by Christianna Snyder, guest blogger (my daughter)

Yesterday was an extremely difficult day for both me, my family and many others. 10 days shy of being 74, my wonderful grandfather passed away. My grandfather was an incredible man who touched so many people in his life, especially his wife, 9 children and 26 grandchildren. He never turned away an opportunity to share the love of Christ with the people that he met. He was such a loving and caring man, he had an extensive list of people that he prayed for daily without fail despite his pain. Even through the years of excruciating pain and several near-death experiences, he remained strong in his love for God and he was a beacon of love and truth for those around him. As a young girl, I would fiddle with my fingers during his morning devotions, aching to be running outside with my cousins. This was my reaction up until recently, in fact, as I wasn’t as focused on what truly mattered as I should have been. Now, however, I can look back fondly on those wonderful times when our whole family was gathered around his lazy-boy chair as he read from his worn and tattered bible or talked to us about salvation, taking the time to ask each and every one of the people gathered around him about their salvation. Now, I can appreciate all of the time and thought he put into ensuring that he never let his family forget that Christ died for us and he loved us. There are literally hundreds of questions I wish that I could ask and hundreds of things I wish I knew about him but I thank God that his pain is gone and he is now where he most wanted to be, in heaven. Right now I can’t imagine a time when his memory cause my eyes to burn with tears but with those tears comes the knowledge that he is finally free and that one day, I will be able to see his beautiful smile and feel his strong arms envelope me once again. One day, I will be able to look him in the eyes and thank him for showing me the love of Christ every time I saw him. One day, I will be able to show him that his sacrifices were not in vain and that the years he spent teaching me were worth it. Even as I lay to rest the dream that he would be one of many in the crowd of faces smiling on my wedding day, or the dream of handing him my newborn child, I smile because I know that he will never be forgotten. He will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all those he touched.