Remembering Papa

On Saturday, September 19th, Heaven welcomed a wonderful man. My grandpa, "Papa", who was 93, went to meet his Savior. Papa had gone into the hospital the first weekend of September after he fell in the shower. He wasn't really hurt, but they did find out that his cough was really pneumonia. He was in ICU for a week on a ventilator, but seemed to be getting better each day. The recovery was going to be long for him, but we remained confident that he could pull through. So we were all surprised when he gave his final breath. But, my heart swells with joy to think of his reunion with his wife, Betsy as he entered the gates of Heaven. He joined so many other loved ones including many of their dogs! (Yes, I believe dogs go to Heaven.) As I am sad that he is no longer here and will no longer call me "sweetheart" or kiss my cheek with his bristly mustache, I know with confidence that he is so much happier.

As I've been thinking about his life the last week, my greatest memories of Papa are his kindness, generosity and wisdom. He was truly a remarkable man.

His graveside service was on Monday and it was really an inspiring day to hear of the wonderful ways in which Papa touched the lives of others. He was extremely giving to so many people. Papa was a "no nonsense" kind of guy. He called it like it was, but he was also a real softy. I could pretty much get what I wanted from him. I am the only granddaughter, so I was often catered to quite a bit. He never made it a secret of how much he loved little girls! When I was younger, we took dates out to dinner and a movie. There have been so many times that he has sent me money just to do something for myself.

He also loved to give advice! He would always ask on each visit on how Jim and I were doing financially and he wanted to make sure I knew that Jim should always come before the kids and to make time for each other.

I could go on and on about my special memories of Papa. He will be greatly missed and it is really hard to believe he is gone. A friend of the family sang "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me and it was so neat to picture my Papa with Jesus. Wow!

"I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me!
I can only imagine. I can only imagine.
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!"

These are two pictures of Papa with Laura when she was a baby and one where he was meeting Grant for the first time.