Grandpa

The world lost a great man this week.

My grandfather was a man of few words, but lack of dialogue did not limit the many wonderful memories formed over the years.

• My grandpa lived 600 miles away, but he was the only grandpa I ever knew. This made him special right from the start. I don't remember him being a cuddly, crawl-up-in-his-lap kind of guy, but he always had a smile and a wink that let us all know we were loved.
• The fact that he only had one arm may have had something to do with the lack of cuddle time as well. Oh, the memories I have of grandpa's "arm". He could do amazing tricks with his hook, but as a little girl, I could never decide if I was in awe of that thing or scared to death. I'll never forget the first time I saw his prosthetic arm laying on grandma's dryer. I'm surprised someone didn't have to scrape me up off the floor.
• Grandpa often called me Susie. And I think he called my cousin, Charity, that as well. We never did discover why he called us Susie, but it sure made us giggle a lot.
• I could never figure out why grandpa only had SIX CHANNELS on his TV. Six channels? Who could possibly live on six channels? Funny, since that is all I get on my TV. Right now. In 2010. Well, ok, maybe we get eight, if you count the Spanish channel that appeared last year with the conversion to digital.
• Grandpa really only needed one channel. Oh, how he loved his Wheel of Fortune.
• Charity and I used to love to sneak into grandpa's office. I have no idea what the draw was to that room....maybe it was because we weren't supposed to be in there? Quite possibly it was because it was right next to the two giant freezers where grandma always stashed the cookies and candy. I've always wondered if grandpa ever had any idea how many hours we spent hiding out in that forbidden room.
• Oh, how I remember the days that grandpa would take me choring with him. That smell is just not something you forget easily. I was somewhat fascinated with the whole process since I knew nothing about farming, but secretly I was always terrified that grandpa would be completely armless by the time we were done. I'm pretty sure I watched every move his hand made, just praying nothing would happen on my watch.
• Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like that man mowed his lawn more than anyone I've ever known. It seemed like he was ALWAYS riding around the yard on his little John Deere mower. But now that I think about it.....he did have a houseful of crazy grandchildren......it makes perfect sense why he was out there. I bet he didn't mow his lawn near as much when we were gone.
• Although grandpa wasn't a talker, there were two distinct situations where his voice rang in my head loud and clear. One of these was Christmas time. Whenever I hear someone read the Christmas story, it is always my grandpa's soft voice that I hear. Not a Christmas went by that he didn't start by opening his Bible and reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas and the greatest Gift that ever was given. As kids, we were were squirmy, and impatient, and just wishing that grandpa would read a little faster. But he was always determined to keep the focus right where it should have been.
• The other moments I will never forget with grandpa were morning devotions. After breakfast he would read out loud from the Bible - every morning, without fail. Sadly, I'll admit, Charity and I used to lay downstairs in bed and stay really quiet, wondering if maybe, just maybe, we could pretend we were sleeping through breakfast so we didn't have to sit through the Bible reading. But as I grew up, I began to realize the importance of what grandpa was doing, the daily connect with God through His Word, and how grandpa's day just was not complete without it.

The memory list could go on and on....the stockyard visits, the tractor rides, and grandma shoving Wheat Thins into grandpa's mouth to keep him awake on long trips. But most importantly, I am so thankful I know that grandpa is right he wanted to be, running along the streets of gold, free from pain and suffering.

We will miss him greatly!