July 11: The Changing World and My Grandmother: Charles

Yesterday was July 11th here in Russia (we're 11 hours ahead of Seattle time). It would have been the 108th birthday of my grandmother, Stella Squyres. She died in December of 1993, at the age of 93. Hers was the first funeral I ever officiated.

She was more than a matriarch of the family, she was a sweet woman with a love for life and of all those whom she encountered. She taught me very much about God, about life, and about love, and I miss her every day even still.

Being in Russia and touring the Kremlin on her birthday reminded me of the way Russia and the whole world has changed in the last century. My grandmother was 17 when the Soviets took over Russia and most of Eastern Europe. She was in her early 40s (older than I am now) when World War II began and Stalin -- who later turned out to be one of the cruelest dictators in history -- was actually seen as a temporary ally of the U.S.! She was in her 50s and 60s during the height of the Cold War, when it seemed that going to Russia was almost unimaginable, since the U.S. and Russia were engaged directly and indirectly in bitter conflict and debate. She lived long enough to see Russian and American relationships begin to "thaw" quite a bit in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the many years of conflict that she witnessed made her a bit skeptical about whether an American would ever be able to walk the streets of Russia -- much less the Kremlin -- without fear of harm.

I wonder what she thinks about her grandson and great grandchildren getting to stand in the heart of Moscow, take photos, be greeted warmly (and sometimes not so warmly) by Russians. I wonder what she thinks about her grandson and his family being able to actually share some good news about God in such a place. She would probably do what she always did: Encourage, pray, and love. That's what we're trying to do here, too, Mee-Maw.... Thanks for the life you lived.

Charles