My first blog comes with sad news. My Granddaddy is not doing well. He has Alzheimer's and has been getting worse and worse every day it seems. I feel like he stills knows who I am when I am with him and he definitely knows who my grandmother (MamaRie as most people know her) is. We just found out that his kidneys are failing and while there are more tests to be run, it appears as if he will not be here for his 80th birthday in May. Growing up I was extremely close to my grandparents. We lived about 3 miles from them in Saks and their house was a second home. When they were out of town, I still wanted to go to their house. After my first year of college, my parents moved to Douglasville, GA and my grandparents moved to Guntersville, AL to be closer to other family members. Over the past years, I have seen them less, but my love for them certainly hasn't diminished. Every time I am with them, I feel like the luckiest grandchild ever, but I also feel bad because I don't spend the time with them that I want to and I know that MamaRie wants me to. Inconvenience ruins me. When Granddaddy was in his prime, he was the greatest man most people knew. I've heard countless stories of his selfless acts no matter how inconvenient it was to him. If a grandchild wanted ice cream at 10pm and they didn't have the requested flavor at their house, Granddaddy was on his way to the grocery store. If he passed a broken down car on the side of the road, Granddaddy would pullover to offer assistance. Not only would he help them, but he would invite them to church... every time. I've heard stories of how he paid other people's bills anonymously because he knew they were in need. Granddaddy has walked girls down the aisle on their wedding day because they didn't have their own father there and he was seen as someone just as important. If you've ever read Don Piper's book 90 Minutes in Heaven or heard him speak, you've heard about his experience in Heaven (in a nutshell... he was in a terrible car accident, pronounced dead at the scence, and came back to life after experiencing Heaven for 90 minutes). Don Piper talks about one thing that really stands out from his visit to Heaven is that the people who were standing at the gates welcoming him home were those who had an influence in him getting to Heaven. I can only imagine that once Granddaddy does get to Heaven how many people he is going to welcome Home. Inconvenience made Grandaddy a hero. I want to be just like him, but that requires change. I'm trying to change.
Please pray that God will help me change to be more like my Granddaddy. Pray that inconvenience will not keep me from inviting others to church. Pray that I will be willing to get my hands dirty for the one lost sheep. I'm trying to change.
4 comments:
you're blog is awesome. i remember MamaRie and "PapaRie" picking me up from school one time because I was sick and my mom was at work. They took me back to their house and covered me up with a blanky in an armchair and MamaRie gave me a heating pad for my tum-tum! :)
Yay! I'm so glad that you followed us to our little "blog" world:) I will keep you and your grandaddy in my thoughts and prayers. I just lost my grandomother last week so I know what you are going through. It's hard but know that God will make you strong!
Your blog is great! Don't sell yourself short, either...I read in your writing everything you say. A lot of times, you might think it's not coming out like you'd like...but it's getting across - loud and clear!
As for inconvenience...we all for short. The true test is whether or not you recognize the need for change/adjustment. You have and I have no doubt that you'll become exactly who you're meant to become. I'm adding you to my vacation (blog) spots...and I'll be checking on you! ;)
I pray for your grandpa Rie also...sounds like you have lots of fond memories with him, and your mama-rie what about your other grandparents? I hope you have lots of memories of spending time with them also.
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