My Grandmother’s Bible
By Stephanie Pavlantos
A little over a month ago, Cindy wrote the post, “I’m Going to Ruin My Bible.” I told her that at my grandmother’s funeral the pastor read her notes and prayers written in her Bible. They were beautiful and personal, and showed me a side of my Grandma I had not known. Cindy asked me to write about her.
My grandmother’s story is a little like Cinderella’s, without the rich prince and the dress. Eula Mae Linkfield was a spirited woman with red hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was a strong, independent woman who spoke her mind. She was born on a leap year in 1913.
I know nothing about my grandmother’s mother; I never heard Grandma speak of her, but I believe she died when Grandma was young. Her father remarried but drowned after having two more children with his wife. Unfortunately, once her father died, her stepmother sent her off to a foster home. My grandmother bounced from home to home, suffering abuse and neglect from those who were supposed to care for her.
She ran away at sixteen and married Ernest White. They had seven children together. Over the course of their forty-nine-year marriage, they welcomed sixteen grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.
Life was challenging for the young couple. They lived through the Depression, WW1, WW2, the Korean and Vietnam wars, miscarriages, and cancer.
My grandmother’s faith always got them through it.
At times they barely had enough to feed their large family, they lived on beans and cornbread most of the time. Although brilliant with radios and TVs, my grandfather’s excessive drinking often resulted in him losing his job and a steady paycheck. Grandpa eventually died of both lung and bone cancer. Thankfully, he put his trust in Jesus before he left this world.
Through it all, my grandmother’s faith kept the family together.
Grandma continually talking about Jesus to all her children and grandchildren. When I lived with her after college, I witnessed her on her knees praying to the Lord for her family. And she always had her nose in the tattered and worn Book which sat next to her favorite recliner with a pen. Only after her death did I learn about the prayers and poems she penned next to the written scriptures in her Bible.
Although not all her family members have a relationship with the Lord, I know He will continue to answer her prayers until this world ends.
Stephanie Pavlantos
Author - Jewels of Hebrews
Podcast - Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity
Stephanie Pavlantos is passionate about guiding others into a deeper understanding of God's Word. Her heart for Scripture and its Hebrew roots inspires everything she writes and teaches.