My grandfather went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, September 3rd. He was a very strong and brave man, who taught me the value of faith, family and friends (in that order). Grampie would have been 89 in November. He lived a very full life, but not without it's share of ups and downs. It's through the ups and downs that I have seen him live out his faith, keep his chin up, and keep on moving...a testament to the man that he was.
One thing that always amazed me about my grandfather was his incredible memory. His body began to fail him several years ago, but his mind was still sharp. He loved to recite poetry and could often be found doing so with a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye. This was his favorite:
A Psalm of Life
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
My grandfather left footprints in the sands of time...and on the hearts of many. He will surely be missed.
