1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him. Psalm 40: 1-3
It has been 3 years…. 3 years since I got the call early in the AM that my dad had passed away. So many things have changed in my life since that day. Most of you know what those things are if you have read the blog in the last few weeks. Today, I am not here to talk about me, though, or update Dad on life. I am sure Mom did that with my birthday post to her. Today is about the measure of a life.
There are so many references in this world about how we measure a man. The world may tell us that it is his bank account, his job title, or maybe his social stature that determine his life standing.
Linda Ellis wrote,
“So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?”
While I agree with her, I feel it leaves some part of person’s life out. I feel a huge part of a person’s life comes after the final date on the tombstone. My son, Daxton Paul, will never get to be held by his PaPa Paul, but that doesn’t mean he won’t ever know him. I know that sounds strange, but it actually has two meanings.
Learning from Others….especially love and dedication
My mom and dad both passed away before Dax was born, but Dax will know who they are through the stories and memories I tell him. My dad’s story didn’t end with his passing away. Paul Berton Pierson lives on through Erech, my brother, his many grandchildren and myself.
Dad was a hard working man. He went to work most mornings around 2 AM. While my brother and I were growing up, Dad was often still up at 11 PM driving our sports busses to and from games. Every Sunday and Wednesday he could be found working through a hymnal preparing for the following Sunday’s worship service that he led for nearly 40 years. On Saturday mornings he could be found tucked next to the fireplace at his and my mom’s favorite eating place, Panera.
Dad taught me many things, but one of the most important things he taught me was where he could be found of Friday nights after Erech and I had grown. On Friday nights, my mom and dad had a ritual, if you will. Ritual is not even the right word, lets call it what it was, they had date night. Every Friday night mom and dad could be found at the
Avon theater checking out whatever latest movie Skip had out. They felt it was important to have that time of just them. You have never met two people more in love with each other, even until the end.
What many people do not know is that the night my dad died, Mom was right next to him. I understand that doesn’t sound uncommon, but because of their medical situations it was. Dad’s cancer had made it nearly impossible for him to lay down and sleep, so he spent most nights sleeping upright on the couch. Mom’s kidney disease had her bound to a dialysis machine every night in their bedroom. So, for the last several months of dad’s life they had not been able to sleep with each other. On the night of August 15, 2013, for sone reason, my mom’s nurse called and told her it would be ok to skip her treatment that night so she could be with dad on the couch. So she did. In the early morning of the 16th, Dad was called home.
Being called home
My second meaning of why I said it doesn’t mean Dax won’t know him… I am confident when I say, “Dad was called home” that is exactly what happened. Dad was called home to his Heavenly Father. It is my hope in life that all my children will some day be reunited in heaven with my dad. You see, I believe that Christ died for my sins, Dax’s sins, all my children’s sin, and every living person who has or will have sin. I believe that if we call upon Him and ask for His forgiveness and the grace that only He can give that He will rescue us. I believe that all of us that have called His name will be reunited in Heaven with the loved ones that went before us.
Daddy,
At the age of almost 37, I am not ashamed to call you Daddy. To say that I love you. I miss you. And I can’t wait to see you again.
Creg
Creg Pierson
Find me on: Web
Very well put. I love them very much too & also miss them. Your Dad mean the world to me. He was more my little brother than a nephew.