God’s Girls:
The Adventures of Roo and Yaya by Peggy Crews
Someone once said, “You cannot read loss, only feel it,” and I know the
struggle. To put feelings into words belongs to scribes of old and writers with
much more knowledge and expertise than I could ever imagine acquiring.
But through God’s grace, I humbly set out to express my loss the best I can
with the hope of honoring the memory of my beautiful loved ones, as well
as our Lord.
Donna Lynn Murphy entered the path of my life when she was 20 years
old. She was a nursing student looking for a job in an intensive care unit
(ICU) as a certified nurse’s assistant (CNA). She was vivacious, and her love
for the Lord was apparent. I remember the interview well, and the exchange
between the ones who would make the decision to hire her. “We have to
give her the job; I don’t know why, but God is laying her on my heart,” I said
with confidence. And she was hired!
I mentored Donna from a CNA to an ICU nurse. God had huge plans
that we in no way could grasp, yet that seems like an eternity ago. She
and I became close friends, and with that friendship, our families became
intertwined. Then one day she met my oldest son, Joshua, and our lives
were forever changed. They fell in love and were married.
How often does the mother of the groom get to stand in as the matron of
honor? My cherished friend was marrying my firstborn. Just wow!
Seasons of life changed, and she went from a best friend to a daughterin
law. Only God could orchestrate something so complex in a human’s life.
Donna’s life verse was Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me” (NKJV). She lived this verse to its fullest. That girl lived
each day as if it were her last. I would fuss and scold at times, but that was
just who she was. She knew no other way to live.
Peggy and Kaelyn, also known
as Yaya and Roo, had many God
wn
od
er.
adventures together.
We never talked about it, but
when God showed me Ecclesiastes
11:2 in The Message, I immediately
thought of Donna: “Be a blessing
to others. This could be your last night.”
Donna strove to be a blessing to everyone she met.
Two years after their wedding, Donna and Joshua gave the world Kaelyn,
a beautiful little girl with curly brown hair and gorgeous eyes. And on the
day of her birth, a “yaya” (the Greek word for grandmother) was also born.
I had never felt such love in my life.
We lovingly nicknamed her “Roo,” like the character from the Winnie
the Pooh tale. The child would only sleep if she was swaddled tightly,
just like Roo in Kanga’s pouch. The bond that formed between us will last
into eternity.
Kaelyn was nurtured in the Lord early and developed a contagious love
for Jesus. She loved to sing and dance; her spirit was tender and caring
for others. She introduced me to the song “God Girl,” by Jamie Grace. It
became the theme song of our Roo and Yaya adventures. We sang with
great abandon. We were God girls from the tops of our heads to the tips
of our toes.
As Kaelyn matured, I wanted her to love scripture and make it personal.
She was ten and beginning to grasp a small glimpse of our God. I tend to
believe that if you write som
something down, it sticks better. So I often wrote
letters with verses for my gr
The last one I penned for
ht.”my grandchildren.
Kaelyn now resides in my Bible. It was based on
Jeremiah 1:5. It says: “Befor
Before I shaped you, Kaelyn, in the womb of Donna, I
knew all about you. Before Before y
you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you,
Kaelyn (Roo)! Fulfill those h
holy plans.” I signed it, “I love you, Yaya.” You see,
scripture is alive and speaks
speaks to each one of us specifically. I wanted Roo to
realize that God had holy pl
plans just for her.
The truth is, God has pre
prepared unique and holy plans for each of us. But
the decisions we make every day determine whether God’s holy
plans will be fulfilled. God is a gentleman; He will never force
we m
fulfi
Him
he
live
beg
Himself on anyone. He stands at the doors of our
hearts, just waiting for us to welcome Him into our
lives so that our adventures, our holy plans, can
begin.
The holy plans for Donna and Kaelyn were
complete on November 21, 2016, when they went
be with Jesus. Their heart shapes will forever be
T
com
home to b
embedded
embedded in my heart as I live out my own holy plans on
this earth. P
Part of those plans is encouraging others to open
hearts Jesus.
their hearts to J
Will you open your heart to Him today? Will you begin to live
y
C
the holy plans your Creator has prepared just for you? Don’t waste
another moment; you neve
never know when your days will come to an end.
We lovingly
nicknamed her
“Roo,” like the
character from the
Winnie the Pooh tale.
The child would only sleep
if she was swaddled tightly,
just like Roo in Kanga’s pouch.
The bond that formed between us
will last into eternity.
8 kojministries.org Issue 4 2017 Entertainment Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo
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