June 26
And now I stand here on trial, on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, Acts 26:6
Today is my Grandmother’s birthday! She has not been with us for many, many years, and it’s with amazement I consider she’d be 128 years old today! She was a woman with incredible optimism and her enduring faith in God was her sanctuary as well as her gift to all of us, maybe even more so to those in the family who were not yet born.
Daily my Nana walked a mile to attend Mass until she could walk no more. She would be horrified today to see how soft we have become, how accustomed we are to hopping in a car and getting to Church with relative ease and little effort on our part. Born in 1886 of Irish/English immigrant parents who died when she was very young, leaving her and her brother orphans, she faced challenges from the very beginning of her life. But through every difficulty she endured, she never gave up hope! No matter what life asked of her she faced it head on. She had a daughter with a disability, lost her husband at an early age, had four of her sons serve in WWII, (one of whom was my father who was missing in action for months and presumed deceased), lost a son to an unexpected illness after his safe return from war, and most heartbreaking to her she told me, was to lose a beloved teenage granddaughter to an automobile accident and an infant grandson to SIDS. I will always remember that when she battled cancer herself and during her last days, she always projected optimism and concern for others.
Constantly surrounded by either her beloved family or a circle of friends who adored her, she daily lived her faith in God, bringing hope to everyone she came in contact with. And as much as she enjoyed socialization with friends and her 15 minute “stories” on her little black and white television (which she thought was simply amazing!), she never wasted a minute. In the limited time left in a week, she volunteered in a variety of charities, for the church as well as several others, one of which included a period as president of the American Legion. This woman epitomized perseverance and hope, never giving up and working hard no matter what. She believed with all her heart in the words God has given us and trusted in the promise of eternal life.
For the faith in God that was passed down to me through her I will always be grateful. She placed a spark within me when I was a little girl, encouraging my sister and I with booklets of prayers and novenas, telling us stories about the saints, and surrounding herself with faith-filled people. Witnessing these things spurred me on to search for more as I grew. Through that hope she passed on to her son, my Dad, whom I called “the eternal optimist,” it was easy to believe in a loving God.
We are so blessed all of us, to have our ancestors - those people who could only imagine our being way back when - those wonderful people chosen by God to be there before us, who planted seeds of faith, strength and love, which continue to fortify us today as we journey forward in faith.
Thank you for our ancestors God! For the people who listened to you and passed on to us the faith that we carry in our souls today.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
And now I stand here on trial, on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, Acts 26:6
Today is my Grandmother’s birthday! She has not been with us for many, many years, and it’s with amazement I consider she’d be 128 years old today! She was a woman with incredible optimism and her enduring faith in God was her sanctuary as well as her gift to all of us, maybe even more so to those in the family who were not yet born.
Daily my Nana walked a mile to attend Mass until she could walk no more. She would be horrified today to see how soft we have become, how accustomed we are to hopping in a car and getting to Church with relative ease and little effort on our part. Born in 1886 of Irish/English immigrant parents who died when she was very young, leaving her and her brother orphans, she faced challenges from the very beginning of her life. But through every difficulty she endured, she never gave up hope! No matter what life asked of her she faced it head on. She had a daughter with a disability, lost her husband at an early age, had four of her sons serve in WWII, (one of whom was my father who was missing in action for months and presumed deceased), lost a son to an unexpected illness after his safe return from war, and most heartbreaking to her she told me, was to lose a beloved teenage granddaughter to an automobile accident and an infant grandson to SIDS. I will always remember that when she battled cancer herself and during her last days, she always projected optimism and concern for others.
Constantly surrounded by either her beloved family or a circle of friends who adored her, she daily lived her faith in God, bringing hope to everyone she came in contact with. And as much as she enjoyed socialization with friends and her 15 minute “stories” on her little black and white television (which she thought was simply amazing!), she never wasted a minute. In the limited time left in a week, she volunteered in a variety of charities, for the church as well as several others, one of which included a period as president of the American Legion. This woman epitomized perseverance and hope, never giving up and working hard no matter what. She believed with all her heart in the words God has given us and trusted in the promise of eternal life.
For the faith in God that was passed down to me through her I will always be grateful. She placed a spark within me when I was a little girl, encouraging my sister and I with booklets of prayers and novenas, telling us stories about the saints, and surrounding herself with faith-filled people. Witnessing these things spurred me on to search for more as I grew. Through that hope she passed on to her son, my Dad, whom I called “the eternal optimist,” it was easy to believe in a loving God.
We are so blessed all of us, to have our ancestors - those people who could only imagine our being way back when - those wonderful people chosen by God to be there before us, who planted seeds of faith, strength and love, which continue to fortify us today as we journey forward in faith.
Thank you for our ancestors God! For the people who listened to you and passed on to us the faith that we carry in our souls today.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson