For the Many Years (You Take Your Rest)
For the years we had to hear your laughter and to see your smiling face, we will miss. For all the years you loved us in your own way, all the times you showed your concern, for every encouraging word. For all the years you hid your Coca Colas inside the bureau or on the back porch to make sure us grand kids wouldn’t drink them all.

For all the years you kept us off your bed and laid your switch in the corner to get us kids with when we got on your nerves. For the times when we thought you were sleeping and couldn’t hear us talking, you would wake up and tell us our own story.
For the many years you would rise and get dressed and go out and check on the land to make sure all was well. For the many years you were a good grandfather and even for the years you were the only father some of us ever knew. For the many years you showed us what it meant to be a provider and a protector of your family.
For the many years you were an example of a strong man, a man proud of who he was. For the many years you were an example of what a father, husband, and grandfather should be. For all the years we had to say, “daddy we love you” or “thank you for being a wonderful grandfather” for all the years we had to love and cherish you,
No one could have known the day you would pass away. No one could give us a sure guarantee that those days would always be. And for the legacy you left behind, although we loved and cared for you deeply there was someone who loved you more.
The day when God decided to call you home, he had some land that he needed you to survey, he had some mansions he wanted to make sure all was well with. So, rest our beloved friend and make sure you let God know that the land is rich, the soil is ready for it’s harvest, and the mansion is fit for a king.
Circa 2001