Married at age 15, Granny bore four children over the next 10 years. Her husband graduated from Juniata College with an education degree but couldn’t make a living as a teacher. He went to work at the Harbison-Walker Refractory, known to most as “the brick yard”. Tragically, when Granny was just 27, he died of a lung disease caused by breathing the silica sand dust.
Grief and responsibility overwhelmed Granny. To escape, she spent many hours in Meloni’s Bar and had lots of boyfriends. As the eldest, the task of raising her younger siblings fell to my mother, who quit school in eighth grade.
Despite Granny’s shortcomings, my mother never distanced herself from her mother or kept us away from Granny. My siblings and I loved it when Granny visited, and sometimes, we even joined her at Meloni’s. When I started dating, I took my boyfriend, Dick there to meet Granny. Seated at the bar wearing white knee-high go-go boots and a mini-skirt, Granny was smoking a cigarette and sipping a bottle of beer.
One day Granny was working in her flower beds when the minister from a local church was out for a walk. He saw Granny and stopped to admire her beautiful plants. After a bit of small talk, the pastor gradually steered the conversation around to spiritual things, asking Granny about her relationship with God and explaining God’s love and forgiveness.
With that conversation, my then 60-something grandmother experienced a brand-new start in life! She gave up smoking and drinking entirely and encouraged others to do the same. She became involved in the life of a local church. Over the next 20 years, she generously shared the truths she was learning with family, friends, and anyone else who would listen.
Thinking about Granny always renews my faith in God. She was a powerful example of the positive, life-changing force a relationship with Jesus can be.
Be encouraged!
