Grandma’s Scars

/ sandramervillehart

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.     1 Peter 3:3-4

Josie fell into the fire when she was four. She screamed in terror as her dress caught on fire. A family member pulled her from the fire yet she was badly burned over most of her body before the flames were extinguished.

A country doctor visited her home to care for her wounds. The salve he prescribed had her screaming in agony. Her father refused the medication. He wouldn’t allow any medicine that caused further pain.

Josie’s face, arms, and legs remained an angry shade of red throughout her childhood. Long scars marred her skin. Josie didn’t receive a lot of positive attention from boys.

Tom met her during a snipe hunt in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains. He fell in love with her that night, seeing beyond the blotchy, red skin to the gentle spirit living inside. At seventeen, Tom was four years younger than Josie. He lied about his age because he rightly guessed that Josie wouldn’t marry a man so much younger. Josie didn’t find out about the age difference until the fourth baby was born.

Josie was my dad’s mother. He told me that her skin was still red and scarred when he was a boy.  By the time I knew her, the deep scars had faded to beige. Her skin was brown and splotchy all over, as if she were covered from head to toe in large freckles. In my humble opinion, the scars were part of her beauty.

Josie was beautiful. Tom recognized her inner beauty immediately. My dad was crazy about her. Her kind, gentle spirit and her sweet smile invited us all to look past the exterior and love her. And we did love her.

She had the unfading beauty talked about in First Peter. I will see her again someday in Heaven. Her skin will be restored, but I will know her when I see her.

-Sandra Merville Hart

8 thoughts on “Grandma’s Scars”

  1. Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts. I met my best friend in 2nd grade and her mother had a port wine stain that covered the entire right side of her face. I imagine that when I first met her I noticed but I don’t recall that, What I do remember is that I spent many nights at her house and in summer, I often spent several days and I didn’t see that port wine stain. What I saw was a wonderful woman who treated me like her own, the woman who introduced me to cinnamon toast, and the woman who never seemed to mind me being in her home. Love doesn’t see scars or stains and isn’t that wonderful?

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    • Absolutely! Thank you for sharing your love for your friend’s mom, Connie. I was probably ten before I noticed my Grandma’s scars, and then only because someone told me she fell into the fire as a little girl. My dad filled in the gaps to the story. I rarely thought about it afterward, just as you said. Thanks for commenting!

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  2. What a lovely tribute to your grandmother. Yes, beauty is more than skin deep. This makes me wish I’d known her, but I’m blessed to know her beautiful granddaughter. 😘

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  4. What a precious story. Love sees beyond the exterior to one’s heart and soul. Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful, loving woman. Like Starr, I’m blessed to know her granddaughter. I have a feeling you may be a lot like Josie. BTW, my great grandmother was named Josie.

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