An Unexpected Letter in the Attic

Today was the day. 

Time to attack the attic with gusto and uumph. 

{Or just sheer determination.} 

Somehow, when I'm not looking, people go upstairs and mess up the attic and 

before long it's DISASTER. 

Ever happen in your attic? 

So I puttered this morning. 

Cranked up the tunes. 

Shuffled boxes from here to there and back again. 

Organized. 

And then, out of the blue, this random letter was sitting on the floor.

 

Hmmmm. 
How unexpected.

I recognized the hand writing. I didn't need to see the return address. I knew it.

My Grandma Gregory. 

 From Mississippi. 

From when I was in college but home one summer.  

{All but one summer I stayed in Chicago and worked. 

This particular summer I found my way back to Canada.}

  

She writes: 

 July 23 - 90 

Dear Alysa, 

Thanks for your gift and letter. I always enjoy letters from every one but from a sweet granddaughter like you makes me feel like someone special. 

I just got home from Pat's. The Dr. said I'd only have to come back once a year for him to check if my bones were OK. 

I had a letter from the Social Security saying as of Aug 1st 1990 the state of Miss. would pay my medicare bill. That's $28.00 a month that don't come out of my check. It is so marvelous how the Lord takes care of his own. Give my love to mom + dad + Lenn. 

 Grandmother Gregory 

Not sure why but I started to cry. 

Very well could be that I'm just a cry baby. 

But, if I had to offer an educated guess, it was the tangible reminder that she's no longer here but her life still touches mine. 

I miss her.

She had a hard, HARD life. She was dirt poor in man's eyes but rich in wisdom.

She loved God. 

She loved her family. 

She was VERY fun and funny. 

She loved to laugh and I'm pretty sure laughter and God 

carried her through her difficult years.

It's hard to believe that 23 years have passed since 

I read that letter the first time.

And yet today I was struck with her words of gratefulness 

over the state of Mississippi paying $28 for her each month ...

  

Grandma Gregory, you are so right. 

 It IS so marvelous how the Lord 

takes care of his own. 

You believed it and lived it. 

I believe it and live it. 

I want to be the kind of lady 

-- just like my grandma -- 

that sees God's provision in the 

twenty-eight dollar stuff of life!!

You're missed today, sweet Grandma. 

 So very, very missed.