Leave a Legacy

An Insignificant Life

Floss Ewald
I reminded Mom that her granddaughter wanted to hear stories of her life growing up in the 30s and 40s.   She rolled her eyes but did say she wrote a little something.  As she rummaged around, my heart leapt as she said, “Here it is.”  Trying to sound inconspicuous, I offered to take it home to her tonight.   But as I reached, the folder was snatched back and held close as if it needed protection. “I think I’ll make sure there are no errors or anything to change.”   No matter what I said there was no convincing her to give it up.   So close, but that “little something” was so far away.  In that brief moment, I got a glimpse of the title she had written, “My insignificant life.” 
My heart was heavy as I drove home that night.   I did not understand why my Mom was so guarded about sharing her life.   It was evident by the title that in her mind, her life lacked worth.  I recalled our pastor saying that true significance cannot be measured by human standards.  We see in part and much of our vision is skewed.  Our worth does not depend on money, houses, or even if men admire us.  Significance accumulates as you live your life according to God’s principles and plan, because it is God who sets the scales and He is Judge of what we have done with what He has given. 
Her mother and Grandmother were Christian women who took her to church each Sunday.  Margaret accepted Christ as a young girl and began praying daily for her father’s salvation.   At times she wondered if God cared or heard her, but one day, many years later, her father told how Jesus came into his heart as Lord and Savior!   At sixty-six years old, my grandfather’s heart was made new!   I recall Mom contemplating if her prayers changed God’s mind or if God had used those long years of waiting to change her as she submitted herself to obedience and prayer.  To faithfully pray for anyone for 40 years is gargantuan to me.  The character God cultivated in those very long years - patience, obedience, submission, hope, selflessness, let alone a grounded faith and trust in His promises - how can these qualities that she possessed be anything less than marvelous? 
As a young woman, Margaret met Charlie.   Now he’s a book in himself, but he was the tough guy that she ignored and refused to date.  But that didn’t dissuade him.   He stalked her boyfriends, ran them off the road to “convince” them not to see her again, made “arrangements” that rendered her dates unable to pick her up and conveniently he’d show up to take their place.   She became engaged to another and before Charlie went off to the War, he told her that he wanted that ring off her finger when he returned.  Because of Margaret’s influence and example, Charlie also went to church and accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior.   So they married, had kids that they raised to know and love God and have been married over 50 years.  
Margaret and Charlie have six kids and when we were very small, Dad had his own business and bought a house in Pennsylvania.  Before long, Charlie got sick with blood poisoning beyond the point of medical intervention.  Medical bills mounted and the Doctor’s told Margaret there was nothing left that they could do.  The Doctor sent him home from the hospital…to die.   As he lay in their bed, I remember watching the men of the church as they took turns praying for my father and then they did something very unusual. They prayed and put their hands on my father’s body and God provided the miracle of healing with Margaret by his side. 
Margaret shouldered the responsibility of nursing her husband back to health, dealing with the loss of their business, six small children, mortgage and bills and holding the family together.   Her faith in the God that provides was the solid rock she stood on as she did whatever she could to ensure her family's survival.  She washed and ironed clothes for other families, mended, sewed and sold clothes, baked bread, rolls and sticky buns and sent her children out to sell her wares.  She clipped coupons and babysat children and other odd jobs in order to make it just one more day.   She was able to lay aside her pride and humbled herself when she could see that she could not continue without help.   I can still see her tears and hear the pain in her voice as she asked for money to feed us kids.   It’s not easy to be humble and it wasn’t easy for her either, but she did it out of love for her family.  
Charlie recuperated and found a good job where he was able to provide for his family while Margaret started a baking business in our home.  As the baby entered kindergarten, Margaret opened a shop and before long, had a budding business of her own.  For twenty years, she managed the family bakery with the vision in her mind to put their six kids through Christian college.   And as the baby graduated from college in 1986, the doors closed on the bakeshop forever.  The years of work God provided in answer to her prayer of faith was accomplished.   Through God’s provision, Margaret and Charlie did what God had set in their hearts to do – and that was to provide a Christian home, live a Godly example and provide a Christian education for all of their children.  
I thought about what I knew of my mother’s life…and am comforted that it is God who has the final say in significance.   Oswald Chambers wrote, “One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.”  I think he had my mother in mind when he penned those words.  I hope one day to be able to read the words she wrote and so carefully guarded, but from the bits and pieces I have learned and witnessed, I’m sure you will agree that according to our family and God’s standards, Margaret’s life was anything but insignificant.
She graduated to glory on May 21st, 2012