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I love this post.  My grandma always had a dish of Andes chocolate mints on her little kitchen table, and my mom has a candy dish on her coffee table.  I need to start that tradition myself so my kids and future grandkids can remember that about me. It is such a comforting thing.  I agree with everything you said about how nice it is to be around a person who is unassuming, humble, and gentle.  I want to be that way.  Like 1 Peter 3:4 says, "let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."  This is what I desire to be.

Grandma Donna wrote, Lisa U, What a wonderful verse.  I will do my best to be this way as well. :)

I agree with all you have written here and like many others who read your blog, grew up with people like this in their lives - for me it was the women in my mother's family. However, there was one special woman, Mrs Joy Campbell, who was a neighbour and I knew her 47 years, meeting her when I was 4. She was like Aunt Ruth except that I saw her often. She passed away aged 87 last week, unexpectedly, and I feel such grief.  Your post has reminded me what it was about her that drew me and so many others to her. As Lisa U pointed out, it was her Christian faith and her gentle and quiet   spirit. What a legacy she left me. Something funny did happen to me on Friday at a playground with my 5 year old granddaughter. Lots of Mums were there and I was not chatting with anyone in particular but noticed one Mum looking a bit harassed. Eventually I heard her say that she needed to look for a dummy as one of her twins was very upset without it but she didn't want to leave and then come back. Another Mum and I offered to hold and take care of her twins (6 months old) while she got the dummy. Her toddler was happily playing with friends. We had the babies for 20 minutes - complete strangers - but everyone was fine and it made us chat and stay together. We cared for each other. It made my heart so full. This is in country Australia but I would have offered wherever I was. A lovely post Grandma Donna, thank you.

Grandma Donna wrote, Hi Cate N, it sounds to me that they named Mrs. Campbell perfectly when she was born.  I am sorry to hear about her passing and your loss of such a wonderful friend.  My Grandmother prayed for all of us while she was here and I knew when she passed that I wanted to step up my prayers to fill in where she left off.  

That was so kind to to help the Mum out by watching over her children and you made friends in the process. That had to feel good to be given that opportunity to care for another.  This is what it is all about. 

Thank you for this reminder. I need to work on being a quieter person. Love to share stories and make people laugh, however, at 82 I am still working on me! Both of my grandmothers as well as my Mom are my heros and taught me so much that I have shared with my children, grands and now 2 new great grandchildren.Blessings to all, Carolyn in Florida

Beautiful heartfelt advice...took me right back to my Nana and Pop who raised me. xxx

I have realised that her prayers will now be missing as well as her physical presence. I think your idea to take up the baton of prayer is a good one. I already pray for many of my family and friends but I can now remember those that Joy would have specifically prayed for, and who may now miss out. Blessings on you, Cate

This change in the world to me has been the most concerning effect of Covid. I have seen such a difference in my grandchildren. They lost learning time and just seem sad sometimes. We don’t seem to value life and have become “a throw away “ society. I still have sweet memories that comfort me and boy I am working hard to help my littles find strength, peace and joy 

why Donna, I believe this just may be the sweetest thing you have ever written!  It is so true.  People seem drawn to the sweet spirited people.  My Mom was my hero.  Such a gentle peaceful spirit that all loved her.  When Mom lost speech from her stroke the gentleness continued to ooze out her pores I think.  Three times when I had her in stores or at a doctors office I had people turn to me and say “is she really that sweet?  She must be a Christian!”  I want to be like her.  I think one thing that draws people to the gentle spirited folks is that they are those who truly—see—people.  They take the time to smile, nod their head, and speak to those others don’t even notice their alive.           And thanks for the memory of the candy dish.  I think I’m going to do that also when my grand girls come this week.

And I liked your comment about there being so many things that the best go unnoticed.  How very insightful!

Dell

I love this post, could absolutely feel what you expressed 
My son used to love going to see my Grampa (his great Grampa) because Grampa kept chocolates the bread box and he was usually allowed to have one. My grampa is now gone, but my mom was recently going through some things and ran across Grampa’s bread box. She bought a bag of chocolates to put in it and sent it to my son. I’m just guessing that there will often be chocolate in the bread box for many more years. 

What a lovely post! I find myself more and more being drawn to living such a life. I know many my age are looking to move away or travel because now "it's their turn" but I just want to be home and make a home for all who come by. I have set things about my house for my little grandson to discover. I have a jar of Scrabble tiles in one room he found one day. Another day and in another room he found the Dominoes. I reorganized my tea shelf so it's easier to make tea when a visitor would like some.  There's always chocolate or cookies on the shelf. 

Sometimes I'm told I should be traveling or doing things for me. But I am. I'm doing what makes me happy and that's having a pleasant place for family and friends to be.

Your heartfelt, wise words in this post reminded my of my lovely old fashioned Nana, oh how I miss her and her gentle ways. Thank you, blessings to you GDonna ~ Linda

Grandma Donna, this is a lovely post and epitomizes all you have been trying to tell us from the beginning. Yes, like Lisa U. said, I long to be a sweet-tempered, unassuming and quiet person from the inside out. Thank you for this truly inspiring piece. God bless you.

A lovely post, and it has me missing some folks now.  

One of my grandmothers died well before I was born, but the other one, who died when I was 29, was well known as a sweet, gentle-spoken woman.  I never, not once, heard her make a critical remark about anyone.  We all adored her.  So many people think that grandkids are for spoiling, that they are surprised to find out my grandmother didn't spoil any of her grandkids or great-grandkids.  Our parents' rules of behavior became hers when we visited and she enforced them, and she let us have no treats unless our parents had approved it.  No, it was her gentle smile, sweet words, loving hugs, unassuming nature and twinkles of humor that made us want to be around her.  Even her own children thought she was the kindest person ever.

My mother (my grandmother's daughter) loved us dearly and did so much for us, but I never thought of her as sweet, somehow, although I certainly loved her.  Perhaps I unconsciously compared her to my grandmother.  However, my kids remember my mother fondly as their sweet grandmother.

I miss both women, very much, and the approach of Mother's Day brings the memories back to me. We need more quiet kindness in this world.  I am still working on myself in that aspect!

This is a wonderful post! Well said. Thank you, Grandma Donna, for reminding us of important things like this.

What a lovely post!  It reminds me of my own sweet Grandma!

Margaret P I understand what you are saying and I think there are many of us who are feeling more and more like we want to prepare the nest, prepare the ark, for a haven of peace away from this crazy world. Donna and I share an unusual ear malady called Ménière’s that sometimes keeps us from being involved in things that delight others.  My friends are grieved we can’t attend concerts or movies or certain restaurants with them (and sometimes embarrassed to talk about those around us, we are slowly getting them to understand that while we truly love their company we truly don’t feel we are missing out)..those activities are an absolute NO for my husband and I as he too has an ear problem.  But, it was the Grace of God that put the two of us together because we don’t feel the lack of being able to go to those places.  We are completely content.  I think it is lovely that you realize where you are content and are fashioning your nest.  I to have put little surprises around for grandkids to discover through the years.  Once they could read they LOVED going on treasure hunts….finding and reading directions to the next clue until they finally ended at the treasure.  They also loved scavenger hunts where They had to find several hidden objects in the house.  Simple fun

Grandma Donna wrote,  I have been enjoying all of your comments, I hope they keep coming in because it is such a wonderful topic.   Reading your comments makes me realize that it is the gentle people that get our attention because there is something that makes us want to be more like them.  You seem to have those special memories too.  All we need to do, is do the things necessary things we do with love.

I am going to come in with and edit here because I lost my train of thought what I was going to say before I posted so I will pick up here. I feel that this time that we live in today, sometimes the homebody people feel pressured to be doing and going, we are all different and that is what makes the world go around as I would say.  I enjoy my home as many of you do and it is good to have balance with all we do.  In my family long ago my, my grandparents, and aunties and family stayed home mostly keeping house and would always have something to set out for a visitor.  People visited with one another and that was what going out was about other than shopping for groceries or some fabric etc.  We had business to do at home and that was cleaning and cooking and tending to things.  Somehow that all flew out the window in this time that we are in.  I am staying my ground.  :)

Somehow we need to figure out how to bring back that kind of going out. :)

I love this post.  It also reminds me of my sweet grandmother.  Granny was a wonderful cook, seamstress, and gardener.  She taught me to embroider, sew, cook, and make jelly.  The best thing she did was just love people.  I want to be like her.  I haven't made it yet, and I'm 64! I too, feel a real need to be home much more than anyone else I know.  We live in the country, so I have God's creation all around me to enjoy.  Thankfully, my husband and I have retired, so I can be home more.  Thank you so much for this wonderful website.  I love the simple living posts.  God bless you all.

Grandma Donna, What a great & awesome post  : ). Everything in it is so important & so true.  I am in my 50's. I so agree with everything you said. This is something that is hard to explain to the younger generation. But I still try to explain it to my child and I have tried to live it. God bless!  

    Jill P

This post has been just what I needed to read. I'm 41 and still remember my grandparents special little containers of treats. I'm going to bring that back to our home as I have tried to keep out so much of that sort of thing, but it sure does feel good on our inner soles to have those little things. Maybe it's a comfort thing.

I can't believe how many of my friends don't want to be social at all. It's like pulling teeth at times and when they do talk it's all about how busy they are and what activity they have to get too. Rush rush rush constantly. The strain it's putting on 2 couples marriages is unreal. One is working graveyard at Walmart and leaving her kids at home at night by themselves when her husband travels for work. It makes me sad especially when they celebrate sending the kids back to school for their mom time. We home school our son and just couldn't imagine that sort of life with that stress.

I really enjoyed reading again the 1 Peter 3:4 scripture. It reminded me of some other ones if I remember correctly 1 Timothy 2:9 was about women's beauty and modesty. 

The big button in the middle is just like some from my grandmothers button tin. I saw it and it just took me back to her house which was so much fun. She was very kind, loving and sweet. I loved to play with her combs, rollers and watch her do simple things like file her fingernails or put on her sunglasses. She was classy when going out in public, but you never knew she was in the flower beds an hour beforehand. That particular set of grandparents never wore jeans! My grandfather thought that dressing down was a 3 piece suit with a tie to mow the lawn in. He wore a tuxedo all the other times. They were quite the couple.   :)