My Grandmother went to be with the Lord about two weeks ago. She was my last living grandparent, now with my other three Living grandparents.
I thank the Lord for the heritage that I have received through Grandmother (and my other grandparents). She was an honorable, sincere, and vigorous woman who loved the Lord.
The first time I brought Brandi to meet Grandmother and Granddaddy, as we were driving up the lane to their house, we saw Grandmother standing on top of the old Scout, chainsaw in hand, trimming branches from a mesquite tree. She was a petite lady, but she was wiry and tenacious.
Grandmother was always a hostess, regularly offering (almost insisisting) something to eat or drink. I think she is pleased to see that gift of hospitality in Rhett.
I remember as a child, being impressed with the style of her plates, silverware, and glasses. And she dressed up for any outing, even hauling the trash to the dump.
When I was in highschool or college, Grandmother gave each of my brothers and me a bookmark for Christmas, and the one that she gave me said, "RELAX". I'm still working on implementing that simple instruction, but I think she is pleased to know that I've made a bit of headway these past two years.
I feel compelled to respond with a few points of clarification to the pastor's remarks at Grandmother's funeral service. First, I do agree that the Lord knows the number of our days (Psalm 90:12), and that it is important for us to live intentionally and wisely with the finite number of days that we have. I also agree that He lovingly and sovereignly allows trials to grow our faith and maturity. However, I do not agree that God "balances out" good days and bad days, and I don't agree that Alzheimer's/dimensia is from Him. God is a good father, and He loves to give good gifts to His children.
The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
Proverbs 10:22 ESV
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-11 ESV
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17 ESV
The second is a very minor detail: while I do agree that at the end of time there will be a separation of the righteous and unrighteous (wheat and tares, sheep and goats) to Heaven and Hell, respectively, according to the teaching of Jesus, it will be the angels, not the demons, who serve as bailiffs.
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."' ... The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
Matthew 13:30, 39 ESV
Father, thank you for the good gifts that you have given me through my Grandmother. Thank you for the hope of seeing her again in person with you. I love you.
