Mercy me! I did this
30 day writing challenge opposed to doing a 30 day photo challenge on
Instagram, and now I’m having second thoughts on whether I should’ve stuck with
the photo challenge as these writing challenges are actually quite tough!
An inspiring person – oh goodness! Where do I even begin? There are so, so many people that I could
write about who have inspired me in so many various ways. So, it is going to be near impossible to try
to narrow that down to just one person, as I certainly don’t want to leave
anyone out or make anyone have hurt feelings that they didn’t get
included. But, I did some pondering on this overnight
and have decided on who I wanted to write this post in dedication to – my
Grandma.
My Grandma, Blannie Baker, was one of the most humble and
caring people that God has ever placed on this planet, and I don’t say that
just because she was my grandmother!
She was born in rural Harnett County, North Carolina, in the early
1920s. Her family was not wealthy at
all, and to some degree by tracing her ancestry, you might even say that her
family tree was very mixed up! She
didn’t obtain much of an education (maybe the 8th grade is a far as
she went), but she was one of the smartest women that I ever knew. There was not much that she could not
do.
She married my Grandpa, Charlie W. Baker, at a very young
age, and together they had six children – five boys and one girl, my Mom. My Grandma had a lot of responsibilities
placed upon her. She had to care for and
feed her six children amidst working in the tobacco fields and countless other
tasks around the farms which the family relocated to and from quite frequently
along with keeping her house in tip-top shape.
But through it all, she always remained calm and dedicated to her family
never waving in any tasks that were placed in her path.
There was not much my Grandma could not do. She was an amazing cook, she always kept her
house very clean, she made quilts for each of her family members, she always
sacrificed what little income she had to make sure each of her children,
in-laws and grandchildren were given birthday and Christmas presents from her. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother
and great-grandmother. She loved having
all of her family get together for various holidays or just anytime they wanted
to come over, she always welcomed them with open arms. Grandma may not have had much education, but
she taught my Grandpa how to read and she had more book-sense than some of the
smartest people out there today. She
loved going to church and was so faithful in her relationship with the Lord.
As the years went by and as the family continued to grow,
Grandma was always the glue that held us all together. When we all would get together for a holiday,
it sometimes felt the house might bust its seams as there were so many of
us. Grandma would often be sitting in
her recliner just quietly twiddling her thumbs but she was always smiling. She was so content. The grandchildren might have been destroying
the house or making tons of noise, but she always sat there so patiently and
never complained. She was not a woman of
many words, as she was a very quiet, behind-the-scenes type. But her humble and caring spirit touched many
lives.
In the late 1990s, Grandma started to get sick. She had been sick off and on her entire life,
and suffered constant battles with pneumonia or some type of respiratory
sickness. Many trips to doctors revealed
that her kidneys were not in good shape (very similar to her own mothers). She ended up going on dialysis and was in and
out of the hospital repeatedly. Throughout
all of her journeys and constant trips to the hospital with prolonged stays in
ICU and then in the rehabilitation centers, all to do a cycle and repeat these
same steps, she never complained nor really got upset. She always seemed to be at a completely
peace.
I remember several times visiting her in the hospital when
they kept misdiagnosing her with so many diseases. One time they wanted us to put on a full
gown, mask, gloves, etc. because they thought she had tuberculosis. I didn’t believe it. There was no way she had that, so I refused
to wear the required “attire” to enter her hospital room. Plus, I didn’t think it was fair that she had
to see her family all “protected” to visit her.
While I’ll never know if she even noticed that, I felt good inside that
I wasn’t afraid of whatever disease she may or may not have had. She was my Grandma and I would love her even
if I caught the same thing! Sadly, my
Grandma ended up passing away during one of her extended hospital stays. They ended up discovering that rather than
having tuberculosis or pneumonia, she likely had cancer in her kidneys and
lungs. What a devastating blow to the
entire family!
I was a senior in high school when my Grandma passed
away. I ended up losing both of my
grandmothers during my senior year in high school. It was definitely a tough thing to endure at
such a young age. However, even as a
teenager, my Grandma’s life greatly touched me.
I wish many times I had been able to spend more time with her or have
her here still with me today. She
inspired me that no matter how much pain she was in, no matter how sick she was
or how bad she felt, she never complained.
She kept going. She kept God
first and then her family. She loved and
cared for everyone. Ironically, the day
she passed, while she was in a comatose state, it seemed she waited until each
family member had come and visited her, and once the last one arrived, she made
her exit to her eternal home where she is no longer suffering.
Her life inspired me that I need to watch my
complaining. Yes, it’s something we all
do and will do, it is nature, but I need to keep a check on it. I need to try to be more humble and
caring. I need to be less selfish and
focus more on others. I obviously will never be able to cook like her, but
there are many of her ways that I need to implement in my own life. What a legacy my Grandma left for her entire
family! A legacy that will be hard to
ever match. I miss her daily, but am so
glad that I know that I have the opportunity to see her again in Glory! I love you, Grandma!
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