a special lady

My grandmother passed away Saturday after a long life and a long battle with Alzheimer's for the last bit. What a special lady and so many life lessons we all learned and continue to learn from her. 4 children, 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and counting. I am still processing all of this and have more to write about her, but for now, here is the benediction I gave at her beautiful funeral yesterday:

On special occasions the Smith family gathers. We are a large crowd for my grandmothers house. On these nights, Mimi would always take time to appreciate her role as matriarch. She would squeeze one of our hands and exclaim "Can you believe that all of this is because of me?!?" It humbled her - for truly in her mind she was just a farm girl from Oregon.

And today we gather - family, friends, loved ones. We come because we know that she was, in fact, much more than just a farm girl from Oregon.

She set her foundation as a strong faith in Christ. She added a loving marriage to Papa Brooks who adored her. And this faith and marriage set the stage for her life. Her works and her words overflowed from this wellspring.

I wish she were here today. Surely she would stand in the corner and, once again, admire the beautiful family she created. She would be humbled by all of these lives she touched. Truly she left a legacy.

Saturday morning when she met Jesus, I know she heard these sweet words, "Well done, good and faithful servant". Let us pray . . .