About "Grammie"...

Two years ago today, one of the most special people in my life passed away. My maternal grandmother, "Grammie", is one of my heroes. I look like her, have a similar personality, and learned many hymns from her years of humming in the kitchen. Two years after her passing, though, I want to share a story of God's faithfulness to me.

When my Grammie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I selfishly asked God for 2 things. First, I asked Him that she would ALWAYS know she loved me. Second, I asked for a special last memory with her. It cannot be coincidence that I was given both.
In mid-July, 2013, I was preparing to leave town for two weeks to teach at a fine arts camp in Nashville. Grammie hadn't been doing well, and I knew it was possible she would pass while I was gone, so the day before I left, I went to my aunt's house to visit her.

When I walked into the room, she had just been changed and rolled, and she was quite flustered. I went over to her, took her hand, and rubbed her hair out of her face. She looked at me, and I told her I loved her. She looked back at me with the blank stare of emptiness that Alzheimer's causes. After some pained one-sided conversation, I told her I loved her one more time. Again, I didn't get any response. A long pause later, I had to pull myself away. As I turned to walk out of the room though, I heard an almost inaudible whisper, "I love you, pretty girl." Those were the last words I ever heard my Grammie speak. She always knew she loved me, even if she didn't always know my name.

Well, two weeks later, I came home, and it was my precious Grammie's final hours to live. She had taken a turn for the worse while I was gone, could no longer swallow, and was gasping for breaths. I went to see her and the atmosphere surrounding her was thick and restless. When I'm upset, I turn to music. So, naturally, I picked up my cousin's guitar, and started to sing "Give Me Jesus."

The old hymn begins with "In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus" and culminates with "When I come to die, give me Jesus." As I started singing, my sweet grandmother's breathing got more even, and soon, a single tear rolled down her face. She could hear what I was singing, and even in her pitiful, nearly dead physical state, I fully believe the Spirit was still alive in her ministering to her.

The next morning, 7-29-2013, Elizabeth Ann Currey rose up, came to die, and was given Jesus. However, I was given two special answers to prayer and my faith was strengthened. The things I'd asked for, God answered beyond what I could have imagined.

Now, two years later, I still miss my Grammie. I also have recorded the song, "Give Me Jesus." I'm attaching a link to the YouTube video I made with pictures of her life and the song playing behind it. I tried to keep the arrangement as similar to what I played for her as I could. It is my tribute to my grandmother who lived well and whose legacy lives on in me.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=23x3E8hY4Zg&video_referrer=watch

In His grace,
Kristy

A Mountain Lesson

Last week I was allowed to go to Colorado to audition for a graduate program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. When I flew into Denver, it was a beautiful 60-something degree day. The mountains were majestic and obvious to my left as I drove North towards Loveland, where I would be staying. As I drove, I thought, "Wow! I'll ALWAYS know what direction West is out here. The mountains are wonderful."

Well, while I was there, the weather changed drastically. It went from sunny and warm to snowy and cold. After my auditions, as I drove back down South towards Denver, I could not see the mountains. Did it mean the mountains weren't there? No. The storm was blocking them from my sight, but I knew they were there to my right side because I remembered where they were before when I was going North, and I was following signs that morning showing me which way was South.

As I continued driving and praying, God began to use the mountains to remind me of Himself. See, in this story, God is like the mountains. When I look towards Him, I always know what direction I'm going. He is always the same. Like the mountains, He never changes.

Sometimes, storms make it difficult to see God. Does that mean He's not there? No. It just means that I have to continue in faith as I go in the direction He sent me on, trusting that He's right where He always has been.

Even at my young age, I've had hard times and I've had good times in my walk with Christ. Sometimes, faith means we simply trust God is there because He says He is and we remember knowing Him closely. Other times, faith becomes sight as we clearly see God and how He has worked in our storms.

Personally, for me, I'm beginning to see how God has used opportunities in my life to prepare me for the journey He has me on

. In the moments I was living them, I had little idea what He was doing, but now, it's all becoming clear, and for that, I give Him glory.


-Kristy