This morning my grandmother passed away. She spent the last few weeks of her life in the hospital; and she's had numerous major medical problems the last 5-10 years. Several strokes, a heart attack - you name it, she's probably had it.
I spent much of today reflecting on my grandmother's life here on earth. The more I think about her, the more I realize she was an absolutely incredible role model. Granted, I never thought much about it when she was alive, which is very unfortunate. But she lived life the way she wanted; she dealt with the tough situations life handed her very graceful.
She lived a very, very simple life.
As I look back on everything I know about her, one thing is strikingly clear: she didn't care about material things. After losing her husband (my grandfather - he passed years before I was born), she certainly wasn't wealthy. She lived in a modest home; much of it built by my grandfather. She did not own a car - in fact, she never had a driver's license. Driving and owning a car simply didn't appeal to her in any way.
She never chased the latest electronics, never had the latest gadgets. She only got a computer within the last 2 or 3 years. She did not care about fancy clothes, or expensive furnishings. Her home was decorated in a very simple manner; beautiful without being extravagant.
The only thing I know that my grandmother really and truly cared about was her family. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter were always held at her house. Aunts and uncles, cousins, children and grandchildren.... all of us would come to her house to spend the holidays together.
She absolutely loved it when I would visit - see, I live halfway across the country these days. When I would bring my wife and son to visit, she was always looking to make her great-grandson a snack, or get him some toys to play with. Often the same toys I played with as a child.
Be an optimist
My grandmother seemingly did not catch a lot of breaks in her life. She lost her husband at a young age, she did not have much money, and she spent too much of her last years in the hospital. Yet in spite of all this, she was one of the happiest, kindest, most generous human beings I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Instead of worrying about things that would never make her happy, she cared about the things that did make her happy. That is the lesson for today, folks. "Stuff" will never make you happy, even if it briefly seems like it does. Spending time with your family will.
Make some time to spend with the people you love. God will eventually take them away, and he never calls ahead of time to let you know.