Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love
having this day to spend intentional time reflecting on the amazing blessings
the Lord has put in my life. When I actually stop to think about all of the
things I am thankful for, I am completely overwhelmed and struggle to
accurately express my gratitude. I am so humbled to have such sweet blessings
in my life.
I am going to attempt to write a
list of what I’m thankful for…a list that is very much not all-inclusive and in absolutely no order. And just a warning, some ridiculously random things popped into my head. Alright here we go, I am thankful for…
A loving, faithful, and forgiving God.
The Hope of Heaven. An incredible Mom, Dad, Sister, and extended family. A
precious boyfriend. Bonus Family. Sweet friends. The Power of Prayer. The
University of Kentucky. CSF. Joy. Two Church Homes. Woodhill. Two wonderful
housemates. Laughter. Music. The Ability to Love and Be Loved. Freedom. Faithful
Servants. Sweet Tea. Shooting Stars. Amazing Role Models. Good Health. Electricity.
Baptisms. America. Traveling. Bright Colors…especially Pink. Long Walks. Pets. Surprises.
Comfy Beds. Jesus Prom. Soldiers. Gymnastics. Worship Music. Airplanes. Bookstores.
Rain. Caramel Apple Cider. Journaling. Happy and Sad Tears. Hope. The Ability
to Feel. Heat and Air Conditioning. A Beating Heart. Medicine. Sweet and Funny Text Messages. Wisdom.
Rainbows. Candles. Flowers. Teeth. Cute Shoes. Missionaries. Doctors. Yummy
Food. Front Porches. Hugs. Books. Vision, Hearing, Tasting, and Smelling. Clean
and Running Water. Glitter. Blogs. Chalk and Dry Erase Boards. Warm Showers. Glasses
and Contacts. iPhones. Random Acts of Kindness. Good Movies. Rocking Chairs.
Paved Roads. An Able Body. Porch Swings. Dancing. Sour Gummy Worms. A Room to Myself. Baby
Animals. Encouragement. Warm Blankets. Nail Polish. Education. Deodorant. Sunshine.
Socks. Sleep. Kisses. Leadership. Cold Chills. Singing. Weekends. Cursive
Handwriting. Every Breath I Take. Swimming Pools. Disney Princesses. Beautiful Blue Ocean Water. Kites.
Rings. Fruit. Pretty jewelry. Hospitals. Sweet Memories. Unique Talents. Soft
Grass. Snow. Icecream. Funny Youtube Videos. Flip-Flops. Makeup. Toothbrushes
and Toothpaste. Passion Conference. Summertime. Silliness. Sandy Beaches. Babies.
Grace. Underwear. Crystal Blue Skies. Umbrellas. Cameras. Toilet Paper. Sweatpants.
Reasons to Celebrate Life and People. Firemen and Policemen. Being Literate. Fluffy Clouds. Wildflowers.
Exercise. Clocks. Post-It Notes. Telling Stories and Hearing Silly Stories. Toilets.
White Picket Fences. Pretty Dresses. Disney World. Boldness. Corny Jokes.
Bubbles. Hair Straighters. Simple Days. Handwritten Letters. Facebook. Hugs.
Lip-Gloss. Motivation. Traditions. Chick Flicks. Giggle Fits. Oversized
Sweatshirts. Waterfalls. Fans. Smiles. Cookies. Family Vacations. Sunsets. Crafts.
Christmas Trees and Sparkly Lights. Creativity. Accents. Clumsy Moments. Kids
Laughter. Colorful Leaves. Warm Coats. Fun and Spontaneous Adventures. Playing
Outside. Good smells. Quiet Moments. Good Quotes. Twinkly Stars. Full Moons.
Lazy Days. Awkwardly Awesome Moments. Pictures. Tutus. My VW Bug. Different
Languages. Tumbling. Pinterest. Naps. Imagination. Driving with the Windows
Down and Music Blaring. Valuable lessons. Nature. The Internet. Goodness, this list
could go on and on and on…
Needless to say, the Lord has blessed
me so richly. I am so undeserving of His immense blessings but am so thankful
and pray that I would use the blessings He pours over me to glorify Him and
serve others.
The Celebrations…
Today was a really special and
wonderful day. Despite the obvious absence of my sweet Pappy, it was so nice to
have the family together celebrating life and the precious blessings the Lord
has so gracious given us. As we circled up to pray, I got tears in my eyes as I
looked around and saw the people I so dearly love. We enjoyed so much delicious
food, great conversations, lots of laughter, and glorious weather. God is so
good and I am so thankful.
AND to end the night, I got to
dance in a flash mob at Target with some sweet friends. Talk about a hilarious
way to end Thanksgiving. We danced to “Ice Ice Baby” in Target’s parking lot in
front of the (crazy) people standing in line. It was so random and hilarious
and awesome. And was a total successful Bucket List Adventure!
Goodness, I have been trying to
write this post for weeks but it has proven to be incredibly difficult. My
words and thoughts may be jumbled as I wrote whatever popped into my head, but
I hope through reading this you are able to see how incredible of a man my
Pappy was and how greatly loved he will always be….
Oh my heart is heavy as I begin to
process the reality that my Pappy has been called home to be with Jesus. As I
write that line, both tears of joy and of sorrow fall from my eyes…something
I’m beginning to get used to. I suppose it’s a blessing to feel such sadness
because it means that I had the opportunity to love and be loved by such an
incredible man. How do you write about a man you loved more than words could
ever express? As I stumble over my words, my mind is being absolutely flooded
with sweet memories shared with my Pappy and invaluable lessons he has taught
me as well as an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the opportunity to have
shared such a special time on this earth with my special Pappy. Grady Garland
“Pete” Upton lived a life full of sacrifice, generosity, laughter, and a whole
lot of love. He has left a legacy of service, faith, and love and I am so
honored to call him my grandpa.
My Pappy was such a faithful
servant. He led our family as he sought the Lord and taught his family how to
live selfless and purposeful lives and how to serve humbly and love
unconditionally. Pappy bravely served his country in World War II, humbly
served as a Kosair Shriner, a Mason, and as a member of the Louisville Scottish
Rite, and most faithfully and lovingly served as a husband, a father to four, a
grandfather to seven, and a great-grandfather to one. Finally and most
importantly, He obediently and faithfully served his Heavenly Father. I always loved
Pappy’s quiet and humble spirit and servant’s heart and am so honored to have
had the opportunity to learn from him and to be his granddaughter.
One of the things I have always
admired most about Pappy is his ability to love…and love well. For over 63
years my Pappy faithfully served and loved his bride. What an honor it has been
to watch my Nanny and Pappy humbly serve and love each other while serving,
loving, and leading our family. My grandparents have always epitomized what a
Godly and loving marriage looks like and have established a firm foundation of
love, grace, and servitude in our family. Pappy was always so generous with his
time, resources, and love and always made time to celebrate life with family.
We always had “arguments” over who loved who the most saying, “I love you the
most” “Fraid not deary” “Fraid so deary.” What an amazing argument to have…
Pappy always found a way to make me
giggle. Whether he was telling some wild tale or testing out his latest
riddles, Pappy was always quick to smile and always had a twinkle of love and
hint mischievousness in his eyes. He found such delight in bringing his family
joy and laughter. He had such a great sense of humor…dry as a desert but sharp
as a knife. My favorite riddle of all that he would do was always, “here’s
where the cat sits, here’s where the bell rings, eye winker, tom tinker, nose
smeller, mouth eater, chin chopper, giggle giggle giggle.” Pappy also enjoyed
“shucking the corn” where he would rub his knuckles against ours or do other
silly tricks to us. When we were little, we always got the biggest kick out of
Pappy singing Rock-A Bye Baby while tickling us and when a giggle would escape,
he would say, “oh now be still.” He would also ask Rachel and I with a playful
smile, “Does it hurt?” each time we would get our nails painted. Another sweet
memory I have with Pappy is him teaching Rachel and I how to walk on the stilts
he made. We spent hours on those stilts walking up and down the backyard and
Pappy was always there to watch us and cheer us on. Pappy was also a great
gardener. He had the most beautiful garden always overflowing with vegetables
and beautiful flowers as well as raspberries that lined the fence in their backyard.
Rachel and I absolutely loved picking and eating the raspberries straight off
the vine. Yum, my mouth is watering as I remember how much sweeter those always
tasted than the ones sold at the grocery store. If we could wait long enough to
make it back inside, we would proudly show off the few raspberries we had
gathered to Nanny who was always tickled by our excitement. Pappy also always
had “samolians” for Rachel and I, which consisted of either a $2 bill or a coin
he had collected. We have saved every bill and coin he has ever given us and
have them in safekeeping. Rachel and I would go spend several days each summer
(from the time I can remember) with Nanny and Pappy, during which we would play
countless games of Go Fish while eating cheese and crackers (a family
favorite), eat excessive amounts of cookies, pineapple, watermelon, and Moose
Tracks ice cream, watch old time movies, and best of all, go on “Safari’s” that
they would plan. On our daylong adventures, we would travel to the gems of
Kentucky and enjoy talking in the car and experiencing new things together. We
went to Upton, Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace, Mammoth Cave, the Belle of
Louisville, Churchill Downs, and other fun places. We always had the best time
on those days and have such fun memories from them. More sweet memories come
from every holiday being spent at their house. Countless hours of great
conversations, laughter, story telling took place in their basement as we
celebrated every birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas…and any other reason we
could think of to get everyone together. Ha! So many memories are flooding back
as I write…what a sweet blessing. Pappy was such an intentional and engaging
grandpa who both showed and told us his love and I am so incredibly thankful
for the memories that I will cherish forever.
Gosh, I’m going to miss hearing his
voice and hugging that big belly of his. I’m going to miss telling him that I
really do love him the most. I’m going to miss his laughter and his silly
stories. I’m going to miss the quiet moments that we shared just holding hands
and enjoying one another’s presence. I’m going to miss the twinkle in his eyes
when he looked at Nanny. I’m going to miss his whistling and snapping. I’m
going to miss seeing those wispy pieces of hair on his otherwise bald head. I’m
going to miss watching he and Nanny dance. I’m going to miss going on
“Safari’s” each summer and will miss enjoying his “special ingredient” eggs.
I’m going to miss going to the grocery store to get “vittles” or his provisions for the week. I’m going to miss calling him on my way to class. I'm going to miss holding his rough hand. I'm going to miss him asking "how's your car running?" each time I would see him. I’m going to
miss hearing him snoring half way through a family celebration and him waking
up pretending like he hadn’t dosed off. I’m going to miss his big smile and his
tight hugs. Oh I am going to miss my sweet Pappy-O so much.
As I grieve the fact that Pappy is
no longer on this earth, I would be remiss to not say how thankful I am that he
is spending eternity with Jesus. I love visualizing him singing and dancing and
laughing with Jesus. I am also so thankful for the time that the Lord allowed
us to share with Pappy. I am thankful that I got to enjoy his presence for 20
years of my life and share so many priceless moments with him. I am also so
thankful to have shared some really sweet times with him over his last few
months and weeks. I cannot express how thankful I am to have spent so many
Sunday afternoons talking to Pappy and hearing stories from his childhood,
adolescence, and adulthood. I am also thankful for the countless phone calls we
shared and the way he made any day brighter just by ending the phone call by
saying, “I love you the most.” I am thankful that I got to see him only days
before he went to be with Jesus and that I could tell him how much I loved him.
I am so thankful that he was able to meet and have a relationship with Darin. I am so thankful that Pappy lived such a long and joyful life
and that he enjoyed perfect health for 88 out of his 89 years. I am so thankful
that Pappy died without a single doubt of where he was going or how incredibly
loved he was. What a blessing that is! I am so thankful that Pappy was
surrounded by family and that he went from holding Nanny’s hand on earth to
holding Jesus’ hand in heaven. Such a beautiful visual that still makes me tear
up. I am so thankful for my Pappy and for the impact he had on so many lives. I
will forever cherish the memories we shared, remember the lessons he taught me,
and live a life that would make him proud.
I am also thankful for the love that was so evident at
Pappy’s funeral. While funerals are emotional and exhausting, I have learned
that they are one of the ways the Lord shows us His love in a very real and tangible
way. The power of prayer was and continues to be so evident as we were able to
celebrate Pappy’s life and celebrate the fact that he was with Jesus, rather
than be overwhelmed by our grief and pain. I definitely felt grief and pain,
don’t get me wrong. BUT, I also was able to experience a sense of peace that
transcends all understanding and a sense of strength that only could have come from
the Lord. God used the people that came to the visitation and funeral to love
on us, hold us, cry with us, and laugh with us. Gosh, I am still so humbled
that so many people would come to pay their respects and to love on my family. The
letters, text messages, phone calls, hugs, and presence of sweet friends were
so comforting and were such a precious reminder of how loved and blessed my
family is. Unbelievable. In our weakness, the Lord is indeed made stronger and
His love and faithfulness are unfailing.
Garland, Pete, Pistol Pete, Daddy, Granddaddy, Pappy, Mr. Upton, Brother
Pete, and Brother Upton…he was a man of many names and was loved by so many
people. I am honored to have been his granddaughter and am humbled to have had
the opportunity to call him my grandpa.
I love you the most, Pappy. Fraid so deary.
Here are some of the awesome songs I've received great comfort from...
