Happy Birthday, Grandma

My Grandma Procee is someone whom I admire and love. I'm privileged to be named after her. She is a strong and godly woman, who has spent so much of her life serving her family and church community. I have always been close with her; she has filled my heart and mind with sweet memories.
Just a few of them to share: I remember her packing a picnic for Marlies and I so that we could spend lunchtime in our hayfort. She included my favorite bottle of fruit juice, and I felt deliciously spoiled. I think my sweet tooth syndrome was spurred on by her constantly handing out Dutch candy. Grandma let me play beside her as she weeded her vegetable garden and then later taught me how to snap the ends off of beans before cooking them. She taught me how to peel Yukon gold potatoes without wasting. Whenever I slept over, she would tuck me into bed and sing a few Dutch songs (It created incessant giggles under the duvet- I'm sure Marlies remembers this :)! Today I was shopping for teacher supplies, and I came across a book for children with removable plastic stickers. It triggered a memory of Grandma buying this for me on one of our grocery trips, and then topping it off with a colour-candy sprinkled donut! I can vividly recall her scurrying around during family gatherings, trying to keep everyone's plates full of homecooked and homebaked treats. Grandma allowed me to take on the role of interior decorator, and I felt quite lucky picking her garden roses and arranging them into an antique vase. Winter months dropped lots of crisp snow on the Procee farm, and this meant Grandma and I could cross-country ski again, with our fuzzy, tag-a-long pup, Goldy. How could I forget her steadfast trust in the Lord during her painful battle with cancer?
I really could go on and on and on. I have especially fond memories of visiting her when I grew into my teens and now into my twenties. She was always someone I could talk easily with. I enjoyed cleaning her house, and then stopping for lots of coffee and cake breaks where we would chat about her past. As a history enthusiast, I loved listening to her recollections of WWII. There is so much to learn from our grandparents.
Grandma, I love you and am so thankful to God for the blessing you have been in my life. You are a true witness for Christ and you live and walk in service and thankfulness to Him. Thankyou for everything you have sacrificed throughout your life for your family, and for the godly example you have set. I can only hope to be half the grandma you are someday!