On Monday, my Grandma LaVern Joyce Miller went home to be with Jesus and is now reunited with her dear Eugene, my Grandpa. She was born on March 9th, 1933. She suffered a debilitating stroke about a year ago, and so these last months were challenging. I’m so thankful her struggle is at an end, that she finished well, and that her trust was in Jesus, the conqueror of death. And still I am sad, because I’ve lost one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known.
One of my fondest memories of my Grandma took place in Ohio on one of those occasions when my grandparents came for a visit, probably Thanksgiving. I was around twelve or thirteen, and came downstairs because I was having trouble falling asleep. I came down to talk with my parents, but my Grandma quickly interjected and said, “Well, then you just need your Grandma to rock you!” She was sitting in one of those upholstered Lay-Z-Boy recliner rockers, and reached out her arms wide to invite me over. I felt way too big for this, but how do you tell your Grandma “no”? So I reluctantly came over to give her a hug. She pulled me in and made me rest in her arms. I tried to get up several times, but she held me tight and wouldn’t let go. She rocked me until I finally gave in and let her love me into the night. I fell asleep in her loving arms.
Grandmas are special. I miss her dearly. But thank God this is not the end. She’s in the arms of Jesus now. And I know she’s at rest. For she is loved, more than she ever knew.
