Growing up Barnett (part 2)

My Grandpa & Grandma Barnett were very devout Christian people. They attended the little community church at Conconully. Grandma played organ & Grandpa had a booming base voice that led the church in song sometimes. Grandma was an alto & had an ear for singing harmony. I loved that they were musical and they passed that on to their children. My dad was gifted with a beautiful high tenor voice. His brothers & sister all could sing too, so there was a lot of singing during family gatherings. To me, it sounded as good as any recording available. I felt lucky that my family loved music. I felt happiest when they'd sing old hymns and proud when I could carry the melody on because I usually knew the most verses.

Music was a big part of my Grandparents life but more importantly God was in every part of their lives. I can't remember a morning that I'd not see Grandpa praying in the living room for his family. He was usually silent but at times I could hear him calling out each of his kids names, grandkids and other loved ones. I heard him say my name & it made me feel so special that he was praying for me! I knew Grandpa to be very stern, even unapproachable before I was 12. But I did love him and wanted his approval.

Grandma B stopped and prayed with me. Every meal, every trial (the normal childhood things when my brothers were leaving me out or something like that) to safety for those loved ones traveling and mentioning extended family & friends she knew. Grandma prayed! She modeled that for me all through my life. A few times, when I was very upset as a teen & young adult, Grandma instructed me to lay my head on her lap. I would, lay there and weep. Grandma would play with my hair, comforting me with her prayers. Those are most treasured memories. 

Christians, truly devoted and not wavering are rare indeed. My grandparents were these, who lived and breathed according to God's word, to the best of their ability. The word Christian (little Christ) has negative connotations now. We're labeled "holier than thou" and seen as people who think our own poo doesn't stink or our own flaws don't count (hypocrites). Because we have standards and true rules about what is right & wrong, we are considered intolerant, judgmental, biased & rude. How dare we stand up for what we believe in? This was all an expressed opinion I don't remember as a  Barnett kid. God was indisputable and our infinite need of him was unavoidable. 

God just was. He wasn't to be questioned. There are too many things with no answers, or truly no answers that we humans understand. I grew up in church, with the Bible stories of David & Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's Den, Moses parting the Red Sea, Jonah & the Whale. I learned the kids songs (I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my ❤️ down in my heart to stay) and I learned the adult songs (mostly hymns). I was given weekly verses to remember, "Your word I have hid in my heart so I might not sin against you!) I believed wholeheartedly in God & I'm His Son Jesus. I asked to be baptized when I was 7 as a public expression of the choice I had made when I asked Jesus to be my Lord & Savior! 

All through my life Jesus has shown me love, miracles, healing, grace. He's helped me to have strength for each new day & sometimes each new moment. I felt Jesus holding me (like the Footprints poem where he carried the man Through his roughest times)  Through all of the bullying & physical abuse from my peers, through the disappointments and fears - I could always pray and cry to Jesus. My grandparents and their parents covered me with their prayers! What a heritage I had & great example.

Grandpa and Grandma B were often a haven for me in my teens to 30s. Their lives were so desirable to me. They had already found their person, got married, raised their kids, made all their big life decisions and now they just got to enjoy the work they had done and be retired from it all. They had their kids, us grand kids and our kids come and visit often. They got to travel & do, as the budget allowed. It was sweet and peaceful. I wanted that. I sought their advice on all life stuff & truly looked to them for wisdom and guidance. So many times they didn't know the answers I was hoping for but they told me they would pray about it & did. That was the BEST!

We were a tight knit family. We got together often, the whole lot of us. We enjoyed visiting and reminiscing. The men liked to go hunting & fishing with my Grandpa. My Grandma & Aunts liked to play cards (Rook), Yahtzee, Zilch, Dominoes,board games... They let us kids play if we wanted & I was always first @ the table. I could be competitive without being physical. I was chosen for the team and always by my Grandma herself 😇 I knew we would win, Grandma was lucky and loved every minute of it! These are my favorite memories. An uncle or Aunt "schooled" at the game would often come & coach me. I thought they were such skilled players but looking back, they had already seen Grandma's hand 😀 I enjoyed every game I played with my grandma and I would drive up there on the weekends just to do that when I was older. 

I couldn't even begin to share the feelings I felt or stories shared around Grandma's table. She had the best sense of humor and had lived quite the life. Sometimes the stories got so intense or interesting that the game halted for a bit, but we always got back to it to see who would win. I didn't always get to play. The adults would take over. I didn't know how to play Pinochle or some of the other ones. Grandpa and my dad would be partners in Room. They were so serious and smart that as a team they would annihilate the opposers. It was frightening because I always seemed to play the wrong card, I don't enjoy that kind of "game" ...  No fun @ all.

 My brothers and I took different friends up with us for the weekends. Grandma would give them nicknames, train them if they didn't know how to play and then it was game on.  One of out friends she lovingly called Jockstrap (his name was Brock) figured out how to see her cards reflection in her glasses. I'm pretty sure she knew but just kept the game moving on. Grandpa would pass by, shake his head and mumble something. He knew his wife was in her glory but he would head outside to find peace of mind for him self. That's what Grandpa continued to do. Hug me and thank me for coming, and head out... Tinkering, fishing, whatever- he knew I'd keep Grandma company. 

(To be continued)