Inspired by Grandma and Grandpa
“These things I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:17 NKJV
In the early days of our marriage, my husband and I had a couple’s devotion that we would spend time doing together each night. At the end of each day, we would crawl into bed and open our devotion, read, and discuss the questions that were listed at the end of that day’s topic. Every topic discussed in each devotion was something that both of us needed – we were young and even though I thought I knew what it took to keep a marriage strong, I would learn throughout the years that marriage was hard and took a lot of work!
There was one devotion that captured our hearts and inspired us to find ways to show love to each other in our own special ways. The devotion was about a true love shown between a grandma and a grandpa. The grandparents in the story aren’t mine or my husband but they have impacted and inspired us just the same. I’d like to share their story with you in its entirety.
But before I do, I’d like to ask you a few questions for you to think about. Have you and your husband gotten into a rut of just going through the motions? How do you show each other that you truly love each other? And finally, how do others interpret your love story?
It’s my prayer that today’s post encourages and inspires you to find ways to keep the spark going in your marriage and that others, especially your family, will be able to say that they have witnessed your love story in color.
SHMILY (my hubby and I pronounce it SHIM-a-LEE)
By: Laura Jeanne Allen
My grandparents were married for over half a century. From the time they met each other they played their own special game. The goal of their game was to write the word “Shmily” in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving “Shmily” around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was his or her turn to hide it once more.
They dragged “Shmily” with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring. “Shmily” was written in the steam on the bathroom mirror, where it would reappear after every hot shower. At one point, my grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper to leave “Shmily” on the very last sheet.
There was no end to the places “Shmily” popped up. Little notes with a hastily scribbled “Shmily” were found on the dashboards and car seats or taped to steering wheels. The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows. “Shmily” was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents’ house as the furniture.
It took me a long time before I fully appreciated my grandparents’ game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love – one that is pure and enduring. However, I never doubted my grandparents’ relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious little game; it was a way of life. Their relationship was based on a devotion and a passionate affection that not everyone experiences.
Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other’s sentences and shared their daily crossword puzzle and word jumble. My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome an old man he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew “how to pick ‘em.” Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune, and each other.
But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents’ life: My grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside.
Now the cancer was again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and my grandfather’s steady hand, she went to church with him every Sunday. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. For a while, Grandpa would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.
“Shmily.” It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother’s funeral bouquet. As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time. Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother’s casket and, taking a shaky breath, began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby.
Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that moment. For I knew that, although I couldn’t begin to fathom the depth of their love, I had been privileged to witness its unmatched beauty.
S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You.
Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for letting me see.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for allowing this devotion to cross our path over twenty years ago. We have never forgotten it as we have come up with our own version of “Shmily” between us. The enemy is relentless to destroy our marriages. God, I pray that we will continue to look to you for ways to strengthen our marriage so that we are drawn closer to each other and ultimately closer to you. I pray that this couple’s love story will continue to inspire and transform many more relationships for your glory! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Reflection:
Many women often long to have a marriage like the one described in this story and assume it will just happen somewhere along the way. When their marriage doesn’t turn out the way they envision, they get disillusioned and deeply hurt. Before they realize it, divorce is knocking at the door. No matter how your marriage is today – there is always hope. God can always turn impossible situations into possible!
What can you do today to strengthen your relationship with your husband?