Today was my Grandpa's birthday...
He died three years ago and we celebrated his life and his passing on this day 3 years ago.
Tonight...when my mind finally calmed down from all of the burdens of today, my mind turned to the moments with him that I miss most.
I remember him sitting in his corner, right near the trash and how he would always smile when I walked in. And how whenever I needed to throw something away, he'd open the lid as I'd lean over him to toss it in and as soon as that lid dropped he'd grab me and hug me and say that he was never gonna let me go and I'd breathe in the scent of his cologne and say, "That's okay--you don't have to. I'm staying right here." The more years that passed the scratchier those hugs got from all his whiskers and we'd joke about his "scratchy hugs".
A couple weeks ago, my 6 year old daughter came home from VBS and said, "I miss Jesus. I wish he was here right now so I could give him a hug." And I said, "Me too, baby girl. Me too."
These two memories collided tonight and I imagined Jesus getting a scratchy hug from my grandpa and grandpa joking with him the way he did with me and saying, "I gottcha! I'm never gonna let you go!" And Jesus laughing and saying, "That's okay--You don't have to. I'm happy to stay here with you forever."
