Love's Strong Cord

 

Love's Strong Cord

My Granny, Alice Geneva Burke Vining, went home to be with the Lord on December 27, 2013. I wanted to honor her with this post today.

Anyone that knew my Granny knew she was something! She lived life to the fullest, and was always full of surprises and spice, (sometimes more of that than sugar! ;)!  She lived 79 years on this earth. During those early years, around the age of 12, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Saviour at Clarendon Baptist church in Alcolu, SC. She told me many times about riding the church bus there. She loved to go to Sunday School and really loved her teacher and preacher. She said they really cared about you and took time with the students in her class. She always loved the Christmas parties they would have there. She said they were some of her best memories as a child.

Granny was always a hard worker. She took care of her family, always to the best of her ability. She would ALWAYS put her family before herself. She would not even eat her meal until she was sure that everyone else had their food first and was satisfied. I even remember one Sunday dinner as a child, that I wanted creamed corn like she had made from the previous Sunday, and she didn't have any that day. She got up, put the whole kernel corn in a blender and all the fixins, and made me some right then! (Can you say spoiled? lol). That is just a small example of how she went out of her way to do for others. 

 If you came to Granny's, you were well taken care of! She made sure you at least had something to drink and  eat, and sometimes you even got something even if you didn't want it! She would make sure you left with something too! She would help take care of all of the grand kids as we were growing up. We would have to stay with her when we were sick and our parents were working. She made sure you have a cover over you, even if you told her you didn't need one.

 Granny was also full of excitement! She loved to shoot her pistol! One example is one morning all of us kids were at the bus stop. There would always be large dogs from the area that would congregate there too. Well, we were scared to death of them! I went and knocked on Granny's door, told her they were there, and the next thing we knew, she was out the front door in her housecoat, SHOOTING HER PISTOL IN THE AIR, to scare off the dogs! NEEDLESS TO SAY, ALL the kids at the bus stop dove behind the bushes in her yard hollering, "Granny's got her gun!!"

She loved to ride roller coasters too! She rode them until her 60's and even last year at our county fair, she rode the Swings, twice! (pic at the bottom). She also loved to watch the Nascar races! She loved Jeff Gordon! The pic at the bottom is one of her a few months back playing a racing game at our Fall Festival at church!She was so short, my niece had to press the gas pedal for her! Go, Granny, Go!!

 

My Granny was a great example of what a mother and grandmother should be. She helped raise me and took care of me well into my teen years. At the age of five, I had been thinking on the cross from my Sunday School lesson. I asked her at supper one night all of the questions I had. She told me all about the cross and Christ dying for us, and how we only had to ask Him to save us and forgive us, and we would be saved. On my way out of her back door, going home, I asked the Lord to save me. I am so thankful for the Lord giving me a Granny that loved her family and grandchildren to tell us of The Saviour!

 

 As many of you know, I have had a lot of health problems since a child, and she would help take care of me after ALL of my surgeries, and even stay at the hospital with me. Many days it was just me and Granny until Moma & Daddy got home from work. She was a second Moma to me! Oh,how I miss those days!

 

I am so thankful for the promise that I have, from God's Word, that I will see her again. What a blessing it is to know it is sure, it is reality, and not just something we say to try to comfort ourselves.  It has only been a week, and my heart is still hurting. I know she is more alive and well than she has EVER BEEN right now. I wouldn't WANT HER to come back because she suffered many health problems. We may be separated physically now, but we will always be bound together spiritually because of Christ.~Love's Strong Cord.I look forward to the morning that I will see her again, just like I told her I would! Until that day, I can praise the Lord for the blessing He gave me to have her as my Granny! This is the poem I wrote for her from her memorial service.

 Love's Strong Cord

Love is of God, Sending ALL blessings from above. Every good and perfect gift ONLY~ for ONLY GOD IS LOVE!

Of ALL these blessings He bestowed, The Greatest anyone can know, is that of Love Eternal~ The Scarlet Thread~ Christ's Love Supernal.

Greater Love hath no man, than our Saviour's gracious Salvation Plan. Giving His Life for YOU~yet included are ALL~ Hear today His loving Call!

Bound to Him and His children forever, Fully by Love's Strong Cord, Death cannot separate us, for precious is the death of HIS SAINTS in the sight of our Lord!

Until that glad day, When He calls ALL of us Home, All that Salvation's gift have received, He will very quickly come!

That glad Reunion Day~That Great Home Coming! Weeping may endure for a night, But Praise God, Joy cometh in the morning!

Gathered at His Throne, Then all together~ our Heavenly Home! All our loved ones there will be, with us for all Eternity!

The tie that binds us to the Lord, to each other, and those gone before, WILL ALWAYS BE AS SURE AS HIS WORD! Bound to Him Eternally by

LOVE'S STRONG CORD!