Eulogy [ to my grandfather ]
Title: None
Notes: The eulogy given at my grandfather's funeral: December 17, 2010.
My grandfather… When I considered speaking about him, I didn‘t know where to start. Where does one start when a life has come to an end? It would be easy enough to just list off all the qualities that made my grandpa who he was. But somehow, that would feel shallow. It would feel far too inferior to what Rodney Nichols truly deserves. It would also feel insufficient, unfinished, and like a poor attempt at trying to tell myself that he is still here, waiting for me behind a pew, ready to jump out to “spook” me. Knowing that I will no longer be teased or play with Grandpa still feels like a weight pressing down on my heart. However, because there is always a however in moments like this, I take joy in remembering my time with my grandfather. I will remember having him in my life as a blessing. I honestly believe that no grandchild could have had anyone better for a grandparent. Right now, he is perfect in my eyes as he is perfect in the Lord’s. And as clichéd or overused as the phrase may be, I believe he lives on in our memories. Forever as a man whom we loved.
My memories of my grandfather go back maybe twenty or fifteen years. It will never be enough time for me. Fifteen years is such a short time in life, and I still have many years to go. Part of me had thought that my grandpa would be here for all of my time. With me through every walk of life, but since he is not, I focus on what times I did have with him. What I can remember is that my grandpa was such a multi-faceted man with many interests and many friends. A well known man and a rock of the foundation of this community. But the one side that has always resonated with me and will be most prominent in my memories is just how much he loved his family. From his wife (my grandmother), to his three daughters (my mom and my aunts), to his five granddaughters, of which I am the oldest. He loved every one of us so much, it has made his passing harder but all the more important to me.
When I was young, I lived with my grandfather and grandmother for a period that, at the time, felt to be as long as eternity. Now that I look back on it, that year or so now feels brief. A blink of an eye in the ever onward march of time. But certain things always come to mind as I reminisce that make that brief time unforgettable. Like how much he taught me. I had the most adventurous and exciting childhood thanks to my grandfather. Between learning how to untie and tie shoes as I played with his work boots to learning how to ride a bike for the first time in the alley behind the house, Rodney taught me so much that I would have never learned anywhere else. He passed onto me a sense of adventure and creativity that I now treasure. As well as a strong sense of duty and determination. And I wasn’t the only one who learned from him by having him in my life. Rodney’s reach was far, so very far in this community. His impact is visible in the lives around me. I can see the strong sense of responsibility my grandpa had in my mother and my aunts. I can see his determination and reliability in my sister and my cousins. And in my grandmother, the woman that my grandpa loved through richer and poorer, better or worse, sickness and health… His love for his family lives on in my grandma, Pat.
It’s more than certain to me now that Grandpa is in a better place. No longer will he suffer; the strong and stubborn man I knew is watching me from above. He is free of the disease that crippled his mind, the worst kind of condition for a man so emotionally strong and proud like my grandpa. And he is looking down on us now, probably somewhere on the wide golf greens of heaven, in between strokes. As he looks down, I hope that I will continue to be the granddaughter he raised. I know I will never forget him, nor what he’s done for me. Just like I’m certain that the impacts he had on our lives and our community will never fade. He lives on eternally with the Lord and in our memories, our lives, and our world.
Death, just like life, is all par for the course of this world. Losing my grandfather has hurt me on a level that can never be fully expressed in words. But, my grandfather is happy now; I’m sure of this. And I hope that we can all find comfort in this fact. I pray that as we feel grief, we also remember that he is at peace. Remembering this and the joy we had of having him in our lives is what we should take away from his passing. I know I will.
Delivered at Odessa Heritage Church, Odessa, Washington. December 17, 2010.
Rest in peace, Grandpa. I miss you.
Notes: The eulogy given at my grandfather's funeral: December 17, 2010.
My grandfather… When I considered speaking about him, I didn‘t know where to start. Where does one start when a life has come to an end? It would be easy enough to just list off all the qualities that made my grandpa who he was. But somehow, that would feel shallow. It would feel far too inferior to what Rodney Nichols truly deserves. It would also feel insufficient, unfinished, and like a poor attempt at trying to tell myself that he is still here, waiting for me behind a pew, ready to jump out to “spook” me. Knowing that I will no longer be teased or play with Grandpa still feels like a weight pressing down on my heart. However, because there is always a however in moments like this, I take joy in remembering my time with my grandfather. I will remember having him in my life as a blessing. I honestly believe that no grandchild could have had anyone better for a grandparent. Right now, he is perfect in my eyes as he is perfect in the Lord’s. And as clichéd or overused as the phrase may be, I believe he lives on in our memories. Forever as a man whom we loved.
My memories of my grandfather go back maybe twenty or fifteen years. It will never be enough time for me. Fifteen years is such a short time in life, and I still have many years to go. Part of me had thought that my grandpa would be here for all of my time. With me through every walk of life, but since he is not, I focus on what times I did have with him. What I can remember is that my grandpa was such a multi-faceted man with many interests and many friends. A well known man and a rock of the foundation of this community. But the one side that has always resonated with me and will be most prominent in my memories is just how much he loved his family. From his wife (my grandmother), to his three daughters (my mom and my aunts), to his five granddaughters, of which I am the oldest. He loved every one of us so much, it has made his passing harder but all the more important to me.
When I was young, I lived with my grandfather and grandmother for a period that, at the time, felt to be as long as eternity. Now that I look back on it, that year or so now feels brief. A blink of an eye in the ever onward march of time. But certain things always come to mind as I reminisce that make that brief time unforgettable. Like how much he taught me. I had the most adventurous and exciting childhood thanks to my grandfather. Between learning how to untie and tie shoes as I played with his work boots to learning how to ride a bike for the first time in the alley behind the house, Rodney taught me so much that I would have never learned anywhere else. He passed onto me a sense of adventure and creativity that I now treasure. As well as a strong sense of duty and determination. And I wasn’t the only one who learned from him by having him in my life. Rodney’s reach was far, so very far in this community. His impact is visible in the lives around me. I can see the strong sense of responsibility my grandpa had in my mother and my aunts. I can see his determination and reliability in my sister and my cousins. And in my grandmother, the woman that my grandpa loved through richer and poorer, better or worse, sickness and health… His love for his family lives on in my grandma, Pat.
It’s more than certain to me now that Grandpa is in a better place. No longer will he suffer; the strong and stubborn man I knew is watching me from above. He is free of the disease that crippled his mind, the worst kind of condition for a man so emotionally strong and proud like my grandpa. And he is looking down on us now, probably somewhere on the wide golf greens of heaven, in between strokes. As he looks down, I hope that I will continue to be the granddaughter he raised. I know I will never forget him, nor what he’s done for me. Just like I’m certain that the impacts he had on our lives and our community will never fade. He lives on eternally with the Lord and in our memories, our lives, and our world.
Death, just like life, is all par for the course of this world. Losing my grandfather has hurt me on a level that can never be fully expressed in words. But, my grandfather is happy now; I’m sure of this. And I hope that we can all find comfort in this fact. I pray that as we feel grief, we also remember that he is at peace. Remembering this and the joy we had of having him in our lives is what we should take away from his passing. I know I will.
Delivered at Odessa Heritage Church, Odessa, Washington. December 17, 2010.
Rest in peace, Grandpa. I miss you.