After my grandfather died suddenly in August 1965, of course, my grandmother (aka Grandpa) was inconsolable. We were all very concerned about her, her finances, her spirits, and her health.
Due to her enduring faith, her vitality eventually returned, and her health remained stable for another 29 years. However, her finances were never as sound as her children desired because Grandpa never prioritized money.
Her priorities in life were always God first, family second, and fishing third. Money was way, way down the list. Every day without fail, she read her Bible and cooked meals for the family she adored. However, after her chores were done, she grabbed her fishing pole, a can of worms, and headed to the pond.
Even when she had a dollar to spare, Grandpa would give it away to someone in town who seemed to need it more than she did. There was always someone in need. She took the Good Lord’s words to heart: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Greed and Grandpa were bitter enemies, and besides, she felt she had to go to Heaven because that’s where her beloved husband lived.
Her selfless acts of giving were truly inspiring.
Despite the financial challenges, Grandpa was resourceful. She grew her food and her gladiolas in a vast garden. The vegetables she canned for winter, and the white flowers, were always for her Baptist church around the corner or the nursing home down the street.
When she wasn’t cooking or fishing, she was busy quilting a new bed cover or crocheting an afghan blanket to give away. Her entertainment came from her competitive spirit; she was hard to beat in games like Scrabble or Rook, but we certainly enjoyed trying. There was no betting or gambling involved with her games, nor money to be made from her beautiful quilts and blankets. “Gambling is sinful, and those blankets are meant to keep folks warm!” she would declare.
She learned from the best that money was just something you needed, but when it becomes an obsession, it can turn one into a camel trying to get through a needle’s eye.
Grandpa’s harvest gold refrigerator was on the fritz. If there was ever a person who needed a reliable fridge, it was Grandpa, because she could pack that appliance tighter than sardines in a tin can. If you couldn’t find what you were looking for to eat inside, it likely meant that Grandpa was either in the hospital or had fallen into the pond while trying to catch Granddaddy Bass.
If she had only met you briefly, you would find your favorite food waiting for you in her old Frigidaire.
Grandpa really needed a new, roomier freezer and refrigerator. My grandmother had a small nest egg from selling her house, but she had one issue: she inherited a stubbornness gene that still runs through the family today.
Her three children—Donald, Mary Ruth, and my mother—began to urge her to use some of the money to buy a new refrigerator. However, Grandpa ignored all three of them, insisting that the old fridge would somehow come back to life.
Christmas arrived, bringing three envelopes mailed to each of Grandpa’s children. Inside each envelope was a check for $400.00. “I know your Daddy would want you all to have this money. Spend it on something you love because we love you!” Love, Mama.
Immediately, Grandpa’s children began calling one another. They knew she was planning to give away all she had, and they understood that she indeed needed all she could keep.
Grandpa’s birthday was in June, so they hatched a plan. They knew she wouldn’t take the money back because of her inherited stubborn illness, so the three decided to take their collective $1200.00 and buy her the finest refrigerator one could purchase at that time.
When it was delivered, Grandpa was not only shocked and surprised, but over the moon with giddiness. “Oh shoot, y’all shouldn’t have done such a thing for me!” She said this as she quickly loaded the shelves with everyone’s favorite foods.
Until the day Grandpa died, she never knew it was her money that had purchased the new, fancy side-by-side refrigerator.
Although Grandpa wasn’t wealthy, dear Lord, she was rich in so many other ways. I would give away every dollar I have to be as Godly as she was. I know, without a doubt, that she passed through the needle’s eye to sit beside the Lord she adored and the husband she loved.
Money can’t buy that kind of freedom and joy.
Matthew 19:24
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Lynn Walker Gendusa is a Tennessee-raised, Georgia-residing author and columnist. Her latest book is “Southern Comfort: Stories of Family, Friendship, Fiery Trials, and Faith.” She can be reached at www.lynngendusa.com. For more of her inspirational stories, click here.
