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She Was A Saint Of God
I will meet you in the morning, just inside the Eastern Gate...
we sang that day as we stood around the grave,
mother and grandmother she was to this man and I,
now gone to her Father whom she had faithfully served,
following her husband to that land awaiting,
This extraordinary woman,
who was so ordinary to the naked eye...
Oh be ready faithful pilgrim, for you'll not have long to wait
Grandmother, who had risen to the occasion
when I showed up at her door friends in tow,
Grandma, we have come for my birthday party!,
who never missed a School function or PTA meeting
in the little town where I grew up,
walked to the Grocery Store
her little two wheeled cart pulling behind,
with me walking beside
I will meet you, I will meet you
Just inside the Eastern Gate over there...
Mother, who had loved my father with a passion,
her only child out of four who lived into adulthood,
Loving his children, pouring out unconditional love
she lay in hospital clinging to life,
until he could arrive to say goodbye
then shouting,
Glory to God, I'm ready to go after she saw his face
Sitting for hours sewing quilt squares by hand
letting me, her only granddaughter help
while we talked and listened to Pepper Youngs
Family and Young Widow Brown on the radio as it
droned on, can this woman who is 55 or older,
find true happiness,
Fixing chicken and dumplings special,
and graham crackers with cocoa frosting
putting us to bed at night with
Little Robin Redbreast - 'the north wind doth blow . . .'
finishing off with, And the Hoot Owl!!
Friend to all, taking me by the hand
visiting neighbors to chat, never missing
her Sunday School class of small children
first to stand in church to testify of her
love to her Saviour raising her hand in praise.
Saint of God who lived a life of love, caring for
those around her with a heart of compassion,
wept when she heard on the News of the sorrows
of others, Her body lay in this grave,
her spirit slipped on to heaven . . .
I will meet you, I will meet you
I will meet you in the morning over there
~~~~
This paternal Grandma Hultgren, died when I was 19
in about 1957. Her impact on my life was profound.
Such a simple soul, filled with love and compassion.
Sharon August 2000
My Grandma of Grace
Grandma Roxey was my maternal grandma,
I, the first child of her only child, Opal my mother,
it was said she was like a cow who was
jealous of a heifers first calf
being of country people, a simile easily understood
She lived a life of hard work but always spoke of it pleasantly
a champion cotton picker and proud of it
my grandfather loved horses, he rode the rodeo circuit
and was killed breaking, or taming, a wild horse,
she witnessed the accident as he was thrown
and dragged by the stirrups in which his foot was caught
She told the story how she asked the Lord to let him live, He spoke to her, said He was taking him home grandma turned her face to the wall and wept,
accepting the wisdom of her God
After Grandpa died, she took his job at an oil refinery
in California, it was years later
before I learned, when she spoke of working graveyard,
she did not mean she sat out in front
of the graveyard guarding it!
God gave to her another love,
my step grandfather whom she loved
until his death, having one child
she opened her arms to his many
and became mother to them in every way,
strict but with great love.
I remember her fondly from childhood,
sweeping into our house when visiting,
smelling like perfume, her hair,
until the day she died in her 90s,
always combed and swept up on her head,
her affection knew no bounds
She gave grace to all because her beloved Lord
had given it to her in abundance, always,
she prayed for those who had needs,
writing to men of God and churches
requesting they pray also,
the strongest memory I have,
was her tenderness toward the Lord,
when she spoke of Him, she cried,
the tears flowing freely as she talked
of His love and answered prayer,
She had an acerbic tongue that could get you
where it hurt,
if she told a story from the past,
look out if you were in the way!
It was a part of her,
if she wanted to know something about you,
the question would dart out and
smack you before you saw it coming.
Yet always compassionate and caring about
the needs of others
It was a two sided coin with the loving side
far outweighing the words that could cut.
Open and honest you always knew where she stood,
what you saw was who she was
So aware of His grace,
she always gave it freely to others
When the Lord became real to her in a personal way,
the love she felt was so strong
it became a motivating force in her life for a long time,
telling the story of going to church
in those first love filled days,
she was driving down the road in her Model A Ford
and saw a man digging a ditch
Work on old man, work on! Ive got religion!! she called
as she drove by always weeping
as she told the story of her new found love.
HE changed her life,
and until her death a few years ago
she never tired of reading her bible,
talking of her Lord and watching programs of Him
on TV, although. . .
Always working in time for her two soap operas and . . .
company or not, when Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy
came on she was in front of the TV, you watched
or went in the other room
Combine the things in this last stanza with board games
or cards every single day and . . .you have the last years
in the life of . . . my Grandma of Grace
I should have put this poem in bright living colors
as she always wore purple, pink, lavender or brightly
colored floral patterns and was impeccably dressed,
with coiffure in place, and yet . . . this Grandma of mine
would walk around when ready for bed . . .
without her teeth! This lovely Grandma of Grace.
Sharon
September 22, 2000
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