Grandma in the Lion's Den

I am reflecting on my grandparents; specifically my grandma and grandpa Wesley. Although I was born in Kentucky, my family soon relocated to Arizona where I spent most of my youth. My grandma and grandpa would often visit us in Arizona; sometimes spending months nearby. They loved to experience life, see things and do things. They seemed to always own a camper that sat on the back of their truck or a trailer that they would pull long distances. They looked forward to their adventures until they were involved in an auto accident or two and their age would no longer allow them to travel. As I look back, it seemed that they both enjoyed these adventures equally. Grandma liked the city, Grandpa liked the farm but both liked adventure. They did not let money to prevent them from enjoying themselves. They were very thrifty but they still had fun.

I remember doing several things with them. Often my grandparents would take my brother and me camping, shopping, or to visit major attractions. They took us camping all of the time. Most often we would go to Payson, Arizona or on the Mogollon Rim but we also camped out in a desert location or even spent the night in their camper in our back yard. Sometimes my mother and baby sister would join us in these adventures. We went to see amusement parks in Gatlinburg, Tennessee or a Country Music park in Kentucky. On one of these trips, we met Barbra Mandrel before she became so big and had a variety show with her sisters. I remember going up in a ski lift with them and seeing a groundhog below us. I also remember when we got back to the truck and camper, someone put a bottle under a tire and it caused us to have a flat. They took us at least twice to Cumberland Falls, Shaker Town and to City zoos. I wish my children had spent as much time with their grandparents doing special things.

They took pictures wherever they would go. They didn’t have a very good camera. In fact, it was just a cheap Kodak Instamatic. I wish I could go back in time and give them a good quality camera. They often would have their pictures made into projector slides. Grandma would love to show their slides to family, friends and even the church. I’m sure they also watched these slides at home because they loved to relive their adventures.

When I was a young boy… I don’t remember how old; probably eight or ten, I remember going to the Phoenix zoo with my grandparents. I believe my mother was there with us and baby Christy was in a stroller. We walked through half of the park and came to the lion and tiger exhibits. Most of the time the animals in zoos rarely give you a good show. Often, animals are hiding or sleeping but not today. Today the large male lion was making some noise and roaring at the crowd. My grandma pulled out her camera and started moving closer to the lion exhibit. What she didn’t see, because she had the camera on the lion, was that she was walking toward a sloped flower and shrubbery bed that was faced with railroad ties. Grandma tripped on these ties and fell straight down into this lowered shrubbery bed beside the lions area. Grandma was now head first, wearing a dress and her legs lifted in the air. All the while, the lion becomes louder and louder with his roars and grandma is screaming, thinking she just fell in the lion’s den and she is now on the menu. My grandpa was trying to help my grandma up but he was trying to keep her dress closed at the same time. Quickly with the help of some other zoo patrons, my grandmother was lifted out of the bed. She was disoriented and scratched up from the shrubs but soon saw that her fear of being a lion burger was unfounded. Later, she could see the humor in the incident and would laugh at the incident. I should also mention that grandma got a good picture of the lion before she went down!

Reflection on the Faith of a Child

I remember attending a viewing and funeral of an elderly person when I was young. I do not remember much about the funeral itself, but I still remember seeing this nice lady’s dead body, lying in front of me in a casket only a few feet away. I sat there sad for the woman that I cared about but also intrigued at not seeing a dead body before. I was a boy who read and understood much of the Bible. I knew the stories of the Bible better than most adults teaching Sunday school. I memorized all of the great stories, all of the kings of Israel, Judah and much, much more. I really did live what I believed. Now I was sitting before this dead woman, thinking of several passages about faith. I knew that if only I believed, had faith in God, and asked him to make my friend rise from the dead, it would happen. I looked around at everyone, then I bowed my head. I prayed to God to put life back into this woman and I truly believed it could happen. Sure, I had doubts, but looking back, my faith was more than a mustard seed, it was a huge walnut sized seed. I lifted my head, honestly expecting a miracle. I prepared myself for everyone in the room to be freaked out but for me it was an expectation. I looked for signs of life. I didn’t know if this new life given this woman was going to go through her like a wave, causing her to convulse and jump out of the coffin or if she would just gradually move a finger or two which would slowly move throughout her body. But… I did have faith. I believed. I had the faith of a child because I was a child.

Time passed and I continued to wait. Nothing happened. We sang, we prayed and people spoke about Ms. Goldie, but no signs of life. She was still dead.

As we drove home, I blamed myself. I felt guilty that I must have not had enough faith, and in some strange childish way, I was to blame for her continued death.

Later, I would learn to rationalize why she did not come to life, which would help to reduce the guilt I once held. For example, I would learn that everything we ask for must first be God’s will before he would grant a request. However, I thought it was always God’s will that all would not suffer and would live without pain and suffering. I also thought that everyone would praise God and some would believe in him if Goldie would come to life. I had a hard time thinking of the negatives of her coming to life. The only reason I rationalized, other than my lack of faith, that God didn’t answer my prayer was that she liked it in heaven and bringing her back to earth would not be her wish especially since she may have been in heaven with her husband who died years before.