So this post has a little different feel to it. I have always had a passion for documenting a story with photos. A picture can say so much with out words even being said. I am such a visual person, that a photo will speak more to me than a book will. Well I don't know if that is entirely true...I do love to read too :) But there is power in a picture and the story that is told through it. So I am going to tell you the story of my Grandpa Birk and the last days of his life here on this earth.
My Grandpa Birk has always been a very strong man, set in his ways, a lover of cooking, the Dominican Republic, his family, riding his horse in his younger days, and consuming as much written word as humanly possible. I could just sit and listen to him share the stories of his growing up days in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. I don't think I have heard the same story twice, he is one of those people that you could sit and listen to for hours on end. His will, his mind, and his love are strong and he is a fighter!
He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2011 and has been fighting that battle for over a year now. He has come to his end...he is still fighting...but hanging on by a thread. As he has started to decline his heart has become so tender and soft. The peace that has consumed him is incredible. The Lord has has truly captured his heart in these last days and he is anxious to meet his maker, and be reunited with his wife Joann. The end of this life and the beginning to eternity is such an amazing process. Heart wrenching, yet captivating. When our reality crashes into the true reality which is the Kingdom of God our paradigm is challenged. I long to live in the reality of heaven, "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" Matthew 6:10. Soon my grandpa will see clearly, he will have no pain, he will have no more tears, he will be made new by the blood of Jesus. Praise the Lord.
Still a smile on his face.
My mom and him have such a dear relationship...a beautiful example of Love!
One of the things that brought him comfort was singing hymns. This has become the nightly tradition, ushering in the presence of the Lord
Precious moments singing praise!
My aunt Lisa has flown in a number of times to be with her dad from California. So hard to be so far away.
Spending time. What better gift is there?
