FAMILY

In the spirit of Christmas, Life and Family I wanted to share something personal with all of you. Every year as Christmas approaches I find myself stopping to try and slow down a little and be mindful of all of the gifts that God has given me. Since this year had a little "extra" busy-ness with the approaching birth of Alaina Claire, I was especially mindful of these gifts. Three very special gifts that I am grateful for are my three departed grandparents. I probably didn't take enough time while they were alive to fully understand their traits which live in me or to thank them for their love.

As Alaina's birth approached I wanted to have my departed grandparents there with me, not only in spirit, but in a symbolic or physical way and so I come to the picture above. The three things in the picture are a knife that belonged to Grandaddy, a rosary that belonged to Gran-Gran and a pen that belonged to Grandpa. Last Friday morning I carried these items in my pocket from the time we left for the hospital, through the delivery room, and until late that night. I can't tell you how many times that day I found my hands sliding into my pocket to hold one or all of these precious items as a source of strength, never to be let down.

And so to explain a little more about the three items and honor the memory of my departed grandparents I want to share with you the significance of each item. It is my hope that the qualities I speak of that I remember so well regarding each of my departed grandparents continue to be strengths of mine and things that I can pass on to Alaina as well as Jacob and William.

The Pocket Knife (Grandaddy)

Grandaddy had many traits that I admire so much and try hard to emulate. He especially was a man that was prepared for whatever may come his way and had a special way of not worrying about things which he could not control. To this point, he always had a liking for pocket knives and I can remember giving him one on several occasions for birthday or Christmas gifts. To me, the liking of knives is a reminder of the preparedness that Grandaddy always seemed to have; that by being prepared and not caught off guard allowed him to live what I remember as a life that was slower and less worrisome. I admire that tremendously. I love you Grandaddy.

The Rosary (Gran-Gran)

Honestly, I do not know much about Gran-Gran's rosary. My dad gave it to me after her passing. However, it reminds me tremendously of her faith and how though it wasn't something that stood out about her, but was something that was always there, hidden at a much deeper, personal level, driving her actions and acting as her foundation. In a way, not knowing or remembering the specifics about her rosary fits this trait. You see, like Gran-Gran's faith the rosary wasn't something obvious and noticeable everyday, but was always there acting as a reminder to her of the importance of God in her life. What I do remember about Gran-Gran, as would most who knew her, is that she was a woman of tremendous strength to the point that sometimes caused her to be a little bull-headed (a Wilson trait). It is now after her passing that I realize that her strength was rooted in her faith. As strong-willed and maybe even stubborn as she could be, I think it was always a distant second to the strength of her faith. Truly a gift that I am proud of and hope that I can instill in my children. I love you Gran-Gran.

The Pen (Grandpa)

This pen was a gift that I gave to Grandpa and that I am told he loved very much. The picture may not show it, but the pen is engraved "Grandpa". Grandpa loved a good pen and seemed to always have a pen on his person. To me the pen symbolizes Grandpa's assertiveness. When it came to faith, Grandpa had a strong one, and with it came opinions on most everything. He loved to "share" his beliefs with anyone that would listen and to this point he reminds me of the evangelist that God has called each of us to be. Grandpa read and studied his bibles constantly. A reminder of this is the number of bibles he left behind and all of his thoughts and notes written (with his pens) in the margins of those bibles. His bibles were truly working bibles and a record of his thoughts and his dedication to wanting to know and understand God's will for us. I think this sort of effort, in and of itself, is a humble discipline and something that pleases God very much. I hope that a little of that is in me. I love you Grandpa.

This Holiday Season it is my wish that each and all of us can recognize the importance of the gifts that God gave our departed loved-ones. That we can each find the will to work hard to strengthen those qualities in our own lives as well as teach those qualities to our children.