So God Made a Grandma

He needed someone with a heart big enough to hold a million moments of joy and sorrow through the years…so God made a grandma.

Join Leslie Means, founder of the popular website Her View from Home, in this heartfelt follow-up to the national bestseller So God Made a Mother.

Some relationships are beautiful and full of love, support, and warmth. Some are complicated, yet still honored and transformative. All these stories, told from the perspectives of daughters, friends, grandchildren, and grandmothers themselves―will stir the hearts of anyone who’s had a grandma, who is a grandma, or who knows a grandma.

You don’t need to be a grandmother to be captivated by the stories on these pages or moved by their depth. This diverse collection of essays celebrates the women who shape us, the women we are, and the women we pray we’ll become. So God Made a Grandma is for the love-givers, the tradition-keepers, the memory-makers, and the timeless love we call our own.

So God Made a Grandma: True stories from women of all ages and stages celebrating grandmas and their enduring legacy of faith, love, and family.

Makes a perfect gift for any woman in your life—including yourself.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Introduction | Leslie Means
4. Part 1: So God Made a Grandma Gentle
5. The Tea Set | Leslie Means
6. Grandmothers Live for the Details | Kit Tosello
7. Unhurried Love | Susan Lambert
8. Of Course She Can | Kelli Bachara
9. Lessons in Loss | Karen Peterson
10. Grandmothers and Friends | Ali Flynn
11. In the End | Mikala Albertson
12. Grandma Shows Up for Her Grandchildren Before They're Born | Jenny Albers
13. Grandma Put the "Home" in Homemade | Natasha Smith
14. Three Tiny Bibs | Kristen Houghton
15. Part 2: So God Made a Grandma Wise
16. The Knowing | Leslie Means
17. The Secret Life of Grandmas | Debbie Prather
18. I Don't Have A Grandma but I Do Have Marlys | Amy Allender
19. I Wonder | Krista Ward
20. Oma | Savannah Lyon
21. And Just Like That, I'm a Grandmother | Cindy Farr
22. The Best Gift I Ever Gave My Teenager Was Her Grandmother | Sandra Samoska
23. My Kids Don’t Have Their Grandma’s Eyes, They Have Her Heart | Maralee Bradley
24. The Hurry | Mehr Lee
25. The Sparkle in Her Eyes | Beth Hoff
26. Don’t You Just Love Her? | Amy Betters-Midtvedt
27. Part 3: So God Made a Grandma Redeemed
28. The Unspoken | Leslie Means
29. Precious Things | Kirstyn Wegner
30. I Never Planned to Raise My Grandchild | Courtney Mount
31. Without Her | Ashley Adair Garner
32. A Grandma’s Love Is Transformative | Krystal Sieben
33. Ladles of Gravy in Heaven | Meg Duncan
34. Someone I Used To Know | Andrea L. Corsi
35. Living Vows | Sarah Lango
36. Sober Grandma | Carol Moore
37. Motherhood Part 2 | Sylvia Schroeder
38. Part 4: So God Made a Grandma Creative
39. The Gift | Leslie Means
40. We’re Gaga for Her Fun | Alyse Bressner
41. There Weren’t Any Words | Lisa Leshaw
42. Here’s to the Wild Ones | Jaymi Torrez
43. Grandma’s Meatballs | Jenni Brennan
44. Ladybug Tattoos and Aching Hearts | Kelly Cervantes
45. A Swift Force of Nature | Stevie Swift
46. More Than Just a Stool | Stacy Bronec
47. Painting Her Memory | Elizabeth Allison
48. Nana’s Lasagna | Alana Smith
49. Part 5: So God Made a Grandma Faithful
50. The Prayer | Leslie Means
51. Mile Marker 302 | Kris Ann Valdez
52. Fully Loved | Tera Elness
53. May You Always Love Jesus Most of All | Krista Bratvold
54. Legacies Instead of Laps | Chelsea Ohlemiller
55. A Generational Faith | Hadassah Treu
56. Grandma, Who Is God? | Kierra Tate Henderson
57. A Dance in the Bathroom | Rebecca Nevius
58. Christmas Countdown | Cynthia Murray
59. So God Made a (Fairy) Grandmother | Stephanie Hanrahan
60. Part 6: So God Made a Grandma Graceful
61. The Coat | Leslie Means
62. You’re Marvelous | Carolyn Moore
63. A Grandma’s Hands Write a Story of Love | Amy Juett
64. My Lighthouse | Celeste Yvonne
65. Her Guidance Remains | Sydnei Kaplan
66. Nobody Loves like a Grandma | Christine Derengowski
67. There’s Beauty in Seeing Your Mom as a Grandma | Danielle Sherman-Lazar
68. Lessons in Sipping Slowly | Emily Brisse
69. Pink Confetti | Sarah Luke
70. She Always Brings Me Flowers | Lori E. Angiel
71. Part 7: So God Made a Grandma Generous
72. The Recipe | Leslie Means
73. Stitch by Stitch | Kris Ann Valdez
74. She Was a Mother First | Emily Solberg
75. All My Love, Grandma | Kara Leonino
76. The Secret Ingredient | Leah Peterson
77. The Rooster and the Chick | Melissa Neeb
78. She Always Knew What I Needed | Jennifer Thompson
79. Grandma Knew | Vicki Bahr
80. Bella | Tia Hawkins
81. Grandma’s House | Sherry White
82. It’s Love That Makes a Grandma | Casey Huff
83. Part 8: So God Made a Grandma Resilient
84. The Necessity | Leslie Means
85. The Bull | Victoria Derksen
86. Straightening His Shirt One Last Time | Brigitte Shular
87. Strong Like Me | Aliette Silva
88. The Messy Makings of a Matriarch | Kaitlin Chappell Rogers
89. A Faithful Heart | Liz Spenner
90. Theresa’s Teacup | Mande Saitta
91. I’ll Remember for Her | Kelsey Scism
92. Riding Out the Storm | Michelle Koch
93. I’ll Face the Mirror | Angela Anagnost-Repke
94. Part 9: So God Made a Grandma Devoted
95. The Locket | Leslie Means
96. The Best Place to Vacation | Cheryl Donely
97. Grandma Lu’s Kitchen | Christy Walter
98. Living Far Apart Doesn’t Change the Love | Natalie Hayden
99. To See My Baby Holding His Baby Is a Gift | Michele Peters
100. Love And Hamburgers | Amanda Mccoy
101. One Carrying Forward the Love of Two | Lisa Appelo
102. Forgotten Grief | Stacey Skrysak
103. Grandma’s Masterpiece | Nancy Brier
104. Part 10: So God Made a Grandma to Leave a Legacy
105. The Rosebush | Leslie Means
106. Her Shoes | Jenni Brennan
107. My Heart Remembers | Laura Childers
108. We Are Her Legacy | Cassie Gottula Shaw
109. I Have a Praying Grandmother | Victoria Riollano
110. Apron Strings | Michele L. Peters
111. How Is It Possible | Esther Joy Goetz
112. If Only She Could See Rebecca | Cooper
113. She Is Everywhere | Jenny Vanderberg Shannon
114. If I Had Known the Day | Susan Lambert
115. Conclusion | Leslie Means
116. Closing Credits