When you reach a certain age, you begin to reflect back on your life and what has been most lasting and important.  The one person who inspired and enriched my life as a young boy more than anyone else was my mother. I've written a little book just for you.  It's about an extraordinary gift from God: your great grandmother and the gift she gave me...and you.

Although I was just a boy when she died, she left an indelible imprint of love and joy on my life that will last forever.  A while back, it occurred to me that it would be a tragedy for my children and grandchildren to go through life never knowing her or what a giving and loving spirit she had.  I realized it was up to me to pass along her remarkable legacy of grace and love to my loved ones whom she would have cherished had she had the opportunity.  That realization contributed to the birth of the little book I wrote about the life she so dearly loved as a first-grade schoolteacher and mother. So, my children, it's time to open the book and read.

As you travel through its pages, you will learn so much about your beloved great grandmother and how she exemplified the marvel of God's grace through the common stuff of ordinary life.  Though her journey was cut short, her life was filled with humility and compassion for others, never thinking of herself.  She had unwavering devotion to God, her family and all those she touched along the way.  Despite her shortened stay on this earth, she truly was God's broken bread and wine as she poured herself out for others.  The book is her story and will provide you with countless blessings.

In the words of  Oswald Chambers, "The people who influence us the most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and lilies of the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly.  Those are the lives that mold us." 

My dear children, say hello to your great grandmother.