When it comes to people I admire, it is a broad category, but when it comes to someone I admire who has also had an impact on me, the list shrinks down to one person: my grandma, Claudia Thompson. If you look at her life on paper, most people would think she has not done a whole lot with her life--getting married at 17, being a stay at home mom for three children and assisting her husband in running their apple orchard/ honey/ jam business for the last 50 plus years. I see it differently, however, because of what she has overcome and because of the dignity she holds herself with despite everything.
I love my grandpa dearly, but he is definitely not the best husband and watching her deal with him over the years has really helped me learn the definition of patience. He is very demanding and rude sometimes, and he likes everything done a certain way. He expects her to do everything for him all the time, and she sits there and does what he says and never protests. She still goes about her work with a smile on her face and with a heart for Jesus.
This woman loves Jesus like no other. She doesn't openly profess her faith because I do not think she was raised to be very evangelical, but she is the exact replica of what it would look like to obey God. She is kind to all, even to those who are unkind. She never gossips, even about those who do her wrong. She submits to her husband. She is generous with her time, her support, and her help. She is giving, even when she has nothing. She has greater patience than anyone I have ever seen, or ever will see, in my life. She is just an all round morally upright woman, and she has never compromised that.
She has gone through a lot in her lifetime, too, so to see that she has been faithful and has not changed despite how hard life has been is truly inspiring. Her children are not the easiest to deal with. Her firstborn, a son, is crazy and never married, but instead mooches off his parents the majority of the time. Her second child, a daughter, is completely drama filled, from her teenaged days being called "Whora Laura" to marrying and having four kids, divorcing, dating a low life leech, and dealing with the drama those four kids have (which is always something, let me tell you). The third child is my mother, so you automatically must assume she's crazy too. Despite all that, she has really been the anchor in the family to support her children, whether that be taking care of their kids for the summer or giving them a place to live when life didn't go their way. As if she really needed to do all that when she had a lot of health concerns to overcome.
Recently she was given a month to live because of a large amount of cancer they found that spread throughout her body. That was over six months ago. Now she is cancer free. She went through a lot of surgery and chemotherapy, and even along the way, she was having grandchildren left on her doorstep to be taken care of, and yet she never complained. That is the nature of my grandmother. To let life bring all its challenges and yet never let a complaint slip out of your mouth is a truly admiral thing and I wish I could be more like her. I wish I could have her patience. I wish I could be the great mother that she is (and great cook!). I wish people would admire me even a third as much as they admire here, because Lord knows that she is the most admirable woman I will ever have the pleasure of knowing.
