By Tracy Powell
A few years after my grandmother passed away, my grandfather let me dig through their old photos. I came across a picture that fascinated me. My beautiful grandmother was dressed impeccably, beaming with joy against the backdrop of the ocean. I showed the photo to my grandfather, and a smile spread across his face. His green eyes lit up as he took the photo in his shaky hands and looked at his "Anna."
He told me how my grandmother had been left destitute when my biological grandfather had left her. Her children, including my mother, were very young. My grandmother was forced to move back in with her parents and support her family with hardly any income. But through all the hardship, she never got depressed. When things would go from bad to worse, she would call her girlfriends, get dolled up, and go to the ocean for the day. Things eventually turned around, and she remarried. My grandfather helped raise her children.
That night in bed at my grandfather's house, I admired this photo for hours under the dim bedside lamp. I considered what it must have been like for her when her husband went to the grocery store one day and never returned. I thought about how unwanted she must have felt, how lonely and scared she must have been. But in that photo, I saw none of those feelings. I only saw a gorgeous woman entirely enjoying herself and the wonderful beauty around her that the Lord had blessed her with.
I brought the photo home with me, and I keep it at my desk while I pursue my own dreams. When things start to get rough, I see my grandmother saying to me as she stands next to the ocean, "Go call your girls, get dolled up, and enjoy God's gift to you... life!" I obey her voice and call on my friends, with whom I find warmth and support.
Like my grandmother, I bond with nature and remember I am a creation of God. It reminds me of my gifts and why I am here. When I return to my desk, I am invigorated, ready to tackle my destiny once again.
He told me how my grandmother had been left destitute when my biological grandfather had left her. Her children, including my mother, were very young. My grandmother was forced to move back in with her parents and support her family with hardly any income. But through all the hardship, she never got depressed. When things would go from bad to worse, she would call her girlfriends, get dolled up, and go to the ocean for the day. Things eventually turned around, and she remarried. My grandfather helped raise her children.
That night in bed at my grandfather's house, I admired this photo for hours under the dim bedside lamp. I considered what it must have been like for her when her husband went to the grocery store one day and never returned. I thought about how unwanted she must have felt, how lonely and scared she must have been. But in that photo, I saw none of those feelings. I only saw a gorgeous woman entirely enjoying herself and the wonderful beauty around her that the Lord had blessed her with.
I brought the photo home with me, and I keep it at my desk while I pursue my own dreams. When things start to get rough, I see my grandmother saying to me as she stands next to the ocean, "Go call your girls, get dolled up, and enjoy God's gift to you... life!" I obey her voice and call on my friends, with whom I find warmth and support.
Like my grandmother, I bond with nature and remember I am a creation of God. It reminds me of my gifts and why I am here. When I return to my desk, I am invigorated, ready to tackle my destiny once again.
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