A Tribute to My Grandma Betty

[littlespirit]

   My Grandma Betty was the strongest woman I know. She probably learned to have such strength and faith from the Finnish grandmother that raised her in the harsh conditions of Michigan in the early 1900’s. Grandma Betty was one of nine and came to live next door with her grandmother because her grandma needed help. I wish I knew all of the early stories of her growing up years, but I’m afraid Grandma has just passed, and I never took the time to ask. She was married to an iron ore miner and had three boys, one of which was my father. I’ve heard many comical stories of Grandma chasing after those three boys trying to keep them in line and respectable in their little community. When my father was little he used to wander off and various neighbors would bring him back as every one looked out for all the children in their small town. My Grandma cured him of that by tying him to the tree in the front yard with a long rope. I’m ashamed to admit that I once told her to mind her own business about my own parenting decisions, but the truth is that I hope I can be the kind of mother and grandmother she was. She was a capable woman who took charge. For many, many years she worked in the nearby hospital (and then nursing home) taking care of patients with a tender love that I hope to emulate. She developed an inner strength through the years as she experienced many losses when her grandmother, parents, unborn child, husband, grandchild, and sisters passed on ahead of her. As I’ve been looking through photo albums this week, I realized some things about my Grandma that I didn’t know. Evidently, she wasn’t above donning a Gene Simmons KISS mask and scaring the bejeebers out of one of her granddaughters (not me, thankfully). She was also comfortable enough in her own skin in her sixties to wear a bikini top and grass skirt (with only panties underneath) and do the hula dance. She also drank from a coffee cup for 25 years with a picture on it of me in my nurse’s cap at my nursing graduation ceremony. I think she must have been proud of me. She came to visit us in Florida for many winter vacations and kept me awake snoring loud enough to flush the toilets on the other side of the house. (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit.) She never forgot a birthday and would send cards with $5 inside even though she could barely live on the meager income she made. She would save those $5 bills throughout the year so she would have enough for all her grandchildren. I found all of her own birthday cards from her last birthday with her Bible next to her chair with the massager in it. If I had known they brought her such joy, I would have been more diligent to send one to her every year. My name was in the bag with the cards, though, on a gift card I had managed to remember to send her one year, can’t remember which. When I got to her bedside earlier this week, I think she already knew it was the end. She was ready; she had made her peace with her Lord long before. She lived her life with such love and honesty that there was no one to make amends with before she died. I was thankful for the privilege of rubbing lotion on the feet and hands that took care of so many for so long. I got some red nail polish for her nails because that was her color. She loved to look pretty and feminine. Whenever I smell White Shoulders perfume, I will always think of her. There comes a time in this life where you have to let go of everything you’re holding on to because you realize those things were all temporary anyway. Her cozy home will be sold; she won’t need it because she has a new one in heaven, anyway. I hope that home will bring as much joy to the new owner as it did to her and all of us when we came to visit. I will consider myself forever blessed with the honor of being with her as she went from lying in a hospital bed to dancing on streets of gold. My cousin made note that she is probably up there cleaning the dance floor with a toothbrush first. (Chuckle) When that’s done, she’ll dance with her husband and hold her baby and grandbaby. She’ll catch up with her sisters and grandmother at the feet of Jesus. There will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more night. It will be beautiful and glorious, and she will stay busy getting our mansions in spic and span shape for when we join her. Thank you, Grandma Betty for showing us the important things in life. Thank you for showing us how to live life to its fullest even in the lonely times. Thank you for being strong and pushing through the hard times. You've shown us all how to rely on Jesus and keep going even when it's difficult. Thank you for praying for us and believing the best about us. We love you, and you will be sorely missed.