My grandmother passed away on January 2, 2023, at the age of 103. A few days before she died, she was still singing “Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus.”
Due to Covid restrictions and living two provinces away, the
last time I saw my grandma was in July 2019. She was in the hospital with an
injury. I knew the things she said and the stories she told might be the last I
heard from her, so I wrote them down after our visit. One thing she told me was
that she had a difficult childhood she would tell me about sometime, but she
said God remembered her in adulthood and she felt blessed by her family. She
told me she loved the Psalm that God would you in your old age.
Grandma also told me about meeting my grandpa and about how
difficult it was to be a pastor’s family after the war. These stories inspired
me to find out more and to use some of the stories in a fictional book inspired
by her life called Enough. Throughout our last time together, she frequently praised God.
I will miss my grandma, but I know she is happy now to be
with God and reunited with her husband and the family members who have gone
before her. I am inspired by her practice of giving thanks. Psalm 71: 18 says
“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your
power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” She has certainly
fulfilled this prayer and I hope my novel continues to spread her message.
