Today my great-grandfather of 101 years old passed away. You might think that this is sad, but in some ways it is the most joyful thing to hear at Christmas time. My great grandfather gets to spend Christmas in heaven this year, and for him I know this will be the greatest Christmas gift ever! He will once again get to see his wife who passed away in 1998 and his brothers and sisters. And best of all, He gets to see Jesus face to face. I cannot imagine a more exciting Christmas present than that, especially because my great-grandpa really loves Christmas so much.
He went into a coma a few days ago and last night around 9:00 in the evening he went to heaven in peace. My uncle and my grandmother were there in the last few hours, singing hymns, reading Scripture verses, and praying with him. These were some of his favorite things to do while he was alive. Now, he gets to do those things while sitting at the feet of his Savior. Saturday, I will travel to his funeral in Michigan but I really might as well call it a Christmas Celebration. He knew exactly where he was going in the end.
He had a long and full life here on earth. He loved his family and got to see it grow to include more than 20 grandchildren and more than 40 great-grandchildren. He was a man worthy of respect because he always put God first and sought ways to serve Him with all his heart. I will greatly miss him, but I know for certain that I will see him again someday. And I know that he is celebrating, and that he would want me to be doing the same. I am just so glad that he gets to spend Christmas in heaven....
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When we've ten thousand years bright shining as the sun; we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun. --Amazing Grace
My great-grandma died around this time last year...
She starved herself to death. Being smaller than my little sister at 98, it didn't take long.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!