From now until this day is over, all I am going to post are memories of Faye Geraldine Maddox-Swanson. My biggest regret in life that I have never told anyone was that I wasnt there at her last birthday party. You see, I was attending The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisivlle, Kentucky at the time. I was working and attending class which wasnt exactly cheap. At the time, I paid $130 maybe slightly more or less per credit hour for the Masters of Divinity programs. I had scholarships from my own church and the Southern Baptist Convention. I had last seen her in August right after I came home from Gainesville, Florida where I was learning how to plant churches from my Supervised Ministry Experience where I got a small amount of money each week that I earned to save up to last me for my Mullins Hall rent and for food and other necessities such as books for school. I shouldve found a way to attend that last birthday. Up until the age of 26, I never missed any of her birthdays. I think of things like that but at least I did talk to her on the telephone wishing her a Happy Birthday and talked to her for about ten minutes that last time. Usually, Grandma didnt talk very long on the telephone but was more talkative in person. I had wished her a Happy Birthday and told her how much I loved her and missed her very much. She told me about who was at her birthday and all of the family gossip as only Grandma Faye could. Also, she asked me when I was coming back to visit her and responded that probably at Christmas since I would need to save up for a plane ticket. Grandma told me that she knew that she wouldnt be alive at Christmas but told me how much she loved me. I told her to quit joking like that and that she would be there for Christmas but something in my gut told me that it might happen. One week later, she passed away. I learned of her death twice. First time was around 3am by Mama. Then someone called campus security who waited until my 9am Introduction to Church Growth class to pull me out in the hallway and tell me what I had already had barely processed 6 hours previously. I had tried to compose myself, wipe off all my tears, and as you could imagine compose myself knowing my Grandma wouldnt want me to look like a mess, I intended to go and take my Intro to Church Growth test since I was in there to take the test and I was trying to cling to something resembling normal and familiar. I went ahead and took the test and didnt do very well on that test and ended up with a C that semester. God gave me encouragement through many people family, friends, and my Southern Seminary family. Sometimes it takes tragedy to find out what kind of character an individual has. I wish that heaven had phone service so I could chat. But then again, I would want to talk for eternity.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 17:59:26 +0000
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