Yesterday I attended the funeral of a woman from our community. Although I did not know her personally, some of her children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are friends. During the course of the service, much was said of her commitment to Christ and of a lifestyle characterized by faith. Growing up in a solid Canadian prairie Mennonite background, I wrongly assumed she was born with a “work hard” gene firmly implanted in her DNA. In a beautiful but fun-filled tribute to their grandmother, one of her grandsons told of how as a child she would hide in the outhouse with a book, trying to avoid detection and household chores.
Another story the same grandson avers has never before been revealed, involved his distaste for trigonometry. Seems a particular assignment was the last hurdle to overcome. By failing to successfully complete that work, he would fail the course and be required to re-take it. Grandma heard about it and being a woman who cared deeply about the feelings of her offspring, she paid another grandson to complete the work. He got $20 out of the deal and the errant child didn’t have to repeat trigonometry. Say what you will about the wisdom of such a move, it removed a lot of stress from a teenager’s life. For those in attendance, the revelation of that long-held secret also provided a lot of laughter.
Attending that funeral made me think seriously about what people will have to say at my celebration of life. There are things I’m proud of, things I wish I’d not done or done differently and things I’d like to have accomplished but never did. Above all, though, I long to leave a legacy of personal integrity and faithfulness to God.
“… but the prudent man (or woman) considers well his steps …” Proverbs 14:15
