Friday, October 25, 2013
As we've spent time talking with each of you, we've realized how my father has touched so many of you with his kindness. He was truly a gentle soul.
Growing up, dad was always a solid presence in our home. From making our family dinner every evening while mom was in the beauty shop to providing daily care and therapy for our sister Mel - Dad was always there and most times, he was in the kitchen. Dad loved his deviled eggs and although I wasn't the most enthusiastic about helping to make them, I'd enjoy eating them. A family meal didn't go by without Dad's deviled eggs so when we had a holiday dinner and dad didn't serve deviled eggs we were a little confused! But lo and behold, Dad remembered that he had made deviled eggs and we had them with dessert. After this happened again, we decided that deviled eggs were forever a dessert for us!
That seems so long ago now as I think about just last week, as I spent a few moments in his hospital room after Dad passed, I took his hands in mine and remembered the days when I was a little girl... Sometimes in church I would get a little bored… I'd start to squirm, but I knew that if I reached in to Dad's coat pocket he would have candy or gum to keep me occupied, but after having a few pieces of candy and still be bored, he'd give me a pen or pencil to pass the time drawing. BUT even after that if I was still bored, I would pick up his hand and study it. I would look at his fingers and his nails… Dad always had clean strong hands that were always warm - I loved holding his warm hand.
So when I spent those last moments in the hospital holding his still warm hands, I noticed how those hands had changed. They were still the same hands but with a few more wrinkles. They were still the strong hands of my dad, but weak from illness and age. I saw hands that had always been ready to help in the kitchen at church or drive his truck to deliver ice cream for the Brethren Disaster Relief Auction milkshake stand or drive his truck to deliver drinks for the Manheim Farm Show French Fry stand or drive his truck to deliver Meals on Wheels…
I saw hands that were ready to help, that were ready to work, that were ready to care, but what I saw most were hands that had been so ready to reach out to Jesus for so long. I saw hands that now were at rest and at peace.
And what I see today, are hands of the people who knew Dad and or his family and I think the challenge and Dad's legacy to us are to always be ready to use our hands, your hands, to show the love of Christ to others.
Thanks for caring for us and caring for Dad.
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