Faith in Footprints

I meant to write this a few days ago but ran out of time.

People come and go in our life for one reason or another. They leave their footprint on our heart. They don't stay for forever even though we wish they would. We can get upset at God for taking them away or we can rejoice that they made a difference.

4 years ago a man known to me as my Grandpa walked through the gates of heaven. He not only was a huge part of my life but a large part of many others. It seems that only yesterday he left as well as it seems like years that he has been gone.

I have many fond memories of my Grandpa. He and Grandma use to have a Black Lab, Duchess, andn I use to be terrified of dogs when I was 8 years old. I hated them coming within 10 feet of me because I thought they were going to hurt me. Grandpa told me when we stayed with them for a week that Duchess wouldn't hurt me. He told me that all she wanted to do was be my friend and smell my hands to say hi. If I kept my hands down then she wouldn't jump and I didn't need to be afraid. He helped show me how to be calm. It worked. He helped in my getting over my fear of dogs, which lead to my not being afraid of larger animals.

Being the oldest frandchild was full of new experiences. I was the first grandchild to go off to college. I went to Northwestern College. A small Christian college in Orange City, IA (Holland, MI's sister city). My first year was fine. The second school year, much unfolded all too quickly. I had been at school for maybe 2 weeks. My mother called me at 6:45am central time on Saturday Sept. 2, 2006. I was still in bed so I was caught a little off guard. She told me that Grandpa was in the hospital because he had had a stroke a day before. The stroke caused him to bleed into his brain but it was too deep for the doctors to do anything besides give him medicine and it would be a miracle if he pulled through it alive. I knew right away that I had to get back home even if I was 800 miles away. I woke my RA, Kayla, up and told her what was going on. She told me that if I needed to get home for a funeral that I could drive her car. I got a call at 7pm that same day from mom. Grandpa had died peacefully. I remember that night I went outside away from everyone and cried out under the stars. I remembered the weekend before I had left for school that year we had Sunday dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. That was the last time I ever saw him. He was always concerned about my faith and coming to know the Lord as my Savior. I told Kayla that I needed to get home and she handed me the keys and I left the next morning for home.

Grandpa also started the small Christian school where I went to elementary school so his grandchildren could go to a school and learn about the Lord. He loved leading others to the Lord.

Finally 23 years of my life have gone by and I came to know the Lord. I wish so much that he could be here with me so I could tell him. But then I remember that he has been with me through it all. I also wish that he could be here to meet the man that God has brough into my life. The man who I have been waiting for. The man who I believe God has chosen for me. But I remember again that he has been watching from the heavens.

Thank you Grandpa for being who you are. You are loved so much. You may think that you didn't make a difference, but look around at all who were changed because of you. You have touched lives all across the world. As your oldest grandchild, I only wish I could be as least half the influencial person you were when I leave this earth. Your footprints are a large spot to fill.

~Rachel