“All who believe in Him shall have eternal life." ~ John
6:40
Today was a special day. Shawn wasn't exactly sure why though; that's
the thing about being 4 years old - nobody tells you anything. Technically speaking, he was 5 if you count
the 9 months he was being 'borned.'
But Shawn had a keen eye; that's why he knew today was
different. So he wanted to get Grampo something
special to mark the occasion. After all,
Grampo had given him the first gift he could remember - a small metal
truck. He took it from his pocket and
examined it. It didn't matter that some
of its paint was gone. Grampo said that
gave it 'character' - whatever that meant.
Grampo’s truck had character too; it was missing a lot of
paint. He wished he could buy him a new
F-something like the ones on TV. But
Shawn had only a few coins in his bank. Sometimes Grampo would let him ride in the back. He never treated Shawn like the baby
everyone else did.
Grampo would always put down whatever he was doing when Shawn
arrived, pour 2 big glasses of lemonade, and listen to whatever he had to tell
him. Some days they worked on a big
puzzle, or washed the truck, or went to the library – always together.
Suddenly Shawn got an idea; just in time. "Time to get ready pal," Shawn's
mom yelled.
He put on his church clothes and slipped into his best
shoes. They hurt a little when he walked
but today was for Grampo.
The family arrived at a strange building. The room inside was filled with flowers. Grampo slept in a beautiful box at the very front. Dad said softly, "He went to live with
the angels, pal. Would you like to see
him?”
They walked to where Grampo was sleeping. People crying confused Shawn. He knew from Sunday School that because Grampo
loved Jesus, the angels would wake him up soon and take him to a super cool
place. He’d be very happy there; and even
get to hang out with Jesus.
Grampo rested peacefully.
He wasn’t wearing his play clothes though; the angels might not recognize him in that
suit.
Shawn reached into the coffin a placed the small truck that
Grampo had given him years ago. “I love
you Grampo,” he whispered. You can give
my truck to a boy in heaven who doesn't have one." Then he smiled and found a place to sit.
Just before the Funeral Director closed the coffin for the
final time, he noticed the small truck beneath the old man's folded hands. But when he reached down to remove it - it disappeared. Had he only imagined the toy, or had the old
man taken it with him to the great beyond?
Dear Jesus, I miss Grampo, but someday I’ll see
him again because I love You too! Please
take of him until I get there. We’ll
have a lot to catch up on. ~ Love Shawn
