It’s not often that a man gets to have a grandparent in his earthly life for almost 42 years. I’ve always been very close to Grandpa Ding. When I was young, I’d stay over at his and Grandma’s house on Black Lake on Friday nights. During this time, he used to show me things that boys love such as planes, rockets, and trains. He would take me by the railroad tracks to watch trains pass by and by the airport to see planes take off and land. He would read me books about rockets and space travel. When I got older, he built me a small train set when I was 6 which I enjoyed playing with until I was 9 or 10. He told me about some well-known science fiction programs such as Star Trek and how it was about space exploration and fighting enemy aliens. On Saturday’s he’d take me to House of Hobbies at Park Row Mall to get many airplane model kits, and he helped me build over my young years, including the SR-71 Blackbird. I even got a Radio Shack electronics lab kit from him when I was 12. Little did he know (or I) how influential all of this would be on my future vocation. I have worked on NASA and Air Force Rocket electronics, including one company that is owned by Lockheed, the maker of the SR-71. He even got to see me help launch NASA’s Orion, the successor to Apollo and the Space Shuttle nearly 2 years ago on a Delta IV rocket I personally worked on! I’m now working on advanced aircraft electronics for planes similar to the ones my Grandfather and I used to watch and read about.
He also mesmerized me with his countless paintings and chalk drawings of mountains and western landscapes. His old slide shows of ministry trips were filled with various tourist stops in the Old West states, and I was captivated by the mountainous landscapes, the towering Ponderosa Pines, the imposing images of Saguaro Cacti. Today, I live in the Four Corners states that he so awesomely portrayed in his many pictures and I get to see firsthand the majestic Old West every day.
But greater than these, he was a man who showed me that there was more to this life than just these things. He demonstrated a genuine love for Jesus Christ, the Author and Maker of all things. Despite our sin, Jesus has opened the door to living forever in a greater world than this if we confess Him as Savior, confess our sins to Him, and ask Him to save us. It was his example to this former young boy and many others he interacted with that drew people to the Lord. I’ve tossed and turned on many issues in my own Faith, but his example, among others, helped bring me back to the Lord’s Word and prayer and fellowship. Now that I turn 42 tomorrow (in the half-way region of my earthly stay), I can truly look back on my wonderful Grandpa and get a glimpse of the nature of Jesus because He loved me through Grandpa, and I could feel it. I could sense that legacy continuing when we had Grandpa officiate Jessica and I’s Wedding ceremony nearly 13 years agon and dedicate our son Luke almost 4 years ago. I believe that it will continue.
When I was very young, I told Jesus that I wanted Grandpa’s Heavenly house to be next to mine one day. I truly still mean that and I look forward to that reality one day. But for now, I’m grateful for the time I’ve had with my Grandpa here, and am glad that he’s with Grandma again and greatest of all, with Jesus.
I love you Grandpa. And Jesus, I know You’re taking care of him.