Georgia Story Moore fell asleep in the Lord Wednesday, July 11, 2007 after a prolonged illness. Her two daughters were by her side.
I appreciate the kind prayers offered for my maternal grandmother over the last several days. Thank you.
Mawmaw (as she was affectionately called) was born in 1917 and lived her whole life in North Georgia. She was a child of her time, and knew both love and sadness as we all do. Her mother passed away early in her life but her father re-married a lady she and her siblings referred to as "Miss Annie." Miss Annie was a genuine god-send for mawmaw. Maw would tell us grandchildren stories of Miss Annie's goodness toward her. One particular story sticks with me today.
Miss Annie told Maw on several occasions "I spoke to your mother today in heaven and she is so proud of you and loves you so much." This was typical of Miss Annie as she sought to mother children who were not of her flesh. She told them often that although she was not their physical mother, God had called her to care for them on behalf of their real mom.
As I look back on my life with Maw, I notice a rural, southern attitude that is akin to the spirit of Orthodox Christianity. It is a spirit of faithfulness, a sense of wonder, and a simple love for God.
One of my strongest memories as a young boy was sleeping over at Maw's house with my brother and cousins and waking up at about 1:00 AM to go to the bathroom. Passing by Maw's room, I saw her kneeling by her bedside. She was praying and I heard part of her prayer: "Lord, bless Chuckie and make him a good boy." Frozen in my mind is an image of a woman kneeling by her bed praying for me. In many ways that moment defined the rest of my life.
Maw has now joined her husband and son who both preceeded her in death. She loved her family. She loved God. She loved me. Her love was totally unconditional, to the point of refusing to see my faults at all. She simply refused to believe that I could do wrong. That kind of love is reassuring and terrible at times.
I love you too, Mawmaw! Keep praying that I will be a good boy.
I leave for Georgia this morning to attend Maw's funeral. May her memory be eternal!
The blog will be silent for a few days and your prayers are coveted.
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4 comments:
Vyechnaya pamyat.
I'm very sorry about Your grandma. I was raised by my granny also. :(
Actually, Lucian, I wasn't raised by my grandmother. However, she was, and remains, a huge part of my upbringing. We were fortunate to live near them and when we didn't live near her, she and my grandfather would visit often.
Outside of my own mother, she is the strongest influence in my life as far as humans go!
Her funeral was sad but grace-filled and the family is learning what the world looks like with "Maw" in heaven.
B
these are beautiful memories... I'm sorry I did not stop by the read this eariler.. I was so very glad that I was allowed to read at the funeral. It meant the world to me. Love you!! Kristin
ps. I am going to repost this on my xanga site... if you dont mind.
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