Currently I am more happy and more alive than I have ever been my entire life. I feel now like life has been an unopened flower: a rather attractive unopened flower, with but a few thorns, it’s potential still unknown.
And now it seems the flower has blossomed into a beautiful rose. It’s petals are still slowly pushing further outward, and it’s getting more beautiful and more fragrant as the hours go by. Or days and weeks in my case. Tomorrow will mark 2 months of being married to the most beautiful woman in the world.
Life, is amazing.
This weekend Maija and I visited her grandparents in Kingston. Maija’s grandparents speak Finnish, and a little English. That is to say, they used to speak fluent English but as the years have advanced on them, they are slowly but steadily forgetting their English. Which is fine… except that it does make communication a little difficult at times.
I felt just like Ibn in The Thirteenth Warrior, thrown in with a bunch of Vikings, desperately trying to understand their language.
Maija’s grandfather is 86. He hasn’t got many years left as his health is not the best. It was really… thought provoking… to see pictures of them at their wedding, and not recognise either of them. It made me think a lot about life, the progression of life, and then the wee hours before death. I really wonder if I shall grow old and grey - or better yet, bald - or if the Good Lord will return before that happens. I have always thought he wouldn’t come back in my life time, but the thought of myself dieing and leaving Maija behind, or visa versa, really affected my thoughts on Christ’s return. I still think he’ll come later, but I’m really beginning to hope he comes sooner.
In any case, I stumbled across something on my cousin’s blog today. I recomend you read it (her blog), she’s very cool. Her dad left a comment recently with a quote from his father (my grandfather). I never met him, as he died when my own father was eleven. Being the only grandparent currently dead, he’s always been a source of intrigue to me. My grandmother dispelled some of his mystery when she wrote a book of memoirs based on their letters to each other during World War 2. Anyway, here’s what my uncle had to say:
“He was in hospital after his massive heart attack that was to kill him just a few days later. He was in a lot of pain and feeling quite down, what he said [to me, which I have never forgotten] was this. “Son, it is like I am in dense fog, I can’t see anything at all especially what’s ahead of me, but all I know is this, my hand is tightly held by Jesus and he stands way above this fog, he knows whats ahead of me and is guiding me there and that is good enough for me.” Two days later he was with Jesus for eternity.”
It just about brings tears to my eyes. I’m really, really looking forward to meeting him - but I think I can wait another 65 years or so.
hey pudd! long time no see… and i get the first comment on a new blog. sweet deal!!!
yeah, i don’t have anything profound to say to this entry… except that i agree with the hope that Jesus comes back sooner rather than later.
peace out
choly
hmm-I guess I’m a hopeless (no I don’t accept that!) intellectual-as to what’s really important Jon already said. However, sooner rather than later has always been a stronger possibility in my mind, and there’s quite the bit of evidence that points to it. I’m not going to be one of those eschatologists that try their silly little darndest to pinpoint a date and a time-Jesus already said that only the Father knows, and that’s good enough for me (yeah there’s that line again-has some meaning for my life too…). I do however reserve the right to be one of those eschatologists (not by profession, as far as I know) that is aware of the times and makes observations about the general current state of human History. (This, mind you, is a shameless plug for an upcoming blog of mine…)
All in all though, yeah what really matters, what God really cares about and what He wants us to really care about are peoples’ hearts and lives. Theories, however, do not cease to provide some of us “dryer” (again, I don’t accept that!) folk a nice bit of pleasure…
Good post Jon-you have a strong and sensitive manly heart.
Matthew
That was a really good post Pudd. I can sorta identifty with you about the Grandfather thing. My dad’s dad was from Holland and could barely speak english. I only remember having one conversation with him, and I only caught bits and pieces. It was a great story though. He was telling me about the motorcycle he had and how it would shoot flames out the exhaust pipes. One day he over-shot a corner, went through his neibourgh’s hedge and ended up on their lawn. He then was nicknamed “The Flyin Dutchmen” after that. I like that story. But ya, I to really look forward to meeting him when I die. Good things
That was a very insightful piece of work… and I have to admit, I’ve had similar feelings as I come to grips with my own mortality. In fact, in one of my late night conversations with Mike Fullgraf, I went so far as to say, “I don’t want to die! I like life too much!” It was a rather childish comment, but it revealed how to delicate we are when we step back from our busy schedules and reflect on eternity. (Thank God that we can look forward to spending that time with him in paradise!)
Hey Pud, ya know, if you want to communicate better with Maija’s mummo & pappa (grandparents) you might wanna try learning Finn (the most beautiful language in the world!)
Ei se oo niin vaikee, mä voin auttaa sua.
Translation = It’s not that hard, I can help you.