Legacy

Ready to go home

My October began with losing my Great-Grandmother peacefully to this world.  As my Great-Aunt pointed out, she was 94.5 years old.  When you enter this world, we count the months, and when you get to a certain age, they count even more.  My cousin Jamie brought up that she was alive for 16 presidents.  She was born at the end of the first World War and lived through World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq.  The things she has done for our country, her faith being a charter member of Mt.Vernon Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Raising four amazing women, teaching hundreds if not, thousands of young Christian children through her work in the Church and leading our family for 94.5 years.

Proverbs 31:28 (NIV) Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Sitting at her repast, I took a moment to look at my grandmother’s home.  Everyone in their except my Great-Uncle was her legacy.  They were only alive because my Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother had met and started a family together.  They were blessed to leave behind Ten Grandchildren, Twenty great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren.  The legacy the Gaynor’s has affected all generations.

My great grandmother has left strong beliefs of loving God, working hard, taking care of your family and your home. Every time I think of her I only can smile.  She was bold, beautiful, God-fearing (watch out for her), tell it to you straight, New York women. Always a little sassy, vivacious and ready to take on the task. Yet, from far away in her modest Seventh-Day Adventist demeanor you would not know such a fireball existed when she was behaving. My great-grandfather  had his hands’ full of the five women in his house.

Every once in a while out of the blue should always send me a care package with crafts, Bible studies for kids, art supplies and a brown paper bag of green apple straws. They would bring me so much joy and would be so unexpected.  Just like Alzheimer, my Great-Grandmommy is the third immediate family member to me that has died from Alzheimer.  Just like the surprise package one day your loved one can bring you so much joy, and then unexpectedly their familiarity with you wears off, they become distant, and that same light that flickered when you came within their presence is no longer there.  They know you, but you can tell it’s a little foggy.  Some days are good, and then others are not but every day they are pulling away from you. My great grandmommy and I often spoke till about five years ago. She would send me cards and letters of encouragement thanking me for photos of my girls.  I’m going to miss her little check-ins.

Psalm 78:4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that He has done.

I learned a lot from being around my family for almost a week.  It had been ten years since the last time we had been reunited since my Great-Grandfather’s passing.  Hearing everyone talk about her and their perspective was nice to catch up. Watching the dynamics of my Grandmother and her three sisters.  The other family relationships interactions.

It made me think of the legacy I will leave my girls.  From silly things like sewing.  Gaynor women sew, I sew (well I used to) before three kids and all the other add-in on life. I used to sew my clothes in high school the night before I wore them.  I haven’t taught my girls to sew, and now I feel obligated to leave that with my girls.  Serve the Lord, my Great Grandmother served her church and lived a God-fearing life.  I am grateful I now have those same convictions and will leave that legacy for my daughters.  Work hard.  Another legacy that I have adopted from watching my Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother.  Honor your husband.  No matter what my Great Grandmother was doing at a particular time in the evening, she would grab my Great-Grandfather’s slipper and robe and be standing at the door waiting for him when he got home.  I also believe that you should be submissive to your husband and honor him.  Although, I do not have my husbands robe and slipper waiting for him at the door (I need to work on that) I do try to respect him and his role in our family.  Protect and love your family. I am not sure if I could say more about that she protected and loved us all at no cost.  Although, it was somber to send my Great-grandmother home. I know that she followed God, lived life and loved hard.  I hope that I can honor her legacy and leave it for my daughters to pass on to the next generation.

What legacy has your family left you? What do you hope to pass on to the next generation?

Deuteronomy 6:5-7  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.