On Saturday, January third, my grandfather passed away at 9:30 in the morning. From what I know, it was because of breathing complications, a battle that he's been fighting for many years now. When he passed in the hospital he was with most of his family so he got to speak to them all, which is a blessing. He told Grandma it was his time to go so it was with joy that he passed.
That doesn't change the fact that we will all miss him a lot. I know I'll miss what he added to the world. I don't really want to go into it here on the blog but I mention it to comment on the seemingly coincidental, but actually providential of the arrival of an email in my inbox, that Jen forwarded to me from the Charlestons at the exact moment I found out about Grandpa's death. It was a picture of Kirby and Charity's new baby.
So on one hand I had just hung up on the phone with my father, learning of the death of my grandfather, and on the other hand I was looking at the picture of a new life in this world. It definitely helps me gain perspective on the situation and to walk through this time with some kind of joy to think that yes God does take people away from us, but he gives new people to us, and it's all a part of life and his plan.
Helpful in this time are the words of Steven Delopopoulos and this song:
People Come and Go
Crosses and pictures mend my sloppy mind
Came out of the sunlight back to sinking time
Turn around I see the light I used to know
People come and go
People come and go
People come and go
You know they come, and then they go
Knowledge is the season for knowing when and why
Balances and reasons keep me from the fire
And every time IÂ’m placed within a perfect row
People come and go
People come and go
People come and go
You know they come, and then they go
Fire can be friendly, raising perfect pain
Burning off tomorrow and yesterday the same
To always be so weak and never want to know
You know we come and go
You know we come and go
You know we come and go
You know we come, and then we goÂ…
I'll miss you Grandpa.
