Words of Goodbye?

My father-in-law passed away on Friday.  He was a wonderful man, and we will all miss him so much, but he had been sick for such a long time.  I'm glad that he's finally at peace.

We laid him to rest on Wednesday.  My mother-in-law didn't want the children's Christmas to include the memory of burying their grandfather.  So, we did our best to have a normal Christmas for the kids--he left nine grandchildren, seven of whom are twelve and under.

My father-in-law was a very special man.  He spent the majority of his time volunteering and doing for other people.  In fact, he helped found the camp for children with autism that my kids now attend.  And you know what?  He did that years ago.  Before autism was more understood.  Before he had grandchildren with autism.  Isn't that amazing?

My father-in-law and grandkids, Halloween 2011

His grandchildren were the light of his life.  So, at the funeral, my mom-in-law wanted to give them an opportunity to say something about him.  Lela bravely made her way to the microphone.  She told of his nickname for her, and how he played with her.  However, her little comments were interrupted.  Noah followed her to the microphone.  He pushed her aside and yelled, "Shut up Dog!"

Noah says that a lot.  I guess in the grand scheme of things he could have said something much worse.  He repeats a lot of what he hears, so yelling SON OF A BITCH!  wasn't out of the realm of possibility.  We all laughed.  My father-in-law would've thought it was hilarious.  So, I guess at the end of the day it was okay.

We have lost our patriarch.  Our family won't be the same again.  But the memory of his work on behalf of others will live on.  Eli spoke at the funeral after the Lela/Noah fiasco.  His strongest memory of his grandfather was of Pawpaw buying a Christmas tree and presents for two cognitively impaired men who had nothing.  I can only hope that my legacy is as good as that.