Mary McPray

I've learned that people will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how you made them feel.
                                                                     Maya Angelou

     David and I had the opportunity to make an Oklahoma run in the past 48 hours.  We hugged our son and daughter-in-law, cuddled our grandson, and listened to stories about how to be a wonderful grandparent.  Our purpose for driving ten out of thirty hours was to say good-bye to a dear friend who passed away last week.  Let me share with you about Mary McPray.
     Twenty two years ago, at seventy years old, Mary was retired and widowed.  She had problems with her feet and no one would have blamed her if she sat home and let others take care of her.  But that just wasn't her.  Instead she would walk the two miles to church, not because she didn't have a car or ability to drive, she just wanted to stay active.  Mary decided she wanted to meet some young people of our church community so she signed up for a dinner that we were having at our home.  I am so thankful she did. 
     After that she became an "adopted" grandmother to our young sons while we were living far from their own. She babysat both boys, played games with them, read to them, listened to them.  She kept a room in her home full of toys which always impressed Andrew and Mark.  Mary became a steadfast member of a Sunday evening prayer group in our home, letting Mark, at two years old, crawl all over her and sit in her lap.  Andrew remembers taking turns with his brother sitting next to her at daily mass.  It was during this time in their lives that Mark first started calling Mary McCray - Mary McPray.
     When Andrew was twelve, we moved back to Texarkana but he didn't forget Mary.  At twenty two, he showed up on her door step to let her know he had moved back to Norman to go to graduate school.  After the surprise of the moment, she opened her arms and welcomed her into her home and her life again.  For the past three years they have been sharing meals, rides, conversations and laughter.   She has encouraged him, prayed for him, loved him.  She welcomed his new wife and just recently, welcomed his new son, all as part of her family of loved ones.
     At Mary's wake, her own grandchildren shared over and over how she made them feel like the most important person in the world, spent time with them, played games with them, traveled with them and bought lots of popcorn when treating them to the movies.  At eighty something, she learned about the internet and email just so she could be in contact with them.
     Even with the loss of her beloved son and great grandson, Mary always seemed more concerned about others pain.  There are so many stories of Mary and I haven't even shared the difference she made in so many lives as a teacher for over twenty five years. 
    Though in years, Mary was old enough to be my grandmother, truly the best way to describe her was as a sister in Christ.  I give thanks for this model of how to be a woman of Proverbs 31:  ...the woman who loves the Lord is to be praised.  Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates. 
     Lord, thank you for Mary.  May she rest in peace.