Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Remembering Granddaddy

April 8, 2010 by Kristin Leave a Comment

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with you in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11

My father-in-law, Gary Taylor, passed away suddenly Tuesday night from an apparent heart attack. He was 58. And he was one of the greatest examples I have known of someone who lived to know God and make God known. He was genuine, honest and loyal.

And he loved his five grandkids fiercely. Above is one of my favorite photos of him with the three oldest grandchildren. It’s from Father’s Day last year, so Ben and Evelyn weren’t born yet. His smile was always present when he was helping Cate write her ABCs, singing songs with Elijah or dressing up in beads with Ethne.

Without a doubt the hardest part yesterday was thinking about how these three oldest grandchildren are going to have few memories of him and how the youngest two [and the one on the way …] aren’t going to have any. But, trust me, they’ll hear stories and see pictures and hear more stories. Of how Granddaddy loved them. Dreamed for them. Prepared their dads to be family men. Entrusted them to God.

We got the news of Gary’s death on Tuesday night and Greg immediately went to take care of his mom. I did some dishes, cleaned the floor, started a load of laundry, then climbed back into bed with my Bible open to the Psalms.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19

It is strange, but if ever there was a man whose soul was prepared to spend an eternity with God, it is Gary. He wasn’t afraid of dying, and he lived every moment until he met Jesus face to face. This eternal life is the one he longed for. We’ll miss him, no doubt. We’ll talk about him for years to come. We’ll cry and laugh. But we’ll know he’s home.

_____

If you’re interested, visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and the funeral is at 10 a.m. Saturday. Both will be at Glendale Road Church of Christ. Burial will follow at Murray Memorial Gardens.

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Filed Under: family, Greg

Comments

  1. Life as I know it says

    April 8, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    This is beautiful and so is the picture. Gary will definitely live on through the legacy he left and the memories everyone shares. Love you! Can't wait to hug you back Saturday.

    Reply
  2. Andy & Courtney says

    April 8, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    This is a great tribute, Kristin. Love the picture!! Love and prayers….

    Reply
  3. Mel says

    April 28, 2010 at 1:05 pm

    Kristin- I've been behind on blogging (and reading blogs) so I'm just catching up. I'm so sorry to hear about your Father-in-Law. I'm sure the last few weeks have been rough for you all. I too think this is a beautiful tribute to him!

    Reply
  4. Kristin says

    April 28, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    Thanks, Melanie! These last few weeks have been strange, indeed. But God has done some really awesome things too.

    Reply

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

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To live in communion with one another, means to sh To live in communion with one another, means to share meals, space, advice, and prayers. It also means sharing hope, disappointment, dreams, and forgiveness. 

We explore what this looks like in “Created for Communion,” along with other biblical foundations for friendships and community.

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So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictu So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictures of their daughters yesterday for the completely made-up National Daughters Day. Regardless, today I'm all in my feelings about my daughters. 

They're 16 and 8 right now. Both of their classes have been studying ancient Egypt and had a joint feast today. Sweet, huh? 

BUT THEN TIMEHOP GOT ME! Apparently, NINE years ago today, when Cate was a second-grader, her class had an Egyptian feast. I think about a particular picture of Cate and her friend Kilee from that day AND THEN IT CAME UP IN MY TIMEHOP TODAY. Facebook also told me that same day nine years ago, Monica and I became Facebook friends. We probably were at the Egyptian feast and decided we'd be friends because our girls were friends. Y'all, God has been so good to me through my friendship with Monica. Our families click in a special way with our three sets of same-aged kids, most of whom have been adopted. 

Anyway, my daughters. They're lovely, funny, and smart. I love that Cate helped Rachel with her Egyptian eye makeup this morning and made her a Nutella and banana sandwich. I love that they got to have a party today at school together. I love that even though they're eight years apart, they're sisters. 

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do. 💛

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In the blog post HOW TO TAKE THE TRIP, I share lots of links and suggestions on where to go, who can help you, and what to take with you. 

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Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life, but it’s a good life. 💛

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You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to go! You’re always making friends, asking about our next adventure, wanting to know what’s next, and talking if you’re not singing. You’re the joy our family needed in 2015 and you continue to be the one who makes us laugh and love better than we did before we knew you. 

... You ask a million questions, know the words to thousands of songs, have so many ideas, and still try to sneak into my bed at night. You say I’m the best snuggler in this family. I’ll take it – and your hugs and love, although the middle of the night will never be my favorite time. 

Happy birthday to the girl who loves loudly! 

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