Friday, September 12, 2008

Legacy of the Heart


Change of Seasons
by
David Marty

She's eager and poised for flight,our Hope Ann.
Cornflower blue eyes quickly scanned the
living room this morning for her backpack.
She cannot wait for her Bapa Steve to transport
her to the bus stop.There she will join
her many friends also eager to get to school.
A day of new things to be learned stretches out
before her.Her body is responding well to the
antibiotics removing the UTI from within her.
After a brief scan of the room she spies her backpack and
runs,on summer tanned legs,to retrieve
this carrier of childhood treasures untold.
I observe this frantic pace,this rush of activity
from my perch in the small kitchen that is
adjoining the living room.She does not
want to be late and that is good.But first,
we must stop,and we must pray.And we
must ask the Father of us all to bless and protect
her as she heads off into a world full of unknowns.
We join in a close,hugging circle,the three of us.
Bound by love for each other and by the love
of the Father,we form a prayer hug.Steve and I
draw her close,her almost 8 year old head nearly
reaches our chests.We are short and she is tall.
In this circle of love we join together as Grandparents
and Granddaughter.We thank the Father for His blessings.
My hand moves from Hope's shoulder to Hope's head,like
a blessing of old.We finish praying and I go off to brush my teeth.
A moment later,I am hugged from my left side by our Hope.
"I love you Grandma",she says sweetly as we hug.I tell her I
love her too.I then remind her of Jesus' love for her and that He is
always with her.She grins broadly,this Hope of ours,and says
"yes,He's right here" and points to her heart.We smile and
I wish her a good day.They take off.And I am left alone briefly.
Left to ponder the blessing that just happened.For it was a gift to me.I,
who never knew any of my grandparents.
I,who have no memories of a mother who prayed for and with me.
I was handed a gift to pass on,a legacy of sorts.Hope will have memories
of a praying Grandma.Memories of one who joined her in beseeching the Father
and Lord of all.She will know she is loved and prayed for.And she will have memories.
Good ones.And I thrill at that for children remember such things,I think.
And I want to leave that kind of legacy to this Hope girl of ours.This girl who
does not carry any of my DNA physically,is a granddaughter of my heart and spirit,
if not of my body.

Blessings~Sharon


6 comments:

Adrienne said...

Sharon - This touched my heart deeply. Thank you for sharing your heart with us today. From the praying grandmother of three precious-to-my-heart grandchildren who also do not share my DNA, ~Adrienne~

Sharon Goemaere said...

Adrienne...Thanks so much for stopping by and for sharing your heart as well.Are yours"steps"or"adopted?"Mine are steps.:-)I was just so inspired after this time of prayer with Hope I knew I had to post on it.I don't have these types of memories but thankfully Hope will.Love from Salem~Sharon

Thora said...

I am not a grandparent but as a parent I want my children to learn from me and carry special values into the next generation.I now carry my mum's wisdom forward.
Keep up the great job Sharon.

Sharon Goemaere said...

Thora...Good to see you stop by here.Your words bless and encourage me to continue to pass on what I can to our little Hope(who is growing so fast and will be 8 soon!).Blessings ne upon you today~Sharon

Debbie in CA : ) said...

What a precious post! Sharon, I just love the way you allow your heart to fill up and spill over in a gush of love, thankfulness, and true joy in the gifts we receive in every day if we only pause and see with our heart.

I have been praying for you and your precious family, so to read this was like a huge AMEN of rejoicing that God is able in ALL circumstances.

I have no memories of praying parents or grandparents. I do have a few scattered happy memories with my great-grandparents who were godly, but oh so busy living on the prairie.

I have a picture in my mind of you and Hope and your husband bound together in prayer and it brings tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing.

I endeavor each day to cherish each and every moment of my life as a gift from God alone. My children, my husband, they are the bulk of my family and I cherish them. My family tree fractured in my childhood and I am essentially orphaned ... but was adopted by The King at age 10. I can joyfully report that He restored the beauty of family in the midst of my husband and 5 children. I look forward to the day delightful grandbabies join our tree.

I rejoice with you in seeing God's healing and hopeful hand in our midst as we love those we call family and friends.

I am so blessed by your little nook of loveliness. : )

Sharon Goemaere said...

And thank you for sharing and for blessing with your words.The blessings of "family"came to me in an uncommon way but they came and I am grateful.And you know,I was just so inspired by the reality of passing on this legacy I had never known to Hope that I just had to write about it.I feel much like the"Pioneer"of sorts.Big grin.And I know it makes Hope feel secure and loved and that makes me feel happy.To know she feels a security and love I never felt on a human level at her age is a gift indeed!And I too turned to Jesus at a young age as well...Blessings&Love~Sharon