Remembering Grandma...

Today would be my grandma's 89th birthday if she were still alive. Born in 1920, Jessie Storm lost her mother when she wasn't even two years old.  Her father didn't want her (maybe because she was a girl and lived in a farming community) so her aunt and uncle raised her. Despite her hardships in childhood, Grandma grew up to be a loving and gracious person with an incredible sense of humor!!! There were so many times that I caught her doing crazy things...like the time I walked into the laundry room in her home (a ranch in Western South Dakota) and saw her sitting on the washing machine.  "Grandma, what in the world are you doing???" I asked. "The washer is off balance and I am trying to hold it in place!"  Nevermind that she was barely 100 lbs. and there was no way on earth she was going to keep a washer in line!

I loved my grandma so much that when I began to have my own children I decided that I would name one of them after her, using her name, Jessie, as his or her middle name.  I figured I would have to have a girl to pull this off and when the first baby arrived and it was a boy I decided to reserve the name in case I had a girl.  Before I became pregnant with my second child, Grandpa Clarence (Jessie's husband) encouraged me to use the name regardless if I had a boy or girl.  "Just change the spelling of Jessie if it is a boy." Grandpa died soon after, but a few years later I had my second boy and named him Noah Jesse.

Grandma died in 2001...a few months after Noah was born.  Even though she had tons of grandkids and great grankids, we were honored to be the only grandkid (me) and great grandkids (my sons) in the room with her when she went to be with Jesus. One moment she was with us...the other she was looking into the face of Jesus.  What an awesome thought!

We love you Grandma Jessie!!!