This past weekend we loaded up the family, some instruments, a few changes of clothes and headed to the big “city” of Samburg – home of Reelfoot Lake State Park. Reelfoot was formed by a series of three earthquakes that took place December 1811- February 1812. These three quakes created such a change in the lands makeup that a 15,000-acre lake was formed!
Our family didn’t travel to the area to enjoy fishing, the beautiful views, or the bald eagles that live there. We traveled there to celebrate the 90th birthday of my husband’s grandmother.
“Granny,” as we call her, has lived in the area all of her life. She has faithfully attended the same church for 65 years teaching, giving, serving, and even cleaning the church until it became too hard to physically do it.
One of my favorite moments of the day was when those in attendance were given the opportunity to tell Granny what she meant to them. There was the sweet lady who considers Granny her “spiritual mom,” and the precious friend who recalls how Granny encouraged her when she was bringing her three little boys to church each Sunday alone. One of Granny’s grandsons, with tears in his eyes, thanked Granny for taking him and his brother in after their mom passed away. “It was during our teenage years, some of the hardest years in a kids life, Granny took us in and loved us,” he said. The pastor spoke of Granny’s care and attention to the cleanliness of the church as he bragged “she kept it immaculate.”
As I listened to all the stories I couldn’t help but to be touched with the reality of Granny’s legacy. It is a beautiful legacy that spans decades. It tells the story of a woman who decided to keep giving, to be consistent, and to step in and help when she saw a need.
This type of legacy stems from making the right decisions day after day, year after year, decade after decade.
While the lake across the street from the celebration is beautiful, it occurred from three brief moments in history. Granny’s legacy occurred because of daily commitment! As Billy Graham said, “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.” I couldn’t agree more!
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