email from grandson Josh Stone 8/15/09

From: Joshua Stone
Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 11:01 PM

Hi Aunt Connie,

...the more I think about Grandmother the more I am aware of her legacy, that is, her husband and her children and her faith in the Lord and the faith of hers passed on to her children, passed on to me, which I hope to pass on to mine by way of the same means, that is, the grace of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. I can't escape how all of this culminates for Grandmother in her present peace. She ran the race and fought the fight, and is reaping only the beginning of her reward even as I type.

I often tell my son that he will get to see Uncle Tim when Jesus comes back. So now grandmother is added to the saints. Moreover, this is an opportunity to tell my son about Granddad, who he never knew. There is no flawless lineage, but I am so pleased and so grateful to God for letting me be in this very one.

In college I had a powerful flashback while listening to a Michael Card song about his grandfather--I've told Mom this story once or twice. The memory was of Granddad reading Psalm 121 to me in the basement of the house on Malin Road before I went to sleep that night (I recall him kneeling next to me, but who knows). "I lift my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth..." The Michael Card lyric went, "Granddad I wish you could be here, to tell me what to do/'cause I first saw the light of Christ in you." I recall experiencing some sort of thought along the lines of "He really believes this." And this was no small thing.

Its that sort of memory that I think of--where the light of Christ comes from--when I talk about Grandmother's legacy, and my extreme gratitude for being in it. The active grace of God is part of her legacy--no, it IS the legacy!

Much love,
Josh