This past Easter (April 2011), I got to visit her out in New Mexico where she lives. That was the first time I had been out there since I was around 3 or 4 years old! I also hadn't seen her in about 8 years. We went site-seeing a little each day and stayed up fairly late talking each night. I learned so much about my family history as well as about her and her faith in God. I found out that one of her favorite books in the Bible is Isaiah, which is also one of my favorites! I cannot find the words to describe how encouraging it was to spend time with her. It was a HUGE blessing to be able to visit her in her 90th year of life.
She is still pretty sharp mentally and has a fabulous sense of humor! She and her friends were cracking me up that whole weekend. At one point, Grandma and her friend Joni were taking me on a drive around their little town of Hatch, New Mexico. This town is so small that it doesn't even have a stoplight! The "rich" part of town consisted of about 4 or 5 homes on one little street. As we were driving down that street, Joni was explaining who lived in each home and what they did for a living. Then Grandma piped in from the back-seat and pointed out one of the homes and said, "Yeah, and that one over there has 5 bathrooms and I've peed in all of them!" Needless to say, I burst into laughter!
Some of the stories they told about the town and its shops were also very funny and interesting. Here are some pictures:
Signs like this crack me up!
This is a controversial town icon- owned by the guy that owns Sparky's bbq, burgers, and espresso.
Grandma with Tigger at White Sands, NM
Joni, the Colonel, and Grandma. I think the Colonel was trying to make a move on Grandma!
Tigger had to get in the picture. Colonel Sanders was smitten with Grandma!
Tigger, me, Ronald, and Joni
Interesting...very interesting...
Not sure I'd eat all of these at the same time.
So Great-Grandma Sammie has always told me how she just "loves [me] to pieces," and she still does to this day. I was reminded of her telling me this a few weeks ago as I read the Our Daily Bread devotional for August 26, 2011. It talked about two women who literally loved God's word "to pieces." They read their Bibles so much that the bindings and pages were literally in shreds and pieces. Oh how I yearn to love God and His word like that.
Here is the link to that very devotional reading. I think you'll find it very encouraging and challenging:
Here is the link to that very devotional reading. I think you'll find it very encouraging and challenging:
http://odb.org/2011/08/26/the-goodness-of-the-lord/
At the end of Grandma and my phone call the other day, she so preciously ended it by saying, "You know what? I still just love you to pieces."
Well, Grandma, do YOU know what? I still just love YOU to pieces!
And may we all learn to love God's Word to pieces too :)
Jeremiah 15:16 (NIrV)- "When I received Your words, I ate them.
They filled me with joy.
My heart took delight in them.
Lord God who rules over all,
I belong to You."
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