My Grandmom: My Father

My Grandmom
I was always very close to my maternal grandmother. Gram was the sweetest, most gentle person that I had ever met. My maternal grandfather had rheumatoid arthritis and had very limited mobility. Grandmom would help bathe grandpop and lift him into and out of bed. Grandmom never complained about taking care of him, even though at times he was not very pleasant.
I used to spend a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. Grandmom made dinner and we would serve Grandpop his dinner up in his room. I used to play my accordion for him. No wonder he was not very pleasant! Grandmom always made sure we said grace before eating, she taught me to always be thankful for all that God gave us.
Grandpop slept in the back room in a hospital bed and

I was never a bad child, but like most children, I was self-centered. I was jealous of my brother who was just eighteen months younger than me and at times I resented him. Now I certainly cannot say that I became an instant angel, far from it, but I did understand more about all the things that made my grandmother so special. I too began to read my Bible everyday and my prayer time was not just a repetition of words written by someone else. Grandmom taught me that, not only could I really talk to God, but He really wants to hear from me. Wow, the awesome God that created the universe wants to hear from little old me! It is great to know that even when I feel sad and alone, I can reach out to the One who loved me enough to send His son to die for

My faith is what keeps me going in the bad times. One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 5:6: be not anxious in anything, but in everything, with prayer and thanksgiving, present your request to God. Sometimes it is a lot easier said than done and I have to remind myself that God is in control, and worrying about what may happen does not change anything. I start each day praying that the Holy Spirit will surround me and that the light of Jesus will shine through me. It is definitely not easy to always display the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Many times, I have to stop in my tracks and ask for help to deal with difficult situations. I still struggle with anxiety and lack of confidence, for instance I am pretty insecure about writing this paper. It is pretty interesting though, that like always, I can feel God’s presence. I am typing this and someone is on the television, singing the song “Jesus Take the Wheel”.
My grandmom passed away November 2nd, 2003, twelve years ago today at the age of 89. Looking back over her life, I can remember the wonderful way she demonstrated the fruit of the spirit. Her love for her family and joy in the little things in life, her patience, gentleness, and goodness in caring for a sickly husband and later her elderly mother, and her peace and self-control when