In life everyone has a hero. I was once told that the only true heroes we should have are those that are no longer living, because we know in the end if they were true to themselves and there faith til the end. I however still have heroes for myself that are/were walking this Earth.
First off, my dad's dad, my papa, is an amazing man. He currently is ninety years old and hanging tough. For a while it seemed like we couldn't go a whole year without him totaling a vehicle. I can't count the number of phone calls we received stating that my papa and step grandmother had been in an accident. These accidents usually being pretty major, some in which the other vehicle involved had fatalities. One distinct accident I remember, was when he was driving down the mountain one early winter and hit black ice in his Isuzu Rodeo. He fishtailed lost control and flipped it. A bystander driving by noticed an old man standing outside of this upside down vehicle waving so that they would stop. Come to find out my papa had 3 broken ribs from that accident. He also is a veteran of WWII and has many stories to go along with that. Two falls ago I got a phone call from a distressed cousin telling me that doctors were only giving Papa two hours to live. I knew that I was a little over two hours from where they were being in Charlotte. That was the fastest time I have ever made it to Brevard. I got their and joined with some of my family who were there. Just before I arrived he awoke from his Coma like state and started taking a turn for the better, asking for food.
He grew up Methodist, and that is what he wanted his family to be. When they moved to the South they started going to an Open Bible Baptist Church. I can only remember singing the same hymns over and over and that the preacher liked to yell. I also have distinct snapshots in my mind of my Grandmothers funeral. Anyway, the REAL Christmas story of the Bible has always been the main focus of Christmas. I can remember staying up late on Christmas Eve at his house to have him read the Christmas passages from his King James Bible. All of the Grandchildren would be yawning but listening intently. Never a meal was partaken of without thanks to the Lord for providing it and for using it to nourish our bodies and us to thy service. Providing an example as a Christian leader of a family and extended family is what I admire most about him.
Recently, the end of February he was told that he has one month to live...it's now April. Still alive and enjoying his house up on the side of a mountain.
Now, as I write this on October 16th 2011 it has been more than two months since my Papa has passed and gone to be with our Lord and Savior and with my grandma. The hardest part was to see the struggle on his face even as he was losing consciousness. He was a strong man that left a Legacy behind that I have the privilege to continue . As I read his obituary in the paper I learned a great deal more about my papa then I ever knew. I knew the personal side of my Papa as he led such a quiet public life despite the extraordinary things he was able to accomplish in his lifetime. He is an amazing man and role model. I loved him very much and as I write this I have tears streaming down my face as I remember crawling up into his recliner with him and him sharing his Werther's candies with me as we sat and talked and joked with each other. I will miss him dearly but I know he is in a much better place.
That being said I have a lot of ground to make up to live up to the legacy that he has left. One of my main goals now in life is to just become at least half of the man he was.
