Welcome to another week! I’m dedicating this week’s column to the memory of two special Adamsville residents, and to the life of a very special young lady from Atlantic.
Heaven gained two precious souls in the past couple weeks—Betty Christie and Lawrence McGranahan. Both were long-time members of Adamsville Presbyterian Church, and friends of my late grandma, Millie Moore.
I remember Betty as one of the classiest, most beautiful ladies I ever knew. I emphasize lady. She wasn’t just a woman; she was a lady. And she had a beautiful singing voice that she shared willingly and often. Grandma Moore admired her deeply.
One memory of Betty stands out among the others. I think it’s a good summary of her character. Her husband, Emerson, developed diverticulitis. She knew he loved strawberry pie. So, one June afternoon, she seeded enough strawberries to make a pie.
Did you catch that? She seeded strawberries. Not apples. Not peaches. Strawberries, with dozens of tiny seeds covering the surface. Even one seed could’ve caused him excruciating pain. She removed each seed.
Now, that’s true love.
Lawrence McGranahan was another long-time friend of my Grandma Moore’s. They worked together at the Greenville Record-Argus for many years. When I attended her church as a child, I remember he always, always wore a three-piece suit. What a gentleman! And he always had his hair combed just so.
Lawrence had a servant’s heart. I seem to remember he was an usher at church quite often. He served as assistant Boy Scout leader for years. He also drove a school bus for many years, and was everyone’s favorite bus driver.
The other thing I remember about Lawrence was his impeccable property. I mean, I never saw a weed. I never saw anything lying in his yard. I don’t ever even remember seeing a car parked in his yard. He took pride in his home, and it showed. I admire that.
Heaven welcomed two very special people this month, that’s for sure.
Now, here’s another remarkable person from the Atlantic community who deserves recognition.
How many people can boast a relative who attends Yale University? Well, Susie, Levi, Mike Byler, and her sister, Laurie Buchanan, all of Atlantic, surely can.
Lianna Byler began her first semester at Yale last week. Only six percent of applicants are admitted to Yale. This is a testimony to her academic achievement.
I had the privilege of meeting Lianna when she was a little girl at Fallowfield’s Vacation Bible School during music class. What I remember about Lianna is her huge, contagious smile.
Lianna is remarkable not only because she is so intelligent, and has begun her studies at Yale, but because of her past. Her parents, Susie and Levi, adopted Lianna from China when she was 14 months old. We all know girls are not prized in China. But Lianna’s story is shocking even in light of this knowledge.
A police officer found a precious one-month-old baby in a box alongside a road and took her to an orphanage. Tears well in my eyes thinking of this. Through a series of events, God opened the door for the Bylers to adopt her. God has big plans for Lianna, and I have a feeling she’s only scratched the surface.
I’m sure the Christie, McGranahan, and Byler families would appreciate your prayers as they’ve said goodbye to loved ones, even if it is only temporarily. And as believers, these are all temporary good-byes, even when a family members has taken his or her heavenly flight.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!
