(Cont. from Pt. 1)
Before he ‘stepped across the great divide’ Granddaddy William left
me, (and his then unseen progeny which would follow him) a personal
note.
It reads as follows
I stare into the eyes of that yellowing, fading portrait of my great Grandparents now, and their dull, unblinking eyes reveal
… absolutely nothing.
And I have often mused, “Why didn’t you leave something behind?”
Oh, how I would have enjoyed knowing you. How wonderful it would have
been if you had left some word, some reflection, something of
yourselves.
Well, my dear descendants, I have decided NOT to
repeat their mistake; (and yes, I consider it an irrevocable mistake;
which once the party has passed from this earth can never be corrected.)
I think the following daily journal entries, (as well as my previously
written autobiography, counseling memoirs, and other volumes) will not
only elicit a few laughs, but provide you some insight into the life of
your ancestor; someone not unlike yourself, who lived, and loved, and
moved, and breathed, and made his way about this earth, and even
impacted a few for good, “before you were even a twinkle.”
You deserve it.
And this writer, who by the time you read these words may have long
since ceased to live, and love, and breathe, and move, and enjoy the
beauty which God has visited upon our planet, can only wish you well,
and exhort you to do as I am currently doing…
We are all too
close to having eyes which do not see, ears which do not hear, and
mouths which do not speak. While there is still time,
… Leave something of yourself behind.
And so much more crucial than my previous admonition, I earnestly pray,
(and I have prayed for you when you were not, and when only God knew
you by name) that you will give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ,
faithfully serve Him, and make a profound difference among those whom
God has chosen to set in your pathway; as I believe that I have done.
For as a wise and equally well-known man of my time, Dr. James Dobson,
(whom I once met, and conversed with) has encouraged his own children,
and grandchildren…
… “Be There!”
… “Be There!”
I hope to meet you in heaven. I’ll be waiting just inside the gate.
Granddaddy William
Is it any wonder I write as if I knew him? How can one read such stuff
as this and not develop some ethereal bond with a man who prayed for me
and mine decades before we were a passing thought or proverbial theory?
How can I deny him his richly deserved Legacy by failing to give my
life to the God whom he served? How can I squander the days of my life
and avoid making it count for something and someone, as he made his life
count before me?
I am inestimably glad and eternally humbled
that before his passing my ancient grandfather took measures to assure
he would avoid the fate of the majority of his own ancestors who
pre-dated him. For you see, to me my Grandfather William is so much more
than a yellowing, fading bit of celluloid. He has become as real and
vibrant as anyone whom I can presently see with my eyes and touch with
my hands.
And has he has done before me, so shall I do.
I remember Granddad
By William McDonald, PhD. From (Mc)Donald's Daily Diary. Vol. 44. Copyright pending
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