Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
Life in retirement can be mundane or it can be exciting. It can be beautiful, It can be scary, and it can be sad. It’s been all that these last couple of weeks. Last week I wrote about losing a good friend and to add to the sadness, I found out later that his sister passed away the day after he did. I did meet her back when we were working together. She came by the post office to visit James and she was very charismatic too; they were very close. As sad as that may seem, I saw some beauty in that. It may add to the grief of those of us left behind, but it struck me as a beautiful thing for the two of them. I believe in life after death and I can imagine that heaven got a little bit brighter with the two of them going home. Philippians 1:21 (to live is Christ, but to die is gain) comes to mind. It’s not that we want to die, it’s that we long for heaven. It takes the fear out of dying and gives us comfort when we lose someone.
Around about the same time, we found out that one of our granddaughters was expecting and that is always a beautiful thing. And just a couple of days ago baby Ayllah Jade came into this world via another grandchild so a new chapter began for us as GGPa and GGMa. Being a great grampa is something that I do not know. Being the 5th of 5 children of a man who was 4th of 4, means that I was younger than most of my siblings and cousins. As a matter of fact, I was the youngest of my generation. I never knew great grandparents and I lost most of my grandparents at a young age. My genetics seem to lack a longevity gene. But that was long ago when life expectancy was not expected to last beyond our 70s. The thought of our children being grandparents is a new thing to me and something I need to wrap my head around. It’s not a bad thing, just something new to me.
All this also ties in with the weather we have been experiencing. I like to take pictures of the sky during beautiful sunrises and sunsets and posting them on Facebook. I also like taking pictures of stormy weather as I also find them to be awesome to look at. It doesn’t mean I’m scared or that I like dangerous weather, it just means that I recognize God’s work in all situations. I am sending out these images because I am in awe, not because I want to scare friends and family into thinking that they need to pray for me. I always appreciate the prayers, but I am comfortable with Philippians 1:21.
I view the grief of losing someone special and the joy of new life in the family as a God thing. The same way I view tornados, floods, earthquakes and all the other dangers in this world. I believe God is in control and when He wants to take me, He’s gonna do it. I much prefer to look at the beauty of this life. Every day I wake up is a gift from God that I appreciate. I am not in a hurry to leave this crazy, often times ugly world but on the other hand, I look forward to the afterlife. Grief can be devastating, and contrary to popular belief, you NEVER get over it. And the joy of welcoming a new baby is just the best. Oh, the ups and downs of the heart is a powerful thing.
So, life goes on in Oklahoma and everything is well and good for us. We may not like it when the sea gets rough, but it’s just part of this crazy ride we call life. We suffer through the pain and relish in the joy. Thank you for your concern and prayers as always. Life goes on, we got this…
