A Tribute

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

     

     November already? How can it be possible? As I look out my window at the drab, damp landscape - colorless, leafless, and sunless - I figure this is as good a time as any to finally compose the post I've long been putting off.
     As some of you may have heard, my grandfather passed away last month. In some ways it was no surprise, and yet it's difficult to imagine his smile suddenly gone from this world. We in no way regret his current freedom from pain and suffering - for it was great in the end, and we know he is with our Lord - but selfishly we regret that he's no longer with us and that the next generation of Hockadays have been robbed of having any memories with this dear man - the man who taught many of us to garden, or to fish, or to play the Price is Right; who faithfully video-recorded our every victory and defeat, our talents or lack thereof, his prize flowers and tomatoes, and the happy, family gatherings of holidays and birthdays; the man who could ever be counted on for a joke, a football stat, or a gathering around food.

Grandpa & Grandma

     Of course I haven't the words to express my full heart. I've not the skill or time to adequately sum up a full life such as his. But I know I can't talk about Grandpa without talking about the word that defined him best: faithful. He was faithful - to his God, to his church, to his wife, to his family, to his country, to everything that he put his hand to: Jack could always be counted on!  And because of that, he has left behind him a legacy beyond description! Sixty-five years of marriage! A family nearly 50 strong and all loving the Lord! Countless people brought to Christ or challenged in their faith because he was faithful. Only God knows the eternal impact this man had in his quiet, eye-twinkling way. What we all saw in Grandpa - the preciousness of God's Word to him, giving to God and serving tirelessly in His work, the joy of the Lord in daily life, praying regularly for family, friends, and the church - is a testament of the transforming power of God's mercy and grace. We can't talk about Grandpa without talking about the God who called him out and raised him up to be a head of this wonderful family! To say we Hockadays are blessed is an understatement. I can't help but believe that these verses say it best:

 "Praise the LORD! 

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 

His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever."

 - Psalm 112:1-3

 "What a family!" - Jack Hockaday

All the grand-kids

Most of the Great-Grandkids (missing 3 and one on the way...)

     Speaking of faithful, our Heavenly Father was faithful in the passing of our grandfather: even in the timing. Grandpa passed away on Wednesday morning: the night before, all 3 of his sons had arrived in town (my dad from Wisconsin and my Uncle coming back early from NYC)! My tour ended on Thursday: getting me into town the day of the funeral. My brother had off that weekend. My cousin on vacation in the Gulf, flew out with no complications from the hurricane. Perhaps the coolest story was my cousin Jack (yes, named after his grandpa). A freshman playing football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, he never has time off!! But one weekend in October, he was able to come home to see Grandpa. The next weekend, they pulled Jack off the bench and played him - as a Freshman! So Grandpa got to see him play on TV: something he'd been waiting for for years (you can imagine he made sure everyone in the nursing home knew his grandson would be playing on TV!). It was the Wednesday after that Grandpa passed away. And Providentially, it was another weekend off for Jack - so he could come home!  God is good - all the time!

Go Hawkeyes! #48

     Looking ahead, I can't imagine a Christmas without Grandpa and his reading Luke 2 or stashing his homemade caramels around the house,  but I have peace because I know where Grandpa is. I have joy because on the first Christmas over 2,000 years ago the greatest gift was given - the gift [Jesus] that would ensure the eternal salvation of people like Grandpa. And I have hope, because this darkness, this life, will soon pass, and I'll be reunited with him and Jesus forever!

     Do you have that kind of peace, or joy, or hope? You can, you know! "for God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."! Don't wait! You may not live till your 87! And what kind of legacy will you leave behind? ...Life is a vapor. And if I may quote my grandpa here: "What did the monkey say when he got his tail caught in the lawn mower? 'It won't be long now!'"