My Granny... My mom's mom. But she was Granny to nearly everyone she met. No one loved quite like my Granny. As a foster parent and babysitter, she cared for so many children. She used to tell a story about a time when there was a threat of a snow storm on a school day. Parents told their kids if school let out early to just ride the bus to Granny Patten's house. Over 20 kids got off the bus at her house that day and she happily took them all in.
She was my babysitter, too. We had so many happy days playing in the backyard or pretending in the playroom, but Granny made us behave! There were several tactics to whip us into shape:
1. Choose your own switch- yikes! First timers always chose a flimsy, thin branch. It only takes one lick with one of those to change your tune!
2. The HotWheel track- you knew you were in trouble when she reached up ontop of the lamp to grab the HotWheel track for a swat.
3. Standing in the Corner- this is equivalent to the modern day "time-out." We had to stand with our nose in a corner for a certain amount of time. There was a corner in her kitchen where the kids had picked the paint off the wall while standing in the corner.
4. Washing your mouth out with soap- Just like on The Christmas Story. It's gross.
She was one tough cookie, but she had the best behaved kids staying at her house!
Granny took fudge to my teachers at school. As I laid on the floor next to her bed when I slept over as a child, she held my hand if I was scared. She drove me to practices. She took us swimming in the summer at my cousin's house. She fed me snacks after school. She gave me hugs & kisses. She loved me.
And it wasn't just me... Granny lived a life full of love, generosity and service for so many. Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second was to love your neighbor as yourself. It is in the Lord's strength that we are truly able to deny ourselves and love our neighbor. What a legacy she has left for me! When so many call her Granny, it is a privilege & honor that she is my Granny. And I look forward to seeing her again one day as we praise the Lord together in heaven.
4. Washing your mouth out with soap- Just like on The Christmas Story. It's gross.
She was one tough cookie, but she had the best behaved kids staying at her house!
Granny took fudge to my teachers at school. As I laid on the floor next to her bed when I slept over as a child, she held my hand if I was scared. She drove me to practices. She took us swimming in the summer at my cousin's house. She fed me snacks after school. She gave me hugs & kisses. She loved me.
And it wasn't just me... Granny lived a life full of love, generosity and service for so many. Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second was to love your neighbor as yourself. It is in the Lord's strength that we are truly able to deny ourselves and love our neighbor. What a legacy she has left for me! When so many call her Granny, it is a privilege & honor that she is my Granny. And I look forward to seeing her again one day as we praise the Lord together in heaven.
