Legacy

When you turn 50 you start looking at the past maybe because you are unsure just how much future is ahead of you. I know we never know how much time we have, our lives are precarious endeavours at best. But when you are young, you think you will live forever. My grandmother is 91 and until recently very healthy. Everyone who meets her without fail comments on how young she looks (Dear God, may I take after her!) She has always been hardworking and very independent and life hasn't always been kind to her. She married during the Depression and she and her husband, my grandfather knew difficult times. These times were not just of the financial making but also a difficult marriage, they were very different people who struggled to adjust to each others' personalities. The marriage ended. Later, their first born child, an only son would die, forever impacting my families lives. My grandmother still grieves this loss. My mother and aunt are women who are caretakers, the kind of women who would get off their death beds and fix you a meal. They learned this from the woman they call Mother and I call Granny. I have the privilege of taking care of my grandmother occasionly so that my Mom and my Aunt may have a break. Granny is losing her memory and she knows it. She can recall intimate details of her life over 70 years ago but struggles to remember yesterday. I have had the pleasure of listening to these stories of her life and my heritage and I will always treasure them. My grandmother looks back on her life not with regret but by acknowledging that yes, while this and that was difficult, God sustained her. Each and every story ended with... But God was with me or I couldn't have made it without him. As I age, I too, look back and see God's handiwork in my life. He wasn't always pleased with my choices but he went along with me none-the-less. I am so very grateful for my heritage, God blessed me with my Granny who shared her faith everyday with me. My mother and aunt who continued this faith sharing by deed and word. My hope is that I will leave this legacy with my children and grandchildren.