A Tribute to My GIANT

 

     Despite the fact that she is only five feet, she stands tall in my life.  As I reflect on my past, participate in the present, and look to the future, she hovers above me in mythic proportions reminding me of the wonderful blessing God showered down on me when he made her my Nana!
     
     As a child, I can recall returning home from weekend or week long visits and unpacking my clothes so that I could stuff my face in them because they smelled like her house.  I didn’t want that smell to go away because it reminded me of the love and acceptance I found in Nana’s house alone.  Going to Nana’s house was more special than raiding her candy drawer that offered up jellied and hard candies to my small, waiting hands. Visiting Nana’s was like embarking on a journey to normalcy, the way life should be.  At her house I had an opportunity to see a strong marriage, be in a home filled with values, and experience a place where it was all right to be me, even during my clumsiest moments.  
     
     The day I moved in with my Nana and my grandfather was the start of the best days of my life.   The more I think about the sacrifice they made, the more I praise God for her lack of selfishness.  Here they were in the early evening of their lives (alone at last) and they chose to raise a thirteen year-old.  I am grateful for love that would take in a teenage girl, my frenzied emotions and all, who felt unloved and unwanted and make her feel like she was where she was meant to be all along.    The sacrificial love she showed me, when she wasn’t required to, is so connected to the One she serves.
     
     My Nana showed me how to be a strong and independent woman while still submitting to those in authority. She taught me about faith, modesty, having common sense, saving, budgeting, and giving.  I married a wonderful man who respects and supports me for who I am because she accepted me for who I was and taught me how to respect myself and expect nothing less from anyone else.   During my life, my Nana has been like a mother to me, my taskmaster, my confidant, my cheerleader, my rock, my sounding board, my prayer warrior, and my constant northern star.  I love being around her now just as much as I did when I was a child.  She stands out among the many people in my life, and I count it a blessing that I am her granddaughter. 

 Much appreciation to  @LisaMeade23 and @donald_gately  for their tributes to the loving giants in their own lives.