Sandra Kay Taylor

Excerpt from my prayer journal: "I praise You for grandma. She was an amazing woman and I know that You used her so very powerfully in my life. I thank You for the time I got with her - it was fantastic. We have a bond that was not only strong here in this life, but will endure. Lord, she is the vessel in which I came to know You. Her life was so precious to me - help me to live life, follow Truth, and make her so proud.

I am sad - terribly sad - at losing her. I miss her a little each day. But I rejoice also. Not only because she is now with You, but because her death made a huge impact on my family. I know You have a plan and a purpose. I expect great things."

My grandmother (on the left) was an incredible woman. She never lead a perfect life and never claimed to - but she was the perfect picture of Christ to me as a child. She moved back to Flat Rock and pressured me to go to church. She is the reason I am a Christian and a huge part of why I serve the Lord the way I do. She was a tough & strong woman, but so open-hearted and giving. She taught me the value of commitment, hard work, and love. She was a constant in my life when everything else seemed to be falling apart. She frequently quoted the words of our old pastor, "Remember who you are and where you come from." And I will, grandma. I will.

I will treasure in my heart our Sunday afternoons watching Bridezillas & My Fair Wedding with David Tutera when we would drink coffee and just laugh at the ridiculous demands of the brides and crazy themes of the weddings. I cherish the days where she, Uncle Rick, Charleigh, and I would just lounge around and do nothing but read. We didn't always have to speak - we just were. She was from a generation of those who don't have to vocally affirm their love for one another. I didn't need her to tell me that she loved me, I knew. She would have given her last dime for me. She was one of the most benevolent women I know. She sent me care packages just because, random letters, and the last thing she sent me was a little Christmas recipe book.

That's another thing I value from her life - cooking. She imparted to me a love for good food and how to prepare it. I sometimes regret that I can't just call her and ask her how to make something anymore. She always had dinner cooking while we were at church and we'd all sit around and graze til it was time to eat. In true servant fashion, she was always the last to get her plate and the first to start the cleanup.

She was so strong and suffered so graciously. When she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2008, I was so scared for her. She just plowed right through it and came out even stronger. She was in stage III when she was diagnosed...and she bounced back in less than a year! The Lord gave her so much strength and allowed her to live an extra two years. I am grateful for those years - she saw me through some of the roughest times of my life while going through one of the roughest battles of hers.

She was truly an upstanding woman. Her character was really likened to that of the woman described in Proverbs 31. I value her legacy and I am thankful for everything that she so selflessly gave to me. I love you, grandma. I know that you are in complete awesomeness worshiping the Lord forever and I am overjoyed. :)