Grandpa Bud

December 3, 2011 marks the day that my Grandpa Bud went to Heaven. His given name was Julius, but everyone called him Bud. He wasn't fond of being called Julius, so he always introduced himself, "My name's Bud. When you've said Bud, you've said it all." We think he got it from an old beer commercial.

Grandpa was a soft-spoken, tender-hearted & kind soul. He had a witty sense of humor and he was a hard working man. He adored my Grandma Ruth. They were married for 67 years. Can you imagine that? That's almost unheard of nowadays... He was the father to my dad, Dave, who went to Heaven on September 11, 2006. And if you know me at all, you know how much of a daddy's girl I am. I miss my Dad every single day. Grandpa was also Dad to my Aunts Carol & Darlene. He also had 9 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

Grandpa was a farmer for many years, but when he was done milking cows he became a custodian for Litchfield High School. He worked there for many years, where all the students also knew him as "Grandpa Bud". He was also a bowler, a dancer, a card player, and a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Grandpa never said anything that wasn't worth saying. When he opened his mouth, he either said something funny or something worth remembering, but he was pretty quiet most of the time. A lot of us could take a lesson from him in that... me included! I think my brother, Jay, is a lot like him in that way.

Things I remember about Grandpa: He always sat in a recliner in the living room, right by the picture window. There was a hexagon shaped end table next to the recliner, and it always had Grandpa's crossword puzzle books on it. He was awesome at crossword puzzles! I always loved when the grown ups went into the kitchen to play pinochle so I might be able to sit in Grandpa's chair. But if he came back in the room, I knew to move because it was HIS chair!

When my family used to spend weekends on the farm, we always got a good home cooked breakfast before church on Sunday morning. Grandma would bustle to-and-fro around the kitchen, but not Grandpa. He always sat in the same chair at the kitchen table and he made the toast. Grandpa Bud made great toast! He made other cool things, too -- lots of needlepoint crafts and picture frames.

Every Easter my brother and I had an epic Easter egg hunt all over the farmhouse. Grandpa & Grandma would fill up tons of plastic eggs with loose change and they'd hide them all around their house. We probably never found more than $5.00 worth of change, but we loved hunting for them so much! And every Summer, we had huge family picnics at the farm.

Grandpa Bud's funeral was yesterday. The Honor Guard paid their respects for the time he spent serving our country by giving him a 21 gun salute. The church service was held at the same church that Jason & I made our vows. Also where he & Grandma made theirs, and my Great-Grandparents, too.

Grandpa was a God-fearing man. He had been a Christian for many years. So I know without a doubt that my Grandpa Bud is in Heaven with Jesus. He was also the first person who ever told Jason that he should be a Pastor, which I think is pretty cool. I know I'm biased, but Jason is a great Pastor!

Yesterday when my cousin, Corey, stood to read the eulogy at Grandpa's funeral, he talked about 2 of Grandpa's favorite sayings:

The first saying: "Not to worry." Grandpa Bud always used to say "Not to worry." This describes his character perfectly. A calm man without worries. It didn't hit me until yesterday how much faith it takes to consistently make a statement like that. "Not to worry." But Jesus said it, too:

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6:34

The second saying: "That's no hill for a climber." Hmmm... can't say I ever actually heard Grandpa say this, but lots of others remembered him saying it. So while we were driving home, Jason & I were talking about what it could mean. I thought it must have something to do with perseverance; to keep on climbing. And that phrase just kept running through my head last night... "That's no hill for a climber." This morning I decided I had to Google it, and I found these song lyrics:

We're always facing battles and it's hard to keep the pace
'Cause Satan never lets up in his fight for winning place,
But I have the Lord to guide me every step along the way,
So when Satan comes against me you can always hear me say

That's no hill for a climber, that's no battle for a child of God.
Satan's already been defeated and the victory's been won.
Jesus won the fight on Calvary when he died for you and me,
Now Satan get behind me 'cause I claim the victory.

Every time I try to do a little something for the Lord,
Satan tries to block my path and keep me from my goal,
But I don't care how high the hills may seem to me today,
I'll take my savior by the hand and he'll help me when I say

That's no hill for a climber, that's no battle for a child of God.
Satan's already been defeated and the victory's been won.
Jesus won the fight on Calvary when he died for you and me,
Now Satan get behind me 'cause I claim the victory.

Oh wow -- I feel like I got one last, incredible lesson from my Grandpa Bud, and it was sent straight from Heaven. You see, my Grandpa knew he was a child of God and that Jesus has already fought & won the battle. And there have been many days when I feel like I'm trying to do something for God and am distracted by His enemy.

Did you know that the road to Calvary is a hill? Yes, Jesus walked UPHILL, carrying his OWN cross, on the way to be crucified for OUR sins. Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

Jesus said that to ME! I am a Christian--someone who has chosen to live my life for Jesus. I am to deny myself, and to walk with Jesus UPHILL! Every single day isn't going to be easy. And I'm still going to have battles. But I am a child of God! And I am a climber! And I know Jesus already won my battles & my life at the cross. And yours, too, if you choose to accept Him.

Looking back on Grandpa's personality, his soft-spoken nature, his easy-going attitude, I now know where he got all his strength from: JESUS. Him saying "Not to worry...", him loving us all so well, a whole roomful of people paying their respects with nothing but great things to say about him... all of it. It came from the Holy Spirit living inside him and it came from the way he walked by FAITH.

I may have just found my new favorite saying... "That's no hill for a climber."
Thanks, Grandpa Bud. I will never forget you! 'Til we meet again...