The past two months have been a whirlwind of travel for the
Hoffman family. In May we spent 10 days in Hawaii, and June we went up to PA,
went to the beach, and then went back up to PA. Unfortunately, the last visit
was not just for fun, as we had to go up and say goodbye to our beloved Grammie
(Jason’s grandmother). Today’s post is going to be a tribute to her and the
legacy she left with our family.
I have to be honest and say that the first year of our
marriage I saw Grammie as just another loving grandmother. Sure, she was fun to
be around, but it wasn’t until I began to join my mother-in-law up on Grammie’s
farm on a Friday, that I really began to appreciate the woman that she was.
Grammie was the epitome of a hard-working woman. I was
always amazed at how hot it could be outside and how much she was able to
accomplish. She would be taking care of her enormous garden, hanging up the
wash (since she didn’t own a drier), and cooking a full meal for Jason’s
cousins who work the farm, on days that were well in to the 90s without any
sort of air conditioning. I always worried about her when the heat index rose,
but she always reminded me that she was used to the heat since she had never
had air conditioning. Grammie would spend a large portion of her summer making
pickles (that she herself refused to eat), and mint tea from plants in her
garden. She held her flowers in the highest regard (as she should have…they
were beautiful), and it was only fitting that calla lilies from her garden were
used at her memorial service.
Grammie’s hard work didn’t end with just physical labor. She
was truly the matriarch of our family, and her strength kept her family going.
Like all families, issues would arise. Grammie never held a grudge, and even
when she let her opinions be known (which was rare since Grammie rarely said a
bad word about anyone), it was always said with grace. Usually it included “I
just feel sorry for him/her” at the end of it, and it was obvious that she
really meant it. She showed Christ’s love for others when they were unlovable,
and she was always an ear I knew I could share things with without being
judged. (Although I definitely knew not to talk politics with her…even if we
were on the same side, it probably wouldn’t have ended well!) When Grammie
would come down to visit us, she often sat next to me in the passenger seat of
the van. I always looked forward to those times when I could ask her about the
farm, talk to her about my life, and get the latest on all of the family
members. The one thing that none of us was ever able to give Grammie was a
granddaughter. I have to say that one of the proudest moments in my life was
when she introduced me, not as her grandson Jason’s, wife, but as her granddaughter. To
know that she thought that highly of me was humbling and an honor, and it is
something that will stay with me forever.
Though all of these things are a part of what made Grammie
so wonderful, her best, and hardest, work she did was the work for God. Grammie
was an active member of her church community. At 88, she still held the title
of President of the Women’s Guild, and taught Sunday school every other Sunday
(a job she had been doing for almost 69 years!). Now many people are active at
their church, but don’t live it out at home. Not Grammie…every action she took
showed Christ’s love in one way or another. The pickles and red beet eggs she
made for her family (even though she didn’t eat or like them), the holiday
picnics and meals she prepared for family and friends (even when she barely had
enough to pay her bills), and the daily prayers that she said for her family
and friends (even when we certainly didn’t “deserve” them). Grammie’s love for
the Lord was obvious in all that she did, and I can say without any sort of
doubt that I KNOW that right now, she is having an amazing time with our Father
in His Kingdom.
I am very grateful that we were able to give her a break
from all of that hard work three weeks ago when we went to Wrightsville Beach
with her. Because of the farming lifestyle she led, Grammie had never seen the
Atlantic Ocean, nor had she ever put her toes in. What a blessing it was for us
to take her there…to hear her squeal like a small child when the water touched
her toes, to have her play with Carter in the sand, and her watch Austin as he
jumped the waves...it is honestly one of the most memorable trips I have ever
been on, and it was all because of her!
I could go on and on about all of the wonderful memories we
have of Grammie. Austin will miss her cookies she made him (in fact, when he
found out about her death he asked if she was making cookies for God and
Jesus!), Carter will miss out on getting to know her better (something I am sad
to think about, but grateful that she met him and he, her), Jason will miss more
things than I can write here, but the thing I think I will miss the most are
the conversations we had, and the presence she brought wherever she went.
While we will all miss our Grammie, there is such a comfort
in knowing that she is where she wants to be…with her husband and son, and with
our Lord and Savior. Knowing that she will no longer sit on my front porch or
my kitchen table will always bring me sorrow, but knowing that she can now be
with her Creator for all of eternity sitting at His front porch and around His
table, makes my heart so full of happiness for her.
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