My last post here was October 2016. Grandma Morren passed away 3 months after Grandma and Grandpa Pluister passed. Yesterday Grandpa Morren passed away and is now reunited with Grandma in Heaven. This is my tribute to him today.
Tribute to Grandpa Morren
Time. Webster’s defines time as:
1 a: the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues : DURATION
b: a nonspatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future
2: the point or period when something occurs : OCCASION
3: an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end
Time is our most valuable thing. It's the one thing you can not buy or get back once it is gone. There are three questions that everyone needs to ask themselves: First how did we get here? Second, what is our purpose? Lastly, how are you leaving? Allow me to share from my experience.
For me the idea of time is interesting. In my mind there are times when I still feel like the newly married young man not so far removed from my high school years. I remember the days of playing in the “back 40” as we commonly referred to it. This was the 40 acres of Grandpa’s farm land. We hunted, we fished, we tore it up on ATV’s and Golf Carts. We built forts of all shapes and sizes. It was every boy's dream place to be for us. There was just one rule, and that was DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE TEAR UP THE HAY FIELDS!
I loved riding on the tractor with Grandpa and doing things on the farm. I remember helping him when the cows would get out and occasionally helping him get them from one pasture to another. He would always say just get in there with them and drive them this way. My response was always the same, there is no way I am getting in a fence with those cows. He always came back with they won’t hurt you. Grandpa, that still isn’t happening. I’ll hold that gate, but that's as far as I am going! Speaking of gates and fences, Grandpa had an Electric fence. What is it about Electric fences that makes boys do dumb things like dare each other to touch it. It wasn’t smart, but we always got a good laugh out of it.
One of my favorite traditions that Grandma and Grandpa had was on Sunday’s. There was always Coffee at their house after church where we would all gather together. One Sunday a month each family would have lunch after Coffee with them. The pleasant aroma of that food is something that sticks with you for a lifetime. That was my childhood, that’s what home was for me.
I always thought Grandpa would pass away there because that was his home. After Grandma passed and a little time went by it became clear that would not be the case though. After some tough negotiations he went to Royal Park where he could have more community and be cared for as too often happens. It was a hard sell, but the Lord was at work. From familiar faces to warm meals he agreed to give it a go. I think with a little time it helped knowing he had sold that house to a loving family with kids of their own. Little did he know the relationship he would build with them. I know Grandma would be proud. Once again little feet run those halls and stairs to create a new legacy there.
What is the legacy of a man or woman? Is it the accomplishments of their life, the money made or left behind, the retirement achieved, even the good things done for other people? Let’s consider a few things of the last 100 years Grandpa experienced in his lifetime:
From new autos replacing the model t & a’s
To now self driving cars and tractors
From the first moon landing
To now self driving mars robots capable of sending photos back to Earth
From modern airliner Boeing 247
To now unmanned aircraft and drones
From rotary phones
To now cell phones & VR glasses
From the first pacemaker
To now robotic precision surgeries
From the first programmable computer
To now super computers with artificial intelligence
The list could go on…. But none of these things are the truly important things that matter. What matters is the legacy of faith in Jesus we pass along.
Grandpa was a smart man, successful in business, worked hard on the farm, loved his family, and most importantly he loved Jesus. He wasn’t perfect, but he and Grandma left a larger than life legacy from their kids down to their great grand kids. Two of which are our very own. Grandpa and Grandma were committed to each other and to their family and friends. They shared the Gospel message and modeled hospitality for us all. Only Heaven knows the number of lives they touched.
At this stage of life that I find myself in it only takes one diagnosis from the doctor, one phone call that Dad’s at the hospital fighting a heart attack, or in this case that Grandpa has been called home by his Savior to remind me I am not that young kid any more. Time has passed and I need to start thinking of life after those you love have passed away.
It's the stark reminder that there is a beginning and there will be an end. Our life has already been planned and from the moment God was knitting us together in our mothers womb. That’s when the clock started. Everyone starts the same way, by divine formation of God the creator. However, we don’t all get the same amount of time. Some of us will get just a few years, while others will live a longer life of 80, 90, or even into the 100’s. What's important from the time the clock begins is what will we do with our life, what type of legacy will we leave, and how will we depart.
I have shared with you the answer to question one, how did we get here. I also shared an example from the life of Grandpa about what someone's purpose can be. What remains is how will you leave? There are only two options. Heaven or Hell. Grandpa would want all of you to know that there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Jesus paid for our sins and mistakes by his death on the cross. He was raised from the dead after 3 days defeating death and sin once and for all. The Bible states it this way in John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
The gift of Salvation is available to all if we choose to believe in him for the forgiveness of our sins. We just need to accept it, believe it, and hold on to the hope of everlasting life. There is no other way out of here. Death will come for us all, but it doesn’t have to have the last say. So I’ll ask the question, do you know Jesus? Have you accepted his gift of immortality and a life everlasting? If not please consider it, because time is of the essence! There won’t be any second chances or redo options. This life is short, but eternity lasts forever. Choose today and don’t delay. Grandpa, it's not good bye, but see you later! Say Hi to Grandma for us all. We love you.
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