The Anchor Holds

Tymes - Ms. Grace (Complete Original)

Grace and Mercy~Miss Grace

2To Timothy my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

How fitting to start this blog that is dedicated to a dear friend of mine. A sister in Christ, that will be missed terribly here on earth. I can't help rejoicing for her but crying for me. Talk about confused! Her name is Brenda Michelle Day Clark. She was born January 16, 1952. She passed away July 10, 2011. She was a  daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend and most importantly a child of God. I have no doubt where she is spending eternity.

On with my life with Mickey in it. I met her at church. My name became Vera. She noticed a purse that one of my girls had. She said that she had seen one like that and I told her it was a Vera Bradley. Now some of you might not find that funny but out of that became a joke. Later she would tell me it was at the grocery store she saw that purse. She didn't realize that the purse she saw was not a Vera Bradley. Then she saw a designer, Vera Wange and thought it was one in the same. After much explanation, she said never mind. My name was now Vera.

I can honestly say that I have never had a friend like Mickey. She had such a beautiful personality. She called herself  Miss Grace. She had several medical issues. One being that she was not steady on her feet. She would laugh it off and call herself Miss Grace. She had a sense of humor and a beautiful smile. She is dancing in heaven. She taught me so much these last 4 1/2 years. She lost her voice so it was barely above a whisper. From what I have heard she sang like a songbird. She sang the last time the Sunday before my Daddy passed away. She was not comfortable but she felt the Lord leading her to do this. Little did she know, I would hold that song in my heart that week. The song was "The Anchor Holds" by Ray Boltz. She had her own personal storms. She and I would later share our storms. She's leading music in heaven right now!

She taught me about being a mother and a grandmother.  We all have those we watch. It is how we learn. She had that unconditional love. It wasn't until I met her mother...Nana. I knew where she learned this from. I don't have the grandchildren but I have heard about the joys. Mic enjoyed her grandchildren. She said they were God's blessing to her! She said after three boys the grandchildren were hers to enjoy! That she did. She was always planning something for them when she knew they were coming over. She looked forward to her family coming to see her.

Grace~

elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

2.

a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.

3.

favor or good will

 

Mercy~–noun, plural -cies for 4, 5.

1.

compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.

2.

the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy.

3.

the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.

EXPAND

4.

an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.

5.

something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing:

 

I have given you the definition of grace and mercy. You could ask Mic if she had any mercy or grace. Her reply to me would be no. She saw it on aisle 5 at the grocery store and it wasn't on her list. I have to tell you she had both. I witnessed it many times. I would let her know what I witnessed and she would tell me not to let anyone know. If anyone knew she had it, it might be expected of her! I would just laugh. So all of you might know her as Mickey, I will call her Miss Grace. Not because she was unsteady on her feet but because of the grace and mercy she showed to others.

 

I started this blog with a salutation. There is a reason to some of my madness today. Miss Grace had the gift of writing handwritten letters to people. You know the ones that you use pen and paper. Write your thoughts on, put it in an envelope, address it, stamp and mail in the mailbox. The first time I spoke in church and did a Bible Study, I had a cheerleader! We spoke everyday. She encouraged me, even, when she knew it was taking a toll on my emotions. God sends people in your life for a reason. Nothing that God does is by accident. It is pure and innocent. That is how I describe our friendship. She shared with me her trials to show I wasn't alone. She had never said them aloud. She was shedding that wall with me. I am honored to have called her friend. In the letter that she sent me after the Bible Study she said "God puts the right people in our lives just when we feel we cannot take another breathe..."

 

Just when I didn't think I could breathe when I got  the call Sunday morning, I remembered her smile and sage advice. I remembered the grace and mercy that she showed. It gave me a glimpse of what the Lord shows us. We are not deserving of this but the Lord loves us so much He gives it anyway. He gave me Miss Grace for such a short time but just enough. He wouldn't have taken her if He still needed her here. He wanted her with Him. I continue to learn, love like its your last breath. That is how I feel for all of you!!

 

Love

Vera!!