Blast From The Crazy Past: My Great-Grandma Wickberg

Welcome to memories...my memories....

Welcome to a Blast from my Crazy Past!

I wrote this blog post about nine years ago, somewhere around 2008ish...


Tonight the phone rang and it was my great-grandma's phone number. With some dread, I picked up the phone expecting to finally hear the news that she had passed. I am excited that she is ready for Heaven and I wouldn't wish her to be in pain here on earth...but...it's my great-grandma....

On the phone was my grandma,she said my great-grandma wanted to ask me a question. Then she handed the phone to my great-grandma. As I talked with her, I tried with desperation to remember everything she was saying...what her voice sounded like, the excitement I heard in her voice as she prepares to go. I know most people would think it morbid, but that is because most of the world is afraid of death. Not my great-grandma! (And not me, I might add!) Years and years ago, as a young girl, she asked Jesus into her heart. Not only did He make a complete change, but He also gave her a hope of Heaven. So now she does not dread death or fear leaving us, but looks forward with anticipation to the reward her Heavenly father has for her. 

As I was talking to her, I started crying. Not for her, she is ready. However, I find myself still not ready to lose my prayer warrior grandma. I can already hear several people saying, "Don't be selfish, she has had a long time on this earth, etc..." The reasons for me not wanting her to go is because I know how much she has prayed for our family, for my health, my mom's health, friends and family that have been selfishly living life for their own pleasure. She is a prayer warrior. She strives at Jesus feet for people that need prayers. For the past several years she has had hardly any sleep as she has dealt with her body being in such intense pain that she cannot even think straight. And through it, she reaches out to Jesus and prays for OTHERS! I think how sorely I am lacking...do I even begin to spend time in prayer for others as I should? I pray that I can be even a 100th of a pray interceder that she has been.

One of my first memories of my great-grandma was from when I was about 2 years old. Oddly enough, I remember her spanking my little hiney! To this day, no one but me seems to remember this. I don't even remember what I did. But I think in my little two year way, I was probably being a smart alec or not obeying. I remember her grabbing my little arm and applying her hand to my bottom, short and sweet. Then hugging me. Sounds like a odd thing to remember, but I think the reason it stood out in my mind is that up until then, grandma just lavished her hugs on me. Then that day I crossed a line and when I did, she, in her love and wisdom, gave me something that made me remember that grandma cared for me. She wanted me to grow up to be respectful and obedient. Several people have told me in past years that they couldn't remember grandma ever swatting me. But I remember, cause I knew she was showing me that she cared enough about me to not let me get away with something.

So many memories flood me as I think about all the conversations we have had about the Lord. When as a teenager, I would bring my boyfriends to meet her and she would say.."I am praying for him..." Which kinda let me know that she didn't entirely agree with me going out with that fellow! 

Then there are the times I would go over to clean her house and we would sit there talking instead of cleaning! Especially after I became a mother and didn't have as much time on my hands to go visit her. So the times when I went to clean, were always special times of catching up and sharing news of God's blessings.

My great-grandma is exactly 60 years older than me. Then comes my grandma who is 40 years older than me. Than my mom who is 20 years older than me. You would think that there would be major generation gaps there...but there are not. Talk about women who have always been there for each other. That love and accept each other as they are with their faults and with their talents.

One of the other things that would just bring me to tears is that grandma always had something for us. Whether it was a can of soup, a box of cereal, some bread or a few bills pressed into my hand in passing. And it was always right when we needed it. I could not begin to tell you the times when I had used up the last loaf of bread and payday would be too far away...here would come grandma with several loaves of bread! Many was the time after my oldest daughter was in the hospital and money was so short from doctor bills and we would have no money for food. And here would come great-grandma and grandma filling our living room with groceries! I know she doesn't want to be remembered for what she has given away. But it truly shows the kind of woman she was. Such a mighty woman of God that allowed herself to be a vessel used for Him. Nothing was hers, everything was His. Whenever I would try to thank her, she would say, "Don't thank me, thank Him! It's not ours anyway! Isn't God Good?"

Then when we shared with her that we were praying about adding our son to our family. She prayed and prayed. She accepted him as he was, health problems and all, foster child and all...she didn't care. All she cared about is that our little home would be complete and that our son would have a home filled with God's love. The day I told her that we would be able to adopt him, she about flew to the moon! She started crying and telling me how hard she had been praying for this very thing.

I just want to end this by saying that I pray that I can be a woman of faith like my grandma has been. There is no way I could ever fill her shoes, but I want to make sure that I live my life in a way that is pleasing to God. To be a vessel that is used of Him. For His Glory and His alone.

As I hung up the phone this evening and turned to my husband and cried....I thought, "I just wish I had a record of grandma's voice..."

As I re-read this post from nine years ago, the tears started rolling down my face. How my great-grandma would have loved holding the babies we fostered last year and how she would have prayed for the little boy we are hoping to add to our family. She would have spent nights awake praying for the family of our little foster son and interceded on their behalf...she would have loved seeing my girls turn into young ladies and my son surpassing milestones that we were told he wouldn't reach.

If I could be like anyone in the world, I would want to be like my prayer warrior great-grandma. She took her sleepless pain ridden nights and turned them into prayer sessions to her Savior. I pray that the Lord reminds me of her often...

Till next time...

Have a blessed day and embrace the craziness in your life!


Heidi