Although I am 31, this year seemed to mark the official end of my childhood as I lost my maternal grandmother. Despite the heartbreak of this loss, I’ve spent many hours reflecting on how grateful I am for my childhood and the many women I’ve been surrounded by during my life. My mom’s mother was the one who established our family traditions and brought a sense of stability to our family. With her passing, I know in my heart that things will never been the same, but I praise the Lord for all of the time spent and memories made with her.
I’ve realized how each of my grandmothers have taught me different lessons. My dad’s mother taught me about God’s sovereignty in my life. He is the Lord of lords, King of kings, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. She was the woman who taught my own mother about the amazing grace of Christ and led her into a relationship with Him. It was my grandmother’s open and loving arms that accepted my mom for who she was in one of the darkest times in her life. She illustrated first-hand the unconditional love of God.
That love that was taught to my mom by my grandmothers has shown through in many ways. To simply put it, my mother is a true prize. She’s been an ear to listen and been a godly example, showing compassion and how God’s love is tender and personal to anyone who has come through our home. But most importantly she has shown me the importance of a praying mom. She has spent countless hours and sleepless nights praying over my brother and I through the years.
A mother’s love can take many different forms. I’ve learned over the years that it might not always come in the beautifully wrapped packages that we want to present to others, but each of them is a gift, and I’ve seen this in my own life as each of them impacted my life differently. Each of them loved me in their own way and taught me in their own way. There are many times when those differences were hard on me, but now I realize that it’s those difference that have helped bring me to the be the mom I am today. I hope that my own daughter can see the different ways that each of her grandmothers and I love her and will shape her into being a wonderful mother one day.