The Blessing of A Godly Grandma

I'm been very blessed to still have my maternal grandmother on this earth. She is an amazing woman. Graceful. Stubborn. Opinionated. Loving. Forgiving. Wise. Patient.

She is the rock of the family. When one of her children or grandchildren needs sound advice, it is to grandma that we go. She'll listen and hear your heart, but tell you what you need to hear whether you want to hear it or not. This is a rare quality to come by these days, even in family members. And if she observes a behavior or attitude she doesn't find becoming, well she'll pull you aside and let you know she doesn't approve. (There is a look that crosses her face and all of us grand kids recognize it as the sign that someone is going to get called to grandma's bedroom or the porch for a little heart-to-heart before they leave.)

I can tell you on many occasions my decisions have been made based on "what would grandma do or would this disappoint grandma". It has helped me make wise decisions and kept me out of many a  predicament.

I'm so thankful to have this strong woman in my life who embodies every biblical attribute of a Godly woman. I'm thankful for the example she has set for all of the women in my family.

So many of us don't have the opportunity to get to know our grandparents as adults. Grandma Speight is the only grandparent I've been blessed to know as an adult and I'm so thankful for this opportunity.  I love hearing grandma talk about her childhood, marriage and raising kids. She willingly shares the good, the bad, and the ugly. She's genuine. She doesn't aim to be perfect or pretend to be someone she's not. She cares deeply for her kids, grand kids, and great grand kids and her only concern is to see them love the Lord and live in a way that exalts Him.

Some of my most treasured memories have been made at Grandma and Pa's house. Family sings gathered around the piano. Picking buckets of blueberries with the excitement of grandma baking a cobbler when she got home from work only to have us grand kids eat nearly all of them before she made it home. Fishing. Picking vegetables in the garden. Sewing lessons. Receiving the best hugs and kisses. Eating peaches and milk.

I'm so thankful for the influence of Godly grandparents and I'm so very thankful He saw fit to give Opal Louise Speight to me. I love you grandma!

(Mama, Grandma, Me, Aubrey)