Bartes and Mildred Alphin (approx. 2010)
I love all my grandparents very dearly, but today I would like to talk about my father's parents. It has been over a year since my grandfather passed, and over three years since my grandmother passed. Born in the 1920's, they watched as the world around them shifted with each and every decade. It's amazing to thing that, while they were young, things such as the garbage disposal (1927) electric guitar (1931), the pH meter (1935), ATMs (1939), the space observatory (1946), the defibrillator (1947), the artificial heart (1952), and the radar gun (1954) were invented. My grandparents saw so much in their lifetime, and they heritage they have left me is irreplaceable.
What is my inheritance? As a child, we would visit them about twice a year, on Christmas or Thanksgiving, and during the summer also. My grandparents always woke up early. I was quite the early bird at that age, so I would wake up around 6:30-8 am almost every day. I would wake up and walk upstairs and find 2 things: a box of fresh glazed doughnuts and my grandparents, sitting in their chairs. Every morning, Grandpa would go to the grocery store and buy us doughnuts for breakfast. They woke up to pray and to read their Bible. I found them so many times just peacefully reading. They loved God and His word more than anything else, and they loved to talk about it.
My grandparents gave me an inheritance of honesty and being the best one could be. They believed in always being honest, no matter what. They were hard workers. Grandma and Grandpa had a very large family (12 children), and they worked so hard to make sure everything was provided. My grandfather gave me my stubbornness. Despite bad hips, health problems, and a missing thumb (work accident), I would occasionally find my carpenter grandfather in his wood shop in the back of the house building something. He pushed through no matter what problem came his way. My grandmother taught me to always be ready to show love. She always had a kind word and a smile available for anyone, and she was never angry. Even if Grandpa was a little grumpy, it would never change her disposition. She was naturally a happy person, always ready to make a happy comment or show someone she cared. She would crochet clothes for our dolls, and she wrote us letters often. They both loved people, and they were always ready to help someone if a problem showed. They gave me an inheritance of compassion. They cared about people, and they cared about each other. They loved each other very much. It was in their actions, their words, their way of being with each other. My gruff grandfather softened up whenever my grandmother was involved. And my grandmother always did her best to take care of him.
I remember the phone calls that we used to have. They always asked about school, and about church. It was so important to them that we receive a good education. They always encouraged us to put our best into our studies and do our best. They were always proud of us. But the parts of those phone calls that I will always remember is when they spoke of God. My grandparents were stalwart believers and they had great relationships with God. I didn't fully realize how meaningful their words were until later on, because I was so young, but now I am so thankful that my grandparents encouraged me. They would encourage me to pray, read my Bible, and keep believing. They would tell me, "Jesus is coming soon; don't stop believing. Keep praying and seeking God." Even in the letters Grandma sent, she would encourage us. And when we would leave them to go back home to Ohio, we would all pray together. My grandparents weren't pastors, neither were they what we would consider ministers. They were just simple country people. But they impacted so many peoples' lives because of their faith in God. I will always remember those phone calls. I can still hear their thick Arkanzan accents, encouraging me to keep the faith.
I called Grandpa once, and I remember that he was in such a good mood, telling me that he had been listening to sermons and gospel music all day long. At that point he was not getting out much at all, so that was his opportunity to hear God's Word. He told me that he was so thankful for it, he didn't know how he would manage without. He loved to be in God's presence; they both did. They were always sad when they weren't able to make it to church.
When my grandfather was on his deathbed last year, Grandpa's pastor and his wife, my parents, and I stood around his hospital bed and pray and sing. Grandpa and Grandma loved the old hymns. We would stand in that hospital room singing about God's peace and love, and that peace would just fill the room. I was able to watch my grandfather slowly slip away from this world, knowing that he would one day step into the throne room of Jesus Christ. I had peace, because I knew that this man of God would be dancing on streets of gold... no walker and no pain.
This is my heritage: good Christian character and a love for God. My grandparents can be pleased to know that, if that was what they were trying to accomplish, then they succeeded.
(2010)
(I was probably 5-7)
(2014, about 2 months before my grandfather's passing)
Have a great day! Remember, keep the faith.
Candace Nicole
