Almost a Century

Today is T's grandma's birthday and she's 90 years young. I've thought a bit about her life and what she's seen as I've thought of her off and on today. She was born on this day in 1920. It's the day that Joan of Arc was canonized. It was the beginnings of the Roaring Twenties. It was a time of prosperity following the ravages of World War I. She was born into plentiful times, much like many of us. But like many of her contemporaries, she did not benefit from those wealthy times. Her family still had to work hard for what they needed. That was good, though, because it prepared her for the Great Depression. Like many in that Great Generation, she learned to do without, to make do with what she had, and to work hard for what she wanted. In many ways, the Great Generation are the epitome of Perfect Imperfection.

I think God honored and continues to honor that generation. We can sit and take credit for many of our blessings, but it is arrogant to think that it is because of anything we have done or deserve. In my opinion, most of our blessings are the mere residue of the blessings God bestowed on Gramma A's generation.

Gramma A is the first to tell you that she is undeserving of praise, and is quick to say she's done things wrong in her life. However. I don't think God is looking to bless perfection. On the contrary, I think he's looking for the imperfect through which to show Himself and make Himself known to the rest of the world. Gramma A's right choices and faithful steps, though small as they may seem, had ramifications even into the third and fourth generations. She did right when doing right counted. And as a result, we stand more firmly today than we would have. God will not be mocked, and He honors those who are deserving. He's honored Gramma A.

So, today, her family all over the world has stopped and called, prayed for, and thought fondly of this perfectly imperfect matriarch of the Adermatt family. And we smiled.