*the following is what I had prepared to be read at my Grandmothers funeral today. I hope you draw inspiration.
Lorene
Reynolds. We are gathered today to mark
the passing of a great lady. In case you
haven’t noticed the world is a bit dimmer as it has lost one of its shining
lights. Now you will please excuse me if
I refer to Lorene as how I knew her… Grandma.
To be honest, I was caught by surprise when I heard the initial news and
the rapid progression of Grandma over the weekend. Though she had been blessed with many years,
it was one of those things that humans do.
We always take for granted that she was going to be around for the next year
regardless. It was Grandma. But when the final words were passed of her
walking on, the first thing that came to my mind were fireflies.
It may sound
silly, but chasing fireflies under the full moon of a Columbus, Indiana summer night was
the first recollection I had as I heard of Grandma’s passing. While Alex, my older brother carried the
capture jar I was the hunter with the net.
We furiously ran about the yard as Grandma stood in the doorway watching
us, softly sipping from her ever present coffee cup.
The beaming smile on her face reflected the joy she felt from watching
the exuberance of her grandsons.
She never hesitated
to give her efforts, or her time.
Then the memories
poured forth like a flood: a never ending supply of glass coke bottles by the
garage door, canned vegetables from ages past,
I remember her sure and steady steps that always guided her movements
around the kitchen each morning. As she
might bring a strange and exotic meal like pork tenderloin sandwiches or country
gravy on Toast. Whatever it was, to this
Texas boy, it was great. In almost all
she did was motivated out of love. Each
birthday or holiday, I found a card from her.
Why did she do so much?
Well, ya see, Grandma
came from a different generation. It was
a generation that didn’t tell you “I love you.” No they actually had a crazy idea that instead
of telling someone you loved them… you lived it. She did all of this and so much more. All of the cookies, the treats, the cards or
conversations each hoping to find you “fine”, were her way of living her
love. She loved so passionately. She nurtured all she came into contact
with. If you were in a group, you didn’t
feel left out as she had an incredible ability to be able to show the
individual that they were so beloved that the presence of others was not a
threat.
The last memory I
will share is when it came time for the lady that I knew as “Grandma” to become
known as “Great-Grandma,” to my boys.
When my oldest son Gabriel was born, the Reynolds were quick to arrive. Although not the first grandchild… He was my
first and also the first Grandson.
Though it was the next day, my ex-wife was still understandably exhausted from the
birth. The nurses allowed Gabriel to
spend more time with us. That is when Grandma entered the room. The look of amazed joy on her face was
exquisite. We placed the child in
Grandma’s arms and she so lovingly embraced the child. Although Mary Ellen was anxious, as all new
mothers are, I was amazed by Grandma’s tender cuddling of my child. Remember, she didn’t tell people she loved
them, she lived it. I was amazed at the
beauty of that my Grandmother poured out on my son. When it was time to give him back to Mary
Ellen, she almost didn’t want to let him go. Indeed, she was so enraptured by Gabriel I had to say her name numerous times. Why was she so caught up? Simple.
She already loved him so.
So what should be a legacy for this
great woman? I challenge all to live as
my Grandmother did. Don’t worry, you can
still tell people you love them, but more important: unceasingly and
unhesitatingly live the love you have for others.
