At their last home she and grandpa lived in, she continued to have a variety of small garden areas for flowers and vegetables. Grape vines lined the border of the driveway, berry bushes crowded an area outside the front door to their small home. Fruit trees provided ample goods for fresh pies and jams also providing for great climbing when we visited on Sunday afternoons. A small greenhouse stood in the back of their home and I can still smell the dirt in my lungs, and see all the new plants on crude benches. Next to Jesus and love of family, anything a garden could produce brought sheer joy to my grandmother’s humble heart.

By the time all the children were out of the home, years of early mornings on the family farm and late nights spent in prayer for her family, began to take a toll on grandma’s health, especially her eyes. Slowly, her vision began to blur, even behind glasses. Her aging body moved more slowly now and walking on uneven ground was a concern to grandpa. So, he got her a little brown pup to become a companion to be her “eyes” and “steady her feet”. Fitting to his color, they named him “Brownie” and though he never attended obedience school or any other formal training, somehow Brownie “knew” his purpose. Whenever grandma went outside to check on plants, to walk among her flower beds, he was right by her side, quick to keep her steady or even chase off a rabbit or snake.

Brownie’s love for grandma, his dedication to her, causes me to ponder that everyone needs people in their lives who come alongside us. Some may be part of our lifetime, others enter for brief stretches in order to meet a need or teach a lesson.

I’ve been fortunate to have a variety of mentors in my own life, those individuals who God placed in my path for wonderful reasons. I think of Verne, a choir director I sang under at my home church in Saginaw. I was in my early 20’s when he began directing our adult choir and he recognized my “voice” and asked me to consider solo work, which I quickly said “no”. I’ll never forget when he said to me “Let me take you to lunch and talk about why you need to be performing solo work”. I clearly remember thinking “at least I’ll get a nice free lunch”. But Verne and God. In the course of under 60 minutes Verne prodded and poked through my fears and excuses and I agreed to give solo work a try. Those first attempts brought out nerves I didn’t know I had, proved that I could perform without throwing up (even though I wanted to) and gave me another outlet for worship and praising God.

When we moved to Fowlerville, I met Janet at the first church we attended. She invited me to a women’s Bible study, took me under her wings so-to-speak and invested countless hours of her own time to call me, invited me to Christian functions, ask me hard questions, and most importantly, taught me how to pray with more confidence and faith through some hard times in her life and mine.

“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.”  Proverbs 27: 9

What a simple beautiful verse from Proverbs that allows me to visualize grandma on a daily stroll in the gardens of her backyard…smelling all the fragrances from blooming flowers and ripening berries…the joy she was feeling in the moment…feeling secure in her Savior’s love and the protection of a little brown dog.

Grandma died when I was 14. Gramp lived for a while in that last small home they shared together until health concerns caused him to move in with one of my aunts. Brownie went to live on an uncle’s small gentleman’s farm in Millington where he was able to live out his last few years lazing on the lawn or wandering through the barn. Old age caused him to slow down, too, something every living creature experiences. He had lived out his purpose and when it came time, he, too, was given final rest. 

Verne died a few years ago, quite unexpectedly. Sadly, I’ve lost track of Janet. Though they are no longer part of my daily life, the lessons, encouragement and memories from their friendship still remain strong in my memories and endearing to my heart. Their “heartfelt advice” has grown a garden of faith I embrace every day.