Papa

My grandfather passed peacefully into heaven last Tuesday. We called him "Papa." Since I have moved back to California he has been a major part of my life, I even lived with him for 1 1/2 years when I first moved back. We would eat lunch at his house every Sunday, he would come to band concerts, basketball games and choir recitals. He loved the laughter of having us and our friends over, even if he was in bed. He was a gentle man who appreciated simple things. He was a farmer at heart, he loved digging in the earth and feeding birds who he would watch out his window. He was possibly the only family member I have that could hold his tongue. He would seldom say anything unkind about anyone, but that didn't mean he wasn't watching. He noticed people. At nearly 87 he could remember the name of almost every person he'd ever met. He wasn't afraid to laugh and he wasn't afraid to cry. He always thought people had something important to say, and they felt that. He was hospitable, full of intellegent and sometimes fiery conversations about politics, and stubborn when he was pushed. Papa caught polio at the age of 6. He fought his whole life to do things that people told him he couldn't, yet he did it with grace and without bitterness.

Having Papa these last years has been such a testimony to the Lord. God has brought so much healing to his relationship with my dad. God also provided the most amazing caregivers who knew the Lord and were able to bring him into relationship with God. Even as I grieve the loss of someone so precious to my family and me, I rejoice that he has entered a new home where there is no disease, no divorce, and no doubt. Papa I hope you get a chance to walk, run, skip and dance in that new heavenly body! We miss you down here.