Grandpa Lynn's Airplane

Grandpa Lynn's Plane. Chad's grandpa loved to fly. One of the first times I met him, I was taken for a flight in his little plane. We drove out to the airport in his truck and hopped in the little four seater and took off into the wild blue yonder.
I had never been in such a small plane, and the noise was so loud we had to wear headphones so we could chat.
Grandpa smiled a lot as he showed us around town and that surrounding community of Illinois from the air. He talked about how much he loved "flying the heavens" and how being up in the air gave him the perspective he needed to remember once we were back on the ground. Grandpa shared that he had many conversations with God while he was up there.
Our visits with Grandpa and Grandma Lynn were always fun, especially when we could get them talking about the "old days". The days of no indoor plumbing, electricity,ect. A smile would stretch across their faces and then a light of memory would flicker in their minds eye and the story would flow. Even when participating in light house work, or yard duties, there was always laughter somewhere in that home. Love in action was exhibited each time someone walked through the door be it a family member or a neighbor down the road.
Grandma and Grandpa lived in a little farmhouse that at one time was home to their six children. It was neat to hear the "remember when" stories that Sweeties aunts and uncles would share about their time in the house.
In Grandma and Grandpa's room above their bed were 18 model airplanes suspended in mid air. Each of the grandchildren loved to go in there and gaze up at the airplanes. If you were lucky Grandpa would follow you in and give ya some of the history of each airplane. Uncle Leroy built most of the models and gave them to his dad as gifts. However, there were a few that Grandpa built too.
Now that Grandma and Grandpa have left us to join their heavenly father, the family has begun the process of cleaning things out and passing along family treasures.
This Christmas I was thrilled to watch Sweetie and his sister each receive one of Grandpa's airplanes. Tears of joy and memories by the handful raced through their minds, as tears trickled their way down the cheeks of Grandpa's true gems, his grandchildren. It was truly an emotional moment of bittersweet joy. I am quite sure if Grandpa could have wittnessed this, his tender eyes would have welled up with tears of pride and happiness knowing his treasures would be loved by future generations.
Sweetie got Grandpa's Piper J-3 Cub. Grandpa's first airplane he owned for 11 years was very much like this one.
Today I hung that airplane up in a corner of our bedroom, so that whenever we look at it we can reflect and remember Grandpa. Grandpa wasn't just a pilot, he was a husband, a father, a Christian. He read his Bible daily, was an upstanding member of the community, he cared for and loved his fellow church members by serving for many years. To his family his legacy will continue, as we were all so blessed to have him in our lives.

I leave you with this thought. We all have special people in our lives, some come and go while other relationships last for years and years. What will the people that you know, and the friends and family that you love remember about you?