But for me it is.
If I had to choose one person who has influenced my life more than they could ever know; one person who I have loved more than anyone, it would probably be my grandpa.
His name was Victor Walter, and he was an outstanding man of God throughout his life, and influenced many people with his wisdom.
Besides his wisdom and loving actions towards others, he was incredibly loving and gentle to us--his family. He was the first father figure I had when I was gowing up, and I have countless beautiful memories of growing up and having him around, and a part of my life for so many years. He was funny, and sensitive, loving, kind, faithful. He helped instill so many important values in my life. He baptised me when I was eight years old, and went beyond preaching to me from the pulpit every Sunday, to lovingly teaching me in everyday life.
He was such a caring person--never turned anyone away, seemed to be infinitely patient, and had a genuine heart of gold for people and their troubles. Actually, I guess you could say that he had a true understanding of what I was talking about in my previous post about how everyone has an immortal soul. He was the best example of demonstrating Christ's love towards others that I can think of.
My grandpa was the pastor of the church that I grew up in. I have recently moved back to the area where I spent a lot of my childhood, in order to go to college, and I have started going to the church, again. A lot has changed, to be sure. Many people that I knew as a child have left and gone elsewhere, but there are still quite a few families who have remained faithful to this church, and who remember my grandpa. I get people who come up to me all of the time and tell me how amazing, loving, wise, or in today's case, "awesome" he was. Being ever-so-humble, as he was, my grandpa would have just said something along the lines of, "That's what you get when you stand in the shadow of a fat man." But I never get tired of hearing so many good and wonderful things about him. I'm so proud to be his granddaughter, and to be a living piece of him.
I knew him as a child; as my grandpa, my father figure. I have nothing but respect for him as a pastor, and all of the work he did throughout his life, but most of that respect has come over the years after I lost him--as I have grown up and been able to look back at him and memories I have of him with new eyes. There are times now, as I enter adulthood, that I wish he were still around so that I could have long talks with him and experience his wisdom and passion for God on a new and different level, like many others had the opportunity to do.
If you haven't guessed, I lost my grandpa several years ago.
I love him so much still, and all of the memories I have of him, happy as they may be, make days like today a little hard.
Today would have been his 81st birthday. And while I wish I could share it with him, I know that I will share even more special times someday in heaven--I have that promise through my Savior, who I know held my grandpa in His open arms when he passed.
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that, when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him all of the believers who have gone before us."
I Thessalonians 4:13-14
And with that, I leave you with his favorite song, in honor of his birthday:
Happy Birthday, Grandpa.
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