Beautifully Blessed: Sweet Pappy-O

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.