A Post From the Heart...

Last week was one of the hardest weeks I've ever had in my adult life. We grieved and celebrated the lives of two wonderful men. One whom I've known my entire life, and the other whom I was only priviledged to know for four years. Russell Smith, grandfather to my best friend Marisha, died a week ago last Sunday morning at the age of 84 from cancer. I spent half of my childhood at Marisha's house in Auburn, AL. We grew up together and even though we were two years apart in age, we were thick as mud. We have pictures of us together in the same crib!! Thick as thieves we are! Mr. Russell was a figure who visited often and it seemed he was always treating me as one of his grandchildren. He was diagnosed with cancer right after we returned from China with Grace. I took them meals, but didn't take Grace with me a lot because he was very weak. She painted him beautiful pictures of orange and blue, sat in his lap where he would give her hershey's kisses to her hearts delight. She even rang out in a chorus of War Eagle! every time she saw him. He always told Brandon and I how proud he was of what we had done in adopting Grace even though we saw ourselves as the ones who were blessed. He was very quick to tell you what he thought although very careful in how he told it. He was a soldier who fought in the battle of the bulge, a loving father, an adoring husband, and a spoiling grandfather and greatfather. He loved his family, his country, his church, and most of all his God. What a legacy he has left! We will miss him dearly. Linnes Melton Waldrep, father to Phil Waldrep who is friends of mine and Brandon's, passed away Monday afternoon in his home. Grace and I ate breakfast with Pa-Paw Linnes every Monday morning at Chick-fil-A. She would eat her chicken mini's and then he would promptly bye her icecream at 8:15 in the morning! It drove me crazy, but it made his day! His favorite thing to say to Grace was, "Tell that man who I am" and Grace would proudly proclaim, "Pa-Paw Innes". He loved her like his own grandchildren and she loved him more than words can express. She doesn't think we can go to Chick-fil-A without seeing him. She sees the sign and says, "Pa-Paw!" We were suppose to eat breakfast with Linnes last Monday. We couldn't go so we met him the previous Friday. He wanted to buy her icecream and I wouldn't let him. Oh how I wish I had!!!! That Monday afternoon his wife came home and found him dead in their kitchen floor. That morning he had breakfast with his grandchildren and gone to the hospital to pray with a sick friend. What a way to leave this earth! It was later determined he had died from a massive heart attack. At the funeral home, Phil said Linnes had three pictures in his wallet. One of Maegan, one of Melodi (his two grandchildren) and one of Grace. Chick-fil-A retired his chair and served his breakfast at his normal place the day after he died. This is not a verse I would probably normally think of in this situation but it seems to fit these two men. Genesis 6:4 says, "In those days and even afterward, there were giants in the land." These two men were giants. Giants to their communities, their churches, their families, and their friends. Giants to me, and giants to my child. I can only thank God everyday for the honor of knowing them. I always want to remind Grace of their love for God and for her. And now that I think about it, it's okay to eat icecream at 8:15 in the morning.

Grace with Pa-Paw Linnes. She was taking his picture with an old digital camera. I can't seem to find a picture of Grace with Mr. Smith. I know I have one somewhere I just haven't located it yet.