My Granny – Ruth David

Ruth David was my grandmother. She was 94 years old. She was a believer in Jesus Christ – a belief which I’m sure will result in our meeting again when God’s kingdom is fully realised according to His promises. I stand here before you today to tell you that I am sad (as I am sure family and friends are too) because she is no longer physically here with us. I do however, rejoice in the blessing that God gave me and all of us whose lives she impacted – and I stand here before you today to say thank You to God for her life.

Before I go on any further – I want to extend a big thank you to my aunty Cynthia and uncle David Kanagaraj and family as the main share in the task of looking after my granny over the last few years fell entirely on their shoulders. Thank you from the rest of the family.

My grandmother wasn’t perfect – she’d a terribly stubborn streak, which I’m quite sure she passed down to my mum (who is also with the Lord) and I’m sure that that streak’s also found it’s way down to me! She was quiet – and unassuming – but that stubbornness – that will that she had was strong. She made mistakes (as we all do) and she enjoyed life as we all do. One thing that she did, that not all of us can do is to sacrifice her life for those she loved. Ask any of us, her grandchildren – and we’ll tell you of how she has at some point or other helped in our upbringing. Most of us even call her ‘ama’. She looked after us to help out our parents – but mind you, she never did so for any kind of compensation nor did she make any kind of demand in return. She never amassed wealth. She didn’t even own things – except for what she wore. She lived serving – and in the faith that saw her always clothed, fed and looked after. She loved and was protective of the people she loved.

There was quite an amusing childlike kind of eagerness that she had whenever she’d to go to church. We’ve all at some point or other teased her or laughed about the fact that she’d be ready to leave for church sometimes more than an hour ahead of time, even though church would be a 10 minute car drive away. And she’d cluck and chase after us to get ready. This was her way of instilling in us the discipline of going to church, which was for her a very big deal. I still wish I could do this – and encourage others to go to church in the same way for it is what we are called to do. And childlike as this was – my grandmother was doing the right thing.

Another thing that used to make us laugh was the way she’d make all the tid-bits for Christmas in such large quantities, we could’ve been an IKEA for tid-bits at Christmas. She always ensured that every family unit would have an ample supply – and my grandmother was generous in her quantification of ‘ample’. I remember masterminding a plot alongside some of my cousins – to get rid of a large quantity of murukku flour she wanted us to help with. We’d wanted to go swimming instead. The plan was to pack the murukku dough into our pockets – and mind you we’d some pretty huge pockets on those shorts we wore then! It worked – and she was very pleased with us coz she thought we’d been diligently squeezing out murukkus. Later, we did tell her the truth… and she laughed. Later, we also discovered that good murukku is hard to come by…and we cried!

There are lots of stories that I could tell you – from the time she first sailed to Malaya from India, the encounters with the Japanese during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, the feasts she’d cook up, the countless games she played with me… so many things but they wouldn’t be the right way that we should remember this person.

The last week or so has been difficult. She was dying of old age. Literally – that’s what it was. Her sight was failing as was her breath. Her bones were aching and her body was just decaying – right before our eyes. It was horrific watching. And… I’m convinced, it wasn’t easy for her either. In fact, it must’ve been terrible. But… there were the things that she said: and these are the things that I want you to remember her by. She cried out to God – to Jesus – to have mercy on her, this sinner and to come take her home. It was to Him (her maker) that she cried out to. Not to her children, grandchildren or great grandchildren. Over and above the role of wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother – my granny was a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ. Remember her this way. I think that would be the best way to think of her: Ruth David, believer and follower of Jesus Christ. And when you do that, thank God for His mercy in sending her as His blessing to our family – we have been richly blessed indeed.