My Grandma Prissy - at home in glory

I know this is a long time in coming. I've been thinking about writing something on her for a while and I don't have much time tonight, but I want to post the things I said about her at her funeral and a few extra thoughts. She died March 1, at about 2:20 in the morning with almost all of her family surrounding her as she drew her last breath. She died of liver cancer which I'm sure was exacerbated by a very large stroke she suffered about a week prior to her passing.

"One of the things I remember most about Grandma is visiting at Christmas singing hymns, performing little skits based around Biblical themes, and reading Bible verses at Christmas time when we came to visit. We used to have to read and memorize a section of verses she picked out for each grandchild and be able to recite them back to her by the end of the evening. If we could do it perfectly she would give us a dollar. Needless to say, we were all very motivated to memorize our verses. The hymn I remember singing most was “Go Tell it on the Mountain.” Growing up I used to think that was her favorite hymn because we would sing it every year. Looking back on it now, I think that hymn really summarized a great deal of who Grandma was. She was a constant evangelist who sought to share her joy in the Lord with everyone around her. She would always be telling it on the mountain and proclaiming the life and death of Jesus to all who were around her. She was very involved in missions and loved to here about the spread of the gospel. I remember talking to her on the phone when I became head of my church’s missions committee. She was so excited that I was involved in something like that. It really was the beat of her heart. She longed to see people come to Jesus.

Most of all, I remember how much she loved God’s word. Even up to last Christmas, when we received a Christmas letter, it always contained the verses she was memorizing and praying over for the coming year. When we talked if there was something going on in our lives she had a verse ready for it and could usually provide the reference. I remember eating breakfast with her and reading verses during the meal. This was a daily routine with her and she loved seeing God in the word. I think more than anyone else in my life, she demonstrated how to redeem the time (Eph. 5). I know she was very driven to not waste her life and the best way she knew how to do that was to spend as much time in the word as she could and spread that word to everyone she knew. Her life was not wasted and I pray that I too could have the same drive and passion to serve and love our Lord Jesus Christ. I can’t wait until I see you again with our new bodies and a perfect ability to see and love and worship Jesus for all eternity."


I praise God that we were able to get down to California before she died and were able to say our last goodbyes. There were so many images from that last week that I hope stay burned in my mind. I remember one of her pastors coming by to see her. She had just had a stroke and her responses were very limited. She couldn't really say anything, and if she opened her eyes she didn't really see you. It was as though she was looking past you. But he opened his Bible and read Psalm 61 to her and she physically leaned closer to him as though she were straining to hear every last syllable of the verses. She loved the Bible and she especially loved the Psalms. She made a habit of reading five Psalms everyday and almost every Psalm had something marked in it or underlined.

I also remember watching my grandpa during her last moments in her earthly tent. He spoke so tenderly to her and was so very gentle and patient. I know his heart was breaking, but he tried not to show it. I think of all the things that break my heart, and it's thinking of my grandpa and his pain and lonliness that make me cry the most. They never showed much affection in front of us, so I never knew, experientially, how much they loved each other until her last week.

But I think the most vivid picture burned in my mind is the light above her bed. It was a long, rectangular light and it diffused and shielded the light of three bulbs inside of it. I didn't really think much of the light until her last day, when a nurse flipped open the front cover and exposed the lights so that she could have enough light to see by. It was at that moment that I realized that light was just like my grandma. On the outside, she definitely emanated a lot of light and everybody knew how much she loved God. But the light she displayed was nothing compared to the true intensity of the light that was eagerly waiting for the moment when it would be unbound and show forth it's true glory for all eternity. The true light was Jesus inside of her and we only saw the portion that was diffused by all this flesh and sin. It still shines, but not like it will once we are freed. Right now that light is shining forth with all the glory that belongs to God Himself. Right now she is shining in a way that could never be imagine on this earth. Throughout that week, my thoughts kept coming back to one verse I think that light really illustrated to me - the end of Colossians 1:27: "Christ in me, the hope of glory." Your hope has been realized Grandma. Run with Him with all the joy imaginable. I'll see you soon.