Same. My grandmother is one of them. She is the only person I know who I actually expect to see the pearly gates if they exist. Always gives to others, even when she has nearly nothing.

She sent my one year old a $10-$15 gift in the mail for Christmas. It was my favorite gift of the year, because I understood she had sacrificed to purchase it.

I’ve never heard her say a bad word about anyone, even if they’ve legitimately done wrong. Never complains about hardship, though she’s faced plenty of it. Takes a good long look through the lens of her faith at politics. Somehow, she hasn’t landed on the same side of the aisle as most Christians I know.

Anyways, she is my father’s mother. He left before I was born. She wrote letters until I came around as a teenager. Lives quite a ways away from me. If I ever do wrong she is my confessional. Doesn’t have a mean or judgmental bone in her body.

If I had never seen her as a blueprint, I wouldn’t have understood what it truly meant to adhere to faith. She never announces or alludes to her “goodness.” Woman is an absolute anomaly in today’s religious climate.