All Blacks: We will miss you, Grandpa....

Joseph (Joe) Burch, my grandpa, passed away a week ago today (Dec. 6th). He was 83-years-old. He is by far the most humble and giving man I have ever known. My memories of him are many and are very sweet. He and my grandma had been married for 64 years. That's amazing. We lived just down the road from them my whole life (pre-marriage, of course). I'm so thankful for that. We were able to see him and my grandma almost every single day. So many memories...so many special memories....

He grew up extremely poor, he fought in WWII and witnessed the horror of the concentration camps, after he married my grandma (who had been an orphan from a young age) they were extremely poor together, they had 5 children...4 sons and one daughter (my mom), they both worked shift work to try to provide for their family, they both became Christians as adults...my Uncle Tim, their oldest son, remembers the day that they both were baptised...how cool is that? In 1981 my grandpa had his first brain tumor that left him very crippled and disabled, he fought hard and walked again against many odds, shortly after this season, one of their sons, my Uncle Mike, died... Tremendous pain and sorrow...he left behind a wife and 3 small boys....a few years later, another brain tumor and all the trials that come with that....then, when I was a junior in high school my cousin, Uncle Mike's oldest son, Mark was killed in a tragic accident...my grandpa and grandma buried their son and their grandson....that doesn't seem possible....the past several years, grandpa's health has declined and he has been in seasons of tremendous pain, particularly the past year and half.....my grandma has lovingly taken care of him all these years....I need to do a post dedicated just to her b/c she is the most amazing woman I have ever known....

Their story is filled with many struggles, trials, heart-ache, and pain....and through all of this they both have been such an incredible example to me of continuing to walk with Jesus and trusting Him during the darkest times of your life. My grandpa fought the fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith. He is no longer in pain. He no longer has tears. He is with Jesus. He is whole. He has received his crown of righteousness.

I loved his laugh. I loved listening to him play the harmonica, I loved hearing him say the blessing for every one of our family meals since I can remember, I loved his determination, I loved his faith, I loved that every single time I would be leaving their house he would give me some money and say "We don't have much, but I'll give ya whatever I got".....I loved the way he loved others....

My grandparents have 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. What a legacy....

We will miss you so much Grandpa. You loved us all so well. Thank you for your example of humility, of love, of generosity, of faith, of hope, of commitment....

Jesus was seen through you. I'm so thankful that now you see Jesus face to face...

Grandpa with me and the girls....