Barry Hasan Durmaz

Hello everyone! 

Today, I am going to share the very first memory my family had together with Grandma when she arrived here. That will be, of course, the day she arrived. Papa and Mama had left about a week earlier to bring Grandma here.

The day started fairly well.

I say fairly well because although we did get to help a neighbor mulch his flowers, there was a misunderstanding between us siblings, and the ones who’d left to help the neighbor came back much later than the siblings at home had expected. Having a tight schedule that day didn’t help, either. Our parents and Grandma were coming home that evening, and we had to make sure everything was in order!

Breakfast that morning was a little tense, but God’s grace was working in us. Siblings are amazing. They’re there to rub on you, challenge you, and help you grow in love, even if they don’t know they’re doing so.

Anyway, after the short meal, I set out with my oldest sibling Victoria to purchase fresh flowers for Grandma. The flower shop was only 10 minutes away. There was a slight drizzle as we stepped out of the car. While Victoria fixed something with the car, I headed over to the buggy horse that was tied nearby. 

In case anyone doesn’t know this, Pennsylvania is filled with Amish. As a result, you see horses all over. There are horses pulling buggies on the road, horses grazing in pastures, and horses tied at businesses and stores.

If you’re a huge horse fan like me and my younger sister, you’d be going crazy to see all the horses! 

Well, I introduced myself to this fellow and stroked his nose.

Noticing the dog kennels nearby, I headed in that direction. To my utter delight, a corgi puppy came up against the wired wall, pushing his little black nose to touch my hand. It was too cute! 

Victoria soon came and reminded me why we were here. I left the puppy and followed her to the entrance of the flower shop. Once inside, I totally forgot the pup. There were flowers and leafy plants all over! We browsed over the entire shop, finding it larger than it’d look from the outside.

On our second trip through the selections, we picked out two flower specimens. The first had vibrant red roses in a small pot, and the second held a small bushy patch of leaves and stems with purple flowers in a basket. 

After purchasing the chosen specimens, we arrived home. During our absence, the remaining siblings, Joy, Josiah, and Christiana had cleaned up from our breakfast. Joy had set up a little tea and treat spot in Grandma’s room. 

Over the doorpost of Grandma’s room hung a banner on which was painted, “Grandma’s Room”. This was Christiana’s handiwork. She’d also painted an even larger banner which was to hang in the kitchen upon Grandma’s arrival. This banner said, “Welcome Home, Grandma!” 

Grandma’s room was lovely. Lovely was the perfect describer. The three older sister, namely Victoria, Joy, and myself, gazed about the small room with satisfaction. After all our work in cleaning the house, taking beds apart, moving things around, and setting up the room was paying off. 

By this time, 12:30 was fast approaching. There were the last hurried preparations to get ready for our outing. You see, our neighbor, Mr. Groff, and two of his children were coming to pick us up to go to an equine event. All of us were going except for Victoria.

It was an open house at a ministry called Greystone Manor.

Greystone Manor specializes in using horses to help disabled people. It’s what you would call a therapeutic horse center. Two other friends we know volunteer at this ministry. They invited us to go to the open house, and we invited Mr. Groff and his children to come with us. Since both Papa and Mama were gone, and it was too far for Victoria to drive, we asked Mr. Groff to bring us there.

It was a blast at the event! We met up with our friends, and had a great time together!

We played equine-related games such as: pin the tail on the pony, stack the hay bales, catch the horse, and more. After playing these games, we received tickets to choose a prize from the gift table. There were also tables where you could learn more about their ministry and other related ministries. Meeting the horses was one of my favorite things!

Around 3 pm, when the event was closing, we headed out. We got two wooden table decors for Grandma’s room among the prizes we'd picked. The first was tall. On its surface was painted a pink flowery rainbow. Underneath it said, “Blessed Beyond Measure”. The second table decor was much smaller and simpler. It was painted all grey with white letters. The quote was, “A little progress each day adds up to big results.”

Once at home, we bid our neighbors farewell and thanked them for taking us to the event. Inside, we spoke of all our adventures to Victoria, who was cooking. Joy set up the table decors in Grandma’s room, which was lovelier than before! We were so sure that Grandma was going to love it!

The rest of the afternoon was spent in cooking. Well, Victoria and Christiana cooked. I’m not sure what Joy and Josiah did. I read most of the time. 

We had a friend who stopped by to pick up a sewing project from Joy, but otherwise, it was a quiet and peaceful time. The time slowly went by. Then, we got word from the travelers. They were driving home from the airport and would arrive soon!

The peaceful atmosphere was broken. Excitement and energy buzzed. 

Victoria ordered Scottish Christmas Music to be played. She’d discovered a delightful album of Highland Christmas music last year. We couldn’t think of any other kind of music which would fit the mood.

The moment finally came. We heard the car pull up and hid behind the kitchen door. Josiah had set up his camera to film the entire event. We thought Grandma would enter first and be surprised and delighted by the banner, the beaming faces, and the bright warmth of welcome. 

However, Papa stepped in first carrying a suitcase. From the first glance of his face, I could see that he was tired. And so was Mama and Grandma. 

Grandma’s entrance wasn’t as grand as we’d hoped, but it was no less warm than what I’d thought. Grandma entered the house with the help of Mama and the older girls. We all hugged her and said our welcome. It definitely wasn’t less warm than what we’d planned. Grandma was so overwhelmed at the beginning. 

The time that passed over the next few hours was sweet and joyful. We showed Grandma her room. Everything delighted her. It even surpassed Mama’s expectations which pleased me more than ever. 

There was a lot of buzz at first, bringing things in, talking, laughing, it was good. Eventually, we all settled down around the dining table. Stories were told, memories shared, and delicious food enjoyed. There were no longer seven members, but eight.

As I sat at the table, looking at all the faces, I knew my life had changed. Our lives had changed. 

Grandma was home. 

I hope you enjoyed this first post! If you have any thoughts, don’t hesitate to comment! Stay tuned for the next post on Mother’s Day!

His Mercy Endures,

Liberty

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!”

Psalm 106:1