I am a person of many blessings. I am especially blessed in my relationships. I have an amazing history of Godly, women of strength in my life. My great-grandmother, Pearl Waters started it all, showing us what it meant to be a person of prayer & until she passed away this past year, she was daily interceding for generations she so richly blessed. What my Great-grandmother began has carried on through her legacy including my Grandmother, Mother, & sister. I have talked of these women before but I always feel like I end with so much more that could be said. This past Saturday, my family gathered to celebrate one of these women & I wanted to celebrate her as well, even if I can only be there in spirit. She has many names; Jeanette, Aunt Jenny, GG, but to me & the rest of her grandkids she is simply Mom!
My Grandmother, Jeanette Waters Stalvey, is one of the most incredible women I have ever known. I have always felt so loved by the woman I grew up calling “Mom”. She was always so creative with her grandchildren. She would take turns with each of us getting to sleep over at her house. We would go out to eat at a restaurant of our choice, which usually meant McDonald’s in my case. (How times have changed!) We would play games, go see movies, stay up late, and sleep in the next morning. Every Christmas she created “Countdown presents” for us. We would get one present per day for the twelve days before Christmas. On Christmas day we would open a “smaller gift” but they usually had some extra token tucked away somewhere within. For our sixteenth birthdays she would buy a piggy bank & fill it with only quarters for the entire year. On our birthday we all walked away with heavy banks filled. Besides being a creative, fun grandmother she taught us plenty through her everyday actions. She has obviously been an amazing example of generosity, always going above & beyond with everyone she loves. She also taught us the joy of just being together. She always had a way of making each of us feel like the most important person in the room. She would listen to our stories, sing our songs, & revel in every minute she had with us as children. As I have grown I have seen my Grandmother for the woman God created her to be. I have heard stories & seen examples of how she persevered through the many trials of her life from being widowed at 25 with two small children, to family tragedy, to declining health; she has exhibited nothing but grace with every action. Her life has been a series of giving & taking away but she has always chosen to say His name be blessed. Mom has been a woman of great prayer. I have always known that if I had something that needed prayer to let her in on it. She is unwavering in her heart to see God move, she asks the big things of Him & believes that He will follow through, even if she never sees the result.
Until her health began to decline she loved to travel. One of her favorite locations was the Holy Land, Israel. Maybe it was she who first bit me with the travel bug. I don’t know at what point I decided I needed to go to the world but I will guarantee that she had a major role in that. She is one of the people I carry with me when I travel; her spirit & heart travel to every country, love on every orphan, see every natural wonder, & invite the Holy Spirit to move. When I first went on the race she would get up every morning & read every new blog posted…& not just from my team or squad but from every individual on the field. The race has grown since those early days, but I have a feeling that she still reads as many blogs as she did in the beginning. Mom is one of my biggest supporters financially & spiritually. She is a fountain of wisdom & knowledge of the Word. I know if counsel is sought she will have Godly wisdom for me. I haven’t lived in the same state in about 5 years but one of my favorite things to do when I come to town is go visit her. We usually set up a breakfast or lunch date that ends up taking the whole day. I can always count on conversations with her to turn quickly to God’s faithfulness & His continued goodness in both our lives. She is the one who first introduced me to the Holy Spirit’s active work today. I remember being very at ease when I would see the Holy Spirit work in her because I trusted in this woman & knew she had an intimate relationship with God. Her humility of spirit, her heart for justice, & her passion are all qualities that I pray one day to be able to pass on to my own generations.
Thank you Mom for being a woman after God’s heart. Thank you for not settling but wrestling instead until God came through. Thank you for being you, not apologizing & not pushing but being the example for so many of us to look up to. We, your generations, arise & call you blessed. We look forward to God’s continued work in you & through you. I look forward to many more conversations & opportunities to learn from you in the future. I am blessed beyond all I could ask or imagine having you give so much more than material goods but to receive from you spiritually as well. May the Lord bless you & keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you. The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon you & give you peace.
