My Daddy

My Daddy went home to be with Jesus on a beautiful spring afternoon in his care home in Auburn, CA. Mom and I had been visiting with him and he was in his bed, wearing a hospital gown and oxygen mask. This was the least responsive he had been...and the healthcare professionals must have known that death was near because they were all stopping by the room and giving Mom hugs and words of support. When Mom and I prayed with him and left, he died 10 minutes later. It was as if once the family left, he was free to "let go" and leave this world. I didn't think I was going to lose him, however, because we had already experienced some times where he was rushed to the hospital and we thought he was near death, and then he would recover just fine. Before I had received the call that he had died, I was praying all the way home as I drove the beautiful backroads to Grass Valley where pink and white blossoms and daffodils dotted the rolling green hills. My cry to God was that He would not let Daddy suffer. God answered my prayer when he took him to Heaven at 1:45 pm on March 15th. But then I felt guilty for my prayer because I truly missed him. In the 12 days since his death, I have been thinking about how happy and whole my dad is right now...walking with Jesus and enjoying a great reunion with all who have gone before. He's not in Heaven because he was a good man....even though he was. He is in Heaven because he put his faith in Jesus Christ to take the penalty of his sins as a 16 year old teen in a little country church in Kentucky. He only attended the services because all the youth in the area knew that all the cute girls went to the church...especially when there was a Revival Meeting in town. He recalled how the song that was sung during the altar call was "Why Not Tonight?" It was a song that warned of procrastinating on making a decision to follow Christ.
Daddy had his ups and downs...he had a fiery Irish temper, that's for sure, and I am sure he was the first case of Adult ADHD in this country. And I inherited both of those "qualities" from him. He was a hard-working man with big, calloused hands and I always remember how he seemed to have endless energy. He especially loved the outdoors, and probably never slept more than 4 hours a night. (His penchant for sleep deprivation skipped a generation...Michelle takes after her Grandpa.)
My Dad was a very colorful character who wouldn't hesitate to ask women their age or their weight, and had no problem asking someone point-blank: "And how much money do you make a year?" He was one of the most generous people I have ever met. Even though he grew up poor (his dad was an alcoholic who spent all of his money on whiskey)he was always a very generous person. He always wanted to make sure that his kids and grandkids got money for birthdays, graduations, etc. He wasn't very materialistic in his later years...just let him wear a pair of broken-in denim overalls and he was just fine. In his younger days, his weakness, however, was buying a new car every couple of years and taking extensive cross-country road trips. Some of my favorite childhood memories were of our family vacations to the East Coast and to the South to visit family and visit every museum, historical marker, and tourist trap (ie. "Reptile Gardens" "Prairie Dog Town")in the good ole
USA. Last night we watched some old family videos of our kids when they were babies, and there was Grandpa Cotton, holding Michelle at her first Christmas and giving her hugs and kisses. He was probably in his late 50's, but still very active.
And that is how I want to remember him.
Dad,thanks for being a good husband to Mom for nearly 55 years and for teaching us that God hears every prayer and that we should pray about everything...there is nothing too big or too small for the Lord. I can't wait to see you in Heaven..love you always!