My mother’s mom was the wife of a farmer. I knew she had dreams of a big city life and whenever she had the chance she showed her ability to make people laughy with her entertaining antics. She was a woman with a true pioneer spirit. Her husband didn’t really like farming much, so he took a job with a power line construction company, left the basic farming chores to grandma and hired out the rest.
Grandma would rise before the sun and punch her way through a humongous ball of bread dough and set it in pans to rise for lunch. Then she would go to the barn and milk the cows by hand; all the time whistling or singing a tune. There must have been days when she would rather have stayed in bed, but she didn’t.
Her hair was prematurely white and went down to her waist. She would braid it tightly and then wind it into a bun. Her eyes were the bluest blue I have ever seen. She spoke of her childhood in Montana and how they would gather buffalo chips to make a fire. I had visions of what it must have been like to live that way. My dreams often included Indians surrounding a covered wagon.
The thing I most remember about Grandma was her strength in adversity. She buried 5 of her 8 children and cared for an ailing husband for many years until he passed away. After that she kind of gave up and it wasn’t long before she finally fell asleep too.
I have fond memories of her singing with the old time, country western radio station, as the dog accompanied her with his howling strains. If we were there for a visit and one of us became ill, she would stick some cotton under her nose for a moustache, adopt a German accent and pretend to be a doctor while making us laugh or at least feeling better.
The songs she sang or hummed or whistled were always Gospel songs. She had an extremely strong faith in God and used that faith to carry her through so much trouble in her life. She may not have realized it, but she was planting seeds in my heart. Seeds that would eventually grow into an even more bountiful harvest than she could possibly imagine seeing on that farm.
Thank you, Lord, for giving me the inheritance of your Word through the passing of it from generation to generation Now that I’m a grandparent, help me to instill that same love for God and His promises in my grandchildren. What an inheritance to leave them!
Psalm 103:17 ” But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children.”
atimetoshare.me 
I have a smile on my face all the way to the end of reading this😊. Reminds me so much of my grandma.
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Grandmas are the best because they always seem to have time for us. Now I am a grandma to three adult children. Hope I get to meet great grand kids if and when they arrive.
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What a rich heritage.. and so many precious memories. Your Grandma sounds like a wonderful woman. 🙂
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She was an inspiration.
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What a beautiful pioneer woman. This brought tears to my eyes as I’m writing about my own Mother now and thinking so heavily of my grandparents and greats. What precious memories you have.
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Yes indeed. I grow to appreciate her more with each passing year. I think I have a lot to thank her for.
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my great grandmothers were both farm women—My great-grandmother on my dad’s side eventually moved on to the city from her small middle Georgia town when her daughter, my grandmother married a city boy.
My mother’s grandmother lived and died on a farm.
I’ve thought a great deal about those women during this lockdown of ours as I find myself tending to the grandchildren while cooking three solid meals each day…as I wash clothes and clean house.
I am exhausted, to say the least.
And at 60 I suppose I should be… but those women did not slow down at 60, they continued caring for their family up until they each died.
Tougher stuff way back when…or so it seems
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I think if they had stopped their lives would’ve ended much sooner.
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Perhaps this is helping to keep me young???? 😳😬
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Of course😜😜😜😜
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MOTHERS WHO INFLUENCED MY LIFE
always Gospel songs.
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A beautiful tribute! Grandmothers hold a forever place in our hearts.
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