Sunday afternoons you will find me making a pancake brunch for the large population of my family who all live here together under one roof.  We love our Sunday afternoons. It is a tribute of sorts to my grandmother, whom we called “Nana”, and her love of family. I use her skillet. I use her muffin warmer to keep the pancakes warm. I wear her apron. I play her music (Pandora on my laptop…Pete Fountain channel).

Occasionally, and amazingly, as we are sitting down to ask the blessing over our meal, we’ll hear Pete Fountain begin to croon “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” on his clarinet. It was Nana’s favorite song.

Lately, I have ached to speak with my Nana. She was a woman of such strong faith. She had this great humility about her. She knew she didn’t have it all figured out. She had a lot of questions. But she loved Jesus. She trusted him. Jesus carried her through quite a bit. Despite all that she lived through, she was a woman full of joy.

And I wish I could ask her about it.

My Nana had two boys, just like me. She also bore some significant struggles, just like me. I want to know how she made it through the tough times. I want to know if Nana ever questioned the decisions that she made. I want to know what words of comfort Jesus whispered in her ear to keep her going. What did He say that kept her so full of joy? I want to know the answers to the questions I never thought to ask her during the younger seasons of my life when I had the opportunity.

I ache to ask Nana these things because sometimes I feel a little lost. I ache for Nana's wisdom, hoping for some direction.

As I write these words, however, I am reminded that Jesus remembers how Nana made it through. Jesus surely also remembers what He used to whisper in her ear. And Jesus undoubtedly remembers exactly how it was that he gifted her with joy.

On that note, I think I better wrap this up and go have a little one-on-one with the fella who keeps drawing me back to himself. I can almost hear my Nana singing…