrusted me with the greatest of gifts and I can’t express how blessed I am to have been chosen to be her mother.

The photo on the left is my Granny in 1988.
The right is my Dad, me and Momma taken in 1977.