Legends

In honor of a very special friend...

My Great-Grandma Wagner passed away yesterday. These past few days have been ones of remembering precious moments, lots of big grins, and an occasional tear. She's the kind of person that you can't help but absolutely love. She always had kind things to say about others, a smile lighting up her face, and ice cream in the freezer. In fact you couldn't leave her house without a "little lunch" which consisted of a full spread of ice cream, toppings, several kinds of homemade breads, and a pan of bars. A strict diabetic living alone, she didn't keep those around for herself - but for her guests.

My favorite thing to do at her house was to look through her pictures. She absolutely loved pictures (see it goes back many generations!) and carefully put them into photo albums. The best ones were big old-fashioned albums with thick black pages. Adhered to the pages by black photo corners, were beautiful black and white images of friends and relatives dressed up in their long dresses, suits, and hats stiffly posed in photo studios. It was interesting imagining what their lives were like. Their faces were weathered and their hands worn. The pictures were always labeled - names were important to her. Some of the images were labeled with the name of the people and date on the back, but many times she would write it on the front, right on the person, to remove all doubt in years to come.

We discovered that pictures were her love language. To mail her a picture would make her week and she'd painstakingly write a whole Thank You note back in gratitude. I didn't get to see her often, but when we were together at Christmas, I would show her slideshows of images from my overseas travels. She would nod and smile, asking a few good questions about the places and cultures. When we'd finally get to the end she would look at me with a twinkle in her eye, grin, and ask, "Do you have any more pictures on there to look at?" I like that in a person.

Despite her short, wiry build, she had spunk! She enjoyed playing marbles, Uno, and card games with everyone. She was a very hard worker and enjoyed pitching in to help. "Doing dishes is so easy these days, the hot water comes right to your sink!" she protested when we told her to sit and rest. She enjoyed going on walks outdoors and that kept her active and in good shape for 95 years despite a bad heart. She was hard of hearing, which is why pictures worked so well, so following conversations became challenging for her. When in doubt she would lovingly just smile and nod.

The last few months were hard. Going into a nursing home after falling and breaking her hip. Fighting cancer and making it through two surgeries. "They are holding me here against my will" she joked of the hospital while she was in recovery.

We'll miss her.

Of Trinkets, Treasures, Fires... and the Real Meaning of Christmas

"The neighbor's house is on fire - quick come look!" Christy's voice cut the peaceful quiet this evening. We ran to the windows upstairs for a better view - Sure enough a home a few houses down and across our street was engulfed in flames reaching high into the black sky. We began to pray. Soon curiosity got the best of us and we grabbed our coats and headed down to the corner. The scene was busy with firefighter teams, floodlights, and police to keep people out of the way, so we joined the ever-growing cluster of watching neighbors.

Word got around that the grandma, aunt, two kids, and their pets all made it out safe. (Emily used to teach piano to one of the boys.) Someone volunteered to organize donations from the neighborhood to provide for housing, food, and Christmas presents. The firefighters got the flames down to a manageable amount. The fog, smoke, and spraying water obscured the view and most of the chilly observers wandered back to their homes.

As I stood there my mind began to wander. I began to think of how temporary the things of life are. Things that we spend our lifetime working for and accumulating can be gone in a matter of minutes. And yet it's not until they are gone that we realize what truly is important - people and God. They are the only things that will last into eternity. Are those two things what I invest in? Are they my priority?

So this Christmas season be sure to take time to step out of the hustle and bustle for awhile. Realize it's not about mere "stuff." It's a celebration of gratefulness for the loving, generous God who gave us the best and most precious gift He could give - His only Son.