Don’t worry, the rest of this post is in English! It’s just that I’ve been missing my grandmother all week.
Here she is during the last stretch of her pilgrimage on earth. She was pretty darn adorable, wasn’t she? Her sweet little face makes me want to say the very thing she used to tell all the little girls in the neighborhood: “Ay, que linda tu eres!” That means, “Oh, how pretty you are!”
Grandma didn’t have the easiest life. She carried, what Octavius Winslow once called, a “heavy, painful, yet concealed cross.” But, when I think about abuela, I don’t think so much about how she suffered. I think about a simple woman who, while far from perfect, understood what some seminarians can’t. A bloodless Christianity is no Christianity at all. In her living years grandma clung to that bloody, rough, rugged, splintery cross with everything in her. And in the end, God did not fail her. She received the crown of life.
I grew up listening to grandma sing the old classic hymns of the church. How beautiful she was when she sang to the Lord with all of her heart as she went about her day-to-day activities. One of her favorite songs was the “Old Rugged Cross”, or in Spanish, “En el Monte Calvario”.
As far as I know, she never heard this version (which you can purchase here), but it’s quickly become one of my favorites. Of course, it’s in Spanish, but you can sing along in English.
May these beautiful and eternal truths strengthen and encourage us to fix our eyes on Jesus and chose the cross over anything this world has to offer.
You can read the words in English here.
“Ay, que linda tu eres!”
I can almost hear her saying it…the beauty of this post comes from the truth you now uphold, Christina.
What a precious tribute to your abuela. The faith that lived in her now lives in you. Praise God.
Love,
-E
Thank you for letting me share her with you Elizabeth!
And thank you, as always, for your sweet encouragement in the Lord!
You are a blessing to me and I thank God for you!
Thank you so much John!
Sadly, I didn’t come to faith in Christ until later in life and grandma never got to see how God answered her prayers. But, one day we will see each other again — and, what a day that will be, no?
God bless you today my dear brother! As always, your encouragement means a great deal to me!
¡Oh, qué bonito tu abuela era! Que el Señor te bendiga ricamente!
Awww…gracias mi querido hermano, Shaan!
Que el Senor te bendiga, tambien!
What a beautiful tribute, and what a beautiful hymn in any language. Perhaps she hoped/knew in her heart, as only grandmothers with strong faith can, that you would come to know the preciousness of Jesus and His truth! Prayer, oh what a precious gift of God’s grace, especially when employed by the righteous! Love and Blessings to you!
Amen and well said, Petra. The miracle of my own salvation encourages me to keep praying for even the most apparent hardest cases in my world. Only God knows those who are truly His! Love you dearly!
Same here, sister! If God saved me from all that He did, then He can save those whom we might deem beyond hope! Let’s keep praying and praising! Love you dearly too!!
Beautiful, Christina, really beautiful. Thank you for sharing your memories!
Thanks for sharing about your grandmother. And that hymn is beautiful in Spanish.
How beautiful Christina. Your dear sweet abuela would be so honored to read this lovely tribute to her.
And what a lovely rendition of this wonderful old hymn.
Thank you for sharing it with us. Much love to you!
Thank you for letting me share her with you Diana & Persis!
And Diane, I actually thought about your sweet momma when I wrote this. We will be with them again one day!
Great tribute!!
God Bless,
Elba
I was so blessed by this tribute to your grandmother. It is so wonderful to know that she loved that hymn of the church. My grandfather, who was a reformed lay preacher, loved that hymn too and they played it at his funeral. Even though I was only six when he died, I will never forget that hymn nor will I forget him. He used to let me sit on his lap while he read the Bible to me. Precious memories remain of those we love. Your grandmother’s face showed a sweet lady and knowing you will see her again in heaven gives you joy! That is the way it is supposed to be! God’s blessings dear sister! Thank you for sharing this remembrance.
thank u for sharing this my grand mother also loved this song and now shes up in heaven wachn us from above and she is shakin her hed rite now i bet love her soooooo much and miss hr dearly!!!!!!!!!!!!!! love u grandma and i will hopefully see u soon if god permits it!!!!!!!!!!!!