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A Quilt

When Grant and I arrived in Iwakuni shortly after we got married, we made our home in the Bachelor Officer’s Quarters (the BOQ). Our time there was going to be short (7 weeks), so it wasn’t necessary for us to move into married housing.

It was late and I was jet-lagged when I first walked into what was going to be our short-term home. I didn’t say a word as I glanced around the apartment that had 3 months of dust build up and was filled with stark military furniture. I was trying in my head to think of some way I could make it homey, but I was failing miserably. I know it’s not the greatest,” I heard Grant say, “but it’s only seven weeks.” His voice had a tone of disappointment mixed with worry in it as he searched my face for a look of approval. “Grant, it’s just fine. It doesn’t matter to me at all, and it’s only seven weeks,” I heard myself saying though I knew my tone didn’t come out as cheery as I had tried to make it sound.

The next day Grant and I made a trip to the PX (military mall) to pick up a few things we needed. As we made our way over to the homegoods section to get some hangers, we passed a beautiful quilt that was on the end of an aisle. Grant saw me eye it and he asked, “Do you like that?” “Yes, it’s beautiful,” I replied. Then I pointed out how it would be silly to buy a quilt here since we had brand new bedding in the states. We walked away and after getting the hangers we began to head to the check-out. I was busy looking at things as we walked out and realized that Grant was no longer next to me. “Grant, where are you?” I said as I turned around to see him standing there – all six feet of him – and in his arms was the quilt. “Grant…you don’t need…” but my voice trailed off and I felt a few tears rise to the surface. He smiled at me and walked squarely to the cash register and purchased the quilt and the hangers.
Later on that day I put it on the bed and I was amazed at what a difference it made in the apartment. It made it homey. Grant came over and joined me in my adoration of it. “Grant, I didn’t need this quilt, I just want you to know,” I told him. “I know you didn’t,” he replied. “But in some ways you did need it GraceAnna. And that’s okay.”

I didn’t argue with him. I guess he knew me better than I knew myself. He was right, the quilt really helped me. It helped me feel at home in a far away place. Thank you, Grant.
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Full Circle

When Grant was two years old he lived in Beaufort. He remembers the park in Laurel Bay and his two-year-old birthday party when his dad got the fire truck on base to come down to their house for the afternoon. Pretty cool for a bunch of little boys, right? Grant has more memories in Beaufort. Good memories and bad memories. Grant remembers crying and finding out that he didn’t have a daddy anymore. His dad was a fighter pilot and died in a mid-air collision off the coast of Georgia. While Grant didn’t know those details, he does remember receiving his dad’s flight helmet at the Beaufort National Cemetery.

Grant remembers visiting Beaufort when he was seventeen years old to see his dad’s memorial for the first time since he was a little boy. He remembers meeting me. Supposedly, he wanted to date me then but thought that “Dr. Broggi” would never allow it. I’m not so sure he thought that then, but he says he does and Grant never tells a lie. I remember meeting him too. I remember that he was wearing cowboy boots and a maroon button up shirt, and khakis and he acted shy around me. And of course I remembered his name, because it’s not a very common one and my brother shares the same. Grant also remembers that my dad taught on false prophets that Sunday and that it was one of the best sermons he’d ever heard.

When I visited Grant’s parents’ house in Midland last year before we got married I read one of Grant’s prayer journals. He wrote down a list of places that helped him feel close to the Lord. Number one or two on the list was Beaufort. He also prayed that God would give him a future wife whose heart would be “prepared for ministry.”

When Grant joined the Marine Corps right out of college (before we started dating) he put Beaufort as his number one choice to be stationed. He didn’t get it. He got Japan instead. But before long he did get a Beaufort girl. The day before we got married, Grant held a memorial service in honor of his father at the Beaufort National Cemetery for family and friends. It was very special to see how things had come full circle. Here we were, back in the same place his dad and mom had been so many years ago. And here Grant was, no longer a little boy grieving his father’s death by an empty marker, but a grown man honoring his dad and his family not just by his words, but by his life.

We got married in Beaufort. I said during the preparation of our wedding that I seriously doubted that my wedding day would be “the best day of my life” as so many girls make it out to be. But it was. It was that good. God had brought us together and at the altar when I pledged my life to Grant forever I slipped the same ring on his finger that his mom had slipped on his dad’s finger many years ago – the bond that only death broke. And as I put that ring on his finger, I knew that only death would ever break our covenant before God.

So why all these thoughts about Beaufort? It’s just been what going through my head all day long.

See – Grant and I are moving this summer. When we filled out our preferences we knew where we wanted to go. Would we dare ask? Was it too much to hope for? But as I read last night in Genesis 18, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Nothing is too hard for the Lord. It’s just a matter of what the Lord decides. The Lord decided to send us to Beaufort. We are so excited.

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Aimee Powell

When I signed onto my Facebook a couple days ago I was greeted with the devastating news that a young girl my age, Aimee Powell, had passed away in a tragic car accident.

I didn’t know Aimee, but I have some friends who knew her very well. Amy was 25 years old and a teacher at a Christian school in Charlotte, NC. I had seen photos pop up of her on facebook through mutual friends over the past couple years and always thought she was the sweetest looking girl (in the pic above she is the girl on the far right – dear Elizabeth Clemmer in the middle). She’s one of those people that when you look at their picture – you can just tell that they have a beautiful heart.

When I read the news story covering Aimee’s tragic death – her heart was confirmed through what people said of her.

“Aimee stands out as a beautiful person who loved the Lord, who loved kids…The Good Shepherd knew her by name. She knew his voice and now she’s in a place with no more tears. She has eternal life and that’s the most comforting thing” – Pastor Dave Kulp

I sent Grant an email telling him about Aimee and how sad and grieved I was about it even though I had never known her. Grant said, “GraceAnna, that could have been you or me. Life is so fragile.” I know his words are so true. The past few months we have had so many conversations about how short life is. I think one of the reasons we have discussed it so much is because Grant is almost the age his father was when he was taken in a plane crash.

When I read the news about Aimee, I was so reminded that living for Jesus Christ is all that matters. Getting to know Him is of upmost importance. When Grant and I were dating, one of the things I remember him telling me is how he wanted to devote his life in service of the Lord and in getting to know Him better. He also told me that he would treasure every moment that God gave him with me because life is so short. That spoke to me. “So,” he reasoned, “we should get married as soon as possible.” 🙂

God has given us each a certain number of days to live (Psalm 139:16). Aimee’s life was not cut short. God gave her 25 beautiful years of life. And I know, that she lived those for Him. To some he gives 3 x 25, but to others (like Aimee or Grant’s dad) just 25 or 26. And from what I have seen – people like Aimee have made more of a difference for Christ in 25 years than many Christians who live to be 50 or 75.

I wish there was something I could do to ease the unbearable pain that Aimee’s family (and those who knew Aimee) are going through. If you wouldn’t mind – would you say a prayer for her parents right now? They are missionaries in Taiwan and have flown back to the states to bury their precious girl.

I hesitated to write about Aimee because I know there is nothing I could ever say to do her justice or even began to commemorate who she was. I didn’t know her. But she has been on my heart. I am sad. I wish this story wasn’t true even though I know it was God’s plan for Aimee and she is so happy right now. Her words that were published in a news report say what I could never began to try and say about her (Aimee expressed these thoughts when she was going through the hiring process at Southlake Christian).

“I have had a love for children and teaching since I can remember. As a girl, I helped with summer Vacation Bible School and taught my Chinese friends English weekly. In high school, I was a teacher’s aid in kindergarten, third and fifth grades. Most of my summers during college were spent tutoring Chinese students who struggled with English. It was at that time that I saw my love for teaching children increase. Each day was a new day to model Jesus for my students, and I saw it as a ministry.”

Thank you Aimee for modeling Jesus.

This song came to mind when I thought about those grieving Aimee’s death:
I Have A Shelter

The news report:
http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11857390