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Ancestors
By Fr. Dennis | March 28, 2008
At one time, when I was a kid up until I was in college, I had 7 living ancestors. Until this week, I had 3. My maternal grandmother died this week in Dallas (Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord…). I was thinking this week that I’ve reach a point in adulthood where I only have 2 living ancestors — my parents.
My grandmother was not a pious or religious woman, and did not practice any particular faith, though I have no idea if she professed anything privately. There will be no formal funeral, per her wishes. Baylor University will have the use of her remains, and then there will be an interment some time several months from now. She will be buried in the plot with her husband at the Veterans Cemetery in Memphis.
(…and may perpetual light shine upon her.)
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March 29th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I’m very sorry for your loss. I pray that she was allowed a moment of revelation at the time of her death.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
God bless her.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:16 am
and from here, too, condolences to you and your mother and her family
March 30th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
It is a very strange feeling when your last grandparent dies–like some kind of layer of protection that stood between you and eternity has been stripped away.
AMDG,
Janet
March 30th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I’m sorry, Dennis. So many losses and yet so much grace has been given. Your vocation must have touched her more than you know. Jesus, mercy.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:27 am
Hi Dennis, sorry to hear about your grandmother–perhaps more sorry to hear that she never knew the Lord’s love in her lifetime, which is too long. In the mercy of the God who knows and understands everything, perhaps she has at last found what she didn’t know she was missing.
Blessings to you and your family.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:59 am
Thanks, everyone, for your prayers for my family and my grandmother. And Janet’s comment really gets to the heart of what I was thinking about last week. It was a selfish, indulgent thought, but that’s what was on my mind when my mother called.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:56 am
Sorry to hear about your grandmother’s passing. My prayers are with you and your family.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:48 am
May the Lord bless your family. I’ll remember to pray for her.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Well, you know, whenever you want anybody to be selfish and indulgent with you, just give me a call.
AMDG,
Janet
April 8th, 2008 at 5:17 am
It is still surprising that there is a population with a neutral view of faith.
This makes me think of a recent passing of an uncle of mine that had no faith. I am not even sure he was baptized at all in any faith. He was a good man and lived a good life, but had no faith. A VFW member read the Lord is my Shepherd (23 psalm) and talked about my uncle’s war days in WWII. The service was maybe 10 minutes.
Seeing no faith in him made me work harder to live my faith. It is too late to say anything to him, but now I am more willing to discuss faith with someone.
Faith is one of the toughest virtues to live. I’ve always seen it as the anchor virtue of the others: hope and love.
I am sad to hear about your maternal grandmother’s passing. Please celebrate a memory of her.