“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” `Proverbs 16:3

(If you haven't read the entry for October 31, please do so before continuing on here.)

When I was a little girl, I met a graceful little old lady at church.  Her name was Virginia, but everyone called her Ginger.  Being raised in a conservative, rural, East Texas town, little girls NEVER called adults by their first names.  Ginger was the exception.  My memories of Ginger are vague and sporadic, but she is tucked away there nonetheless.  I don't really know how old she was when I knew her, but I do know she was widowed and had grandchildren older than me.  She was small of stature, had beautiful gray hair, always had a smile on her face, and always had time for a young girl.

I remember Ginger as my Bible class teacher, probably when I was in 1st grade.  I loved going to her Bible class, and the thing I remember most about it was the maps.  As a class, we would MAKE maps (using markers, glue, sand, etc.) of the Bible lands.  I know now how much time and effort Ginger put in to prepare all of that for us, and it was a wonderful way to learn.  She loved the Lord, and she was always excited about teaching us about Him.  And she got me excited about learning about Him.

I also remember going over to visit at Ginger's house with my mother.  As I recall, her house was small with lots of grandmotherly trinkets, and she also had a toybox, which I loved.  When I was in 2nd grade, I had surgery, and Ginger sent me cards.  Multiple cards.  When I came home from the hospital, she came over to visit me, and brought me a ceramic statute of Thumper.  I still have it.

From Ginger, I learned that people are people.  It doesn't matter how many years pass between birth dates, a 5 year old can befriend and learn from a 70 year old, and vice versa.  I learned that little things (like cards, visits, and thoughtful gifts) can go a long way toward brightening someone's day.  Ginger taught me that no one is ever too old or too young to be considered "unimportant," or not worth the time.  She helped me learn that we are all made in God's image, and we are all special to Him.

I also learned from her that Bible class teachers can have a lifelong positive impact on their students.  Her faith and her love for God were sincere, and she excitedly passed that on.  Likewisee, she taught me that you are never "too old" to teach.  Yes, I know that sometimes age brings on difficulties with health that make teaching children's Bible classes difficult, but thanks to Ginger, I hope to never just use age as an excuse to "let the younger ones do it."

At some point in my childhood, Ginger left, and we lost touch.  I don't remember the circumstances or reasons - my guess now is that she probably moved closer to her children to be better cared for in her later years.  I'm quite sure that she has long ago passed from this life, and I'm relatively certain that she never fully realized the impact she had on a little girl named Tracy.  Someday I hope to tell her.