In Faith Always
When I lost my grandfather in August I wasn't aware of the legacy that he would leave me. I hadn't had time to process all that he had taught me yet, and, what I did know about his life, I wanted to be selfish with.
Grief struck hard. It has taken everyday since the day that we lost him for my family to rebuild what my grandma affectionately refers to as the Nation. We have had to learn to live with the hole that was left upon my grandfathers passing, and, though we will always ache for his return, everyday gets a little easier. I think a lot of that is God's doing.
After a lot of thought, and some beautiful words from my grandmother, I am ready to share about the legacy that I have you all wondering about.
In faith always.
What does this mean, you might ask? Well, it started out as a loving reminder between my grandparents to live for Jesus in everything that they do. As you have probably guessed by now, it means so much more to me now than it ever did when Pop was still with us.
Pop's life was simple. He lived in a modest three bedroom trailer, and he was not always sure where the money for bills was going to come from, but he was happy. In fact, he was the happiest man I knew.
He was a loving husband, and he was a phenomenal grandfather. If there was something important taking place for one of the grand-kids, you could count on his being there.
[This picture was taken on my nineteenth birthday during a hospital stay that lasted from mid May through the beginning of June. Pop often made a point to visit me during inpatient stays.]
Pop wasn't always this way though. Actually, he was out of my life for several years due to alcohol addiction. He was a broken man with a lot of demons to battle. That's what makes this legacy so miraculous.
My grandfather taught me that God changes people's lives all in His own timing. There is nothing that we could have done to save my Pop, but God did everything. At the time of Pop's death, he was a leader in the church and a well respected man. He knew what it was to love all people with the love of Jesus. There was nobody too good for his testimony, and I saw several grown men cry at his Celebration of Life service. I could not be more proud to have known such a wonderful man, and I look up to him in many ways.
The most important thing that I set out to say when I thought of this blog post is that we all need to take a moment and recognize the significance in all that we do during our lifetime. God's plan for my grandfather's life was never more clear as it was on the day that He took Pop home. By living, "in faith always," Pop was able to be a testament to all that God has in store for us. God used Pop's life to show others that His way is better than our way.
I can only pray that I will one day touch as many lives with my story as Pop did with his.
[This is my Pop's guitar, which now sits in my college dorm room. The words "In Faith Always" are written on it as pictured.]
Grief struck hard. It has taken everyday since the day that we lost him for my family to rebuild what my grandma affectionately refers to as the Nation. We have had to learn to live with the hole that was left upon my grandfathers passing, and, though we will always ache for his return, everyday gets a little easier. I think a lot of that is God's doing.
After a lot of thought, and some beautiful words from my grandmother, I am ready to share about the legacy that I have you all wondering about.
In faith always.
What does this mean, you might ask? Well, it started out as a loving reminder between my grandparents to live for Jesus in everything that they do. As you have probably guessed by now, it means so much more to me now than it ever did when Pop was still with us.
Pop's life was simple. He lived in a modest three bedroom trailer, and he was not always sure where the money for bills was going to come from, but he was happy. In fact, he was the happiest man I knew.
He was a loving husband, and he was a phenomenal grandfather. If there was something important taking place for one of the grand-kids, you could count on his being there.
[This picture was taken on my nineteenth birthday during a hospital stay that lasted from mid May through the beginning of June. Pop often made a point to visit me during inpatient stays.]
Pop wasn't always this way though. Actually, he was out of my life for several years due to alcohol addiction. He was a broken man with a lot of demons to battle. That's what makes this legacy so miraculous.
My grandfather taught me that God changes people's lives all in His own timing. There is nothing that we could have done to save my Pop, but God did everything. At the time of Pop's death, he was a leader in the church and a well respected man. He knew what it was to love all people with the love of Jesus. There was nobody too good for his testimony, and I saw several grown men cry at his Celebration of Life service. I could not be more proud to have known such a wonderful man, and I look up to him in many ways.
The most important thing that I set out to say when I thought of this blog post is that we all need to take a moment and recognize the significance in all that we do during our lifetime. God's plan for my grandfather's life was never more clear as it was on the day that He took Pop home. By living, "in faith always," Pop was able to be a testament to all that God has in store for us. God used Pop's life to show others that His way is better than our way.
I can only pray that I will one day touch as many lives with my story as Pop did with his.
[This is my Pop's guitar, which now sits in my college dorm room. The words "In Faith Always" are written on it as pictured.]
[This is my Pop and I at my eighth grade promotion party several years back. He was so handsome.]
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