Nanna's Funeral: A Testimony of Courage and Patience

We buried the body of my grandmother Doris Williams Laning this past Saturday.  It was a really beautiful weekend.  We stayed in their empty house, as Nanna had been living in an assisted care home.  She was ninety years old.  Her life was marked by enormous pain, as she came down with a very rare disease called Dystonia when she was in her thirties.  She spent the rest of her life twisted and mangled by the effects of the disease.  Yet, and I can say this earnest, without even a hint of hyperbole, that she never complained.

I am not a fan of the famous quote of St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words."  It really is a marvelous quote, but it all too often is used as an excuse to not actually share the Gospel using words, which is absolutely necessary.  Yet, in Nanna's case, the quote rings wholly true.  She could barely speak, she could barely write.  Over the years you learned how to decipher the wispy, broken speech that came from her mouth.  It was the ultimate test for your ability to piece together sentences using context clues, as you really only heard every fourth or fifth word.  Yet, so many people have been affected by her patience and courage.  She is a testimony to God given courage.  We can see a woman who suffered enormously, and without healing in this life, yet who faced each day with smiles and courage and hope.

Back in February, when my grandfather, Daddy Jake, died, I was racked with pain.  At the viewing I began to weep inconsolably at the sight of him.  I just couldn't stop.  Finally, I felt something bump into my leg.  It was the wheel of Nanna's wheelchair.  She was trying to get close to me.  She reached her frail, boney,  little hands, put them under my chin, lifted up my face, and said, "It's okay.  He's not pain anymore.  He's not in pain anymore.  It's okay."  I then held her up so that she could see him, to which she remarked how incredibly handsome of a man he was.

 We should all take notice and check ourselves when we complain, when we say it is too hard, too much to bear.  There was once a woman whose pain was greater than most, and yet it was praise for our Lord Jesus that came from her lips.  She is my grandmother, Doris "Nanna" Laning.

Philippians 4:13 "You can do all things through Christ that strengthens you." 

Empty

Saying goodbye to Daddy Jake & Nanna's house.  Daddy Jake built this house nearly fifty years ago.  Every tree you see was planted by Daddy Jake, my father, or my uncle.

My father's and uncle's hand prints in the walkway from when they were children.