....birthday wishes....

Today would have been by Grandpa Joe's birthday - today marks the first birthday we will have to celebrate without him here to celebrate with.  Its been almost one year since he passed away....almost one year since I have been around without the physical presence of any of my grandparents.  Their presence is with me always...each and every day I think of one or all of them. They each made such an impact on my life.

As part of my lenten journey to blog each day, I had hoped to share a few things that I have written about each of my grandparents.  I spoke at both my Nannie Evelyn and Papaw Joe's funerals but have never shared in writing what I said.  I spoke of my Nannie Helen in my missional life class last year - this hasn't been shared with anyone outside of that small group.  

Probably around 1 year old, mad in 1930...he was born in 1929

So, while this may be difficult for me to type and will involve lots of tears, I'm going to share in writing some of what I spoke about at my Papaw Joe's funeral last year.  I can't think of any better way to honor his birthday than to share my most important thoughts about the man we all loved so much!  I'm going to share as much as I can....I'll probably skip a few parts.....one, I've got to get finished before the kids wake up from nap and two, I'm trying to spare as many tears as possible....so, for the sake of time and tears, I'll share as much as I can!

"I was recently asked to discuss party of my life story and, in preparing, I found myself thinking back on my grandparents.  For those of you who know me and my family, you can imagine that each of my 4 grandparents have made a lasting impression on my life - 4 very different impressions!  The more I thought about this, the more I realized the short period of time that each of my grandparents were a part of my life here.  Despite the fact that my first grandfather died when I was 8 years old, he made an everlasting impression.  I can still see his face, hear his voice and have such fond memories.

I feel lucky that my Papaw Joe was part of my life for 29 years - I am blessed to have so many wonderful memories of my time with him.  It is often hard to separate my memories of my Papaw from the memories of my Nannie Evelyn - they were such a wonderful pair and the two of them together were truly two parts of one half, truly a match made in heaven.  I do not know how she would have made it without him - he was the calm for her storm - the laid back, gentle side to her high strung, anxious personality.  They were the perfect balance.  He was a wonderful caretaker when she became ill - never complaining of the toil he was dealing with at the same time.  Their love was a true love - one I hope I can have until I'm in my 80's.  

When my grandmother passed away a few years ago, I was so worried about how my grandfather would handle it and worried that it would be more than he could handle.  he surprised me and despite failing health and great dependence on others I feel he truly enjoyed watching life unfold over the past few years - he always loved to hear how his grandchildren and great-grandchildren were doing. He truly had a love of children and their bubbly personalities!  

Despite living four hours away I enjoyed keeping in touch with him with frequent phone calls and visits as often as possible.  Each time I called, he was always so happy to talk.  It was always my routine to call on Thursdays on my way home from work......we discussed my busy week, any events of his week, my Mom, Bailey, and especially our sons Payton and Owen.  He loved to hear stories of Payton and Owen.  As often as possible I would let him talk to Payton.  Payton would always love talking with "Grandpa Joe" and Grandpa Joe would always be especially delighted to hear his voice.  Most recently he celebrated his 82nd birthday.  Unfortunately I was out of town.  Chad made sure to let Payton call to tell him Happy Birthday - he not only told him Happy Birthday but he also told him April Fools! He was also quick to tell him that Owen couldn't tell him Happy Birthday because he can't talk yet!"

This summarizes page 1 of 4...of the typed memories I shared at his service.  For the sake of my tears and my Mom's tears, I'll have to stop here.  Hopefully I can add the rest in the next few weeks.  

I would give anything to be able to pick up the phone and hear his voice answer on the other end - I would give anything for Payton to be able to tell him Happy Birthday just one more time...and, for Owen, he can talk quite well now, to tell him as well.  He's not far from our minds...and definitely in our hearts every single day.  

Payton - who is learning more about Jesus and Heaven with each passing week - asked me not long ago if the next time we went on an airplane, we could "stop by heaven to see Papaw Joe."  Oh sweet boy, I would give anything to go to heaven for a day......your great grandparents would love to meet you and Owen in person! They are watching down on us and I know, Grandpa Joe has a sparkle in his eye as we celebrate his birthday.

We had a great time celebrating lots of family birthdays through the year....since you loved sweets so much, we might use that as an excuse to have a sweet treat today!  Happy Birthday Papaw Joe!  We love you...and thats no April Fools!