Legacy

Over the past few weeks in my college girls' Sunday school class we have been reading in 1 and 2 Kings.  Understand that I find these books difficult to read.  I don't really enjoy war related events and lineages and such but I know that I should read them and see what God has for me in the stories.  The phrase the Holy Spirit has continually yelled out at me is: "and he walked in the ways of his father."  I then had the opportunity to speak at a drug rehab this week and this is the subject that came up.(You can do all the preparing in the world but the Lord will have you say what He wants!).  Legacy is something we are left with no matter what and it is something we will leave behind no matter what.  You have either been given a good one that you want to walk in, bad ones that you want to go the opposite from, or you walk in the bad ones left for you.  You will leave either a good path for following generations to walk in or bad ones for them to walk in.  In the lineage of Christ there are 5 women mentioned.  The first four are: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheeba.  Four women with horrible pasts who chose to make a decision to walk differently and therefore changed not only their lives, but their families generations, and the lives of all of us who have been changed by Jesus.  Last week in my class we discussed what legacies had been left for us that we wanted to continue and what ones we wanted to change.  With Mother's Day upon us, my mind went to the four most influential ladies in my legacy:  my great grandmother GrannyMac(Audie), my Granny(Lottie), my Nanny(Flora), and my Momma(Susan).  When I started looking at things in my life that are a direct reflection of them, I thought, no wonder I do what I do for a living.  These ladies have done it their entire lives.  My GrannyMac ALWAYS had a house/yard full.  She was never more happy than having her kids all over the place stuffing their faces with food she had spent HOURS cooking.  She also loved games and would play anytime with us(keep in mind she was over 80 the whole time I knew her.)  Dominos were her favorite but she would throw a ball with us or sing and dance.  My Granny is the same way.  Feeding is how she shows love.  I went there yesterday for lunch.  Most of the time, she cooks two main courses because she is afraid someone won't like one of them.  She is constantly aware of people who might need just a little extra and reaches out with gifts.(This one I am not as good at, but hope to be.)  To this day, when I talk to my best friend from high school, she asks about my grandparents.  One of Josh's former roomates is away at Auburn and when he comes home for a day or two my grandparents house is always on his list of places to stop.  When new people walk in they hear "Hi!  I am Granny!" and get a hug.  She usually makes them take a coke and some candy out the door with them when they leave.  Laughter is also something I get from both of these ladies.  Like, laughing until I am crying.  Both of these ladies helped raise kids who were not theirs or had people living with them that needed a place to stay.  My Nanny was such a strong lady spiritually.  When I think of her one word comes to mind: Classy.  When I put my red lipstick on I feel like I imagine she felt.  When I get in front of people and teach and talk with them, I know that is the part of her coming through me.  When I stand my ground and uphold my belief, I know that is her blood surging through me.  I hope to finish this walk with as much dignity, faith, and class as she did.  My Momma...well if you have met me, you have pretty much met her.  We are so much alike, it is quite scary.  We look so much alike.  A girl in my class met my mom the other day at church in a different room than the one I was in.  She came walking in the room and found me and said "I just met a lady and she HAS to be your mom.  I can not believe how much ya'll look alike."  I just laughed.  I am loud like my mom.  My mom has always had this crazy ability where people just tell her stuff.  She knows things weeks before other people.  My whole high school life people would find out who she was subbing for and go just hang out in that room to get life advice from mom.  She never would sugar coat it or hold back on them, but most of them craved that in their lives so they sought her out.  Teaching is a quality my mom got from her mom and she passed it down well.  They both also did 2038952387 things at one time and managed to do them well.  I am still working on that.  None of these ladies over stressed perfection.  They just enjoyed life and how it happened and if something in the house wasn't perfectly clean or whatever, they would get to that later, because going fishing, or going to a game, or just sitting and talking was so much more important.  To know that these legacies were left for me, that these ladies set up life for me, that above all they wanted love to just pour out of them and onto WHOEVER needed it, if you read my blogs often, you guessed it, I am crying.  These ladies loved the Lord and they loved Him so much that they did exactly what we are called to do...they loved Him and they served other people with intense love.  People say how great of a person I am for what I do(I am not great, my Jesus is and He is the only way I do this.) but if they knew these ladies, they would know I am just a product of my raising.  I am all of these incredible women rolled into one and how in the world I got so lucky I will never ever know but I am beyond grateful.  It is one of those things I am sure I will spend a good thousand years praising Jesus for at His feet in Heaven. My Nanny died when I was in the fifth grade, I will seek her out when I get to Heaven and thank her for what she left me, a legacy of class and love and strength.  I will seek my GrannyMac out and thank her for a legacy of food and games and love.  I will thank my Granny this week for food and laughter and time and love.  I will thank her that she drops whatever, whenever to cook me a meal and sit and eat with me and letting me know that there is nothing else in this world she would rather do.  I will thank her for making me laugh so hard I cry.  I will thank her that she still threatens to whip me every time I see her and she NEVER has.  I will thank her for always having a hug for me.  And since my Mom is reading this(Hey mom , since I can't do anything without asking for a favor, print this off and show it to Lots.)  Thank you Mom, thank you for always letting me know that time with me was more important that anything.  For having a spirit that makes people seek your Godly counsel, thank you for doing the stuff that you really didn't have to do, but you chose to do.  Thank you for still letting your 26 yo daughter and her 28 year old husbad crash at your house and making me feel like it is your favorite time all month.  Thank you for showing me what a Godly mother is supposed to be.  That I am supposed to be a mother and not a friend yet somehow after a bunch of butting head and hard stuff you become best friends.   To all these ladies, thank you for loving people you didn't have to.  To genuinely trying to make a difference just by loving.  I have big steps to follow in, but Oh Lord, I am so thankful for them.  I don't want to let these ladies down.  They worked hard to leave that legacy and I intend to pass it on.