“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,…”  Hebrews 9:27

Apart from the second coming of Christ, all of us will face death – when mortality will give way to immortality.  Hattie Wells, my dear grandmother, proudly crossed the spiritual divide between the physical and spiritual realm this past week.  She was just short of living ninety-six years on this earth and I can only imagine the changes she has witnessed in this world from 1919 to present.  With the recent birth of Josiah Murner, my brother’s grandson, five generations were living at one time.

Even with the busyness of my life today, it’s difficult not to find myself drifting into a reminiscent mode of yesteryear remembering the impact and influence ‘Grandmother’ had on my life today as a person, a husband, a father, an apostle of Christ.  So walk with me down my own personal memory lane and perhaps it will cause you to remember the significant people in your life, both alive and departed, that deserve a moment of reflection on the impact they have made on your life.

…I remember the gravy and biscuits that were served up fresh – cooked on a wood-burning stove on a crisp winter’s morn in a coal mining camp in eastern Kentucky.

…I remember the Mentholatum mustache she wore each night under her nose so that she breathed well through the night.  I also remember that any of us grandchildren that slept with her through the night would wake up smelling like Mentholatum Vapor Rub.

…I remember the swinging, wood bridge that we crossed thousands of times visiting Grandmother and Papa at Big Hammer Farm where we spent the majority of our summers.

…I remember the 38 special pistol that Grandmother carried in her purse at all times, for some unknown reason.  I also remember her trying to shoot a rattlesnake in the yard with her pistol.  That snake couldn’t have been in a safer place than where Grandmother was pointing that pistol.  Dad eventually killed the snake.

…I remember visiting Grandmother from college and after Autumn and I were married.  She never allowed us to depart without giving us some ‘lunch money’.  She always wanted to know that her ‘grands’ had enough.

…I remember the thousands of delicious meals prepared from foods and ingredients grown right out of Grandmother and Papa’s garden.  I also remember the relentless hours of canning those vegetables for delicious foods to be eaten later that winter.  Wish I had some of those pickles right now.

…I remember building with Dad several wooden outhouses, which were utilized until they finally built a bathroom on the back of their small farmhouse.

I especially remember her zeal for Christ, her compassion for others and the many displays of sacrifice and kindness she extended toward others-especially her family.   She truly was an amazing woman!

…I remember…so many things that wouldn’t mean as much to you as they do to me and I don’t ever want to forget the significant people whom Yahweh placed into my life to mold me into the man I am today. Grandmother, you rank right there at the top!!!