CELEBRATING 95 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!
( ok. So this "blog" /tribute turned into more of a letter to the greatest lady I've ever known.....
please excuse me as I may go on and on about her......... :))
This is my Meme! Today, she celebrates 95 years of life. And I'm on the other side of the world not able to hug her and cherish this day with her and my family. :(
However, I refuse to pout today or in this post. I am going to CELEBRATE a woman who means the world to me!
This woman is the picture of Jesus to me. She was a Pastor's wife and then a widow since my Daddy was 11. She never waivered in her faith. She has trusted the Lord through good times, poverty, grief, struggles, loneliness, moves and raising two children as a single mother.
She is a woman of STRENGTH.
Of GREAT FAITH.
Of ENERGY.
Of PERSEVERANCE.
Of JOY!
Of PATIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh how she needed it Aunt Janice :) heehee and Rhonda..... I mean ME!! hahahahaha JUST KIDDING!!!!)
She is a picture of the verse, He keeps in PERFECT PEACE those who trust in Him. She never seemed rattled..... no matter how messed up or how crazy or scary life could be at times.
To me, she is an exact replica of the Proverbs 31 woman I've always wanted to be.
Despite what Sunday School taught me my entire life, it took me until I was 16 to really believe that that my Meme sinned. I mean seriously, how in the world can you sin when you live alone and don't have anyone to talk to? :) During one of our early morning talk times, I finally asked her and she just laughed at me, humbly shared that by no means was she perfect.....(though I still had my doubts) and shared yet another book load of God's Truth and wisdom with me.
My Meme taught me many things in life. Every summer of my childhood, my sisters and I got to spend at LEAST 2-3 weeks alone with her in Alabama. One of my favorite summers was the year I got to stay an entire month alone with her! She didn't waste a minute of our time together. She taught me everything from baking pumpkin and pecan pies, to sewing and cleaning a house on a daily schedule as I am serving my husband to be (keep in mind.....I think I was 11at the time!) Everything was always tied to serving my husband/family--- as UNTO THE LORD (her words to each grand-daughter was that we were created to be a HelpMATE for our husbands)......even the darn IRONING fell into that category of serving him! She knew I didn't like ironing, so she encouraged me to change my attitude by praying for the person whose shirt I was ironing. Who can argue with that, right? Well...... I STILL don't like ironing. In fact, I rely heavily upon the dryer or a Wrinkle Free Spritzer...... maybe I should go back to my roots huh???? :) Meme, I can see you smiling and just shaking your head at me right now!
She also tried SOOOOOO VERY HARD to teach me to be a lady. Whether it was "a lady sits like this and always crosses her legs at the ANKLES" or "Amy, try to walk LIGHTLY. A lady doesn't sound like an elephant when she walks."
Oh Meme, I'm thinking I may need to stop writing this "letter" to you because I'm realizing I have failed miserably! I really DID listen! I promise! My kiddos are on a daily chore rotation and ......ummm learning! However, I must confess, my corrections or constructive criticism/teaching and training isn't always held in the soft, patient MEME tone that you gave me. Oh and yes Meme.....apparently I still roll my eyes (or so I've been told)! But I DO serve dinner with a protein, a green and a carb--making it colorful and healthy. I still read all the time. I try real hard not to kill my plants. We work hard to memorize verses b/c as you've said the Truth we memorize when we are young will not leave us. You are living proof..... today, you may not remember what you had for lunch, MUCH LESS that you ATE lunch ( me too and I'm only 37 YIKES!) but you can still quote those verses you've clung to your entire life and those sweet hymns you, Aunt Janice and Daddy used to play/sing together!
Meme. Here's the bottomline..... you set the standard so HIGH that any of us will just fall short. Every. Single. Time.
I've always described you in this way: It goes like this: God/Jesus.... MEME....Steven Curtis Chapman ( hahahaha) See! That's HOW LONG I've been describing you this way---since FOREVER ago when he was our favorite Christian artist!
It would take a very long book to tell you what you mean to me. One of the biggest things you've taught me was to "be anxious for NOTHING...but in everything....EVERYTHING....TRUST...be THANKFUL and PRAISE HIM!
Ohhhhh the FAITH and TRUST you have had all these years....... 95 years of living......serving......smiling.....struggling.....believing......running the race God has called you to.....and NOT ONCE COMPLAINING!!!!!!
I'm so thankful for 95 years with you (actually....only 37 of those have been with me!) REGARDLESS----it's a long time!!! You've touched many, many lives in that time!
Thank you for letting this chatty-cathy stay with you all those days talking your ear off allllll day.....and allllll night as I talked us both to sleep at night under the electric blanket or my favorite handmade family quilt. I loved watching you learn to swim for the first time when you were in your 70's. I loved our times raking leaves and picking acorns.
I miss swinging on the porch with you and our early morning coffee time. I really wish I was there to have a cup with you on this very special day---because Meme, I finally DID grow up and start drinking coffee! :)
I know you don't know what facebook or blogs are, but hopefully Mama will print this out and read it to you! :) You always said you love my letters. So here's my birthday letter to you Meme. I love you and thank you for WHO you are. Thank you for your steadfast, UNWAIVERING faith. Thank you for all you've taught me. Thank you for being like no one I've ever known!
Today, the other side of the world TRULY feels THAT FAR AWAY!
I miss you and love you and wish I was there to hug you and eat yummy cake! Oooohhhh......and thank you for alllll the new soups for the night we arrived at your house after a long day of travel and the brand new cake that was always hidden under the silver topper "hidden" behind the door for dessert! :)
Happy Happy 95th Birthday!!!
I love you Meme!!!
Amy
( ok. So this "blog" /tribute turned into more of a letter to the greatest lady I've ever known.....
please excuse me as I may go on and on about her......... :))
This is my Meme! Today, she celebrates 95 years of life. And I'm on the other side of the world not able to hug her and cherish this day with her and my family. :(
However, I refuse to pout today or in this post. I am going to CELEBRATE a woman who means the world to me!
This woman is the picture of Jesus to me. She was a Pastor's wife and then a widow since my Daddy was 11. She never waivered in her faith. She has trusted the Lord through good times, poverty, grief, struggles, loneliness, moves and raising two children as a single mother.
She is a woman of STRENGTH.
Of GREAT FAITH.
Of ENERGY.
Of PERSEVERANCE.
Of JOY!
Of PATIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh how she needed it Aunt Janice :) heehee and Rhonda..... I mean ME!! hahahahaha JUST KIDDING!!!!)
She is a picture of the verse, He keeps in PERFECT PEACE those who trust in Him. She never seemed rattled..... no matter how messed up or how crazy or scary life could be at times.
To me, she is an exact replica of the Proverbs 31 woman I've always wanted to be.
Despite what Sunday School taught me my entire life, it took me until I was 16 to really believe that that my Meme sinned. I mean seriously, how in the world can you sin when you live alone and don't have anyone to talk to? :) During one of our early morning talk times, I finally asked her and she just laughed at me, humbly shared that by no means was she perfect.....(though I still had my doubts) and shared yet another book load of God's Truth and wisdom with me.
My Meme taught me many things in life. Every summer of my childhood, my sisters and I got to spend at LEAST 2-3 weeks alone with her in Alabama. One of my favorite summers was the year I got to stay an entire month alone with her! She didn't waste a minute of our time together. She taught me everything from baking pumpkin and pecan pies, to sewing and cleaning a house on a daily schedule as I am serving my husband to be (keep in mind.....I think I was 11at the time!) Everything was always tied to serving my husband/family--- as UNTO THE LORD (her words to each grand-daughter was that we were created to be a HelpMATE for our husbands)......even the darn IRONING fell into that category of serving him! She knew I didn't like ironing, so she encouraged me to change my attitude by praying for the person whose shirt I was ironing. Who can argue with that, right? Well...... I STILL don't like ironing. In fact, I rely heavily upon the dryer or a Wrinkle Free Spritzer...... maybe I should go back to my roots huh???? :) Meme, I can see you smiling and just shaking your head at me right now!
She also tried SOOOOOO VERY HARD to teach me to be a lady. Whether it was "a lady sits like this and always crosses her legs at the ANKLES" or "Amy, try to walk LIGHTLY. A lady doesn't sound like an elephant when she walks."
Oh Meme, I'm thinking I may need to stop writing this "letter" to you because I'm realizing I have failed miserably! I really DID listen! I promise! My kiddos are on a daily chore rotation and ......ummm learning! However, I must confess, my corrections or constructive criticism/teaching and training isn't always held in the soft, patient MEME tone that you gave me. Oh and yes Meme.....apparently I still roll my eyes (or so I've been told)! But I DO serve dinner with a protein, a green and a carb--making it colorful and healthy. I still read all the time. I try real hard not to kill my plants. We work hard to memorize verses b/c as you've said the Truth we memorize when we are young will not leave us. You are living proof..... today, you may not remember what you had for lunch, MUCH LESS that you ATE lunch ( me too and I'm only 37 YIKES!) but you can still quote those verses you've clung to your entire life and those sweet hymns you, Aunt Janice and Daddy used to play/sing together!
Meme. Here's the bottomline..... you set the standard so HIGH that any of us will just fall short. Every. Single. Time.
I've always described you in this way: It goes like this: God/Jesus.... MEME....Steven Curtis Chapman ( hahahaha) See! That's HOW LONG I've been describing you this way---since FOREVER ago when he was our favorite Christian artist!
It would take a very long book to tell you what you mean to me. One of the biggest things you've taught me was to "be anxious for NOTHING...but in everything....EVERYTHING....TRUST...be THANKFUL and PRAISE HIM!
Ohhhhh the FAITH and TRUST you have had all these years....... 95 years of living......serving......smiling.....struggling.....believing......running the race God has called you to.....and NOT ONCE COMPLAINING!!!!!!
I'm so thankful for 95 years with you (actually....only 37 of those have been with me!) REGARDLESS----it's a long time!!! You've touched many, many lives in that time!
Thank you for letting this chatty-cathy stay with you all those days talking your ear off allllll day.....and allllll night as I talked us both to sleep at night under the electric blanket or my favorite handmade family quilt. I loved watching you learn to swim for the first time when you were in your 70's. I loved our times raking leaves and picking acorns.
I miss swinging on the porch with you and our early morning coffee time. I really wish I was there to have a cup with you on this very special day---because Meme, I finally DID grow up and start drinking coffee! :)
I know you don't know what facebook or blogs are, but hopefully Mama will print this out and read it to you! :) You always said you love my letters. So here's my birthday letter to you Meme. I love you and thank you for WHO you are. Thank you for your steadfast, UNWAIVERING faith. Thank you for all you've taught me. Thank you for being like no one I've ever known!
Today, the other side of the world TRULY feels THAT FAR AWAY!
I miss you and love you and wish I was there to hug you and eat yummy cake! Oooohhhh......and thank you for alllll the new soups for the night we arrived at your house after a long day of travel and the brand new cake that was always hidden under the silver topper "hidden" behind the door for dessert! :)
Happy Happy 95th Birthday!!!
I love you Meme!!!
Amy
No comments:
Post a Comment