A year ago November my Grandma Harriet died. She was actually my step-grandmother, but the way she cared and loved me, there was nothing “step” about it. The thing I remember most about her was that she loved her family, she loved Tupperware, and she was frequently smiling. She always made divinity (white fudge) at Christmastime and she and Floyd, my paternal grandfather, would always come to our house on Christmas Day because it was my dad and brother’s birthdays. She would bring a Tupperware of divinity and sit around the living room talking with me and telling me and my parents about all the wonderful things her other children and grandchildren were up to. Then she’d help set the table or do final preparations for the meal. We’d enjoy our meal, exchange gifts, and then they’d head home.
She changed the world.
This is Harriet at my wedding in 2002. I am the veiled one in the foreground.
At her memorial service, the grandchildren gathered on stage for a picture. There wasn’t enough room for everyone! At least twenty-five grandchildren were gathered; many with their own children cradled in their arms or huddled around their feet. Harriet left a legacy of people who loved her, people whom she’d loved first. She loved because she was loved by God.
This is how the world will change. Not from politicians and presidents, or any one person who does great things. The world will change as each person accomplishes what is laid in front of them, loving and serving. For Grandma Harriet, it was her children, step-children, grandchildren, step grandchildren, her children’s friends and people she met at the grocery store or her Tupperware parties. She loved who was in front of her.
Who is in front of you? Many more diverse people than you know. And I’m not talking diversity strictly in the race sense of the world. Diversity in the woman living down the street living a life completely different from yours; a life of force and coercion, a life under someone’s thumb and control. I didn’t see it for a long time; I only saw what I wanted to see.
But, looking a little closer, there are many sisters right in front of me that I have the opportunity to love.
See the people in front of you and love them. Challenge them. Care for them. Let them be a mess. Let them not answer your questions because it's too painful. Awkwardness is okay. Just love those in front of you, and maybe put yourself in front of people who are different from you, people who have a different story and a different perspective.
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I am on day 51 of wearing a dress every day for a year! Will you contribute to my project and benefit Peoria Home? Pledge to give here or give directly at peoriahome.com/donate.