Tribute to a Grandmother

My grandmother, Mary Linn Farley, went to sleep Friday night and woke up in Heaven. She was three weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

For most of the world, Grandma's biggest claim to fame would be the length of her life and the events, technological innovations and shifts in society she witnessed. Born in a log cabin in the western hills of Kentucky March 13, 1909, Grandma did see a lot of changes. She went from traveling by horse and wagon to reading about her granddaughter serving on the fire crew for the space shuttles. She lived through two world wars, the Korean Conflict, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and two Gulf wars. She waved a son off to the Navy and boasted proudly of her two grandsons who served as Marines, a granddaughter who was in the Air Force and a great-grandson who is in the Coast Guard. And she went from a world of little opportunity to one that opened wide for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Grandma's unfulfilled dream was to take art classes and become an artist. But orphaned at 6, she was passed from one foster home to the next with no money and no time for the luxury of art. Rather than complain, Grandma channeled her creativity into raising her children and making her humble house more of a home.

The world will never know what works of art Grandma would have created had she been given the chance to follow her dream. But the encouragement she gave her offspring may yet produce a work worthy of the Louvre or the Museum of Modern Art. Everyone of her grandchildren who put crayon to paper knew that the resulting "masterpiece" would be hung proudly on Grandma's kitchen gallery.

For those of us Grandma left behind, her imprint on our world is far more than a pretty painting, a curiosity of age, a mention in a newspaper or a name on a grave. Grandma was our rock of faith and fountain of prayer. Even though I lived hundreds of miles from her, I took strength in knowing that I was always in her prayers. Those prayers and her quiet, patient modeling of unconditional love helped me through many rough times.

Now, as I look back on all the life lessons she taught me, I know that the greatest tribute I can give Grandma is not in words but in following in her footsteps of faith and love.

I will miss you, Grandma.