The past few days have been a little crazy. My grandmother fell in her home on Friday and it turns out she broke her arm. For someone younger, that injury may not seem too bad, but for someone who relies a LOT on her arms to get up and down, it was a pretty debilitating injury. Thankfully, the injury wasn’t worse and she seems to be doing real well in the rehab hospital. Hopefully she will work hard at rehab and be able to return home.
While visiting my grandmother today, I couldn’t help but gaze at this almost 89 year old woman with such honor and admiration. She has lived a hard life.
She grew up on a tobacco farm in rural North Carolina, so life for her was defined largely by work! While other children were enjoying their afternoons, she was on the farm picking tobacco and cotton. It’s hard for me to even fathom that type of hard work.
When she was only 42 years old, she lost her husband (Grandpa Frank as we know him). She was left to raise her 2 children (my father and aunt) by herself. Unfortunately, her salary as a licenced practical nurse meant that money was very tight.
When I looked at her across the room today during our visit, I couldn’t help but remember all that this woman has overcome. In her old age, it’s more and more difficult to get around and falls are unfortunately becoming more frequent (hopefully the rehab will help with that). The entire time we were there, she kept saying how everyone has been so nice and how much she appreciates everyone’s help. I’ve often heard her say how thankful she is, even in the midst of all the arthritis and pain.
I’m sure she has her moments of frustration, but I’m so humbled when I’m around women like my grandmother.
I remember visiting with my grandmother and great aunt shortly after we lost Andrew. I remember looking at them and just thinking about how faithful the Lord has been in their lives. In the midst of my heartache and pain, I was surrounded my women of faith who have experienced similar heartache and pain. Though they didn’t all loose their babies at 38 weeks, they have experienced loss – the loss of a spouse – something I can’t even imagine.
I don’t have any deep insights to share in this post, other than just to say that I admire these women in my life. Whether they be grandmothers, great aunts, second cousins, or whoever else, they have encouraged me to walk this journey with grace and dignity, hopefully giving glory and honor to my Savior!
Life is hard, no doubt, but I’m thankful for the reminder of how the Lord can turn the ashes into something beautiful. These women are a testament to that, indeed!
