First, I want to thank everyone for coming to celebrate Granny’s home-going and to grieve with us today as we feel a great loss.  She would be amazed to see how many lives the Lord has allowed her to touch.

It’s a great privilege and honor to be able to pay tribute to my Granny today.  I want to share with you some of the things that she taught me with her life: how to love God and be a virtuous woman like the woman described in God’s Word in Proverbs 31.

First of all, Proverbs 31:28 says, “Her children rise up and call her blessed.”  That is what I would like to do now!

In verses 10-12:  "A worthy woman who can find?  For her price is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

My Papa could always depend on Granny to take care of him.  She always spoke well of him.

In verse 13:  "She seeks wool and flax and works willingly with her hands."

Granny was never afraid of hard work—from picking cotton to taking in ironing to working as a cook or a day care worker, she did whatever she needed to do to see that her family’s needs were met. 

Verse 14 says:  "She is like the merchant ships; she brings her food from afar."

When I read this verse it made me think of a story when I was little.  (Granny stopped learning how to drive the day she drove the car into a ditch—so she never drove a car all the years I knew her.)  Sometimes when I would stay with her and she needed to go to the store, we would walk.  It was only a few blocks, but when you have little legs, it felt like we were going “AFAR”.  I asked her last week if she remembers all the walking we did.  I thought she might say, “Oh, I know, that was so hard," but instead, she said, “You know what it was probably good for us.”

Verse 15:  “She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household.” 

Granny was definitely a gifted cook.  I don’t know if she ever missed one morning of cooking a hot breakfast for my Papa, even when she had morning sickness.  (I really hate to admit this, but that is one habit that I never quite caught onto…)

Through the years I called her many times to ask her how to prepare a recipe I knew she made.  She would say things like a “little of this and a little of that” and I would ask, “How much is a little, a t. or a T?”  She’d say, oh you just eyeball it!  Now I find myself telling the same line—I guess that takes experience.  On holidays she loved to cook for all of her family.  She would make a whole lot more than we could all eat because she wanted to make everyone’s favorites.  Then, after we were all stuffed, and there were still leftovers, she’d say, “Ya’ll don’t like my cooking anymore?” 

Verse 25-26:  “Strength and dignity are her clothing; and she laughs at the time to come.  She opens her mouth with wisdom and the law of kindness is on her tongue.”

Granny loved to laugh and I don’t think I have ever known anyone as kind.  She always tried to speak well of people, even when they didn’t deserve it.  She faced a lot of hardships that would make most people bitter, but she never let it do that to her. 

Verse 27:  “She looks well to the ways of her household."

She loved her family and showed it with her gift of mercy.  One of the things I have missed since she started getting sick was the way she used to call and check up on us all the time.  She never missed birthdays.  And whenever one of us was sick, she would call day after day to check on how we were doing and sometimes pull out her “medical book” to see if she could help you figure out your diagnosis.  She wanted to take care of all of us.

Verse 29:  “Many daughters have done worthily, but you exceed them all.  Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears God, she shall be praised." 

Most of all, she showed me who God was by showing me His kindness in her smile, in her caring heart, and her words.  Her eyes lit up with the joy that only comes from knowing the joy of the Lord.

One last thing, anyone who ever visited with her knows that no matter how long you stayed to visit, she would say, “Are you leaving so soon, you just got here!”  Now I get to say that to her, “Are you leaving so soon, you just got here!” 

I look forward to seeing you again one day.  Thank you Granny for showing us a life lived for God’s glory.  You are far above rubies!     

This is a picture taken of Granny on Saturday.  She passed away on Monday at 3:40 a.m.  She was still smiling as she was in a lot of pain and taking morphine.  At the funeral I kept thinking that something did not look right about her face and it occurred to me later--she wasn't smiling--we hardly ever saw her when she was not smiling...: