I got your letter that you sent to us. I know that it wasn’t finished. I think you knew something was going to happen. You had that intuition with hearing God that way.
You lived a life that was amazing and wonderful. You lived for Christ like no one I’ve ever seen. I was there a few days before you died. I listened to the stories of how you loved others and in turn, that changed lives. One story was of you working at the Cato store for women. If memory serves me right, there were about 25 employees. Yourself being the only one even wanting to believe in God. Within fairly short time, a year or two I think, all of your fellow employees were professing Christians. Its just how you lived.
You are not forgotten! Your name, well, your nickname lives on today. You have greatgrands now. I know that Joshua and Robert have had kids, their wives have anyway. Kris and Laura have little Ben, and Raygen and I have Bonnie. Yes, she was named after you.
I’m not sure if you know, but I’ll tell you on this public forum.
After you died, I began to hear the stories of how you lived. It changed my life. I realized that how I lived didn’t even begin to line up with your example. You died on Sept 10, 2002. I became a Christian on October 22, 2002. I keep quoting the scripture in John 15 that Christ says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ” I know that is what you did. By seeing the way you lived, the fruit of your life and the effectiveness of your convictions, I, too, follow in the way of the one, true God.
I miss you. I miss your jokes and your singing into one of those silly kid microphones that have the spring in it. I miss your stories. I miss your hugs and kisses. I miss eating your German Chocolate Cake and drinking diet Pepsi with it. I miss the way your perfume smelled. I miss your laugh and your quick-wit. I miss your unmistakeable love for us.
I know you are busy worshipping our Father in Heaven. I look forward to the day we can all join in together. Until then, I love you…
Prodigal Thinker 