Madill, Ok

Published on June 01, 2008 by James

5-31-08   -    Madill, Ok

He was born September 1915.

She was born August 2004.

 

His name is “Papa” (Shanna’s [my wife] paternal grandfather)

Her name is Carissa (My daughter) ***Check out the photo of them in the photo section.

 

He remembers guarding German P.O.W.s in the 1940s.

She remembers “Chick-a-wa-wa!” from the recent “Alvin & the Chipmunks” movie.

 

2004 – 1915 = 89

Born in the same country yet different worlds.

It’s not often that you get a chance to bring together bloodlines 89 years apart. It gets me thinking… In the last 3.5 years my daughter has literally filled my heart to bursting. I’m honored to be her daddy, to play with her, to discipline her, to teach her, to pray with her, to laugh with her, to be called her ‘daddy’, etc… she has filled my life with indescribable joy and new purpose.

Papa was 3.5 years old in 1918. My guess is that he brought that kind of joy (if he didn’t he should have!) to his parents. Yet his parents are gone, those feelings are gone and eventually my daughter may barely recall sitting on his lap way back in 2008. Mortality and time can get you depressed… but right now it drives me to the immortal and timeless. To the one who’s common grace was at the birth of Papa in 1915 and at the birth of Carissa in 2004. To the only one who remembers every detail about you and me and passionately loves all of us… forever.

Ps 100:5  For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.

Shanna and I and the kids are having a great weekend with Shanna’s family in southern Oklahoma and Dallas. Tomorrow we meet up with the DeLillo’s again in Branson, MO. We’re going to drive through the small town of Bentonville, Ak which is the birthplace of a company everyone loves or hates… Wal-mart. Apparently there is a museum in the first Wal-mart store and some kind of shrine to Sam Walton… I’ll take some pics and fill in the details in a blog coming your way soon.

We appreciate your prayers as we have 1,000 miles to go. James