Today is my Grandma’s birthday – Helen Harms.  I think she would have been 79 years old, but I’m not certain.  My Grandma was an awesome lady.  She didn’t take anyone’s nonsense, but she wasn’t afraid to tell you the way it was, stranger or not.  She raised her seven kids, then started daycare in order to help those kids with their kids.  She didn’t let children be mean or disrespectful to their parents in her presence.  She loved Jesus, and everyone knew that also.

When she died Grace was just over 4 months old and I was 2 months pregnant with Eli, and that might be the part that grieves me the most.  She didn’t really get to know my children, and they didn’t get to know her.  She was healthy, then suddenly she wasn’t and she died.  Just like that.  It seemed so fast.  Of course, we were living out of state, so it might have only seemed like that to me.  We came home for a visit, and when I saw her I just sobbed and said, “That’s not her.”  Her visitation was supposed to last from 4-7pm, but people stood in line until 11pm to pay their respects to this woman who loved God and loved people.  THAT is a great legacy.

My hope is this – we will see her again.  We are all a part of the body of believers, so we will see her again.  Someday I will have the great privilege of introducing my children to one of the greatest women I have ever known.  And I will get to introduce her to them.  She will tell me who she thinks they look like.  Then after some time, she will put her hands on her hips and tell me who they act like.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you
happy birthday dear Grandma, happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you, you belong in the zoo
with the lions and the tigers and the monkeys like you.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you
God bless you and keep you, happy birthday to you.