Linda Mary Andrews

It has been almost 7 months since my grandma Linda passed away and not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I think of her kindness and desire for others to know the love of Christ. I think of her faith and the hope that she had that everyone she met would come to know Jesus and the love that comes from knowing Him. I remember the smell of cough drops and menthol. I remember trips to McDonalds and her collections of happy meal toys and those collectors cups that you used to be able to buy (yes... She bought them all... She was kinda a hoarder but we loved her for it). I remember her coffee tables covered with half finished puzzles. I remember her teaching me how to do the puzzles (set up the outside first and then work your way inward) and framing those puzzles and saving them or giving them away as gifts. I remember her strange gifts and the money that would come every year on our birthday (but stopped around age 18... $1 for every year of life). I remember her signing us songs like Bushel and a Peck and The Three Bears. I remember how she treated each and every person who walked into her house like family always introducing herself as grandma.

But what I remember the most is her faith and hope. I don't know if I wrote about this before (although I am pretty sure that I did so forgive me if it is a repeat...), but there was one moment that I think I will remember always. It was shortly after she moved into our house after her memory started to go and she left the stove on while making herself eggs etc (you know... Typical Alzheimer's behavior). She had been with us for almost a month and we had been to doctor after doctor trying to find answers and figure out what it was that was causing all of her problems. She was frustrated and scared and had a really bad day when we finally had to just stop and give it to God. So me, my mom, my dad, and my grandma just spent time praying together. I will never forget what she said. Through her tears she just cried out to God saying "Lord, I don't know what is wrong with me but I trust you. I am so scared. Please help me. But I trust you."  To this day it brings me to tears just thinking of it. I hope and pray that one day I can have faith like that. To be able to cry out to God on the brink of an Alzheimer's diagnosis and still say, "I trust you." 

I miss you grandma. I miss you every day.