This will be a very sentimental post on a subject that is very dear and close to my heart. I wasn't able to do anything on grandparents day because ....well.....I forgot. I have several sets of grandparents that are all deceased except for one....my grandmother Ruby V. I am going to share some pictures of Carl and Ruby now and maybe later when I can get some more together I will share some of my grandparents Roy and Lucille E. on my father's side.
Kayla and Kimberly always tell me " Liz you have the best memory". I do and treasure the memories I have of my childhood with my grandparents very much. My grandfather is what you would call a very simple man. Not simple in mind...no..no but in the way he lived his life. He was by far the most Godly and prayerful man I ever knew. I depended on his prayers very much and I am sure even when I didn't know he was praying, his prayers carried me through many a tough situation. He was a very humorous man. ( this post will not interest those of you who didn't know my family but oh well.....) His funny antics are one of the first things that people think of when they think of him. He was a very tender man. Although he could be very animated and boistrous he was very kind and gentle. Some of the things I remember about him....5 am devotions every morning, singing hymns in our church -- you could usually hear him above everyone else Ha!, his great knack and talent for gardening- he could get anything to grow, his tender heart-he would get emotional and cry at the drop of a hat, his helpfulness to my grandmother around the house-he would start cleaning the table before we were done eating a meal. I remember crying behind his shed one day. I was sobbing uncontrollably. He very quickly came to my side and started crying also(anxious as to why I was sobbing I assume) and asked what was wrong. I responded " Fluffy (our poodle) is sick and momma says we have to put her to sleep. He responded " oh pooh wee, I thought something was really wrong!" I will never forget that, for although he was a tenderhearted man, he thought this was something foolish to be sobbing over! ha! I've always thought this to be a funny memory of him. This only skims the surface of my great wealth of memories about him. In 1999, we were all devastated when he was diagnosed with lung cancer that came as a result of working in plants that had asbestos in them for many years of his life. He made a trip to see us in South Carolina in May of 2000. By the end of the month he was very ill and back at home. I was working at Doctor's office at the time and felt very helpless. I made a split decision to quit and go and help my grandmother to take care of him in June. Many people tell me how wonderful I was for doing so, but I tend to think I learned a lot from this experience and do not think I was wonderful at all. I don't deserve credit for doing this, because I am the one who was priveleged to have those last precious moments and days spent with him. It was a very hard and emotional time in my life, but I wouldn't change a thing about it. I learned so much about life and faith from him during this trying time. We took care of him around the clock. After he died in July....I felt a huge void. I still miss him but I know he is in heaven...where he always wanted to go...REJOICING! I can almost hear him singing the hymn " When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder". I can honestly say that he was and still is one of the greatest influences in my life and without him and his earnest, consistent prayers...I don't know where I would be.
My grandmother Ruby has also been a huge influence in my life. I did a memory book for her several years ago in which I asked many family members to give me a special memory they had of her and then I attached it with a picture of them in the book. I learned so much more than I had ever known before about her. When I think of her several things come to mind. Prayerful, frugal, faithful, devoted,and trustworthy. I am constantly asking her and talking to her about our rich family history. She has a wealth of knowledge and memories about our family that I love to listen to. She is the last of the "elders" of our family and I would like to know everything possible while I can. I am extremely interested and fascinated with the Vining family and how the brothers and sisters of my grandfather became christians and so forth. I have a very rich Christian heritage that I love to sit and discuss with her. I think that Kayla shares this fascination with me as well, and we often discuss it with each other. I also think of her great love for her husband. She was very devoted and in love with him until the end and even after his death 7 years later, she still is. My grandmothers prayers have followed me all the days of my life and I have always been able to count on them. My wish and prayer is that I am half the mother and prayer warrior that she has been.
