Monday, June 13, 2011

It is Well

Today definitely ranks as one of the most difficult yet most blessed days of my life.  Poppop's funeral was today, and it brought yet more mixed emotions.

From where I was sitting, it looked like there was not an empty seat in the church--and the church is large.  To see so many people come out to support and show love for our family at this time was both humbling and amazing, and it was also a testament to the number of lives that my grandfather has touched over the years.

Hearing from these people of what a wonderful man Vincent Zoppina was in this life was an inspiring experience: fathers who wished that their sons would be like him, families who had been helped and blessed by him, individuals to whom he had shown kindness and love . . .

Perhaps the best part of the day was being reminded yet again of how much this great man loved God first and foremost.  In every aspect of his life, he attempted to point his family and friends to the Lord and Savior who had pulled him out of darkness and into the marvelous light.  Every day he read his Bible faithfully, and the worn pages of that Book are proof of the love that he had for pouring over its words.

For almost sixty-one years, he was married and faithful to my grandmother.  Watching her throughout the day was one of the most painful things that I have ever experienced.  She was praising God that her beloved best friend is now in heaven, but the bitter truth that he will no longer be her constant companion on earth was beginning to set in.  Her shoulders would droop every once in a while as she bent to wipe away a tear, but she would then quickly put on a strong face to graciously thank those who had come to show their love.  When we stopped back at her home after the funeral, she was telling us to take home all of the food that was leftover since "It's only me and Vince . . ." and then she began to weep as she realized that it is she and Vince no more.

It has been a long time since I have felt such peace at a funeral.  I cried throughout much of the day, but they were the sorrowful tears of one who misses with hope.  Just knowing with certainty that I will see him--soon--brought such comfort amidst my distress.  Although I never go up to the casket at a funeral of a loved one (I would rather remember them as they were), it brought comfort to me to see Poppop because the shell of a body looked nothing like him.  It reminded me that the body there was not my grandfather, that my grandfather has a new, better, whole body . . . and that he's smiling.

The fact that he is truly gone "forever" has not yet sunk in for me.  I keep dreaming about him at night--he's watering plants with me or sitting at the table with me.  After these dreams, I awake thinking that he's still here until reality sets in and I remember.  Even today back at the house, I kept expecting his booming laugh to fill the room.  I expect that the realization will hit me soon, and it will be difficult.  However, I am so thankful to God for his infinite goodness in my life and in the life of my grandfather.  I can truly say that, though the storm beats down hard upon me, it is well with my soul.  I know that it is only a matter of time before we are reunited, and, while I miss him, a part of me envies the joy, peace, and ecstasy that now fills my grandfather as he praises God before the throne.

1 comment:

Vanna and family said...

So sorry to hear of your grandpa's passing. May the Lord continue to give you and your family comfort.