Sometimes knowing the creator of something deepens your appreciation for it. When I see a beautiful sunset, or a breathtaking view of the ocean, or the expanse of the sky filled with millions of stars, I can’t help but think of its Creator.
Sometimes knowing the creator of something deepens your appreciation for it.
Or the beauty of love, service, commitment, community, relationship… God created it all.
Sometimes knowing the creator of something deepens your appreciation for it.
It’s the same way with people too. We are the handiwork of God, created in His image. How highly then should we value one another?
I think this is something Grandpa understood well. He dedicated himself to being available for whatever we needed, whether it was a back rub, a special trip to the gas station for scratch-off lottery tickets, or a new baseball mitt. Not once did he complain or expect anything in return. In fact, more than anything, he smiled, he laughed, wrinkles formed around his eyes. His laughter was contagious, no matter the circumstance – especially if it resulted from one of his infamous jokes. You know, the ones that can’t be funny unless Grandpa tells them. He was exceptional at making us laugh and making sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed.
He worked hard at being the man he was, both at home and at work. He became our ‘man of steel,’ providing strength, stability, and dependability to his family, as husband, father, and grandfather, and to the city of
Iron has been referred to as the ‘steel skeleton’ of a building. Its unseen strength holds the structure together and reinforces its durability. How fitting that Grandpa spent his life as an ironworker…
Iron has become a metaphor for his character and his personality. He was the quiet strength, the reinforcement of durability, the source of our resiliency, the ‘steel skeleton’ of our family. And God has wonderfully passed those traits down to each of us… Grandpa’s six grandchildren. We are resilient. We are strong. We have steel pumping through our veins.
We will miss Grandpa, but we will honor his memory by mirroring his strength, his gentleness, his helpful spirit. We’ll stick together, we’ll help and support each other, and we’ll follow his lead in uniting our family. And when we venture into the city, we can appreciate the skyline knowing his hands worked to create it.
Because sometimes, knowing the creator of something deepens your appreciation for it.
Grandpa James W. Finney
July 11, 1940- March 4, 2008
© March 10, 2008
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