Happy 98th Birthday to Gram!

Tomorrow Gram will be 98 years old! A while ago, I had toyed with sending invitations for her birthday and had written one invitation with a header that said... "98 is Great!"

After I had written it, I wondered to myself whether Gram would say 98 is great. Sure, it rhymed, but as I view Gram in the day-to-day routines, I think 98 may not be so great. The header seemed ridiculous and glib to me once I saw it in black and white.

For Gram, 98 means never being able to cook your own meals. It means struggling with a walker, and having to use a wheelchair on the "off" days. It also means that someone else chooses your clothes, dresses you and does your hair. Reading is tedious with trifocals and a magnifying glass. You only get outside by being transported in your wheelchair in and out of the house and car to a doctor's appointment. It means not being able to pick up the phone to call a friend because you can't remember the number or hear what they're saying. It also means that your nearest, dearest, lifelong friends and family have already passed away. At 98, there are aches and pains all over your body that you usually just can't put into words, and each day brings a risk of falling because your balance isn't as good as it used to be. Gram spends a lot of time awake in her chair, staring at her lap, or out the window, watching the birds come to the bird feeder.

Often, during the day, as I view her sitting quietly, I ask Gram if she's comfortable, and if there's anything I can do for her. This (almost) 98 year old woman usually smiles at me and tells me she was just meditating on scripture as she sits in her chair. She is content. Sometimes she whistles or breaks out into a hymn with her tiny, frail voice. Gram doesn't complain. She silently talks to her heavenly Father as life bustles around her. He is her best friend.

As I opened our Daily Light devotional tonight for October 15, I read these words to her:

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in HIM will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Saviour. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him...
...As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even for ever. Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.
For Thy namesake, lead me and guide me.

Tonight, as every night before bed, I kissed Gram's forehead and prayed with her, thanking God for the life He gave to Gram, so she could give it back to Him in service and love. Gram also prayed, and thanked the Lord for His grace and His bountiful blessings every day.

Maybe, just maybe, 98 is great.