Gail Rodgers Blog

Dad is in Heaven now.

The passing of years and the living of life come as a gift to us all. The important thing is not so much that we begin well, nor even the tales of how well we navigate the twists and turns of life. The important thing is that we end well …  that those who come behind us find some light on their path because we have lived. We bring nothing into this world and we take nothing with us when we go. But we each leave something behind in a legacy to follow.

Dad has left a legacy for us. He has ended well.

We have picked 4 things that stand out to us that we take with us as we journey on now, without Dad, but with the nuggets of wisdom he has given us through his life.

The first one is HUMOR. Dad loved a good joke, ( and often a corny one!), he was quick witted and could make anyone laugh, putting people immediately at ease.
Humor was important to Dad and many moments were lightened by his sense of humor. Even the Home Care workers would remark how his sense of humor was intact even though he lay paralyzed from the waist down for months.
I remember one Home Care worker coming in one evening and asking, “What do you know tonight, Sir?” Dad quickly replied , “Well, I know more and more about less and less and pretty soon I’ll know everything about nothing.”
As we walk on we take the wisdom with us of looking on the lighter side of life … of seeking to bring a smile to the face of another and to laugh more often … even when life is hard.
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The second thing we take with us is the example of COURAGE that Dad leaves us. Over the years Dad experienced 3 un-related types of cancers.
Yet our family never lived under the shadow of cancer. Dad always took it in stride; he rarely talked about his health, never complained about it and he just did what he had to do and carried on. His courage, as he faced his illness and his treatments amazed us over and over.  It’s only now, as we understand all he went through, that we realize how truly courageous he was. We hope to take that same courage into the challenges of our own lives as we journey on.
Dad took pleasure in the little things of life. Even these last months he found great pleasure in an orchid plant that dear friends gave him at Christmas. I’m sure he mentioned it’s beauty every single day for these past 8 months. Courage includes finding joy in simple things even in the face of adversity.
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Thirdly Dad was a dedicated FAMILY MAN. He worked hard. He provided well.  They say the greatest thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. And Dad modeled that well. He and Mom enjoyed 63 years of marriage. We are grateful to God for enabling Mom to keep Dad home until his last breath. We grew up seeing Dad love and honor his wife. Even in these last weeks, often when Mom would walk into his room he’d say, “Isn’t she beautiful!”  He truly treasured her. So we take with us that wisdom of treasuring those you love and letting them know it.
As children and grandchildren we are deeply grateful for the heritage of love that Mom and Dad have given us. We want to keep that long line of love growing even longer in a world that is quickly loosing sight of that kind of faithfulness.
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Lastly Dad leaves us a heritage of FAITH. Dad believed in God and accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior. He was never very verbal about his faith. He didn’t lead Bible studies or pray eloquent prayers, yet his faith was there and he showed it through his generous heart toward missionaries and his many willing acts of service to others. He quietly served for 50 years as the offering counter at church; he was always there to plaster a hole in the church wall or put a fresh coat of paint on a wall or a sign.  Faith made a difference in our home as we were growing up and it makes a difference in our lives today because of Dad and Mom’s example.
In these last months we would often draw a Bible verse from their verse box at bedtime and read it together and say a night time prayer. One night when I was there Dad’s simple but profound prayer was this…..  “Lord, thank you for all the good things You allow in our lives.”  His gratitude to God, even as he lay there in his bed unable to move from his waist down, spoke volumes to us.
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If Dad could leave some parting words with us I think it would be these 4 things from his life.
Always remember to keep your sense of humor.
Live courageously even in the face of challenge.
Treasure those you love and let them know it.
Have faith in God.
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We don’t feel that we have lost our Dad because we know exactly where he is and that one day we will see him again.
Our lives are richer because our Dad has lived and touched our lives. We miss him.
Thank-you, Lord, for our Dad!