Bridget Bryan

This past Friday my maternal grandma, Laura Ann Jones, passed away. You never really realize how much you have until it is gone.

I have a feeling we will constantly be re-discovering just how wonderful of a grandma we had, now that she is no longer with us.

She is a Grandma in whom I have much to be grateful for. She left behind her not only a legacy of faith and family, but also of the warmth of hospitality, good taste, and the talents of painting and calligraphy.

Her memorial card sums up hers and Grandad’s wish for their family to be sub regnum Christi -under the reign of Christ. The Rosary, a devotion to Our Lady, the Mother of Christ, played a large part in that reign of Christ the King: to Jesus through Mary.

Years ago, and not too egotistically, Grandad began to refer to his family as Team Alpha. He drew a symbol of his desire for his marriage and family to be united under Christ the King, through the Our Lady, with her Rosary.

As you can see in the photo of his drawing, Grandad was pretty thoughtful about the whole design. He included the birthdates with the patron of the birthday of both him and Grandma, as well as all eight children. Their wedding day stems from the cross.

For Grandma and Granddad‘s 50th wedding anniversary, one of my aunts did a lovely rendition of his drawing, and this time she took the Team Alpha idea and used the cross of the rosary as the T, and then made the A for Alpha hint at the Greek letter Omega.

In Catholic symbolism, the Alpha, and the Omega symbolizes Christ, as the beginning and end of all things.

Since Grandma’s focus was her family and keeping the Catholic Faith, this design seemed perfect for a memorial card.

Granted, this is all very nice symbolism. Idealistic, you might even say. But I hope you don’t get the sense that we are canonizing our family, or painting a picture of extremely pious people! Our family is very real and not perfect; we are all on the journey Home. But this vision from our Granddad and Grandma definitely gives us something to strive for!

Hopefully in that striving, we of Team Alpha, with all of our friends and family, and you too, dear reader, will come at last to join Grandma in our Final Home.

There, hopefully we’ll find her at her post: at a heavenly round table, with coffee and celestial-rolled cigarettes, and tasty little somethings, entertaining all the Apostles and their friends. Reunited, may we rejoice with all the saints for all eternity in heaven, forever and ever.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

II Timothy 4:7

Eternal rest grant to her Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Thanks Grandma, for everything.

Next week the travel journal focusing on Jordan will resume.

#grateful #requiem #watercolor #gouache