Mondays.

Every Monday, we’d drive 20 minutes to Clinton to visit my great-grandma Virginia. I had gymnastics at 6, so we would spend from 3:30 to 6:00 just hanging out with Grandma Gena. It might have only been 2 and a half hours, but that time shaped me into the person I am today. 

Memories of those Mondays flood my mind.

The smell of “Citrus Magic” Orange scent filled the house. There were always Oreos on the counter in the kitchen. A plastic Hardee’s coffee cup sat on the table directly next to her chair. Jeopardy was always on the TV in the wood paneled living room. Grandma’s dark maroon Bible sat opened to whatever passage she was reading that day on the coffee table in front of her pink recliner. Her shaky handwriting filled every page of her worn our Bible with notes and prayers. Grandma loved the Lord.

Each Monday was a different adventure. A long time schoolteacher, Grandma made sure each day was spent by learning something. Some days we would have tea parties. Grandma and I would get out the tiny porcelain tea set and fill it with water, because I didn’t like tea, and then we’d discuss how our days had been. We would dress up for this “afternoon tea.” Grandma always wore pretty scarves, and she would tie one around my neck or in my hair for our party to make me feel well-dressed. Occasionally, we would make trips to K-Mart to shop around and look for things. (It’s not everyday you get to go to a K-Mart… You know?) Other days we would play board games—Especially Parcheesi. I’m not sure why that was our game of choice, but it was. Maybe it was because Grandma was good at it, and she'd always win. My brother would always cheat, and Grandma would give him a hard time. She knew he didn’t mean any harm by it. He just wanted to win, but he rarely beat Grandma. Some days we would just watch TV. My grandma had a strange hatred of the Olsen twins. Why? No one is really sure. So when watching Full House, she’d complain about how ugly she thought they were. She liked watching PBS Kids. She thought Arthur was cute, and educational. Some times we would sit around the piano and my sweet grandma would play hymns for us to sing to. She is definitely the reason I know every hymn in the hymnal. Her favorite was “Old Rugged Cross.” My favorite was “Count Your Blessings.” She never passed up an opportunity to share the love of the Lord with us. Her compassionate heart was evident when you were around her.

No matter how our day was spent, it always ended in the same way: McDonald’s. Regardless of what Tanner or I wanted, grandma preferred McDonald’s over any other fast food restaurant. She’d get a plain kids cheeseburger. Meat, bread, and cheese. (Tanner still gets that. I like to think grandma inspired his love of plain cheeseburgers.) She’d bless our food, then we’d eat our happy meals around her dining room table and drink our Dr. Pepper’s. As soon as we finished, I knew it was time for me to go change into my leotard for gymnastics. Then, we’d say our goodbyes and tell her we’d see her again next Monday.I looked forward to Monday's, because that is when I got to be with one of my very best friends.

Grandma Gena passed away when I was a sixth grader, and now I’m a “14^th grader.” It may seem like a long time ago to you, but it seems like only yesterday I was with her. The impact she made on my life is greater than the impact most people ever will make. I cry while I type this, not because I miss her, but because so much of me is what I learned from my grandma. I act just like her. Grandma was opinionated. She was a little on the bossy side. She was strong-willed. She loved to win. She loved to sing. She loved to travel. She loved to read. I have my great-grandma’s high cheekbones, and her love for fashion. She was the epitome of a Proverbs 31 woman. And she is my hero. Her passion for Christ was outstanding. I hope that one day I can live a life that is at least half has impacting as hers was. I hope my heart is compassionate, like hers. I hope I can have a Godly husband to serve alongside, like she did. I hope I can raise my children in a Christ-Centered family, like she did. I hope I can be a servant of our great Lord in everything I do, like she was. It's an honor when people tell me I remind them of her. I truly believe she is one of the most amazing women to every walk the planet. 

Mondays with Grandma Gena changed my life.