Lacey Bland
Grandmas are a gift from the Lord. They love their grandchildren and like to spoil their grandchildren as much as possible. The Lord blessed me with an amazing grandmother—Joyce Dennis. She has a loving heart and sweet spirit, and she spoils her grandchildren. Whenever I go to her house, she makes my favorite food. I usually have at least one meal involving chicken and an apple pie. One of my favorite characteristics about my grandma is her humor—or lack thereof. She is hilarious and sometimes does not know it! She not only says hilarious things but also does hilarious things. For example, my grandma has talked to a mirror at three in the morning because she did not realize that it was her own reflection. My family tells my grandma that she has many blonde moments, which makes life interesting.
My grandma grew up in a small town in Indiana and is a true Hoosier. She has a redneck accent and says words such as “warsh,” “yonder,” “bolth” and phrases such as “arm bitin’ deal.” She is a friendly person and comes from a friendly town. Therefore, she cannot imagine living in a place with people who do not spontaneously come over to say hello. My grandma is sweet and fun, and she knows how to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Her personality is one of a kind. At all of my high school games, everyone knew my grandma because she yelled “Come on Terre Haute!” when the gym was dead silent. She became a grandma to my basketball and volleyball teammates because she encouraged and cheered for them both on and off the court. At some of the home games, my grandma brought chocolate chip cookies for my teammates and me to share. She loves being involved in her children’s and grandchildren’s lives. If one of us grandkids had a boy that we were interested in, my grandma was the first to ask us about it. She loves having people over, laughing, and being with her family.
Family is most important to her. My grandma is a strong woman, and she loves the Lord. She has battled cancer and won; but her cancer returned around eight years ago, and she continues to fight cancer today. But a person would not know that anything was wrong with her because she does not show it. She has a joy about her presence and a smile on her face because that is who my grandma is. If you ask her how she goes through each day, she will tell you that she depends completely on the Lord. She knows that if she chooses to dwell on her health situation, she could easily become sad and upset. But she realizes that the Lord is in control, and she gives her health to Him each day.
Through her battle of cancer, my grandma gained much wisdom and became an example to me. When we first discovered that her cancer had not only returned but also spread to her lungs, my grandma said that all she wanted was to see all her grandchildren graduate high school. Those words were difficult to hear coming from her. Thankfully, the Lord has let her live longer. Her life is a picture of God’s grace. Therefore, she will be the first to say that God is good all the time. I am thankful for the moments I spend with her, and I know that she cherishes the moments that she spends with her family.
