A week ago, I sat in a living room filled with almost 30 members of the Barrett heritage. We gathered around the lady of the hour, Harriet Barrett, my grandma, to celebrate her 90 years of life. Our entire immediate family had flown out to California to join those already living near Grandma, and the time together was long-awaited.
For most of our growing up years, our family lived across the country from the Barrett side. My mom was raised a California girl, but when she married our dad, home quickly changed. Their time in ministry took them to Missouri, California, Oregon, Indiana, Arkansas and back to Indiana. As kids, we loved our extended family but saw them less and less as the miles increased. I remember a couple week-long road trips in our conversion van. We'd pile all six of us into the vehicle and spend days irritating each other and wishing to be done. But then, we'd arrive in Stockton, pull into Grandma's driveway and we'd hear the wind chimes. Quickly, all thoughts of restlessness and frustration would vanish as we walked in through the laundry room and saw Grandma's warm, squinty-eyed smile.
Today, I'm realizing that Grandma's house felt so inviting because Grandma's presence was so inviting. She is warm and funny. She smiles a lot. Those squinty eyes come from a beautiful face that brightens when she gently spreads her lips into a grin. I have those same squinty eyes, and I'm so happy to have a piece of this incredible lady in me.
Beyond her generally amiable spirit and kind face is a woman of faithfulness. Anyone who knows my Grandma, especially her family, will tell you she is a woman of prayer and encouragement. She prays more than any other person I know, and she brings each member of her family to Jesus on a regular basis. She is constantly in conversation with the Father, and she has brought great support to those she loves through these prayer times. Along with prayer, she writes us notes often. Birthdays and special occasions always earn us notes, but our Grandma often writes just because she's praying for us and wants us to know she loves us.
As the family sat around Grandma and shared with her what she meant to each of them, I realized how special the time was. We all saw the significance of her 90 years. We saw her love for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. We saw how she loved and served our Grandpa so well all those years, and we missed his presence. We saw her sense of humor and her grace, two things I've come to see as essential qualities for every woman. Mostly, though, we saw her love for Jesus and her faithfulness to him throughout her many years.
90 years seems a little daunting to me. That landmark is far off, but I realize that living well is pretty simple. If I look to my Grandma as an example, which I do, living well consists of faithfulness, service and love for others. My Grandma, a woman of prayer and gratitude, modeled the way for her family. She's been doing so for as long as I can remember and as long as I know. I often get caught up in questions of what the future holds, what I'll accomplish, what I'll contribute to this world or gain from this life. Over the past week, though, I feel sobered by the thought of my Grandma's faithfulness. There has been no fame for her, no grand titles. She hasn't made huge impacts on the world, at least not outside of our family or Stockton. She hasn't written any books or been interviewed by Christianity Today. And yet, her life has meant so much to us.
I want to live each day in pursuit of faithfulness, service and love for others. The alternatives seem empty and unsatisfactory. I'm proud and thankful to be a part of such a rich heritage and to be one who has been loved by Harriet Barrett. It is truly a pleasure and a privilege.