13 Amazing Things My Grandmother’s Life Taught Me

My Grandmother’s Life

I come from a family of teachers but my grandmother wasn’t one of them. At least not if you mean college educated, classroom teacher. But she was a master teacher of life lessons and she taught with such humility.

My Grandmother’s life taught me….

1. Humility is a good thing. There are so many people who don’t see humility as a virtue. I learned from watching her that being humble and kind opens doors to others. People want to talk to you. They trust you, and while a humble person may not be remembered in the history books, they will be remembered by individuals and by their children and grandchildren.
2. You don’t have to raise your voice to get your point across. I’ve known lots of people who think the louder you talk, the more you are heard. Grandma never, ever raised her voice. She spoke softly but her words were heard because we wanted to know what she said. She was such a good listener that it made me want to be like her; slow to speak but quick to listen.
3. You don’t have to go to college to be smart. Neither my dad or my grandmother graduated from college but both of them were super smart. My dad was good at making a deal and could sell ice to an Eskimo and Grandma was smart in other ways. She kept her priorities straight her whole life without complaining and you can’t get much smarter than that.
4. Slow and steady can win a race. I never saw her do anything very fast but she always got things done. She went at a calm, steady pace until she finished her tasks. And she always finished.
5. Serving others is an honor. When my grandmother married my grandfather he was a lot older than she was and his mother was not in the best health. Her health continued to deteriorate until she was confined to a wheel chair. My grandmother and grandfather had to care for her for until her death at age 96. Grandma raised 3 children and helped bring up grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My grandmother’s life exemplified a true servants heart.
6. Fashion and style don’t make a person. Grandma wore “dusters” almost every day. It was sort of like a house coat that snapped up the front. Sometimes she’d wear them over her every day dresses and sometimes just the duster. On Sundays she had “church dresses” that were a step up from the day dresses. None were name brand or very expensive. It didn’t matter. She had a heart of gold and that made what she wore insignificant. When she died I brought her a brand new dress that was probably the most expensive dress she’d ever owned. It looked lovely on her but I could almost hear her chiding me saying, “This cost too much!”
7. Your sphere of influence is bigger than you think. Grandma didn’t socialize much. Except for a few trips she made with a group of senior citizens, she stayed close to home. She had a handful of friends and relatives that she interacted with weekly until she became too ill to go to church or the grocery store. She lived in the same little town her whole life and had no interest in making virtual friends. She didn’t understand computers or the Internet. (Once I caught her staring at the television and muttering to herself. She was saying, “Dot.com, dot.com, what in the blazes is a dot.com?” Considering all this you would assume she would have a small sphere of influence. You would be wrong. She had a major impact on her children, their spouses and her grandchildren. The things we learned from her….we have passed on to our children. Her influence has lasted long after she went home to heaven. Her love and faith are legacies we treasure.
8. Grandma’s motto was “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I never heard her say a harsh word about anyone. There were times I know she had to be hurt or mad but she controlled her tongue. Many times I have wished I had that talent.
9. Exercise isn’t just yoga, jogging or lifting weights. Grandma could work circles around me. She didn’t slow down until she was well into her eighties. She didn’t need a gym membership because she worked in the house and on the farm. Hard work keeps you in shape physically and mentally.
10. Waste not, want not. Many times I would find little butter tubs with two spoonfuls of something inside them tucked in my refrigerator. She lived through the Great Depression and throwing something away was something she didn’t do. Ever. All you have to do is drive down the highway and see litter to know that we should take lessons from her generation.
11. She made every grandchild feel special. I don’t ever remember her NOT having time for me. That was one of the greatest gifts she could give her grandchildren and she did so willingly. She would stop cooking or cleaning to play with us, or just sit with us. She made time stand still for just a little while. When I was with her I wasn’t rushed because she wasn’t. She wasn’t into kids crafts or elaborate games. She kept things simple. I have friends who are grandmothers and they amaze me with their talents. One friend is an artist and she has her grandchildren painting, sculpting and creating things all the time. Another friend makes up elaborate scavenger hunts for her grands and hosts parties and events for them that are magical. When I find myself comparing myself to them I feel inadequate until I remember Grandma Layne and her gift of being in the moment with us….then I don’t feel so bad because I know that just as she was enough….I am enough.
12. Handmade gifts are the best. Grandma and my mother could sew and every winter they made a quilt together. I have many of those quilts and when I wrap them around me I feel their love and presence so strongly I could almost reach out and touch them.
13. Keep the faith and keep going. Grandma lost her mother before she was 5 and had no memory of her. She became a widow in 1976. She lost her only daughter, my mother, to cancer in 1990. A year later one of her sons died. She cried. She mourned. But she kept the faith and kept going. She lived to be 89 and even though she’s been gone since 2002, I still think of her every day and her ability to live her faith and to keep going.

These 13 amazing things my grandmother’s life taught me made me wonder what I am teaching my grandchildren with my life? I hope I can leave as powerful a legacy as she did.

For more stories about my grandmother’s life you can click here. And here is an article about the importance of grandmother’s I think you will enjoy!