Celebration

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

Today we celebrated the life of my Grandfather Gaylord Eugene Marshall, born January 28, 1915 and died September 11, 2010. And his funeral definitely was a celebration of a life well lived. The pastor spoke of this verse from Psalms 116 and I thought, that is so true!
My cousin Nick read a passage from Romans 12--instructions to the saints on how to live the Christian life. As he was reading I thought, this describes my Grandpa so well--"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. . . Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud. . .If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

There are a lot of great things I could say about my Grandpa. He was probably the friendliest person I know (next to my husband and eldest son). He didn't know a stranger and talked to everyone and anyone. He had a gentle, joyful spirit--right to the very end. I remember serving him "tea and crumpets" as a little girl. I remember taking walks with him. I remember how he always liked to look at people's hands. He loved music, especially the Gaithers! He served in the US Army during WW II and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. Although he didn't talk much about it, I remember once him showing me some of his pictures from the war. . . He was faithful--he had been a member of his church for 79 years, and married to my grandmother for 55 years before she preceded him in death. He lived in the same house for all my dad's life up until a few years ago. . .
But most importantly he had an unwavering trust in God. God was his Savior and His LORD. As the pastor pointed out this morning--Grandpa isn't with Jesus because of the good things he did. Grandpa is with Jesus because of what JESUS DID for Grandpa, and the fact that Grandpa staked his whole life on that. It was because of Jesus' love and grace in Grandpa's life that he so exemplified the characteristics in Romans 12.

I rejoice for him that he is at peace now. But I know that he will be missed. I think of my children, most of whom won't have concious memories of him. I was blessed to be his granddaughter and I pray my life can reflect as clearly as Grandpa's did a life lived for God.