Nancy H. Vest, Writer

Keeping Grandma Alive...and all the others, too (including yourself)

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June 24, 2017 By Nancy H. Vest 4 Comments

How to make the most of your life, revisited

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As I mourn the recent and unexpected loss of my husband, Jim, I think back to this poem that my grandmother loved. Portions of this blog post were taken from a blog post from 2014.

 

After my grandma, Florrie THOMAS MARTIN, passed away we found a portion of “The Clock of Life” by Robert H. Smith written again and again on index cards, notebook paper, paper scraps, and stationery.  There is more to this poem than what she recorded, but this is the part that was meaningful to her.

Hand copied verses from the poem "The clock of life"

a portion of “The clock of life” in my grandma’s hand

 

 

My grandma lived through both World Wars and the Depression. She was the wife of a tenant farmer, and they moved often. Between 1923 and 1943, they lived in 12 different places.

Two of her brothers died as boys, one after a freak accident. She was a widow for 24 years, and she buried 4 of her 8 children before she passed away at the age of 84.

senior-aged woman with short graying hair and, black-rimmed glasses, wearing a teal dress and pearls

my grandma, Florrie Thomas Martin

Grandma knew how ugly life could be, but she didn’t let that fact control how she lived her life.

She was generous with her time and her prayers, and with the small amount of social security she received and what she made selling her crocheted creations.

She laughed sometimes until she cried, and she loved people as they were, not how she wished they would be.

She lived each day for the gift that it was, an admirable example of how to live.

Copyright © 2017  Nancy H. Vest   All Rights Reserved

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Comments

  1. Martha says

    June 24, 2017 at 8:55 pm

    It takes such strength to keep going…to keep hoping when the night is darkest…to believe that it matters…the McClanahans are praying for you.

    Reply
    • Nancy H. Vest says

      June 25, 2017 at 1:00 pm

      Thanks, Martha, for praying for our family. It’s truly the grace of God that is keeping us upright.

      Reply
  2. Danielle Bernock says

    June 26, 2017 at 4:18 pm

    Wow. Her attitude in the face of such loss is amazing! I love the line “She laughed sometimes until she cried, and she loved people as they were, not how she wished they would be.” That is how I want to live.

    Reply
    • Nancy H. Vest says

      June 27, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      I strive to live like that, too. My grandma lived with my family, so she was a huge influence in my life. Still is even after her being gone for many years. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply

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