Poppy

I've been trying to think about what to say as I've reflected on the passing of my Poppy. As I sit here sipping coffee out of my MCYC mug, staring at the flowers from his Celebration of Life service it felt like the right time to finally sit down and write something.

My mind floods with memories and things I have learned from him as I think back over the years. 

When I turned six we moved to live across the street from my Poppy and Granna. My Poppy was the Executive Director at Michigan Christian Youth Camp for over 30 years. They lived on camp property and we lived right across the road from their house from the time I was six through til I was about nineteen. It was a magical way to grow up. My sisters and I would ride our bikes to camp and visit my Poppy and Granna in their office, at their house, on camp activities, go on dairy farm tours with them, tag along during orienteering, arts and crafts, and so much more. 

Through my Poppy's work at the camp I've learned an uncountable number of lessons and saw first hand what it looked like to love well, welcome others, and have fun. Lots of fun. 

A few of the things that stand out in my memory are...

- The importance of caring for creation. We would often take walks up and down our dirt road with trash bags and "pokey sticks" in hand, cleaning up any litter that we found along the roadside. We would do this along the trails at camp too, cleaning up trash or moving sticks that had fallen. He also told us not to chew gum and spit it out on the ground because it could choke a bird. When we would go camping as a family we always took great care of our campsites, showing respect to any of the places we traveled. These actions, though seemingly small at the time, left a big impression on me as I have continued learn the importance of creation care and the variety of forms it takes, as well as the theological importance I've found in it. I'm so grateful for this influence. 

- Another thing that stands out to me is the way Poppy loved to have fun. Whether he was working with campers, helping with a church event, participating in Kiwanis Kapers, or just spending time with family he loved to have fun and rope everyone else into the fun with him. He would hoop and holler during family jam sessions, he loved to play a good game of Michigan Rummy, when we were little we would play "bear" where he would pretend to be a bear and would hide somewhere while me and my sisters and cousins would try to find him without getting caught - he would snarl and raise his hands high up in the air like a bear and chase after us as we screamed and giggled. I often get so caught up in the "to do's" and serious parts of life that I forget to have fun. But Poppy always made fun a priority. I want to make it more of a priority too. 

- What it looked like to live out of love for others. My Poppy and Granna have always been such wonderful examples of what it looks like to live out of a place of love. Whether that was through their welcome of others or the joy they exuded every day. They have been such amazing examples of what God's love of others and love of life looks like. I continue to see that in my Granna and I hope to embody that same love. 

- My love for camp. Growing up at MCYC and following my Poppy around for so many years gave me a great love of camp, building relationships, and sharing in life with others. As I have reflected over the last year or so about what I hope to do in ministry I couldn't help but come back to the role camp life has played for me and the ways I would love to create retreat spaces for people to rest, relax, and reflect with God, creation, and other people. I think a lot of that is due to my Poppy's influence, and I'm so grateful.

- Faithfulness - to God and to his family. If you knew my Poppy at all you know that he was so faithful. Every morning he would wake up and spend time reading his Bible and praying for every person in his family by name, and then for so many others as well. About a week or so before my Poppy passed my Granna showed me his prayer list. Right at the top was mine and Clay's names, and next to my name he had written "breast cancer." He had been praying for me and Clay daily up until the last week or so of his life, and he made sure to remember to pray for my cancer to be healed. Despite his failing memory, he was faithful to the end in love, prayer, and dedication to God and family. It truly inspires me and leaves me in awe of his faith. I hope to have such honest faith and trust in God.

One of the last times I had a conversation with my Poppy was the day I got to preach at Valley Church Burton. When I walked in and said hello and told my Poppy and Granna that I got to preach that morning my Poppy's face lit up. After I left they went online to listen to my sermon. It meant the world to me that he supported me in my pursuit of ministry and got to hear me preach before he passed. 

There are SO many other things I could share about my Poppy. The older I get the more I realize how much of a privilege it was to grow up across the street from my grandparents - because of that I have a lifetime of memories to remember and reflect on, and I'm so grateful. 

I'm also grateful to be a part of a family that is so close - I look forward to continuing to see a lot of my Poppy in each of them. 💛