Her legacy

I can't help but find myself swirling in sentiment these days. Last week my most beautiful Grandma Hollywood crossed through gates of pearl into her eternal home, and the sadness of her death seems only to intensify with each additional day that I remember she's really gone. The woman who cared for me during my most formative years when my parents both worked, the woman who has boarded a plane for the last three decades twice a year to spend time with me and my family, the woman who has always made me feel like her favorite even though I know that's how she's made all us grandkids feel.

I miss her so much.

Our good and gracious Lord has left me with two precious gifts that I cherish as I long to see Grandma Hollywood again: sweet memory and sweet legacy.

I am filled with lovely memories of my Grandma, and each one leaves me overflowing with incomparable nostalgia and joy. And as I look at the vibrant and full lives of my kids, I rest in the legacy that Grandma Hollywood proudly left behind.

I thank Jesus for her life, the memory of her life, and the lives from her bloodline that beat on. And I pray that words and pictures keep my memories intact while I cherish the legacy that still lives.

The following post was originally published June, 2012:

We dedicated our sweet Greta girl on Mother's Day at church. She wore the same dress that Harper wore, a gown handmade by my great grandmother. My great grandmother died giving birth to my Grandma Hollywood and her twin brother (who also died). Though Grandma Hollywood never wore it (my great grandfather's grief prevented him from ever seeing the dress on my grandmother), all of the baby girls (and a couple of the baby boys) have since worn it, beginning with my Auntie Kay. What a precious legacy that dress holds.

This is the third baby we've dedicated at Vista Community Church (see Harper's dedication here and Henry's dedication here). It is an honor and privilege to dedicate our babies among such an incredible church body. We are so so grateful for the precious blessings of children and faith community.

Six years.

Here's to many more years of being your wife, even if you skin ducks in the garage and stock our freezer full of dead animals. I love celebrating life with you, especially when it comes with a slice of your momma's unbeatable cake.






















XOXO