Grandpa Daron

Mike and Joye at E's 4th b'day

Last Thursday I realized that I have a blessing that my children will never remember experiencing.  It is a blessing that I've taken for granted for the last 35 years.  My children, ages 4, 2 and 4 months, won't ever have the privilege that I do.  Both of my grandfathers are still living and doing relatively well.  One will be 97 in a week and the other will be 95 (I think) this July.  Isn't that amazing?!   I've grown up with them both living close by and a part of my life.  I am so blessed.

Mike and kids at X's 2nd b'day/Caleb's arrival home from the hospital

However, my children will not experience that blessing.  They will never watch Jut and I agonize over 'what to do with Grandpa'...or any of the other 'fun' things that we watch my parents endure.  They won't be able to build memories of fun things they would get to do with Grandpa.  They won't remember bouncing on his knee or listening to him say a blessing over a meal.  His funny (and sometimes strange...remember the tirade of bear mauling stories at E's b'day party?!) stories won't resonate in their minds.  They won't  be able to say, 'remember when'...and finish a story that involves their grandpa.  They won't learn any family histories from their grandpa.  As of last Thursday, March 1st, E, X and C lost the ability to build their own memories with their Grandpa Daron.

Mike and C

We've been praying for Grandpa Daron for a 16 months, but 'Grandpa' Mikel Daron received a heavenly healing from his Stage 4 Colon cancer last week instead of an earthly healing.  We praise God that he's in heaven and out of pain and suffering and that we'll see him again, but it was not the answer we were praying/hoping for.  A dear soul from the church dropped of the book, Its a Party in Heaven, for the kids this week.  We've been reading it each day.  E is excited to go to heaven some day and get to see Grandpa again.  But, it still stinks that she won't know her earthly grandpa.  She may have a few hazy memories as she gets older of him but I'm sure that the boys won't.  It just makes me sad that a blessing that I've taken for granted for so long will not be granted to my children. 

Mike with X

Jut has been down this path before.  One of his grandfather's passed away before he was born.  He knows how to tell the stories and pass along the legacy.  We will do our best to help our kids remember their Daron legacy and the man that they called, "Grandpa".  We will make sure that they know he was a servant of God, a servant of his church and his country.  We'll tell of his stories...and tell stories of him...wearing his shoulder holster while making chili, helping set up the swing set at our house...probably even the one about the cane that got me so riled.  :)  We'll cherish our memories and pass them along to help our kids get to know the grandpa that they never really got a chance to know.

Mike with E

There's now a void in our family that will never be filled.  A blessing that my children will never understand.  A responsibility that now endures.  We'll do our best to make Grandpa Daron proud...bring the kids up to understand all that he held dear and believed.  We'll never forget and we'll pass it on.  And as we do so, we know that this world is not the end, but he's just hanging out in that great cloud of witnesses cheering us on in our mission on this world.  We'll meet him again on the other side of the veil.  We look forward to the party that we will have in heaven!

Christmas 2010