I an taking a turn from Allison's list today.
Today MJ and I did something we had never done before. We attended two funerals on the same day. One at 9:30 this morning and the other at 11. The first one was for the mother of a dear friend, the second was for a dear lady who had been our friend for 30 years.
My life would have been better and richer if I had known Martina Turner. Her son in law spoke eloquently about his love for her, for the family he had married into. He spoke boldly and affirmingly to his wife and to her three siblings about the care they had given their mother as she journeyed her last days here. Two of her grandchildren spoke. They spoke of her teaching them to love to learn, to love the Lord and to love each other. By the time they were through I knew it was time for me to up my grandmother game a notch or two! We saw the blessing of love of the Lord and family being passed from generation, to generation, to generation because of life well lived.
My life was better because I knew Gaynell Phillips. She was the mother of five. I was a mother of four. I think she could recognize the glaze over my eyes. She blessed and encouraged me as a young mother. She taught me not to just love my children but to enjoy them. She had laugh out loud funny children and so did we. Her youngest was a year or two ahead of our oldest and they became dear friends in high school. Gaynell was the one who assured me I was going to survive KJ leaving home to go to college...that the relationship was going to be different but it was going to be wonderful. She was right. She and her husband Don spoke words of blessing into MJ and I when we were young. They along with another couple watered seeds that others had planted in us then began to tend the little seedlings plants for the love of being in the Word.
Over the past several years Gaynell she suffered losses almost too deep to be spoken here. Yet she never allowed those losses ot define her. She continued to bless, encourage and affirm until the end of her journey. Children and grandchildren spoke at this service too and once again we saw the blessing being passed down from generation to generation, to generation because of life lived well.
Life well lived looks really good. Well done good and faithfull servants, well done.
Your tribute honors both families and the memory of two of God's women. I'm glad I got to know about them through you. I do feel like your grandmother techniques are top knotch already, however, so I'm wondering what the next level might be...the g'kids will have suggestions, though, I'm quite sure!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tribute! This makes me want to strive to use every day to be a better mom, wife, friend. But it also makes me want to be intentional about surrounding myself with good wives, mothers and friends- there is such power in the way the Lord works through others to teach and help teach our children.
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