On March 15, 1915, the world was introduced to Delores Evelyn Lindensmith.  The youngest of thirteen children, she saw and did a lot during her lifetime.  I was going to attempt to list some key things but it occurred to me that there’s too much to report and this entry would take hours to type, so I’ll leave it at that…  if you want more, she wrote a book a few years ago and I'd be happy to connect you with a copy.

Suffice it to say, this was the woman who I would come to know as “Granny.”  I’m not sure where the nickname came from but I think it was originally intended to be a silly spoof of the old lady in the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons – which is appropriate because I heard the phrase “I tawt I taw a puddy tat” come out of her mouth more than once growing up.

Spending time with her and my grandfather was one of the highlights of my childhood (and that of my brother and cousins as well).  There were so many differences between the two of them and they both contributed in different ways to making me the person I am today.  Among the things I learned from Granny:

She taught me I could be quiet.  During the summers when we’d be visiting, it could be quite a handful to have up to five children running around the house at a given time, so Granny got wise.  She taught us how to keep ourselves occupied and out of her hair. Among the skills I credit to her are knitting, card playing, making the best macaroni and cheese from scratch and fern picking… though the way I remember it, I have to wonder if child labor laws were broken.  Regardless, I credit much of my successful quiet time to the things my granny taught.

She taught me how to compete.  Okay, so maybe I didn’t actually catch on to this one – I’m still not that competitive – but she certainly demonstrated how to compete. It became a joke among the family that when Granny played we had to announce the score after every hand so that we’d know who was in the lead and who we “should go after.”  Of course, I don’t recall this rule coming into play that often when she was in the lead… and I think that may have been part of her strategy to get us to let her win.  She was a very wise woman.

Finally, she taught me about faith.  Initially, when I was younger, she did this by example. I always thought that singing hymns while making the bed and reading the Bible before a morning walk were the things that all old ladies did… I would eventually learn that some didn’t.  Her faith became more pronounced during his sickness and after my grandfather died.  She'd been a half of the whole for so many years when he was alive but she was strong and over time it was obvious that she was still finding a source outside herself for wholeness - her Savior.  The way her eyes would tear up at the thought of being with Jesus, I realized that this was a woman in love – and she was only waiting for the day when she could look that love in the eye.

There are so many more stories I could tell and in my fatigue I'm not sure that this is the best written piece I've done.  Perhaps I'll share more over time or maybe I'll just quietly covet the memories.  I'm blessed to have known her and I hope that my life will leave half the impression hers did in the lives of those who knew her.

Thank you, Granny, for the example you set and the life you led. We’re going to be all right because of you… and because of your prayerful efforts in my life, I’m confident I’ll see you again.

Delores Evelyn Larkins (15 March, 1915 – 24 March, 2008)