This precious lady is Gracie. She was celebrating her 99th birthday when this picture was taken but she looks exactly the same as she did 20 years ago when she came to my 16th birthday party and played hymns on her accordion (that's how cool I was). Yes, I took a little flack for that from my friends, but I adored Gracie and everywhere Gracie went her accordion (and her three-wheeled bicycle and her boogie board for riding the waves) went with her. Gracie is the spunkiest lady I've ever known. She overflows with life and joy, her words are always full of wisdom, she has never met a stranger (and was often reprimanded for bringing homeless people off of the beach and into her condo for a hot meal and a good night's sleep in a warm bed) and you are sure to walk away from time spent with her with a smile on your face and more love for Jesus in your heart. I haven't seen or spoken to Gracie in 13 years. I was expecting Travis at the time and it was too soon to know whether he was a boy or a girl, but she was thrilled for us and she confided that she hoped he'd be a boy because she'd had so much fun raising her own two sons. She conceded that girls were probably great too, but she knew for certain that boys were a blast so that's what she prayed for us.
Gracie is 101 years old now and in the hospital. My dad was on his way to visit her this morning when, knowing how much I've always loved her, he asked me if I'd like to talk with her once he got there. I'm embarrassed to admit that my first thought was that I wouldn't have time to make it work. I was scurrying around getting kids fed and dressed and packed up for a day out of the house and I was tempted to think that I should keep my focus on that task. Thankfully the Lord always knows what I actually need and He gives me that instead. Like the gift of this morning's phone conversation with Gracie.
If I was expecting to hear a tired, worn-out version of the old Gracie I knew and loved then I was wrong. Her voice was as full of life as it ever was. Her first sentence to me this morning was, "Judy Kay! Honey! You have FIVE boys! And even a GIRL!" And then she laughed. She said she was so happy for me that God had blessed us so greatly. She spoke a bit about motherhood and how quickly the time goes and reminded me to pray for my kids.
If I was expecting for her memory to be dull, then I was wrong on that count too. Because the next topic of conversation was in regard to a small piece of china that she had given me when I was about 15. I vaguely remembered her taking it from her china cabinet one afternoon when I was visiting with her in her condo, but my heart sank at the thought that I had absolutely no idea where in the world that special piece is right now. It sank even further when she described all the hands it had passed through in her family before it landed in my own. I'm holding out hope that Mom was a lot wiser than I was and that she put that away for me to find when I was responsible enough to know what a treasure I had.
And if I was expecting her to make me laugh? I was right on that one. I hardly talked at all during our conversation but I laughed a lot.
I knew Gracie well enough to assume that she would be nothing but totally pumped to die and meet Jesus in Heaven. I wasn't surprised to hear pure joy and delight in her voice as she said to me, "Well, I'm guessing this will be the last time I ever talk to you here on Earth!", like she was clapping her hands in anticipation of something better and waiting expectantly for it to come. The words that came next brought tears to my eyes as soon as I heard them and have continued to all day as I've thought back on our conversation. With so much earnestness in her voice, she ended our conversation by saying, "My dear, I hope you have a glorious life and I'll see you when you get up there!"
In that one sentence my busy, anxious, fretful heart that insists on worrying about this old broken-down world and all it's sadness felt 101 times lighter. Her words reminded me of the great hope that we have and of the glory that waits for those of us who trust in Jesus. Each day brings us one day closer and today Gracie reminded me to live them with joy. In fact, Gracie is a living illustration for me of one who is living out 1 Peter 3:1-9. Gracie has seen some suffering in her 101 years on this earth. But because she's confident that she was born again into a living hope, and even though she hasn't yet fully seen God's glory, she is able to "believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory." She knows what the outcome of her faith will be and she's been looking forward to it for a long time.
{A quick google search for a recent picture of her found this precious article written about her just after her 99th birthday.}