Joel M Bradshaw

7The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.–Proverbs 10

I had the honor of co-officiating my great-grandmother’s funeral service yesterday. The first half of our verse today describes how the day went. Grandma was a blessing to so many people and had lived a righteous life. Therefore as we celebrated her life and faith, there were smiles alongside the tears. We were blessed to remember her and we are honored to continue her legacy.

Right before Grandma’s pastor gave the sermon, the congregation was invited to stand and share memories of Grandma. I remember my brother stood and shared about Grandma’s dedication to sending cards. She was so faithful to remember everyone’s birthday and never missed a Christmas. In attendance yesterday were even great-great-grandchildren, so this love of sending cards was no small matter!

I was privately wondering how I was going to end the service, but when my brother shared the card memory, I started looking immediately around me for a pen as I sat on a chair on stage at the church. I saw one on a nearby music stand and then quickly scribbled the letters SHMILY on the order of service.

For you see, Grandma liked to write those letters as she signed off the card. It was Grandma’s secret (or not so secret) code. As I took my final turn with the microphone, I asked the crowd if they ever received SHMILY on any of Grandma’s many cards. And from my position I could see many nods. I asked the crowd to decipher Grandma’s code. The response was immediate.

“See How Much I Love You”

Grandma wanted every receiver of a card to know that she loved them. I had my closing to the service. And the moment choked me up a bit as I said it. “We all see, Grandma. We all see.”

The memory of the righteous is indeed a blessing.–JMB