Grandpop Yates 12/17/23 - 11/14/11
Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. We all know different people at different times in our lives, and for a different period of time, and for a different purpose. The Lord saw fit in His thoughts and ways for me to know Charles Edward Yates as my Grandpop. I would say that we might have started off on the wrong foot. When I was four, Grandpop and Grandmom came to visit our family in Alaska and Grandpop said “hello Angie.” I said “my name is not Angie…it’s An – ge – la.” When I was eleven we moved to DFW and I didn’t know it at the time how grateful to the Lord I would be for the opportunity to cultivate an irreplaceable relationship with Grandpop and Grandmom. I cannot convey in words what my relationship with Grandpop was and what it means to me; but I will try. The grandparent/grandchild relationship is a unique one; Proverbs 17:6 says children’s children are a crown to the aged. Grandpop and my relationship was defined by love, grace (with the ability to quickly over-look my wrong doing), joy, laughter, spoiling, and a lot of card playing. In fact, our relationship was so close, he even let me keep score when we played cards so I would win – and that wasn’t when I was little, that was over the past several years. Whenever I spent the night with Grandpop and Grandmom, (which I tried to do often) and Grandmom and I would leave for lunch, Grandpop would want to know who was going to fix his lunch. He would say “nobody cares,” which of course was said in jest. My prayer for him was that he would know how much I did care. My love for Grandpop does not come from a familial obligation, but from the love I have received from Christ. For I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith, in the Son of God who loved me and He gave Himself up for me. My new life in Christ has enabled me to love and cherish Grandpop. Whenever I scratched Grandpop’s back he would say “I’ll give you an hour to stop that.” I trust in God’s perfect timing for Grandpop’s life and death, but one more hour would be nice; one more hour to spend with Grandpop thanking the Lord for Grandpop’s service to this country, for his devotion to his family, and most of all, for his love for me.
