My Mentor

Today on what would have been her 117th birthday, I would like to honor the memory of my Grandmother Carrie by reposting my very first post.

My grandmother Carrie has always been an inspiration to me.
She became a widow at the ripe old age of 39 and remained so until she died just short of her 101st birthday.

As a little girl I looked forward to her weekend visits, and I loved spending time at her house too.

She was a quiet, unassuming woman and I adored her. She had a way of making each grandchild feel as though they were her favorite, even though I’m sure it was me she liked best.



Growing up I shared her love of sewing, growing flowers, playing cards, writing poetry and short stories and I even shared her shoe size. But it wasn’t until I became a widow myself at the age of 44 that I could identify with her pain of going thru life without her mate.



I wish she was still alive. I have so many things I’d like to know about her journey thru widowhood. My grandmother wrote with a great deal of spiritualness and I’d love to know about her relationship with God and whether that relationship came about because of her struggles.



Someday I’ll see her again and thank her for inspiring, and blessing my life with her writing. I’ll end this post with my favorite poem of hers.

I Heard It Too

I walked along the garden path

I heard it in the breeze.

I heard the voice of Jesus

In all the swaying trees.

I heard it in the buttercups,

In the leaves and in the grass

In all the tiny raindrops,

In the laughter of a lass.

I heard it in the moonlight

And I know that it is true.

If you'll listen for His kindly voice

You can say I heard it too!

I heard His voice on the mountain top

In the ocean and the sea

I heard it in a robin's song

It meant so much to me.

I heard it in a baby's cry,

In the chapel when I pray;

In every tiny candle that burns from day to day.

I heard his voice when I was tired,

In the clouds that roll so high;

In the planes that circle o'er us

In the stars up in the sky.

I heard it in a mother's sob

When things did not go right

A soothing loving whisper

That made her burdens light.

I heard it when kind deeds were done

And I know that it is true

Just stop awile and listen

You can say I heard it too!

May 16,1957

Happy Birthday, Grama!