MY DAD, MY FEELINGS
and my
DAD'S MEMORIAL
Where do I start?
Perhaps more importantly, where do I finish?
As a young boy my dad grew up in the rough terrain hills of eastern Kentucky.
As a young lad his home became the flat farmlands of southern Illinois.
As a husband of 61 years and a father of four,
Dad spent his entire life laboring on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
Laying tracks and staying out days at a time, eating from a makeshift "soup kitchen"
during a train derailment was emphatically his life, his only interest and his major love.
Ironically as it may be, Dad passed 5 days short of 12 years from Mom.
He was laid to rest next to her on her 12th anniversary with God.
I could go on forever talking about Dad and his incidences in life but
I believe my great-nephew pretty well said it all in his eulogy
to his great-poppaw which he calls
HIS HANDS. HIS HEART.
The memories that I carry of my Poppaw are very dear to me.
I will remember him as a worker.
Retirement after 48 years on the railroad did not mean retirement to him.
Poppaw constantly worked with his hands and as a child
was fortunate enough to enjoy this.
His hands labored in many ways:
With his hands he loved to work on his home, of which he helped to build.
He took pride in sanding, painting and repairing his home.
He was constantly working.
With his hands he planted many gardens.
He loved to work the soil and plant seed.
He was very proud of the many citrus trees that he nurtured over the years.
With his hands he worked countless hours in the yard.
He loved to mow and trim the lawn.
He would often pay me as a child to mow for him, but
he could not stand to watch others work.
He would always join in; thinking back now I probably should have been
paying him as he usually out worked me.
He loved to work.
My childhood memories are filled with pictures of Poppaw in his work clothes,
often wearing his cotton gloves and rubber boots.
He was always ready for the task.
The work of Poppaw's hands should not be forgotten.
His work ethics are a lesson to us all, but the most important work
that Poppaw labored over was not the work done with his hands.
It was the work done with his heart.
For you see, with his hands he built material things.
He constructed, cleaned, trimmed, and repaired.
With his heart he built a family.
With his heart he labored for others.
Always giving and seldom taking.
His heart was open to anyone in need.
That was his way.
The things that he built with his hands are of wood and cement
and can be seen with the human eye.
The things built with his heart are not held together with nails or cement;
they are held together with love.
Those things can also be seen with the human eye.
Look around this room and you will see the building blocks of a family
built on a foundation that started with my Poppaw.
His love originated from a strong belief in God.,
The cornerstone of his belief was salvation through Jesus Christ.
You see, Jesus was also one who labored with His hands and His heart.
Poppaw strived to follow the example of Jesus and his heart longed for
the salvation of family and friends.
Poppaw brought me to Christ six years ago.
I debated over sharing this story, but I feel that it honors both Christ and Poppaw.
Six years ago I faced personal hardship as my pregnant wife lie in the hospital.
Faced with a lengthy hospital stay and the uncertainty of health, things only seemed to get worse.
While hospitalized my wife lost both employment and insurance.
I can still remember coming home alone from the hospital one night.
The house was dark and empty.
I fell to my knees for the first time and asked for help from God.
I prayed for the health of my family and for financial help
as my mortgage was soon due.
This was monies that we did not have.
No one knew of this.
The Lord answered my prayer and healed my family, but he did not stop there.
Several days after praying, I opened the mailbox to find a letter from Poppaw.
Inside the letter was a check with a note that said simply "Thought this would help."
The check was a couple of dollars more than my mortgage payment.
I could not believe that my prayers had been answered this way and so directly.
I called Poppaw the next day to thank him.
I told him that I had to know how he knew of the amount of money
that I needed and that I needed it at all.
Poppaw replied with tears.
He said the Lord woke him and placed it upon his heart to write
a check for me in that exact amount.
I gave my life to Jesus that weekend and Poppaw and I have
shared many conversations about the love of Christ.
Poppaw knew that Jesus was all that was necessary for any situation.
I have learned many lessons in life, but this was the most important.
This lesson applies to us today in our situation as the Bible tells us
in the 30th chapter of the book of Psalms that weeping may remain for the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
You may ask," Where does joy come from on a day of sorrow like today?"
Our joy must come from the knowledge that Poppaw is in a place where
the Bible says God Himself wipes away the tears; a place where
there is no death, no sorrow, no crying, and no more pain.
The Lord used Poppaw on this Earth for 95 years.
I believe that Poppaw is not only in such a place, but I believe he is
worshipping before the throne of God, as he often worshipped from
his living room shouting throughout the house.
We will all have the choice to join him.
That choice can come tomorrow, ten years from now, or with the next breath.
The greatest thing that can come from a day like today is salvation for a lost soul.
The Apostle Paul penned the inspired word of God in Romans Chapter 10 verse 9.
It says simply that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.
It is quite simple.
This confession does not have to be a public address,
it can be done anywhere at anytime.
It can be done from your seat right now.
I believe this is the message that Poppaw would want delivered.
Salvation through Jesus Christ.
As time passes I ask all of you to note the many workings of Poppaw's hands.
The next time you pass his old home, notice the craftsmanship.
Notice the citrus trees he planted and the many things he labored with his hands.
When you see a fall garden think of those cotton gloves working the soil;
anticipating a ripe harvest. But I ask you to also notice the labor of his heart.
Pick up the phone and call family or friends, go out of your way
to give a hug, go an extra mile to do a kind deed.
Whenever you feel joy and happiness remember his heart.
For with his hands his built a home, but with his heart he filled it.
These words were penned Nov 3 from the inspiration of Jesus Christ.
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What can I say after this wonderful eulogy except
Dad, REST IN PEACE
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for the story of
THE PRAYING HANDS