It was only a week ago that this dear man, Joe’s grandfather, went home to be with his precious Lord. He lived a full life of 92 years, yet it was not easy to say goodbye. He was affectionately known by his family as “Papaw”. By many as “Loren” or “Nick”…regardless of the name he was called by, he was known by all as a humble servant who enjoyed the simple things in life, lived many years in pain but NEVER complained of it. You just don’t meet many men like Papaw. He was a man who worked hard, loved people, loved life, knew what it meant to be happy, and was truly blessed. I am honored to have known him for the past 17 years. While I am thankful that he lived to be 92 and that he no longer feels the pain that his body suffered with for years, I miss him. I miss the way he said my name, Elizabeth, with a country twist like no one else. I’ll miss his coming up to see the newest addition to our family, he was always one of the first no matter the hour! I’ll miss his stories of his life. I’ll miss stopping in to see him as he pulls tootsie rolls from his pocket for each of the kids. I’ll miss his excitement at Christmas as he opens his family scrapbook calendar and carefully looks over the pictures for each month. I’ll miss him. We’ll miss him.
BUT, I have the peace of knowing that he loved Jesus and I will see him again someday. I will reflect over the years that I was able to spend with him and learn from that. There was a lot to learn from him. It’s sad how you take advantage of all of the times you have with someone, and then like that they’re gone. You can’t ask them anything anymore. You can’t sit with them one last time, they’re just gone.
I admired his ability to live simply. To need so little yet to be so happy and full of life. As I look back on my time with Papaw, I know there is a lot to learn from him and a lot to be thankful for. I thank him for giving to his family. He was truly a wonderful man.
The day after Harrison was born…April 4th, Papaw’s birthday!
Christmas 2010
Mamaw and Papaw at the family reunion. Pray for Mamaw…they were married for 66 years and did everything together. I can’t imagine the loneliness.
My favorite:)
