Born December 29, 1913

1913!  Nineteen hundred and thirteen!  Every time I give Grandaddy's birth date at the pharmacy or doctor's office, it still sort of surprises me.  Lord have mercy, will I live to be 95?!

He, like my husband, would rather skip right over birthdays and really any holiday, but I have a hard time letting them pass without a little hoopla.  

He received several calls from his youngest fans (great-grandkids AJ and Marie) and his old friends as far away as Oklahoma and lots of cousins in Arkansas.  We fixed one of his favorites, chicken and dumplings, for dinner and had a deep dish apple pie for his birthday dessert.

One of the gifts of having him here is to remind me not to get so worked up about little things, even if they seem big to me today. Do you think he remembers what troubles he was having when he was 36? Almost sixty years ago, for heaven's sake?!

After he moved home with us when Grandmother died, I remember him asking why on earth he was still living.  I told him I didn't know the answer, but seems like I read somewhere that as long as you're drawing breath, God still has a purpose for your life. To know our purpose in life -- a never-ending quest, I suppose. 

Every time he says he has a question for me, I just take a deep breath and hope I have a clue. He's asked me why Jesus sent the disciples first to the Jewish people and told them not to go to the Samaritans.  He's asked me if being baptized is a must to get into heaven. And, last week, he asked me if I thought Jesus Christ had a sense of humor.  My answer was that if He put the two of us together, He must!

He's had lots of spiritual questions, particularly in the last six months, and he even checked out a large print Bible from the library not long ago.  He complained that the print was still too small and had trouble "understandin' that King James fella."  So, we got him a giant print NIV Bible to celebrate his 95 precious years.

Maybe if I keep my nose in that Book, I can help answer some of my grandaughter's questions, instead of the other way around.

What are you worked up about today?  Is it worth it?  Do you know your purpose in life?  God's purpose for you?  What questions do you have about God and the Bible?  Ask me...I can try to answer.  Ask God and He'll let you know for sure!  

Whether you're 5 or 95, God loves you!  We love you, too, Grandaddy.  Happy Birthday!

Honest, I tried to get a serious picture.  But the ONE picture where they had permission to be silly turned out the best!