LESSONS FROM PAPA

This week I shared that on Christmas morning my grandfather, Papa, left this earth for Heaven. Our family has been shocked and devastated. I had a wonderful Papa. He was one of the strongest men and one of the hardest workers I have ever known. Having spent almost forty years with him, I have learned many lessons. Today I would like to share a few. I pray we can all learn and grow with lessons from Papa.

1. Put God first. Papa loved God and served Him with his whole heart. He was up before the sun every day to read his Bible and pray. Even after retirement, he was still up before dawn sitting at the kitchen table with his Bible. As a little girl, I remember when I would spend the night, I could see his chair at the table from the couch where I slept. And every morning was the same. He was devoted. If he knew of a need, he prayed for you. I always called my grandparents with prayer requests. The day my mother-in-law unexpectedly passed away, the first person I called was Papa. I just had to tell him and I knew he would be praying for us. He loved to sing hymns and worship God. He would sing anywhere, any time, but one thing he loved to do was sit outside on the patio with his old tape player. He'd rock in his chair, sing along to his hymns, and raise his hands to heaven.

2. Marriage is second. Papa put Mamaw, my grandmother, second only to God. He loved her deeply. Papa stood by her side and took care of her faithfully for 62 years. Even when times were hard, he loved and cared for her. I remember one evening when I was about twelve or so, he came home from work with a cassette tape. He had a song to play for her. She had recently lost her mom and was hurting. I don't remember the song, but I remember him playing the song and dancing with her in the kitchen until she was crying in his strong arms.

3. Family next. Papa loved his family. His wife, his daughter and son, their spouses, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. This was his world. He was always there for family, nothing was more important. If we needed something, he was there. He would stand up for his family and protect them. One time not that long ago, someone called my Papa. She said that she was my daughter and had been in an accident. She was convincing. Unfortunately, it was a sick scammer trying to get money out of my grandfather by using my daughter, who knew nothing about it. But he jumped to take care of her, because, family is important. (The situation was taken care of, no one was hurt, and no one lost money. Praise God.)

4. Love your country and pray for it. Papa was a proud American. He prayed for his country intentionally and stood proudly for the flag.

5. Laugh often. Papa had a loud, boisterous laugh that could be heard clear across the building. He loved to laugh and loved to make people laugh. My husband worked with Papa for many years. He would always tell me that from his place in the shop, he could hear Papa's laugh clear from the office. Papa always smiled, always laughed, always made people laugh.

Why do I share these lessons I learned from my beloved grandfather? Because we can all learn something. We need to remember to put our priorities in place. We need to place God above all. If we are married, our spouse is next. Then family. We need to take pride in our country and pray for the leaders. And we can all learn to laugh and smile more. Let’s be like Papa.

I love you Papa. Forever your Darling Girl. ♥