At the beginning of 2024 I started writing the Authentic Living series. I mentioned towards the end I would share something I wrote in 2004 after my grandmother passed.
I read this outload among her family and friends; it represents what her life meant to me through the fruit of the spirit.
Galatians 5:22
But if the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law.
I believe in my heart this verse is what our life here on earth is all about; Grandma fulfilled this verse.
She is one of the most amazing people and I am lucky to have had her influence in my life.
Grandma always went beyond the point of being a grandma.
Grandma's love poured out through her wonderful spirit. She loved her family more than she could express. If you ever received a care package from her then you know what I am talking about.
Her joy was something to cherish. The many dances that she shared with all of us were just a fragment of her joy. She loved to give and do for others; it brought her a joy that was an experience within itself.
She found peace in her garden. I remember the many summers I spent working with her in the garden. Planting, painting fences, pulling weeds and harvesting, it was all about peace. A place to express and release frustration for times when words just were not enough.
Patience, she embraced through all the odds. With great energy she was able to take a step back and learn from the people who touched her life. Her patience with me was amazing. I owe so much of who I am today to grandma. I thank my mom for all the times she said, "You are going to Grandma's today."
I found something she wrote to me in a scrapbook that y'all might like...
The best part of a person's life is not his fame, wealth or ability. The best part of a good person's life is the little nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love given to others. You are respected and remembered for the good you do for others.
I felt kindness and goodness in this quote. Grandma's words were real; I feel blessed that she left me with so many of them. She has left us with so much.... Memories that I am able to share with my own children for years to come.
Her faithfulness and gentleness go hand in hand. She was humble in her faith; it was something that her parents planted in her soul as a child. It was concrete and real, it was the sparkle in her eyes, the one thing that kept her going. I know grandma is in a better place and being blessed beyond what we will ever experience here on this earth. She is surrounded by family and friends and the many lives she touched. I feel her smile in my heart; it is really bright.
At last self-control, this is best said in Grandma's words...
An easy life does not make a strong life. I learned through living that it is not what you have or how much you have, but how you enjoy what you have. If something comes good, I enjoy it to the fullest for I know it will not last forever. If something comes bad, I live through it for I know it will pass.
The many lives that Grandma touched overwhelm me. I can only hope when God calls me, that my children will be able to apply this verse to my life. For then they will learn and understand what it means by living a full and complete life.
Grandma was my foundation for the person I am today; I am proud and honored to share that.
If you are here today, then you too have been blessed. You have had the opportunity to be part of a wonderful life, a life that was lived to the fullest and blessed by the grace of God.
-Carole West, 2004
To Read this entire series begin here.