A GRANDSON’S LOVE

I remember the night when I began to truly understand the reality of my own imperfections as a man, when I realized that I had never spiritually connected with God through His Word.

It was the tearful memories of the death of my grandmother that gripped my thoughts during a sleepless night. This was a rare moment when the prison was quiet enough to enter into a peaceful state.

I found my own peace in the memories of my grandmother and the unconditional love I witnessed her show others in the name of God. She was a grandmother who never held a grudge, because God was her strength as she faced each day with a beautiful smile and God’s word to lift the spirits of others.

The peaceful memories of my grandmother that night created an internal struggle to change. Not being superstitious or a religious man, I wondered if it was the sweet gentle voice of my grandmother reaching out to me from heaven and telling me to turn away from my negative ways and allow God to enter into my heart. Or was it God speaking to me?

For many years I have been defined by my superficial attitude of toughness, so I struggled with the effect that a spiritual change would have on my reputation as a man who lived life without a conscience, when in reality I hid behind the false, “I don’t care” attitude like many young men in prison.

Whether it was the voice of my grandmother or God reaching out to me, it was on that peaceful night in my prison cell I accepted God into my heart and made my grandmother Mary Tyson proud.

The love you have given to me will be my guide in life as I love you forever.

— Ernest Tyson III
James River Correctional Center
State Farm, Va.

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist