On this beautiful, sunny fall day...

Today I went to a funeral for a lady in town.  She was well known, well loved, and had 4 children and many grandchildren.  At the start of the funeral, each grandchild got up to talk about their grandma.  The ages ranged from about 9 years old to adults in their late twenties.  Each grandchild spoke so eloquently, everyone was impressed and touched.  Some spoke about favorite memories, about waking up at grandma's house in the morning, playing games with her, her favorite sayings, her baking and her cooking.  Some talked about what they learned from her life and how they are the person they are because of her.  They made her sound like the most wonerful person in the world, and I've no doubt that to them and many others, she was.

I didn't know the lady who died, but, listening to the stories about her at her funeral, I learned a lot about her.  She was an ordinary lady who simply lived and loved taking care of her family.  She spent time being a wife and mother, and then spent her days being a grandmother.  She cooked big meals that helped to gather the family together, she baked special cookies to delight the grandkids, she planned vacations each summer to bring the family together, and through these simple, routine things, she built up traditions that shaped every member of her family. 

Wow, what a legacy.  Sometimes I think, "Am I doing enough?  Am I doing anything that really matters?"  And after today, just listening to those grandkids talk about how their grandmother made them better people by simply being involved in their lives, I think I might be doing OK.  So, I might not make it to be a missionary oversees (who knows for sure, though) or I might not make my big mark on this world, but I do know that I've raised a good family.  And I do know that I'm looking forward to being the kind of grandma this lady was.  And now I think, if that is all I have done when my time is over, that will be enough. 

At the end of the funeral, on this beautiful, sunny fall day, each grandchild released a balloon in honor of their grandmother.  The balloons floated up into the sun and I watched them until they were out of sight.  And I felt peace, and I know that I am exactly where I should be right now in my life.