A Life Well Lived

As some of you know, Clint's grandmother had her first day in heaven on July 4th of this past week. She is pictured on the left with one of our boys. My sister and I married 1st cousins, so she has been a part of my life for around the past 12 years.

Being with the family and seeing how the things grandma did had such an impact on others' lives really inspired me to look at life differently.

Here's what I've learned and want to pass on to the next generation of my family:

1. Laugh - grandma always had a good laugh, either at herself or some funny happening. She was young at heart and saw the humor in life which made her such a kick to be around!

2. Journal - after her funeral, Aunt Sue was going through some boxes of grandma's things and found scads of journals. Her family didn't know she journaled and it was such a precious gift to see her handwriting and to hear her thoughts on the events of life. It was neat to read about what she thought of our wedding and the way she showed such love and pride in her family.

3. Write in your Bible - what a gift to look through her Bible and see highlighted sections with notes as to why it was highlighted. Verses that spoke of hope and perseverance. She wrote next to the verse in Job that she read the morning they found out that grandpa (deceased) had cancer...and it was bad. She wrote next to the verse she claimed for her marriage and wrote next to the verses that got her through losing her firstborn son as a soldier in Vietnam. This is the hope and certainty our will children have, knowing that we turned to the Lord in life, whether good or bad. It was just so cool to really see how she lived the Word in her everyday life. I want my kids to be able to tangibly see where I found my strength and hope.

4. Embrace the good & the bad - grandma had a tough life. she wasn't afraid to talk or journal about it and wasn't afraid to say "why?". I can just imagine her sitting with God and having a long talk and some good laughs over her life and her asking "what in the world were you thinking" when talking about some of the trials of her life. I can guarantee that she would embrace whatever her Lord had to say and trust him...she always has.

I was so inspired seeing how I can treat my kids differently and take some real ways from grandma to change the generations that will come after me and leave a legacy of faith, trust, love and a good laugh.

Thank you Grandma Gert. I will miss you.