“Someone was praying for me.”  I would hear that quote often when I was growing up.  I believe it.  My first blog post was about being a rebellious nerd, and I know stored prayers put me back on the right path.  My mom said that she began praying for all her children while in the womb.  She said that her strength came from stored prayers from her grandmothers.  So, I come from generations of prayer warriors!

Mary M. was my granny.  I was her birthday gift one year, coming just one day after her birthday (January 17).  We stuck together like glue.  She was a nurturer, homemaker, and a quiet spirit that loved to cheat when we played board games, but she would play with me.  The only one that would play Memory, Sorry, Game of Life, and Hungry Hippos.  She would lock down the big house to walk me to the corner store, and let me sing in the fan on the porch.

All that changed when I was about eleven years old.  She was in and out of the hospital.  The cancer returned, and it was far more aggressive than before.  I can remember being in the big house on Main Street.  It would be a house full, at this time I had no idea how sick she really was.  She would walk from her room to the living room where everyone was gathered, and sit in the chair by the window.  She would hold her head down with her hands resting on her head.  I would ask her if she was okay, and she would look up, give me a smile and nod.  She was praying.

She was praying for her children, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  The nucleus of the family knew that it was only a matter of time, and she wanted her family to be protected.

I’m #SteeleThankful for those prayers that have kept me, and for those prayers that cover me.

What are you #SteeleThankful for?