Tribute to Grandpa

My grandpa, Walter Selle, died this morning at the age of 90. He died peacefully in his sleep, which is a blessing. The phone call I got from my mom this morning is one that a small part of me has been waiting to get for the last 8 years...but even things that are expected can be unexpected when they finally arrive. He has been in failing health for a number of years, but has outlived many expectations.

Maggie and I are flying out to Michigan tomorrow morning for the funeral, which is on Thursday. Another small blessing in all of this is that we leave for Kenya one month from today. It would have been much harder to have gotten this phone call in a few months, knowing we'd be unable to come home for the funeral. Why has God brought us to Gallup and delayed our departure to Kenya? We still don't know. But if this is one of the reasons, then I'm grateful for it.

Grandpa served in World War II in the Pacific, and I occasionally got to hear some of his stories. He never got to see the WW2 memorial in Washington DC, but he talked about it a lot, and I was able to show him pictures from a trip of mine several years ago. He was a long time employee of Michigan Bell. I remember times of visiting him when we'd go mini-golfing, or to church, or to the video rental store. I'm glad he got to come to my wedding. I'm glad we got to celebrate his 90th birthday and 60th anniversary of marriage to my grandma. I'm glad he got to meet his great-granddaughter, three times no less! I will always remember Grandpa as quiet but gentle, with a sweet laugh. And I'm glad that the angels are rejoicing at his arrival in heaven today.