Cinnamon Rolls and a Beautiful Legacy

Thursday mornings are early mornings.  Each Thursday morning a small group of my senior high girls meets up at the building for breakfast and a Bible study.  So each Thursday morning I attempt to bake something for breakfast.  Some mornings turn out great, and some mornings start with the smoke detector going off 4 times in my apartment before 5:30 a.m.  And some weeks I just give up and go and buy cereal.

All of my girls have different favorites, some love the banana bread, some love the cereal, some love the bagels, and some love the cinnamon rolls!  Ahhhhh the cinnamon rolls.  For any of you who have spent any significant amount of time around my family, you know our love for and have probably developed your own love for grandma's homemade cinnamon rolls.  These were always a special treat in my house growing up.  Cinnamon rolls were always present during the holidays or big dinners or events that were happening at our house.

My sweet grandmother was known by her family and friends for her amazing homemade cinnamon rolls.  The only thing is...there is no recipe.  Growing up it was always entertaining to watch mom mix the dough together, throw flour all over the kitchen, roll out the dough, smother it in butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and out came a pan of ooooey gooey goodness.

It wasn't until I moved to Little Rock that I got the privilege of learning how to make these slices of heaven in a pan, come to life.  During one of my trips back to OKC to visit the family I insisted that mom teach me how it was done.  So, my sweet mother took the time to roll up her sleeves, make a giant mess, and pass on the cinnamon roll legacy to her daughter.

Last night as I was spreading flour all over my counter and rolling out a double batch of dough for our breakfast this morning, it hit me.  O what a beautiful legacy my grandmother left for me.  Sure, the cinnamon rolls triggered the thought, but it goes so much further than that.  What a legacy of faith, love, and hospitality she left for me.

I am so thankful that my grandmother didn't just pass along her wonderful cinnamon roll recipe, but that she passed along so much more.  My grandmother passed on so many amazing qualities to my mother, and I pray that those qualities that they have shared will be present in my life as well.  Qualities like, gentleness, love, hospitality, grace, wisdom, and humility.

I was told that I never got to know my grandmother during her heyday, but that she lit up a room.  She was quite the spark plug from what I understand.  Grandma Sue was alive until the Summer before my senior year of high school.  I still have fond memories of going to grandma's house as a little kid and pulling out the blocks to play on the floor with my brother.  Grandma always had a candy dispenser full of those little strawberry hard candies...I always looked forward to having those when we stopped by.  I even remember going with my parents and my grandma to a play one time, and she showed up for a pan of cinnamon rolls for the people in the orchestra pit, and of course they all knew her by name!

When I think back on memories of my sweet grandma Sue, I am amazed at the life she lived and the way she loved people.  She left a legacy of love, kindness, faithfulness, holiness, and so much more.  I am so thankful that she passed these characteristics down to my amazing mother, and I pray that as I seek after God that He will produce this fruit in my life as well.  I am so blessed to be a part of a family with so much love!  God has blessed me far more than I could ever imagine!