10 year Tribute to my Dad

This past Monday, marked ten years since my father passed away. My mother and I were at his bedside when he passed away. Never had I experienced something like that. I felt and breathed my father's last breaths. I was thirteen, about to turn fourteen the month of his death. My high school years I tried to move forward with life, accepting that I was okay but never fully grieving what had happened to our family. During my first year of college, second semester I started grieving for him like never before. The reality that I had loss of a significant part of my life really hit me. Maturity also brought on the grieving process. God helped me to heal and work through the pain I was dealing with.

If you'd like to read a Father's day blog post from June 2010 of my childhood memories of my Dad
click here:

http://armcnulty.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

On Monday, I called my Mom and we talked about our memories of dad. She shared with me many special things, some I never heard about before. Growing up I admired how my dad was godly and mission minded. Mom shared with me how he would witness to his family (they were non-Adventist), and took his mother to all of Kenneth Cox's evangelistic meetings in Bowling Green, Ky. That was a significant amount of driving from where we lived (about an hour away). At the end of the series she was convicted on the truth of the state of the dead and had a deeper appreciation for the Adventist message. His father and brother came to know the truth as well. He witnessed to his patients, and went the extra mile to visit them in their homes and minister to their social, physical, and spiritual needs. He always had  huge stack of paperback Spirit of prophecy books in the library. I remembered the times he went witnessing to a jail sharing the books. At the end of our conversation I told my Mom that because of the union of Mom and Dad's marriage, God blessed them! And he did, because the fruits of their marriage influenced their children to grow to love and share Jesus.

August 12, will always be a significant day for our family. For two reasons, the death of my father and second, the anniversary of my brother and sister-in-law, Norman and Joelle. They married in 2007. The day has a second beautiful meaning. Though our family lost a very important part of who we are, he gave us a beautiful gift and blessing of Norman's marriage to Joelle, and their two lovely daughters. We are blessed!!

I always want to remember the legacy my father lived of full commitment to God, sacrifice, and how he shared His faith with others unashamedly. My daily desire is to be ready for Jesus' return, so that I may see my father again one day soon!