“Our wrinkles are our medals of the passage of life.” – Lauren Hutton
There are a ton of grannies here in Moldova.
We worship in a sea of grannies. They are always roaming the streets bundled in their layers and with scarves on their heads. And they can be found tending their gardens or selling fruit or grains on the side of the road.
When they see us they smother us with kisses and hugs. I sat on a bench with this rambunctious granny the other day and she kept pinching my cheeks and telling me I was beautiful in Russian.
For the record I am really bad at Russian, all foreign languages for that fact. I know one word “spasibo” which means thank you. And I perpetual say placebo. It’s bad.
While the grannies talk, and believe you me they have A LOT to say, I just listen and nod. They assume I know what they are saying. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In the beginning I was lost. And then I made it a game. I try to infer what they are saying and then respond back to them in English as if we are in fact having a conversation.
These women are women of STRENGTH.
They are so full of life.
The lines on their faces bear witness to the laughter, the tears, the struggles, and the triumphs these women have walked through. Most of these women live a life of poverty and hardship I will never understand and yet unfathomable joy radiates from them.
I aspire to be like that.
No matter my circumstances; having lost a husband, having lost children, living in a small run down home, eating small portions that most likely do not include anything chocolatey…
that I will RADIATE JOY.
This month we’ve had the privilege of sitting with these gems and “listening” to their stories. We’ve been able to pray over them, to hug them, to be pinched on the cheeks and smacked on the butt by them. Dorcas International is a program the church we are living in is partnered with. Each month the church provides food bags and a stipend for these women (primarily widows) who struggle to make ends meet. We’ve spent some time in the food closet filling the bags and then have had the pleasure of handing them out. The gratitude expressed in their smiles is truly moving.
