remembering

I will get back to the spiritual growth/formation stuff at some point ... but today I am remembering my grandfather Carl O. Blasenhauer. My grandpa passed away on Wednesday of this past week (1/21), he was 91. He was preceded in death by my grandmother's in the summer of 2006. I am grateful that we got to spend time with him at Christmas (that is when this picture was taken). I spent a lot of time with him growing up ... in fact, I get my love of cars from him. He collected old cars ... like a 1956 Thunderbird that my parents now own, a 1912 Ford Model T, 1914 Ford Model A, 1964 Chevy Corvair ... and others. I also get my artistic (what I have) ability from him. I spent many hours in his garage making things from stuff he had around the shop. My grandfather was a plumber and owned his own company (it still bears his name although he sold the business years ago) ... so there was always stuff laying around to build ships and airplanes ... anything you could think of (within reason). At Christmas I took my boys and walked through the shop ... so many memories. Even though the place has long been silent to clanging pipes, saws and hammers on nails ... it sill has a life of its own. The cars are still there ... right where I remember them. And so is the old clothes dryer with the top rollers ... I got my fingers stuck in them one day while wondering what a certain button did on the thing ... I found out the hard way ... my grandpa came and hit the release button.

Christmas Eves were spent going to their Christmas Eve service at church followed by shredded beef sandwiches, mac and cheese and presents at their house. It's the same church the service will be held at on Monday ... and I will remember.

We would take trips with him in the Model T. I specifically remember my brother and I riding with him to Chattanooga, TN in the summer of 1977 ... I was going into junior high. We visited Rock City. I remember the waitress crying as she served us at the restaurant that night ... Elvis had died. We lost the transmission on the car driving up the mountain and had to rent a UHaul to drive it home. Along the way people would stop us and ask about the car ... and grandpa would tell us stories about his other trips. I laugh when I remember the afternoon he was hit in the head by a bird as hit flew over the car as we were driving :D

Both he and my grandmother loved to travel ... after retiring they bought an RV and spent a lot of time out west ... they especially loved the mountains.

I have just finished reading Job and in 14:5 these words are penned, "You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer". [NLT]. We are reminded of that in times like these ... live is fragile and short (even at 92). Later in chapter 19, Job says this, “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!" [NLT] That is his joy now ... to see Him himself. I am overwhelmed at the thought.

I am thankful that my grandfather knew God personally ... that he knew Jesus as his Savior and that he joins his wife, my other grandfather ... and of course ... my daughter in the "great cloud of witnesses". 

There is more I could share about him ... his laugh, his humor ... his impact on my life. Again, I am grateful for the close relationship I have had with all my grandparents (I still have my grandmother ... my dad's mom ... she's 93).

So I am remembering ... and am thankful ... and am sad at his loss ... and am glad that our boys knew their great grandfather ... and recalling Psalm 139:16 ... that every day of my life is recorded in His book ... every moment is laid out before they even pass.

Just some thoughts ... I'm sure they seem scattered ... never the less ...