On May 20, 2011 my family lost the strongest woman ever known. My grandmother, AvieLou Brandon passed early Friday morning after 94 years of life. And it was a like well lived.
In 1916, AvieLou Winters was born to a humble family of dirt farmers and cotton pickers. She spent her childhood working and going to tent revivals. Very early in life she knew that she wanted to serve the Lord her God. She met Richard "Buster" Brandon later in life. After she would work all day in the cotton fields, she would stay after and gather the scraps of cotton. She did this to make a marriage bed for her and her soon to be husband. She knew that "Buster" would be her husband and mate for life.
As I said before, AvieLou knew God and she prayed to Him almost every day of her life. My cousin Valerie said at her funeral "I sometimes believed grandmother had a hotline to God". Well, I think so too. I watched my grandmother go to her knees during her "devotional" to God. She would begin her prayer with a greeting to God and thanking Him for hearing her prayer. She would then begin to pray for each and everything that went on in her life until the pain and sorrow of those she was praying for consumed her soul to the point of tears. She would tell God of how she prayed and fasted, fasted and prayed that His grace would be upon anyone who did not seek Him. She would pray that her words would fall on His ears like a beautiful melody. She cried. And not a sad cry, but an emotional cry to God pouring out her soul because she knew she was not worthy of His grace. She came to God as a child begging for forgiveness for the things that she had done or even the things she may do. I listened as my grandmother kept the line to God open at all times.
One day I was sad. I was sad because my mom told me she would come and get me and take me to play. She wasnt there when I expected and I asked grandmother if we could pray for her to come. We went to our knees in the living room facing the front of the house. With the front door open so we could see the road we began to pray. Grandmother asked God to bring my momma home to me. She told God that I was sad and that I wanted my momma. Soon after we prayed, my mom showed up. My grandmother DOES have a direct line to God!.
My oldest brother Jeff lived with my grandparents. In 1985 I lived with my dad in Huntsville. We got a call on Saturday morning that my brother had died in a car accident. My grandmother was devastated. I went to Gadsden with my dad to be with my grandparents and when I got there my grandmother was on her knees with tears in her eyes. You could have hit her with a baseball bat and it would not have hurt her more than losing my brother. But she prayed for my brother and she prayed him into Gods arms.
I did not visit or call my grandmother like I should have. I lived a life that she would not approve of. I felt judged. Little did I know that she was not judging me, she was praying for me. She loved me so much. She would often tell me that she was ready to sell her piano to get me back from Mobile when child services had me. She would always greet me with "hi there, how are you?" I would say "I am good grandmother, how are you?" and she would respond "I am well for someone my age, the Lord keeps me going after all these years". She always smiled when she saw me.
I miss her voice. I miss her words. I miss her prayers. I miss my grandmother. Its strange that when my granddaddy died I did not feel the need to write even though I loved him just as much. But my grandmother introduced me to God and she never let me forget Him. Because of that I am a better man today.
I miss you grandmother. I know that angels lifted you to heaven and Jesus met you at the gates. I know that God said to you "welcome home my faithful child". You are with Buster right now and I know you are happy. Give granddaddy a hug for me. Tell Jeff I miss him very much. Tell dad I hope he can run now. Ask God to give me strength as I finish my life here on earth. Please ask Him to help me daily to be a better man. I love you.
