Remembering!

Remembering!
I sat down to write a good long devotional, but felt lead to do something different today. November 11, 2010, Veterans Day and with all the remembrances and services held, I was reminded of my grandfather who spent his life in the service of Christ. He was first and foremost a loving family man who gave all he had to make sure we were loved and cared for (even when we didn't think we needed it). My grandfather spent the 1940's just like most men of that era, fighting for freedom and touring the world on the US GI plan. He got to see some beautiful places, fraught with war and strife that were not so beautiful anymore. There is a photo on my computer desktop of him walking the beaches of Normandy, France, fifty years after he walked it the first time. A look in his face that took him back to the bitter days of hatred and anger of a world at war. He always saw the good in people and would always greet them with a, "Hello friend!" I am happy to have known this man. I am thrilled he let me see that real men could be a strong resilient type, but could also be soft and caring. After the war he became a minister and continued teaching the Word of God up to the day he left this temporary home to be with the Father. My grandfather, Rev. Edward Randall Jr. taught me how to be strong, how to love, how to forgive, how to teach, and most of all be a friend to those who would not want friendship. An infectious smile and loving heart and a "Hello friend!" with the love of Jesus in your heart were what he advised. I admired my grandfather for the man he was. I admire him much more for the man he made me become. He taught me about God, and not to be ashamed or afraid to be a Christian.
To you grandpa!!
In Christ, Rick
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