He wasn’t there anymore (remembering my grandpaw)

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He wasn’t there. In December of 2015, our family drove to Alabama for the Haynes family Christmas gathering at my grandparents’ home. Every member of my family was in attendance, except my grandpaw. He wasn’t there. Not that I expected him to be there. He had passed away two months earlier. But it was still odd to walk into their house and not see him there. It felt just like when I walked into that same house on Oct. 11, 2015, to console my granny. That was the first time I had ever walked into their home when he wasn’t there.

So, it was difficult to walk into their home for our Christmas gathering, where he was always the life of the party, and know that for the first time in my life, he wouldn’t be there. When I walk in that house now, I do not hear, “Hey, bud!” or “Hey, sunshine!”

I miss his laugh, his hugs, his kiss on the cheek. But, after just a few short minutes with my family at that Christmas gathering in 2015, I realized something. Just as it always had been, the house was filled with love and laughter.

I got a “Hey babe!” from an aunt. I heard, “Hey bud!” as I was greeted by another.

Everyone was telling stories and talking about the grandchildren. We shared things God had done in our lives that year. We prayed. We told jokes. And we didn’t want to leave as midnight drew closer. No, my grandpaw wasn’t there, but everything about him was: faith, family, fellowship. Love, laughter and Auburn football. You can tell a lot about a man by looking at his family.

Although my grandfather wasn’t there, he lives on in the lives of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We are all better people because a man lived who loved God. My people are not famous in this world, but they make an impact on those around them by doing things that matter. They love Jesus, love their families, work hard and are good neighbors. In those ways, our grandpaw lives on in us. And although he wasn’t there, nor will he ever be present at another of our earthly gatherings, we live day by day comforted by the hope within us.

Hope that we have that comes from a man we all admire and have trusted with our tomorrows. A man whose birthday the world celebrates this month. We have hope not because of what happened when he was born, but because of what happened when he died. Following his death and burial, his sad friends went to visit his grave, but he wasn’t there. Not too many years from now, I will walk into a home that is currently being prepared for me. I look forward to seeing its builder face to face. And, from another room, I fully expect to hear the words, “Hey sunshine!” from another of heaven’s residents who will be there to welcome me home.

Joey Haynes is a follower of Jesus, married way out of his league, has two of the coolest children in the universe and is blessed to work with an amazing community of believers known as The Church at Rome.