My grandmother, Opal Johnson, was the sweetest woman I have ever known.  She was very respectful, honest, caring, giving, understanding, and kind-hearted.  She had values and beliefs that no one should go without.  She was the type of person who would give her last dollar because she knew that she would get it back in some way – but it didn’t always have to be about money. 

I remember one particular day, a nice, warm Saturday; I was out with my grandma.  We had a girl’s day out; just she and I.  My grandmother was driving down I-35, headed south to Crossroads Mall and there was a woman walking down the side of the highway with two children.  My grandmother pulled over and we both got out seeing if the lady needed help or a ride.  This strange woman broke down in tears.  She said that she had lost her job, gotten evicted from her home, had her car repossessed, and lost her husband, all in the same month.  I was really young so I really did not know what was going on, but I did know that those children were hungry, thirsty, and very tired.  There was a girl standing there about my age at the time who just looked so lost.  She looked like she needed a friend, so I offered my hand to the girl and her brother and took them to sit in the car so that they could get out of the heat.  Since my grandmother and I were on our way to eat, I didn’t have much to offer them but a Sonic drink and a bag of sunflower seeds.  They were hesitant at first, but I told them they could have it.

My grandmother and the woman stood outside and talked for about ten minutes.  When they walked to the car my grandmother said that we were going to have to put off going to the mall.  We went back to my grandparent’s house instead.  My grandmother ran bathwater for the kids in her bathroom and she let the woman take a bath in the guest bathroom.  Instead of going shopping, my grandmother ordered pizza and allowed the family to stay the night at our house.  My grandparents had a shed in their backyard that had lots of old clothes in it.  Well the clothes were not really old it was just stuff that I had that I had growns out of or never got to wear.  She went through the boxes of clothes and washed what she found and gave them to the little girl.

Later on in the evening my grandmother took the woman and h

er children shopping for some new things.  I had never seen anyone that happy in my life.  The woman did not know whether she wanted to laugh or cry.  All I know is that was a very special day for them.  Seeing as though they had no where to stay, my grandmother let them sleep in the guest rooms at our house. 

Later that night while I was getting ready for bed, I overheard my grandmother talking with one of her friend’s from the hospital where she worked.  Not only was her friend a nurse, she was also a real estate agent.  My grandmother asked her if she had any homes or apartment homes available for rent.  Apparently she said yes because my grandmother said, “Thank you Lord!”  My grandmother used to always say that the Lord works in mysterious ways and at that moment I knew what she meant.

My grandmother was and still is a guardian angel.  She ended up paying a deposit on an apartment for that family.  She got the woman a job working at the hospital and gave her the family car that had been sitting in the driveway.  She did all of this out of the kindness of her heart.  Opal Louis Johnson was a great woman.  She helped as many people as she could while she was here, and for that she will always be remembered.

Larika
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