March 26, 2012 - it was a bitter sweet day in the Franken
household. It is the day my grandpa went to meet Jesus. Today marks 3
years.
I've been thinking about him a lot lately and
remembering the legacy he built-up and left behind. I can honestly say
Grandpa was one of my hero's. He was filled with passion, made prayer a
priority and truly wanted MORE of Jesus each and every day. He was not
perfect by any means and is probably the most stubborn person I've ever
know. BUT he knew what he believed and overcame adversity on so many
different levels.
I started this journey down memory
lane a few weeks ago, as I was reading the book Unbroken. If you have not
read the book (or watched the movie for you non-readers:), the book
takes place in WWll and centers around men who were captured and placed
in Japanese POW camps.
My grandpa could've been one
of the people written about in this book. He was born and raised in
Indonesia (back then it was called the Dutch East Indies) and became a
captain in the Dutch Army. During WWll he was captured and placed in a
Japanese POW camp. He survived the hellish conditions and
eventually immigrated to the USA a few years after the war was done. To
the day my grandpa died he would not throw away any food.
Growing
up about 700 miles north of my grandparents, I would only get to see my
them a couple times a year. It may not have been often, but
each time it was treasured. My sister and I would share an upstairs
room when we'd stay at grandma & grandpa's. In order to get from that bedroom
to the rest of the house, we'd have to walk through grandpa's office
area. A picture that is ingrained in my memory, is grandpa sitting by
his desk EACH morning having quiet time with the Lord and praying. On
numerous occasions I would stop (being the inquisitive child I was), and
ask him what he was doing! He would ALWAYS take time to answer me. 9
out of 10 time he would say he was praying for each of his grandchildren
- including me. That we would love Jesus and marry someone one day who
would love us and love Jesus too.
My 6 year old
brain soaked in what he said. As the years went by, I would hear the
same statement. Soon, I was heading off to college and those words
continued to stick with me. I remember one point in college I was ready
to throw in the towel on my faith. I didn't understand
why God had allowed some horrible situations to happen to me... I was
angry and holding on by a thread. I look back now and know without a
shadow of a doubt that my grandpa's prayers helped get me through that
time in my life. I knew he was sitting at his desk every morning
begging God to real me back in. To shower unconditional love on me when
I could hardly love myself. I am
happy to say, I came out of that period in my life holding on. My faith
is strong and continues to grow. Years later, I married an
amazing man who was an answer to prayer - he loves Jesus AND me.
As
grandpa aged, he started to have memory problems. He would become
frustrated a lot easier and would tell the same story over and over
again. But not once did he loose his faith. He would beg God to take
him home; to end his earthly suffering and be able to walk through the
gates of glory. As the years went by, his mind focused on heaven more
and more. If you would ask grandpa "how are you doing today?", he would
lift up his hands, put them together (like you were going to place
something in them) and reply by saying "you know what this means?" and it
was the same answer every time "I'm in God's hands."
As
I remember grandpa today, my heart is so full of joy. I can see his
smile and hear his laugh... I know, in the deepest parts of my soul,
that he is having the time of his life worshiping with all the people
and angels in heaven. His legacy is living on. His passion, his
perseverance and even his stubbornness (unfortunately that gene runs super thick in the
Franken blood).
Thanks for all your prayers and loving me well
Grandpa. Today I am not able to go put flowers where you lay... but I
hold you close in my heart and remember the hero you've always been to
me.
John Everett Franken
June 6, 1921 - March 26, 2012
