You may remember, a while back, a post in which I wrote of an elderly lady and her caregiver sitting next to each other sipping cold drinks through straws inside Barnes and Noble. I admired the grace and compassion this young lady showed her companion as she asked the same questions over and over, seeking reassurance in the familiar.
Now, fast forward four months or so. The caregiver, wearing a sweatshirt and blonde ponytail, pulls two green wing-backed chairs up to the same plate-glass window in Barnes and Noble. She settles her elderly friend into the chair across from her and they sit companionably, idly flipping through a magazine. I sit several tables away, writing in my journal, when I hear the young lady and her companion quietly reciting words together with a song like cadence. I guess you could say I was eavesdropping, but I listen a little more closely and smile as I recognize the familiar words:
T’was Grace that taught…
my heart to fear
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear…
the hour I first believed.
Amazing Grace. The two women recite several more verses together and I watch the face of the older one. Sure and calm. Words she knows and trusts. Words bringing comfort to a fragile mind that forgets so easily these days. I tuck this poignant vignette into my heart and the two ladies sit quietly for a few more minutes before pushing back their chairs. The older one says that she is ready to go now.
I later think to myself, “When I come to a place where it is hard to remember and I get confused easily, what words will bring comfort to me?” Be still and know that I am God. I trust you Jesus. These are the familiar words that I often find myself repeating as I breathe in fresh air and let-out the stale, toxic thoughts which can so easily rob me of joy. Will these be my words?
Why not start now? Why not fill our souls daily with life-breathing words? Words that become our default way of thinking when we are fragile and confused.
What about you? What is your Amazing Grace?
The Blue Mug 
6 comments
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November 16, 2012 at 12:38 am
Moonyeen
God is always with me, even when I choose to go on my own; he always takes me back in his loving arms, dusts me off, turns me around and teaches me his ways through his grace and mercy.
I have two bible verses I like to remember. One is Proverbs 3:5-6
and the other is Psalm 34:18.
November 16, 2012 at 1:47 am
kristinblankenship
Mom, I have both of these verses highlighted in my Bible! Love you!
November 16, 2012 at 1:37 am
Ellen Blankenship Fleming
Not sure I’ve shared this with anyone. When Mama was within hours of her last breaths, she was very fidgety and I sang those words the best I could over and over…right against her ear…to try to calm her…and though she wasn’t otherwise coherent she hummed with me… So thankful I could remember those familiar words and that familiar tune. Yes, comfort. Love you!
November 16, 2012 at 1:45 am
kristinblankenship
Ellen, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful memory during your last hours with Grandma. What a blessing those words must have been for both of you! Love you, too!
November 16, 2012 at 4:15 am
Cheryl Lafferty
Perfectly God directed that you would encounter these ladies again! Ellen, what a dear way to be lead to eternal life. May all of our daughter be so loving!
And my Amazing Grace right now is: Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
November 16, 2012 at 3:03 pm
kristinblankenship
Oh, this is an uplifting verse, Cheryl!