Her long white hair was usually tied up in a bun. A twinkle in her deep blue eyes revealed a well of joy and perhaps mischievousness. Even though she was already ninety six, she still met weekly with twelve young mothers she had been mentoring for nearly a dozen years. Widowed at 62, she had poured her life into caring for others and teaching the Bible.

She’s one of my heroes. She was my mother-in-law. When I think of her I think of her in two postures. One is talking on the phone. Faithfully she called her four children, their spouses and her 15 grandchildren.

 “What’s happening in your life? How can I pray for you?” or “Are you in love with that boy yet?” She had a way of getting right to the point.

The other posture that is cemented in my brain is that of her on her knees. This was her nightly habit. Tiptoeing past her room one night I marveled to see her kneeling   on the bare floor beside her walker, her frail hands folded as she prayed for those she loved.

Oh, how much I want to be like her. Her selfless life has impacted generations to come. Father help me-help each of us empty nesters-to become women who pray for the next generation and those will follow them! 

            “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?

            I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”

(Psalm 116:12-13)