I am Karen Alida, daughter of Alice, granddaughter of Anne. I am 37 years old, and until last week, I have always had a grandparent in my life. This important figure was a woman who was determined and stubborn, passionate and full of humor. She taught me how to eat at the table properly -- albeit the method was unconventional—poking me on the top of the hand when I used my thumb to get my food on to my fork. She always had cheezies or chips in her cupboard, always used real butter, made us strawberries and whipped cream for dessert, and we could watch all the TV we wanted whenever we came over. But, at 5:00, everything stopped—her show was on. No one could interrupt her during the Young and the Restless! Oma loved to sing. We reminisced on Christmas day that her very favorite part of the day was the time after dinner when Meredith and Jonathan would break out the instruments and sing Christmas carols. I will always remember her warbling soprano belting out Ere Zij God each and every Christmas.
I know she bragged about all her grandkids. I’m sorry if you had to sit through stories of piano and ballet recitals. But, we were important to her. And, the thing is, she was also very important to us. She invested herself into our lives. She asked important questions and remembered details you had forgotten. She had opinions about things and when I was struck with a difficult decision, I would often call her for wisdom. The phone calls were always short and ended with a “love you leefie”. Although she was 96 and more than ready for Jesus to take her home, she leaves a space in our lives. The weird thing is we have been down this road before and just expected her to rally back! It's a bit strange to realize the finality of her death.
Grandparents. These are grand parents. People with wisdom. People with experience. People with knowledge. People of Faith. Grandparents keep you grounded. Grandparents spoil you when your parents can’t. Grandparents keep secrets. Grandparents sneak you droppies and chocolate. Grandparents make you sleep in their bathtub. But, mostly, grandparents leave a legacy.
When thinking about speaking today, I remembered the conversation I had with Oma about how she prayed for every one of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren by name. Every Day. This promised faith to the generations is what continues in my life and in the lives of my children. She is the fulfillment of the promise given to us in Deuteronomy 7:9 which says: Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. Oma knew the promises of God and she taught them to us. She knew Jesus. This is what gives me a hope and a future. Thank you, Oma, for your example of faith; for loving me, for praying for me, and for making memories with me. I love you, leefie Oma.
