By: Jackie Warner
As I grow older, I find myself returning more and more to the memories of my grandmother — not just the things she said, but the things she didn’t say. The choices she made. The boundaries she held. The love she gave so freely. And now, with more life behind me and more wisdom within me, I finally have begun to understand why she lived the way she did.
I honor and cherish the quiet moments we shared. I honor the stern upbringing she gave me. I honor the discipline, the structure, and the love wrapped in firmness.
She would often say, “I wish I was a thousand miles away from here.” As a child, I didn’t know what she meant. As a woman, I understand it deeply.
Sometimes we get stuck — not physically, but in our minds, in our souls, in the weight of responsibility, in the noise of life. Sometimes we long for a reset, a breath of fresh air, a change of scenery, or simply a moment where the world stops pulling on us.
Even the strongest among us reach moments where we feel stretched thin. My grandmother carried so much — family, work, community, expectations — and she carried it with grace. But her longing to be “a thousand miles away” wasn’t about running. It was about rest.
Scripture speaks to this very human need:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Rest is not weakness. Rest is not quitting. Rest is God’s invitation to breathe again.
With time, I’ve learned that wisdom often arrives long after the lesson is given. My grandmother’s boundaries now make sense. Her silence now makes sense. Her decisions — even the ones I questioned — now make sense. She understood something I am only now beginning to grasp:
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
My grandmother loved deeply, but she also knew how to protect her peace. She knew when to speak and when to be silent. She knew when to pour out and when to pull back. She knew that loving others didn’t mean losing herself. That is wisdom.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23)
Guarding your heart is not selfish. It is stewardship. It is survival. It is spiritual maturity.
A Legacy of Strength and Stillness
As I walk through my own journey, I now see her life as a blueprint — a quiet testimony of resilience, faith, and discernment. She taught me that God meets us in every season — even the ones where we feel stuck, tired, or stretched thin.
“He restoreth my soul” (Psalm 23:3).
Sometimes we just need to be “a thousand miles away”…not to escape life but to return to it renewed.
By: Jackie Warner
Career Development Facilitator
“Impact, Engage, Grow” Community Matters
