As many of you already know, my grandmother passed away this week. We all miss her greatly. I was privileged to spend the last couple of days remembering her life with my family as we traveled to her funeral in northwestern Missouri. My Dad wrote an excellent tribute that I thought I would share with you all, along with a slideshow of pictures.

A Tribute to Mom, by Fred McClurg

Grandma McClurg was born on October 20, 1925, near Darlington, Missouri. After graduation from high school and college in Maryville, Missouri, she taught at one-room school houses near Burlington Junction, Missouri.

On May 21, 1950, Wanda Lee Grace was united in marriage with Lloyd McClurg. In 2009, they celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. They lived and farmed south of Pickering, Missouri, where they raised their four children.

She was also involved in 4-H Clubs and was instrumental in starting a chapter in Nodaway County. She recruited leaders for cooking, knitting, sewing, horsemanship, conservation, livestock, and rabbit clubs. She was also a lifetime member of the Bloomfield Community Club for historical preservation. She also enjoyed working in her wildflower gardens.

Wanda Lee was a charter member of Laura Street Baptist Church in Maryville where she served in many capacities including: Jr. High Sunday School Director, Vacation Bible School Teacher, and Meal Ministry Helper. Reading the Bible was an important part of her life. She loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and she will be greatly missed by all of them.

The following three short-term goals are all about how I want to live a more active life in the upcoming school year:

1. Improve posture and get in better shape.
I used to be very fitness-conscious in high-school.  There was a period of time when I ate balanced meals, got plenty of rest, did 2 sets of 100 pushups and 50 situps, an hour of jump rope, and an hour of light weight-training every day.  Now, I live on empty calories, get an average of 5 hours of sleep, can barely do 20 pushups, and get out of breath if I try to walk quickly up a flight of stairs.  This is unacceptable, and it’s time for a change.

2. Participate in the exchange of ideas
In recent years, I have started to feel like my mind is becoming stagnated — the same old ideas swirl around in there with nowhere to go. I know what Eric Liddell said about the strength to see the race to its end coming from within, but often strength of mind comes from discussion with others. In short, the lack of feedback in my mental life has caused my creative juices to all but dry up — which quite simply is no good.  Also, it is no fun. It’s time to express my ideas and more importantly to hear what other people (and authors) have to say.

3. Serve the community and local church
For the past four years, I’ve focused a lot on myself:  my grades, my career plans, my problems with society and the modern church.  That’s not a godly way to live.  1 Corinthians 3 is pretty clear that God wants us to build our lives on a proper foundation.  School might be a part of God’s will for me, but I sometimes forget that it’s only a part.  I want to stop neglecting the other important parts of that plan, and I think it’s high time I started playing an active role in my church and community.

Who knows?  Maybe I’ll post some progress updates about these goals as time goes on.

Much to my own surprise, my resolution was unshakable.  In the months that followed, I earned not only her friendship, but her respect as well.  I don’t think I ever could have been considered a confidant, but I do remember being close enough to ask for advice — even to be asked once or twice.  I recall one time that I was deeply wounded, and several times that I caused pain.  But, those were soon mended and really aren’t even worth mentioning aside from underscoring how much we depended upon each other for approval and support.  On the whole they were pleasant and wholesome times.

There weren’t many of the kind of memories you tell others about — or even put down into words, but when I quietly smile to myself, I’m often thinking of those days.  As time went on, we matured together.  Our spirits grew and changed at the same time, and nearly at the same rate, but they never quite intertwined.  We still share our thoughts and ideas every so often, but I …

I think it’s me that has changed the most.  Or perhaps I simply stopped changing altogether.  Either way, the best parts of my soul have grown weak from lack of use, and the side of myself that I used to be so good at keeping in check has all but taken over.  If my life has wilted and been overtaken by thorns, hers has blossomed.  Jealous?  I think not.  It’s simply the physical incarnation of that bittersweet conversation we had so long ago.  She has always been fine with me — or without me.

She is getting married tomorrow.  It almost worries me that I don’t feel anything.  Not much, anyway.