Grandpa Bell

Grandpa passed away this past Wednesday and his funeral is today. I so wish I could be there to honor and remember the great man that he was.

These are some words that come to mind when I think of Grandpa:

• Hard Worker - Grandpa did not completely give up farming until he was in his late 70's. He always seemed to have a "If you're going to do it, you need to do it right" kind of attitude.
• Generous - I knew that because of his hard work, Grandpa had been a successful farmer. Yet, he never felt it important to spend money on frivolous things. He lived simply and was very generous with his hard-earned money. He felt that it was important for his grandchildren to have a Christian education and he generously gave us all some support in attending a Christian school.
• Reserved - Grandpa was a sweet, quiet, strong man. He was a man of few words. He had great wisdom and I always listened intently when he did speak. I can never remember one negative word about someone coming out of his mouth.
• Teaser - Grandpa even teased in a quiet way. I'll always remember that after a prayer when we were all holding hands he would tease us kids by not letting go when the prayer was over. I loved the smile and twinkle in his eye he would get when doing this.
• Devoted Husband - I can remember how after Grandma got sick, Grandpa would tirelessly take care of her. What a great example he was of how to keep the love in a marriage, even in the hard times.
• Man of Integrity - I remember asking Mom once if Grandpa ever yelled. It was hard to picture Grandpa mad. She said that the only time she can really ever remember Grandpa getting mad at someone was when someone accused him of being dishonest in his business. He, of course, was greatly offended that the fairness and honesty that he worked hard for was being questioned. It was important to Grandpa to be a person full of integrity.
• Follower of God - Above all, he was a man that did everything he did with a vision of eternity. He knew very well that this world was not his home. He raised his family to put God first in their lives also. He has 4 children and 13 grandchildren that are all faithful to the Lord to this day. I can only hope that I can leave a legacy as great as his someday.

Grandpa with 8/13 of his grandchildren, their spouses, and great-grandchildren this past summer.

So, today, as the family says goodbye to a remarkable man, I am filled with sadness at the thought of not being able to be with him again on this earth. But I can't help but smile as I picture Grandpa arriving in heaven and hearing God say, "Well done, good and faithful servant"....