MawMaw's Legacy

I didn't have time to post this at the beginning of the month while we were preparing to travel and heading to Texas. Now that I have a few minutes, though, I wanted to jot down a few of the things that I learned from my MawMaw. Honestly, this is more for me than anyone else. I don't expect anyone else to read it, but if you do, be blessed by the life of my MawMaw.

1) Love Jesus, Pray and Be Faithful.

Ever since I can remember, my MawMaw would give me Bible story books, games about making wise decisions, etc. When you went to her house, she always had her Bible out and was doing some type of study, reading a commentary, looking things up. Her Bible is marked to pieces - she has notes and underlines everywhere - it's that way because she was always in it - it didn't just sit on her shelf!

A year or two ago when I went to visit her at her last residence, she and a friend were watching a man preaching on TV. He was speaking Spanish, but it was being translated into English. I thought that was so funny! I wondered if she even realized that he wasn't speaking English . . . But it didn't matter to her, she just wanted to hear someone teaching God's Word. :)

Throughout my childhood, MawMaw taught the children's Sunday School class at her church. When I would visit her, we would go together and she was my teacher - pretty cool! I even went down for VBS with her one summer (and I still have the macaroni wise men that we made!). She was so faithful to serve. For years, my PawPaw would play golf while she attended church. No matter what, she was faithful to love Jesus, and she was faithful to love her husband and pray for him. She prayed for God to save him for so many years, and He did. About 10 years before he died in 2005, PawPaw was saved and there was a dramatic change in his life. It was something that only the Lord could do. Thank you so much, MawMaw, for praying for my PawPaw and for winning him over without a word . . . I truly believe that it was a direct result of her prayers and the Lord using her in his life, that my PawPaw was saved. My memories of him are so different than they would have been otherwise, and I cherish so many of the phone conversations, letters, and "I love you's" as a result.

We met a couple who came to visit with our family during my MawMaw's viewing. Their children had gone to her Backyard Bible Club many years before and both of them (the children) were saved. As a result of the difference in their lives, the parents were also saved within a few years. The parents came that night to make sure that we knew how MawMaw was used by the Lord to make an eternal difference in the lives of their entire family. What a privilege to hear about that and what an incredible legacy! Who knows how many more lives were changed as a result of her faithfulness, prayers and love of Christ. That is the legacy that I want to leave someday.

2) A Love for Books and a Love for Learning.

When you would walk into my MawMaw's house, there were books and bookshelves in quite a few of the rooms. Ah, a woman after my own heart! MawMaw loved to read. She loved to learn. She didn't just purchase a book and put it on the shelf. She could tell you all about each one and the history that it held.

I always loved to look at her books when we would visit. I would move her "real" abacus aside and carefully remove book after book - reading its pages, reviewing the notes throughout its pages, looking at the inscriptions and the publication dates. Each book had a story much deeper than what was printed on its pages, and I loved to hear them.

Several years before she and my PawPaw moved from Hilltop Lakes she asked me if I had a special place that I could keep some of her books. I had to reassure her several times that I would take very good care of them and would not allow them to be damaged. They were some of her most valued treasures, and now they are some of my most valued treasures today.

Some of those treasures include the very first Bible that she was given when she was a little girl, a Bible dictionary that belonged to her uncle who was a minister, her copy of Little Women and Good Wives and her favorite book from college, Shakespeare's Complete Works. I love the book titled, Songs of Sentiment, as well as Anecdotes of Great Musicians. I love them all.

Are they worth very much? Probably not too much in the monetary sense, though most are very old and they were very well cared for. Too me, however, they are irreplaceable. They were something that she had held very dear, and they remain a constant reminder to me of her love for learning. That is something that I want to pass on to my own grandchildren someday. It would be great to pass on the books themselves, but how much more wonderful would it be to pass on a love for learning and the legacy behind that.

3) A Love for Family and a Love of History

MawMaw loved her family and she loved history. She spent countless hours researching our family legacy and documenting any information that she could find regarding our relatives. She loved to transfer that knowledge, as well. Any chance she could get, she would sit down and tell stories about our family. She would pull out her notes, her books, and all of her documents to show pictures of the people she was telling about, birth records, letters from them - whatever bits of history and information that she had.

At times, people would tire of hearing her stories, but honestly, I loved to hear them - even the ones that I had heard so many times before. It made our family seem exciting and fun. It gave me a glimpse into the past and allowed me to imagine what it was like back then, sometimes getting a real taste of their life through their own words, as well.

MawMaw did a wonderful job of preserving our family's history, and transferring that history, as well. I have stacks of letters from her where she would write just to say hello and there would end up being 4 or 5 pages of stories about someone she had learned about in our family, or stories about her life, her loves and what she desired and prayed for us. What a gift!

When choosing a name for our third child, Jason and I both loved the name Sarah Elizabeth if the baby was a girl. We chose the name because of its Biblical heritage, but I also had remembered MawMaw telling me long ago that my PawPaw's grandmother was named Sarah Elizabeth. While pregnant, my PawPaw died that November and I was unable to travel to Texas for his funeral. Later, in mid January, our daughter Sarah Elizabeth was born. How precious to have her named for both Biblical heritage and family heritage (all of our children's names are either Biblical names or Family names, and Sarah Elizabeth has both!) At first, no one believed me that it was a family name, but I distinctly remembered sitting down at the dining room table with MawMaw and looking where she had it written down . . . When Sarah Elizabeth was 6 weeks old, we traveled to Texas and I was able to find where it was written down after going through some of her family history material. Way to go, MawMaw! I was listening all those times and didn't forget the details. You caused me to be so enraptured by the history of our family that it made a huge impact on my life. May I pass on the love for family and the love for history, as well.

4) Live your life well.

Truly, my MawMaw was an amazing woman. She raised four boys and was a faithful wife who served her husband well. She graduated from college and earned her Master's Degree. She was a published author. She was an artist. She loved to paint and traveled to Santa Fe annually to sell her work. (My favorites are the pictures with the bluebonnets, of course!) She was extremely active as a member and leader of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a children's Sunday School Teacher and Leader. She lived her life to the fullest.

Honestly, though, those accolades don't matter too much to me. What matters to me is that she is my MawMaw. She taught me what was really important. She loved Jesus. She diligently prayed for others and was faithful. She loved to learn. She loved her family. She loved history and worked hard to preserve it. She lived her life well.

Now, MawMaw is part of our family history. That seems so strange to me. I am so thankful, though, that the end of her life on this earth only marked the beginning of one much more glorious than we could ever imagine.

My children talk about her often, and I love that. I don't want them to forget. I love the pictures that I have of them with her. I love that they talk about how she is in heaven singing praises to God. I love that they can learn the things that she taught me, both by example and by words.

Thank you, MawMaw, for the legacy that you have left me. You have taught me well.

Remembering MawMaw

Tiffany, Kyle, and I with MawMaw ~ Christmas 2008

I got a call from my dad today letting me know that my MawMaw had passed away. She was 91 years old and had lived a full, wonderful life. Most importantly, she loved the Lord.
She no longer has to look up our names in her little notebook to remember who we are and how we "fit" into her life as loved ones. She no longer has to ask us the same questions multiple times and then say, "Oh, yes. That's right. I remember. . . " She no longer has to be alone and think about my PawPaw, who died a little over three years ago. No, she is with Jesus and that brings such great joy to my heart.
This day has been bittersweet. I will miss her a great deal, for sure. But I am so thankful that she is with the Lord, rejoicing at His throne, filled with joy in the fullness of His presence. Just thinking about it makes me long for that day even more!
Thank you, Lord, for a grandmother who was faithful, who loved me, and more importantly, loved You. I treasure the memories I have of her and eagerly await the day when we will be together, worshipping You.

Keep Walking . . .

I know it has been a while . . . and I know that I haven't posted any pics from Thanksgiving yet. My goal is to get those up before Christmas, but hopefully sooner :) Life has been bustling around here - attending parades with Daddy, singing at the mall, caroling at a nursing home, spending the afternoon with friends making gingerbread houses and ornaments (Thank you, sweet friend), our entire family going to the dentist, schooling, playing, wrapping, planning . . . Of course, the list is endless - or so it seems at times. In the midst of all that, I have had the blessed opportunity to stop and gaze at my precious 3 month old little girl as she laughs and talks with me, hear stories about heaven from my 2 1/2 year old, watch my son dress up like the brave, adventurous father in Swiss Family Robinson, and see my oldest daughter reenact a drama from the beginning of Creation to the Second Coming. It just doesn't get any better than that - and all of it within the past 24 hours!!
Sadly, though, there are people that I love that don't always have the same opportunity. Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to reconnect with many of my friends from high school, college, seminary, summer camp, etc. What fun it has been to see the pictures, hear the stories and be able to be in touch with people who have deeply impacted my life! Our friends are spread across the nation - and the world - and it has been so good to know more about where they are and how I can be praying for them. Something that I didn't expect, however, was to be heartbroken and to grieve over some of the things that dear friends have experienced. I never thought that people I went to seminary with would get divorced - or that a friend from high school would now be in a wheelchair - or that another friend from my youth group would have just lost her very young son after a long battle with cancer. I just can't imagine the suffering that they have - and continue to - endure.
Sin - I hate it. But nowhere near as much as Our Heavenly Father. How much more does it sicken and anger Him? The results of it so horrible: separation, death, sickness, brokenness, pain. It makes me long for heaven so much more. Sarah Elizabeth told me today, "In Heaven God will take care of us because He loves us." It will be wonderful to be with Him and be able to see His glory in all its fullness. No stain of sin anywhere. Thank you, Jesus, for the incredible love shown in your death to overcome sin. Without you, there truly would be no hope. Praise the Lord there is! We do not grieve as one without hope precisely because of Christ's death and resurrection (I Thess. 4)
I am finding that Paul expressed my current sentiments better than able to right now. "For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened - not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." 2 Corinthians 5:2-9
May this ripping of my heart serve one purpose - to love Him more and to love others well. May it cause me to long for Him even more - hate sin even more (especially that in my own life) - and to make it my aim to please him.
As a young child, part of that passage was printed on a banner that hung in my church for several years. I think I am beginning to understand what it means a little more than I did back then. We MUST walk by faith and not by sight. We have no choice - it is too dark to see and we have to trust the One who is the Light and who knows the way. May He give all of us the courage to do so.

No marathon yet . . .

Okay, let's be honest - probably no marathon ever :)  However, today I started jogging again!  Yea!  I was inspired to get back in shape after Jason and I hiked several miles in the Smoky Mountains last week.  It felt great!

Knowing how much I dislike the cold weather, on our way back from Virginia I invested in some power stretch pants and a half-zip at REI.  They were marvelous!  I was toasty the whole time :)  My sweet husband spent some time last night putting some new pumping music on my hand-me-down IPOD, too.  It was super encouraging to have some great music to keep me going, while helping me focus on the Lord.  Thanks, Baby :)  I love you!  

For quite a while I have been ready to get back into the groove of exercising.  I feel so much better, am more energized through the day, and I get ready for the day early on.  I am constantly aware that I need to be taking better care of myself and this is one way that I can do it.  I do plan to be running in Memphis for St. Jude next year celebrating with the Gates family.  What a victory "lap" that will be.  (We love you, Caleb!)

So, one way you can really help me out in this department is to ask me if I have kept it up!  It is so easy to get in a routine for a while until something happens (everyday life!), and then slack off.  I would like to be more consistent in this area of my life.  So . . . ask away and hold me accountable on this!  You never know, I actually could run a marathon someday - or at least a half marathon - but I would just be content being a healthy wife and mama :)

Pre-Orders Begin After Christmas

Many of y'all know that we jumped into the world of gardening this year. We have had an herb garden since we moved to Mississippi, and have planted a few tomatoes and peppers in the past, but this year we became more adventurous. We decided to just go ahead and jump into it, knowing that we really didn't have a clue (especially around here where a small garden is larger than our entire lot!) Vacuuming the stink bugs that consistently attacked our beautiful zucchini became a highlight activity of our summer. Who knew that Joshua's bug vacuum would come in so handy or that I would have a vengeance against these annoying little pests? Too bad I don't have pictures of that, but I am hoping that we won't have the opportunity in the future! Most of our crop was eaten as soon as it was ripe (or close to being ripe), and there were many delicious additions to our summer salads. What a fun and healthy reward!!

Next year we plan on doing things a little differently - a much larger herb garden by the kitchen window and possibly moving our tiny vegetable garden to the other side of the yard. We also plan on getting the seeds in the ground MUCH earlier. Our garden motto this year was "better late than never!" That proved true on most things and enabled us to learn a lot. One thing that we learned takes a much longer time to grow and produce, however, was our carrots. Considering the size of our "crop," we may need to plant them right now for next summer's harvest! However small they were, the kids enjoyed them immensely. Pre-orders for next year's fruit and vegetables will begin after Christmas. . . .

Double the Fun!

Well, the day has finally arrived! No, we are not expecting twins (yet!) - ha ha! Our sweet little Abigail Grace has doubled her birth weight. Yesterday she weighed in at 10 lbs. 4 oz.! What a big girl! She is filling our lives with sweetness and joy every day. Hannah loves to help out and take care of Abigail. She even picked out her clothes and got her dressed today! Joshua loves to hold her and love on her, and so does Sarah Elizabeth. Sarah often reminds me that she is a good big sister and that she loves her new baby :) She always makes sure that Abigail has her special little lambie and that she is covered with a blanket, nice and warm. I told her today that she is just like her Nana - always covering up the baby :) This little lady certainly gets lots of love around the Williams household - and we are so glad that she is here for us to love! God is so very good to us and we are reminded of his incredible blessings every time we look around :)

Fall Fun, Furry Animals and a Fabulous Birthday!

This year's Fall Fun Fest was super fun! Jason was not in charge of a church event for a change and we thoroughly enjoyed it!!

Here's the lowdown . . .

Abigail Grace: a clown (though one of our friends thought she was a jellybean!)

Sarah Elizabeth: a ladybug (minus the antennas most of the night)

Joshua Andrew: a hunter (due to his friend Austin wearing a similar costume)

Hannah Kathryn: a cheerleader (because she thinks Bailey is awesome)

Jason and Tammy: Mexican attire (in honor of our friends the Mulhollen's, who returned home to Mexico the day before)

Jason brought in the excitement by making a splash in the dunking booth. Each of us had an opportunity to dunk our Daddy. Quite fun! And yes, he did get sick being soaking wet in the super cold air for 45 minutes, but he is doing better!

Saturday was Hannah's birthday and we had a very FULL day! In our house, when it's your birthday you are treated even more special than usual! Lots of special requests are fulfilled and special treats are given. We made muffins for breakfast, per Hannah's request, and headed out the door as soon as they were finished baking. None of us had ever been to the amazing Buffalo Park of Tupelo, so this was a very special occasion! We were celebrating our friend Jacob Robinson's birthday and were able to celebrate Hannah's birthday, too! All of us were quite impressed with the exhibits! They had: birds, snakes, a lion, tiger, fox (smallest species - only weighed 3 lbs.), monkeys (one of which - Oliver - is world famous for escaping multiple times), alligator, giraffes, donkeys, zebras, zeedonk (combo of the two!), kangaroo, wallabies, bear, camels, emus, longhorn cattle, water buffalo, and - of course! - lots of buffalo! They even had a white buffalo - one of only 60 worldwide. And that was not all! There are many more animals that we either cannot remember or don't know exactly what they were :) I know - you are all very impressed and cannot believe the wide range of exotic animals available for your viewing and feeding here in Tupelo!! It's okay to go ahead and catch your breath before you continue reading :) My favorite area housed all the different exotic birds. Abigail and I hung out there for a while talking to them. 3 of them would say hello and two of them carried on all kinds of conversations, but I never could figure out exactly what they were saying! It was a hoot - ha ha ha!

We headed to Olive Garden for the big birthday dinner, but had to stop at Ryan Newman's car and check it out. They even had cake to help us celebrate the big #7 for Hannah, and Joshua got to use the air wrench to take the tire off and put it back on (a demo). I'm sure he won't be able to watch another NASCAR race without telling everyone about his pit crew experience!

When we got home we continued celebrating the big day with presents and fun time together. At bedtime, Hannah said that it was the best birthday ever and she wished it could be her birthday everyday! What a good way to end the day :)