To Leave Such a Legacy

The first month of the new year is nearly over. This month, Daniel’s grandmother passed away. She was a beautiful, gentle lady. Her kindness poured out of her. When Daniel and I were dating, I sat with her at church one Sunday, and as we sat down from singing she looked up at me with her sparkling blue eyes and said, “What a gift that was, to listen to your lovely voice sing those songs.” Trust me, I’m no singer, and I’ve often been embarrassed of singing during worship at church, but that day her words were a gift to me.One of my favourite wedding pictures isn’t of Daniel and I, but it’s a picture of Daniel’s grandmother and grandfather sitting in the benches and holding hands, watching Daniel and I say our vows. I’m thankful my photographer captured that sweet moment in time.As I sat next to Daniel at her funeral, I couldn’t help but marvel at what a legacy this woman left. Sitting at the front was her youngest daughter, Daniel’s mother, who she had raised in the faith. Behind her and Daniel’s dad sat me and Daniel, followed by Daniel’s sister and brother and his wife and children. Each of us, spouses and all, clinging to that same faith she taught her daughter who then taught it to them.One of Daniel’s uncles presented the eulogy. His eulogy was drenched in the gospel—not just because he is a believer but because his mother would have wanted it no other way. Before she passed, she chose the Scripture she wanted to be read and the hymns she wanted to be sung, each of which turned our eyes upward to wonder at the gift of salvation and the eternal Sabbath rest to come. Daniel’s sister said to me, “Every time I visited her, she always told me, ‘Don’t mourn when I’m gone. I’m ready, I’m ready to be with my Saviour.’” To have such a hope. To have such a legacy sitting in the pews. An ordinary woman living a quiet, extraordinary life, raising little ones to trust and love their Heavenly Father, so they can do the same for their children. I hope I can do the same.