Rudyard Philip Glaze was born 07/31/07. We found out the Christmas before in 2006 that we were going to be grandparents for the first time.
If you know me well, or know me at all, you can imagine just how excited I was to be a grandma. It couldn’t get here fast enough.
At the time in 2006 Brock and Alisa were living in Greenville, SC. They had been there for about 4 years. They moved there shortly after they got married in 2003. Of course as a first time grandma I was hoping they would move back to Indiana and believe it or not in May 2007 on Memorial Weekend Phil and I flew down to his cousins Kellie and Tim’s in Raleigh NC to spend the weekend, then we drove to Brock’s to help them move back. They had 2 cars, one we towed behind the Uhaul we drove and Brock and Alisa drove their other car. They got to drive back with 2 cats in their car. lol
Well on the flight down to Phil’s cousins that weekend I remember we talked about this little guy who who was going to be our first grandson. His name was going to be Rudyard Philip Glaze. I remember specifically say to Phil, “I just want him to be happy, sincerely HAPPY!”. It seemed like kids were just not happy anymore and my hearts desire was for him to be Happy!
Well after Rudy arrived he was a very content baby. He was a serious baby but seemed like not much bothered him. I was able to keep him over night when he was 7 months old, the day his cousin Bracey was born. Alisa went to be with Angie and Torrie. He was so easy to take care of. Oh and during the Christmas week, they all three stayed with us because Alisa’s mom and dad were going to be gone for that week and Alisa and I delivered the newspapers for her dad. So that was a very fun time, along with it being his first Christmas!
Rudy as you grew up you loved, loved playing with Thomas the Train and watching Blues Clues. You would walk into my house and go for the trains and set them up and play with them all day and all night. You like watching Blues Clues and Thomas the Train cartoons too.
You loved looking out our widow at our neighbors Aj and Phyllis.
At that time in your life your best friend was Casey Jo Gifford. She was two months older than you and your mommy baby sat her and another little girl Natalie Hatton. But you and Casey Jo had a really tight bond.
I could go on and on about you as we have had a lot of fun together. Eowyn joined our fun just 19 months later and we continued to grow our family. I love it!
As you got older I could see that you have a true heart for God. You love praying and many many times when you would lose something I would always remind you to ask God to show you where it is and God was ALWAYS faithful.
I remember one night when mommy and daddy picked you two up to take you home, you were about 4 years old, I reached down to give you a hug and I told you “Rudy God has great plans for you!” and you lit up and looked at me and said “REALLY?” and I said “Oh yes he does!”
As I prayed for you, starting when you were just a baby and as your grew, I felt God showed me that you were going to be a ‘PRAYER WARRIOR!” I wish I could remember the date that I felt he showed me that and how that came about. I may have to go back to my journals and see where I first felt that. But I feel, as you are now 11 years old, that God is confirming that in you. The last time you came over to have a Rudy only weekend which was April 12 and 13th 2019. We spent several hours talking a out God and prayer. About hear Gods voice. I had been to your house one of the nights during that week and as I was leaving you said “Grandma I still can’t find my ipad.” You had lost it and had been looking for it for a couple of weeks. So I stepped back in the house and I grabbed your hands and I prayed that God would show you exactly where it was. Then I left and I prayed and asked God to show you where this Ipad was to strengthen your faith and before I could even get out of your addition you called and said “grandma I found my Ipad!” you had such excitement in your voice. I said ‘where did you find it?’ you said it was in your mom and dad’s room. So now when you were at my house that following weekend I asked you about that and I said “So what did you hear that lead you to your mom and dad’s bedroom?” You said “I just thought I haven’t looked in mom and dad’s room” I said “That was God telling you where it was.” I showed you scripture and we discussed in length of how Jesus said that his sheep hear his voice.
John 10:27-30 New International Version (NIV)
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
We read more scripture too, but I so loved our conversation. I told you then that you reminded me of your father. He and I would talk about God when he was young too. In fact, I still love talking to Brock about God!
So my prayer for you Rudy:
Lord surround Rudy with your warring angels, so that no evil can penetrate. Open his heart, his ears and his mind to ALWAYS, ALWAYS desire more of you, help him to never get tired of learning about you and I pray that you will be a friend to him and that he will talk to you when he wakes up in the morning, when he walks through his day and that he thanks you for your provision and protection as he lays his head down to rest. May he ALWAYS REST IN YOU LORD! Teach him how to pray, teach him how to STAND when times get hard and it is not popular to stand for you.. HELP HIM TO STAND! Help him to ALWAYS BELIEVE AND TO TRUST YOUR WORD! Be with the young lady that is growing up now too Lord, the one you have chosen to be his wife. May she love you with everything she has and may she desire to serve you too. So that when they are joined together they will live for you and bring up their children to learn to hear your voice and to serve you too. Raise up in Rudy a leader, a leader that will always follow You and you alone. Give him YOUR wisdom Lord and if things ever get hard in his life, may he look ONLY TO YOU for your wisdom. I thank you now Lord for Rudy, for Rudyard Philip Glaze… bring him JOY and Happiness through out his life here on this earth. Prepare him Lord for what you are calling him to do, not just here on earth Lord, but in eternity too.! I love you Jesus and I am ever so grateful for the grandson you have blessed me with. Thank you… Amen.. your daughter, friend and servant…. Jane Ann