Legacy - Passing it On

 I have loved the scripture passages that talk about generations . . . 

I have been blessed with generations of my family who were strong Christ followers.  Their decisions to follow Christ changed the course of my life as well as my brothers. 

My maternal grandparents:  Verner and Ida Brian*

My dad and mom were house-bound the last 15 years of their lives and couldn't keep up with growing grandchildren's activities.  Since we three kids lived in other places. they could not travel there easily. They saw it as their privilige to pray each day for their Grands by name.  .   .  all six of them.  They would be thrilled to see how God has answered those prayers.

In mom's last days she would look at the pictures of her wonderful six and say she had soooo much pride in her about the young people they were becoming and she wondered if that was sinning.

My Paternal Grandparents Hazel and Bill Neese**

I decided to create legacy pillows for our Grands from a quilt my parents inherited from my paternal grandparents.  .   . to remind them that long before they were born their great grandparents whom they had never met were praying for their momma (Bethany) or daddy (Marshall) and their future husband (Mat) or wife (Katie). Those prayers resulted in the blessing of the families they are now a part of.  

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandment

Deut 7:9

My grandparents were all in Heaven by my 10th birthday.  But these are the stories I remember.  

* I love the story of my Grandfather Brian taking his family to Church during the Depression.  He had only two quarters in his pocket for his family to live on.  My mother said - he put one in the collection basket that particular Sunday.  He and my mother often would take care of Grandma Brian as she would be very ill during the fall pollen times.  Mom at 3 years of age would stand on a box at the sink and wash dishes and she remembers her dad would make the homemade bread when grandma was unable.  A few years before she died, they moved 7 miles away from that home and she was never sick again.  She died in her mid 50's from a heart attack.  

** Grandma Neese was known for her wonderful angel food cakes with this wonderful cooked icing.  One time she had to go to the hospital and she made two angel food cakes and took them to the hospital for her kids when they would come to visit her.  Often she would start the songs at Sunday morning church from the 2nd row.  On Nov. 1, 1959 she had all her family in and that Sunday morning, suffered a heart attack in Church.  She was rushed to the hospital an hour away and died later that afternoon  Grandpa Neese died 3 months later.