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| Blazena or "Blanche" is on the left |
She was always home. She didn't need to express one word for me to know she was sincerely pleased I had come to visit. Her pleasure was displayed the moment I entered her room and saw the sparkle in her eyes. This was accompanied by a warm but slightly crooked smile, the lingering result of a previous illness.
I was fascinated by her stories of childhood life on her family's farm in Bohemia. I remember her story of aggressive farmyard geese, and especially the repetitious attacks of a gander that would bite the back of her leg. I remember her vivid description of how she was able to modify the gander's behavior one day by following her father's instructions. On that day when the gander bit her, she gathered all her courage and grabbed the attacking gander by the neck. After briefly swinging the gander over her head and releasing him, the gander staggered away never to bother her again.
I recall her story of the journey to America (Ellis Island) at age thirteen on the grossly overcrowded ship Kronprinzessin Cecilie. The journey was unpleasant and frightening. I particularly remember her telling of the day she was the only family member not overcome by seasickness. It became necessary for her to travel to the unfamiliar far end of the ship to obtain a meal from strangers that spoke a different language. Through extensive pointing and gesturing, she was able to obtain the needed meal, which she managed to deliver to her family.
This was my grandmother, my father's mother. She was always home because she suffered from a neurological disorder preventing her from leaving the house and kept her in bed nearly every minute of every day for fifteen years until her death. I have only a very dim memory of seeing her walk before the malady overcame her.
In addition to these memories of my grandmother's childhood stories, my most impressive and lasting memory is her steadfast faith in Christ as her Savior. Her faith was apparent in the displays of Christ, the cross, and the scripture readings on the walls of her bedroom. However her Christian faith was more profoundly displayed in her behavior. Despite suffering through the mental anguish of fifteen years of confinement in bed and enduring several unsuccessful and often painful attempts at treatment, including electro-shock treatment, she did not display bitterness or expressions of "why me?" She displayed a rock solid faith expressed through prayer, scripture reading and Christian love for friends and family. Without making any overt attempts to lead others to Christ, her faith was an open window allowing Christ's light to shine through so others could follow.
Our heavenly Father, we are grateful and uplifted when we witness the deep and abiding faith shown by your true followers during times of suffering. Christ's suffering on the cross followed by His resurrection an triumph over death are reminders of your everlasting love shining through the darkness and sustaining us during adversity and suffering.
Loren Polak for St. Mark Presbyterian Lenten Devotional 2002
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