Legacy

I just loved that Bethany wore white, lacy, fingerless gloves during her ceremony.

Those gloves belonged to her paternal grandmother, Carolyn Grubbs, who went to be with the Lord when Bethany was four years old.

Carolyn was an awesome woman of God. A first grade teacher for twenty-plus years, she did not finish her degree until after she had children. She went to Slippery Rock, commuting from Mars, Pa on a daily basis, to complete her education. When she graduated, she was number one in her class. She was a diligent learner.

That served her well when she received Christ as Savior in her 40's. Always a church-goer, she never really heard or understood the salvation plan until then.

She needed to be a quick learner because God had big plans for her. Encouraging and wisdom were her gifts, and she used them as a teacher, a mentor, and most of all as a counselor. She brought many people to the Lord through her gift of evangelism, and she brought many back to the Lord with her gifts of listening, discerning, then speaking the truth in love.

She used her hands to give others a warm hug, a touch on the shoulder. She used them to grade papers and wipe away tears from first graders eyes. (Why am I talking about her hands, you ask? You'll see)

As a mother-in-law, she was a dream. She was my mentor and my prayer partner, and my friend.

Carolyn got cancer sometime in the early 80's. She handled her diagnosis with dignity and most of all, with her faith. She always said she had triple insurance: God could heal her divinely; God could use doctors to heal her; or she could get the ultimate healing and go to be with Him.

It was a huge loss for our family when she DID go to be with the Lord. I felt such a void for my children, that they would miss what an awesome grandma and person she was.

The little they do remember of her is precious.

So when Bethany was putting together her bridal ensemble, I brought out the lace gloves. We are not sure if they were ivory when Carolyn wore them in the 1950's, but they were yellowish in this present decade. I consulted with cleaners and alteration specialists as to what I could do to restore these gloves to pure white, since Bethany's gown was white.

They suggested I soak them in Oxyclean and warned me that I was taking a chance since the material was delicate and old.

I was so pleased when the Oxyclean worked and left the gloves intact. Having that piece of Carolyn with her meant a lot to us all as Bethany walked down the aisle to begin a new chapter as Mrs. Wentz. May the legacy of Carolyn's touch be placed upon Bethany now, as she goes out into the world, touching those in need.