Saint

My mom got me thinking the other day about my Grandma.  She asked about my sermon (see the previous post for "Palm Passion Sunday: Highway to the Danger Zone") and I told her my points and sermon illustrations and admitted that my third point was the weakest, "grieve when it's time to grieve," and she reminded me of when Grandma died and my husband, my sister, and I went up to PA that first weekend, anyway, even though there was nothing going on.  No viewing, no church service; her memorial service wasn't til the next weekend.  But we went, anyway, to be with family and to hang out with family and grieve together.

My grandmother was not a perfect saint, no human is.  She loved singing hymns in church, especially ones written by Charles Wesley.  The fact that she didn't often sing on key never slowed or quieted her down.  Grandma knew she was going to be a pastor's wife when she married a banker.  What faith!  She knew Grandpa was going to be a preacher before God called him; God had already called her.  Grandma grew up and always stayed in the Methodist Church as it went through all its changes, ordaining women in 1956, joining with the Evangelical United Brethren to become The United Methodist Church in 1968.  Grandma never left the church.

Half the time I picture Grandma, it's in the kitchen.  That seems to be where the ladies in my family hang out when we get together - some will be cooking and baking and the rest of us sitting and chatting and occasionally helping.  Not that we have to be there, but we're not dumb - that's where the food is!  And the taste-testing!  And many of us actually enjoy cooking and baking!  (For my part, I'll taking baking and leave cooking.)  But it's where family stories are handed down, it's where various skills are passed along (I think I paid more attention when baking than cooking), it's where you learn things about childcare and living.  And you get to eat, or at least snack, while doing it.  Table fellowship, where the table is an island counter top in a kitchen.  Maybe that island is what's missing in my kitchen.  I'll have to remedy that before my daughter gets much older so that the ladies in my family can continue this life-giving tradition with her and tell her about her Great-Grandma :)