“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”

-Bernice Johnson Reagon

This was so true of Adam’s maternal grandpa, PaPa. Dementia was the challenge for him and it brought out so much sweetness and his servant’s heart. As he forgot more and more, he would check on you every few minutes to see if you needed a refill on your drink, a bowl of cereal, or a snack. He would tell the same stories over and over again, because he was excited about what had happened and wanted you to share in his excitement. He would show you photos he had taken of the ducks in the pond, or a bird in a tree, or a flower and then, fifteen minutes later call you back to his computer and show you again because he wanted to share the beauty of life with everyone around him. Life wasn’t all roses, but he walked through this battle with so much grace.

This was possible because of his relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. PaPa loved the Lord with his whole heart! I didn’t come on the scene until PaPa was already beginning to forget, but the very first sit down conversation he and I had at my then future in-laws house was about how God had wooed and pursued PaPa’s heart until he could no longer resist and gave his life to the Lord. I loved hearing the story, but was very convicted by how easily he shared his Jesus with a stranger. When my daddy met PaPa several months later, one of the first things they shared with each other was how God had gotten a hold of their lives. That was just who PaPa was. He wanted you to know the joy that he had in Jesus and be able to experience it for yourself.

We received several text messages regarding PaPa’s condition going downhill throughout the beginning of September. It was excrutiating knowing how much hurt was going on within our family and being so far away, unable to help and just be there. We decided, after much counsel, that it would be best for our family to make the trip to Wichita. Nine hours later, at 9:30 am on September 14th, we were in the car, bags packed, and really great attitudes. Chloe slept a lot which was a huge blessing! Adam and I had a chance to talk, just the two of us. There was so much anticipation in our spirits due to the elaborate surprise in mind for our families. But…God had other plans. We made it as far as Gainesville, Texas, right on the Oklahoma border. It was midnight when we pulled in to our hotel parking lot and Adam said, “hey, will you check those messages for me?” PaPa had been rapidly deteriorating the past two days, and the last message said that he had gone to be with his precious Savior.

I sat in silence for a few minutes first just in shock, then sadness for us, and after a bit, praising Jesus that PaPa had finally heard his, “Well done, good and faithful servant!…Come and share in your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21) and that he didn’t have to deal with the suffering of dementia anymore. I looked over at Adam and he was messing with our GPS. He looked at me and said, “I’m not going to sleep now anyway and you and Chloe have been sleeping just fine. We can be in Wichita in five hours.”

So that’s what we did. We hadn’t reserved our hotel room yet, so we just kept driving and texted a few people so that they knew we were coming. We arrived at 5:07 am, took a two hour nap, and then hung out with family for the next week. It was a really wonderful, sweet time remembering PaPa, celebrating his life and Jesus through his memorial service, giving hugs to and visiting with people, and so many other things.

I learned a lot about PaPa through time visiting family. He loved Cherry RC Cola, mixed three or four different kinds of cereal together in a “cereal suicide”, was broken over homeless people, found all kinds of treasures on the side of the road, loved to fish, was a huge jokester, a zealous witness for the Lord, cherished his family, and lived life to the fullest.

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

– Jim Elliot