Weathering our Storms Together

Weathering our Storms Together
Us....

Monday, October 11, 2010

A Legacy of Love

Several years ago, I was at my grandparent's house, Nanny B sent me to her bedroom to lay something on the dresser. As I was leaving something on Grandaddy's desk caught my eye.
I found a stack of papers with hand tracings on them. In each one was a trace of Grandaddy's hand and inside of his was a much smaller one. I leafed through them to find all seven of "us" there. Us being his grandchildren. It brought tears to my eyes. I asked him about it and he told me that when we were really little he would sit us on his knee and trace out our hands inside of his. He told me he looked at them every day and remembered something about each of us.
I pondered that later in the day while taking care of my then toddler and baby. I thought about what Grandaddy had done for all of us. Every summer we would go to work with him. He runs a laundry route and in Bowling Green and each of us would take at least one turn during the summer of driving around with him and "helping". Our day included laughs, breakfast and lunch out with him, screams as he pretended to be asleep driving, and *always* a stack of used laundry tickets to take home for play. He was the Grandaddy that made me brownies when I got off the bus at their place every now and then after school. Trips to the woods, to the pond, and an awesome fishing and hunting buddy for any of the grandkids that cared to go with him. I fondly remember family gatherings with his guitar perched on his knee as he belted out songs he made up about each of the grand children. Grandaddy's dear hunting friend was my OB/GYN and they both wept when two pregnancies ended sadly. Grandaddy didn't show up the day I had Sweet Son until my c-section was successfully over. When I was rolled into the operating room my Doc said, "he couldn't stand the pressure of this." :-) Truth is, Grandaddy hurt with us all....and rejoiced with us all. I've heard him pray, sing, comfort, guide, and correct....all with a heart full of love.
One of the best things about Grandaddy is Nanny. :-) He met her in a strawberry patch and waited the few years until she was "courting age". When I lay down at night, I'm laying on the bed bought with Grandaddy's war money. They married a few days before Grandaddy went to Korea. Nanny anxiously awaited his letters while at home with her parents. She tucked away the money that he sent and bought furniture for their home upon his return. Many Friday nights found me at Grandaddy and Nanny's house, Nanny would paint my fingernails as we watched Murder She Wrote.
Words cannot express how thankful I am for Grandaddy and Nanny to a part of my life. They are both older now, and a stroke has changed Grandaddy somewhat, but not so much as I cannot see the man I remember. This past Sunday I was blessed to be in church with my husband, kids, parents, Grandparents from both sides, and Jarrod's maternal Grandparents. My heart bubbled over that we could worship together. When Julia was saved this Spring, my parents, my grandparents, Jarrod's great aunt were there to experience it with us.
When I came into church Sunday morning Grandaddy gave me a hug and said, let me show you what I've kept in my pocket for as long as I have had it....he pulled out my Junior year picture on a key chain, then he said, "Every night, I flip it over and look at it before I go to sleep."
My heart turned as I hugged him, because as nature goes, we don't have as many years ahead as we do behind us as Grandfather and Grandaughter. ....but the Legacy will remain.

1 comment:

  1. Just had to wipe a tear or two on that one. Your Nanny and Grand-daddy sure are two special people. Hope to see you this weekend!

    ReplyDelete

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I'm a daughter of the King, the wife of a wonderful man, the mother to two caring, earthly children and two heavenly babes...

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