My mother’s mother, also known as Grandma, spent the last few years of her life in a nursing home. She lived to be 91. And my mom said one of the few things Grandma could remember in her final months was the old song, “I’ll Fly Away.”
You remember how that one goes. Right?
Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away
To a home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away.
I’ll fly away, Oh Glory, I’ll fly away;
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by…
I’ll fly away.
The really interesting part of that memory is how that might not have been a song you’d associate with my Grandma. She was, let’s say, quite the salty character in her day. Colorful language. Loud. Heavy smoker. And totally unafraid to voice her opinions.
Certainly not a description of the quintessential “church lady.”
But God’s influence, even in the lives of people who don’t seem to fit the description, can reach deeper than expected. And my Grandma’s memories of Christian songs came from being raised by my much more quintessential “church-going” Great-Grandparents.
I grew up knowing them as Poodle and Poppy. They were actually John and Amanda Houck. Poodle died when I was around 5. And Poppy died when I about 14. And he was the guy I talk about when I say I sat on a porch and ate radishes with a man from the 1800’s. They were born in the 1870’s.
Anyway…
They were devoted to each other. And they were devoted Christians. So, they raised their kids, including my Grandma, with the Bible as their guide.
I’m thankful for that kind of heritage.
And I’m also thankful for the freedom it has provided me. The Truth does that. And that freedom has been a huge part of why I’ve been able to share flights of fancy in rhymes for decades. My plan is to keep doing that until I fly away one day.
Here’s one I shared over ten years ago. It’s aimed at kids. But there’s enough meaning for adults, too.
I can teach you how to fly,
Only if you don’t ask why
We don’t have wings.
‘Cause when you learn how to fly,
And you’re high up in the sky,
You’ll find out things.
Things about the stratosphere,
Not like things you’re used to here.
You’ll love it there.
There, the sky is your playground.
Flying friends are all around
You in the air.
Getting there is easy, too.
All you really have to do
Is close your eyes.
Then imagine way up high,
Just imagine how to fly
In your own skies. © 2013
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Stay tuned…
