My great-grandmother, Cora Lee Fox-Ogle, could not wait to be a great-grandmother. In her culture, being a great-grandma meant being a granny. And she wanted that badly.
The problem was, my sister and I could never remember to call her granny; it always came out grandma. So we invented the name Grandma-granny.
Trips to her apartment meant listening to her birds sing and playing with her underwater rings game. Later, when she was in the nursing home, visiting her meant bouquets of purple flowers that we shared with all in attendance. My cousin Mary, whose kind heart would make Grandma-granny proud, once divided a single stalk in two so she would have enough for everyone.
My grandma-granny was no stranger to adoption. When family was unable to care for her young niece, Grandma-granny took her in and raised her as one of her own. Grandma-granny didn't do it because it was easy; she had quite a few children of her own, including my grandpa Ogle and his twin brother, and life was hard work. Kids were hard work. But Grandma-granny knew that God's law is one of kindness.
It is something I have seen my grandpa Ogle practice every day of my life.
Quite possibly my favorite story about my grandpa Ogle I just heard recently. When they were young, they ran across a couple who had run out of gas. My grandpa and grandma Ogle didn't just stop and help them with gas; they invited them to come and stay at their house. Complete strangers. Strangers who were dirty, poor, with nothing to offer in return. Strangers who could have taken my grandpa and grandma for everything they had. But they did it anyways.
When I heard the story, I can't say I was surprised. Because this is the kind of heart with which my grandpa Ogle has led his family his entire life.
He and my husband love to sit and talk, and I am so pleased to say that their biggest commonality is their open hearts. And I am so thankful to say that I found a man who will lead our family just like my grandpa does his, a man who understands the value of kindness.
The problem was, my sister and I could never remember to call her granny; it always came out grandma. So we invented the name Grandma-granny.
Trips to her apartment meant listening to her birds sing and playing with her underwater rings game. Later, when she was in the nursing home, visiting her meant bouquets of purple flowers that we shared with all in attendance. My cousin Mary, whose kind heart would make Grandma-granny proud, once divided a single stalk in two so she would have enough for everyone.
My grandma-granny was no stranger to adoption. When family was unable to care for her young niece, Grandma-granny took her in and raised her as one of her own. Grandma-granny didn't do it because it was easy; she had quite a few children of her own, including my grandpa Ogle and his twin brother, and life was hard work. Kids were hard work. But Grandma-granny knew that God's law is one of kindness.
It is something I have seen my grandpa Ogle practice every day of my life.
Quite possibly my favorite story about my grandpa Ogle I just heard recently. When they were young, they ran across a couple who had run out of gas. My grandpa and grandma Ogle didn't just stop and help them with gas; they invited them to come and stay at their house. Complete strangers. Strangers who were dirty, poor, with nothing to offer in return. Strangers who could have taken my grandpa and grandma for everything they had. But they did it anyways.
When I heard the story, I can't say I was surprised. Because this is the kind of heart with which my grandpa Ogle has led his family his entire life.
He and my husband love to sit and talk, and I am so pleased to say that their biggest commonality is their open hearts. And I am so thankful to say that I found a man who will lead our family just like my grandpa does his, a man who understands the value of kindness.
Luke 10:25-37: One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
