Women Are Wonderful

One Special Lady

I want to tell you about this special lady. She is my sister-in-law and a mother of five. When she moved here from Texas, we became two peas in a pod. One day while celebrating a relative’s birthday, I received a call from my mother. I knew right away that something was wrong. My mom told me that my grandmother had passed away. It took a few minutes before the tears started rolling down my face.

My sister-in-law followed us home to help us pack. I didn’t even remember the drive home. All I remember was standing in my bedroom while my sister-in-law threw clothes into my suitcase. Usually I’m the take-charge person in my family, but that night I was lost.

I sat on my bed and told my sister-in-law, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Let’s pray,” she said as she took my hands. After we’d prayed, she looked me in the eyes and said, “I know how much you loved your grandmother and this is hard, but you have to get it together. Your folks need you to be strong.”

This was a side of her I’d never seen. She packed the rest of our clothes, said one more prayer with us, and she drove home to her family. Torn with grief, we planned my grandmother’s funeral.

It was beautiful. It was my sister-in-law’s strong words and prayers that helped me help my family. I will always be grateful for that special lady.

—Gwen Pearson, California