On my Grandpa

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and kind words since my grandpa passed away last Wednesday. His funeral was amazing - my favorite EVER. Yes, I actually enjoyed the funeral immensely. Chris commented later that night that the grandchildren actually did the entire service; I thought that was so cool. My grandpa would have absolutely loved that. My brother Daniel officiated, and it was one of the best messages/sermons I've ever heard, and my two previous preaching pastors were John Piper and Tom Schreiner.

I found real comfort being at the funeral home with my grandpa during the viewing on Friday. I've always been a litttle skittish about dead bodies, but this time was different. The variety of people that came to the funeral home and then to the funeral was so touching - 40 year old men that used to be my grandpa's farm boys, hunters that have hunted on my grandpa's land for years, nieces and nephews, young and old. My grandpa was one amazing person. His nephew, who's currently building a home in Ukraine, told my mom, "You could travel the whole world and not find a man like Clarence." If you knew this nephew of his, this statement would mean even more.

All of the grandchildren had an opportunity to share a testimony at my grandpa's funeral on Saturday. Most of you know me and know that I would have gone into the ugly cry right away, so Chris read this for me. I was thankful for the opportunity to express my love. It has been a difficult week, especially since I wasn't with my family until Friday morning - in some ways my grieving was delayed. I was REALLY close to my grandpa and right now just can't imagine life without him. But, I find amazing comfort and joy knowing that he is with Christ and also has no knee pain, numb hands, dizzy spells and discouraging days.

What I didn't mention in my testimony below is the godly, faithful and loving helpmeet God gave my grandpa almost 58 years ago. My grandma stood by my grandpa through many painful, difficult and trying days. She managed the farm on her own through those days. She faithfully took care of him these past several years, as his health slowly weakened. She has done him good all of his days, and will undoubtedly do him good for the rest of hers. My heart aches most for her. After only being married for 5 years, I can't imagine the void she is facing. But I praise God for his grace and comfort for her; I know He will be sufficient for all of her needs in the days to come.

There was much to love about my grandpa Salesky. He was a kind, loving, generous and tenderhearted man, and I am so blessed to have 25 years of memories with him. There are a few things I will always love and remember most.

Two of my favorites are his love to tell a story and his sensitive nature. These were always connected, because many times when he was telling a story from years gone by, his eyes would well up and the tears flowed freely. (This is one trait that I inherited from him.) He told many of the same stories over and over again, and though sometimes Grandma would protest at the retelling so much, he still loved to recount his memories. He especially loved to tell me of how his sister introduced him to grandma and of how they later got married right there in the living room. Another favorite was how grandma didn't know how to make jello when they were first married and a farm hand had to teach her. (This really made him chuckle, because Grandma became the best cook in the county.) But the real special stories were of the times when God had saved him - first when Jesus became his personal Savior, and later when his life was spared after a bad fall while painting. The Lord spared his life many times - from sickness or accident - and he would recount these times, smiling through the tears at God's amazing goodness to him.

One of the other things I loved most was my grandpa's beautiful and contagious smile. It didn't take much to make him smile: a growing garden, a nice drive in the country, or seeing his family. And when he smiled, his eyes really sparkled.

One last thing I want to share is how I loved my grandpa's hands. They were big hands, and it was obvious that they were once very strong, but in the last several years they became shaky and numb so that he liked to wear gloves. Many time I was summoned to go find the gloves - I loved helping put them on and usually indulged him in a backscratch. He would close his eyes in enjoyment, smile and say, "You can do that all day!"

I live in Michigan now, so didn't get to the hospital on Tuesday to hold his hand and say goodbye. But God is so good to me, for I spent last weekend with my grandpa, when he was strong and happy. Only a week ago from tonight, after he was laying in bed in the hotel, I found his gloves and helped him put them on; then I gave him a good backscratch. I didn't know it would be the last time he gave me a hug and a kiss, but Grandpa always made every hug special and each kiss count. So now, I couldn't pray for more than for my grandpa to be with Jesus.