One Last Lesson

We lost one of the greatest of the greatest generation last week. Yesterday we laid my Pappa to rest. He was 92 years old, father to 3, grandfather to 6, great grandfather to 7, and a survivor of Pearl Harbor to top it off... and really, that's only the tip of the iceberg. Along the way he taught me many lessons. He taught me that it was important to get my education, to take care of my parents, to always be honest... there is nothing worse than a liar. He taught me to be proud of my service to my country, no matter how little I think I did. Above all, with his words and with his life, even things I have only learned over this past week, he taught me how important it is to spend time with the Lord. I can hear him now... "Now Sarah, if you hear the Lord telling you something, you had better do it."  At the funeral it was said that Psalm 1 was one of his favorite passages. I will take it with me as his last lesson and I will listen and hold it dear like I have all the others. After the funeral my aunt shared with us that the last time she saw him he asked her about her time spent with the Lord.... this was only days before he passed and served as a reminder to her that we can all do better, it was completely meant for her to share that reminder with us. He was dedicated to making sure each of us knew the Lord like he did. He prayed for us all everyday as well as his nation and it's leaders. I've been known to say that his prayers plus my parents could have singly pulled me out of my darkest days and personally, I'm forever grateful for them. I love him so much and will miss him everyday. More than anything I am thankful for every minute he spent teaching me something.

PSALM 1

Blessed is the one
   who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
   or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
   whatever they do prospers.
 ⁴ Not so the wicked!
   They are like chaff
   that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
   nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
 ⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
   but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.