Today was a tearful but sweet day of
remembering my Dad at his funeral.
My Eulogy
Just think of stepping on shore, and finding it Heaven
Of touching a hand, and finding it God's
Of breathing new air, and finding it Celestial
Of waking up in Glory, and finding it home.
When you lose one or both parents, and you know they are Christians and with the Lord, why is it so hard? They were old and you know they were so ill they are much better off in heaven. Why do they leave such a void?
It's because they were pillars in your life.
Someone you know often mentioned your name in prayer. Now we must be the ones who pray. We brothers and sisters must follow their example and pray for each other on a regular basis.
Dad's profession as a machinist and machine designer required absolute accuracy. So many of the things I learned were an integral part of who he was: detailed, precise and thorough.
Things my Dad taught me
1. First I learned very quickly it's awfully nice to call someone, "Daddy." I was 14 when he married my mother. I had been raised fatherless, and he filled a huge hole in my heart.
2. Never talk back to your parents.
3. Be frugal. Use what you have on hand.
4. If you don't have time to do it right the first time, when will you have time to do it over? Don't do a sloppy job.
5. He led the family in a devotional and prayer almost every morning at the breakfast table.
6. Leftovers were passed around the table about three times before Dad would clean out the dish. We knew he wanted them, but had to convince him we were full.
7. Never be ashamed to talk about Jesus. To anyone. He was a lot like the Apostle Paul who said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
8. He would engage us kids in word games and sing in harmony on vacation trips which always involved hours and hours traveling by car.
9. How to do everything "just a little bit better." Don't settle for mediocrity.
10. Use your gifts to help other people. He never visited us at our homes without fixing or building something. He liked to keep busy.
11. Tithe generously. He tithed 20% of his income. When I was in high school I earned a free week at Bible camp by memorizing 120 verses over several weeks. Dad insisted on paying for the camp anyway just to be helpful to them.
12. Apparently, it's okay to sleep in church :) He was ALWAYS dozing off.
The Bible in his coffin is open to Job 19: 25-27: "I know my Redeemer liveth, and He shall stand at last on the earth. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me."
My deep love for the Lord is a direct result of the influence of my mother and father's example and what they taught me.
I love you, Daddy.
