Tribute To My Nana
Ann Tappan, who myself and my brothers affectionately called
Nana, recently passed away. She was my
mom’s mom, my grandmother. Bethany and I
flew back to NH to support the family during her passing and to reflect on her
life. It was a moving funeral in which
Bethany beautifully sang “I Will Rise” by Chris Tomlin. The service was encouraging because during
the music, sharing and afterwards God strongly spoke to my heart that He had
saved my Nana and she was home with Him. What more could you ask for in a funeral? The bridge of this song is a picture of the
believer coming home to heaven to meet Jesus Christ in His glory. Bethany sang:
I hear the voice of many angels sing, “Worthy is the Lamb”. I hear the cry of every longing heart, “Worthy
is the Lamb!”
I knew in this moment that Jesus Christ was the one who had
brought her home. Christ paid the blood
sacrifice for my Nana’s sins on the cross and my Nana had entrusted her life to
him. Jesus Christ snatched her up and
changed her forever.
Nana’s love for Jesus was evident in how she lived. She is one of those people who loved us so
fiercely in our childhood that I know it changed us. She showed us a deep picture of her love for
us flowing out of Christ’s love for her.
Sometimes you don’t stop and realize how dearly someone loves you until
they are gone.
After the service we formed a greeting line for friends and
family to come offer their condolences to us as the remainder of her family. This greeting line served to be a thread of
stories about God’s grace and work in my Nana’s life. What a blessing to hear more about God’s
miraculous and saving work in her life from those lives she touched!
I did not get to say goodbye to my Nana but a friend of hers
shared with me in the greeting line how he had been with Nana in some of her
last few moments. Nana had asked to read
Psalm 23 with him and he described to me how she read the last line with
confidence and tears in her eyes, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
My Nana was able to say those words with confidence because
she knew God’s goodness and love all the days of her life. She knew her only chance of being brought
home to heaven was Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross for her sin. You had a beautiful life, Nana and I know you
wanted to go home to Jesus. I look
forward to singing “Worthy Is the Lamb” with you someday in the presence of the
Lamb who has saved us. To Him be the
glory for your beautiful life!
