Gerald L Staub

In the early Greek culture, when one slipped the surly bonds of Earth, they celebrated the passing of their loved one with one question; Did he live his life with passion? Our Dad certainly did. Dad was passionate about the Love and Light of our heavenly Father as expressed by our Christ and he lived that. passion. He and our mother lived their lives with such faith in the Lord, they stood as examples of the blessings that the Father will bestow on His beloved. Their non judgmental, unfailing love provided a second home, a borrowed car, a couch in the hurricane, even when those needs were a consequence of our own poor judgement. This living testimony will live on in future generations. They have left an imprint on us that even death can not take away. Dad was passionate about his family. When our dad became a father he gave up the authority over his own wants and wishes and lived a life of humbleness and adoration over his children. We were adored. When we were all young, dad worked the night shift 7 days a week. As an adult, that fact alone overwhelms me. But that is only half of the story. He was always there, he was always there. He went with us to church on Sundays, he attended our school functions, track meets, football games, and even worked in the concession stand when my brother, Mike was in band. I often remember him carrying his lunch pail to these functions as he would go to work immediately after, while we toddled on home to bed. We had a small farm with all of the work involved, including my ragtag band of ponies with which he often helped me. He fixed our motors and mechanical failures, welded, machined parts, accomplished home improvements, built two barns, built a cottage on the Allegheny river, and then taught us to ski. He butchered, cured and smoked our meat. He and mom grew and harvested our crops, they both even worked two jobs occasionally. Dad, being dad, often tempered his passion with sarcasm. He had a beautiful tenor voice so he was often asked to sing in the Sunday service. He would sometimes reply with his impish grin, that he couldn't because he wouldn't be attending that day. He could attend and he did sing. I loved it when he sang. His voice would reverberate throughout the sanctuary until I thought, surely the roof would blow off. Dad tried his best to make everything fun, work or play, it was fun with him. Dad never watched sports, golfed or involved himself in any area that did not involve all, or at least part of his family. He never joined any men's clubs or pledged himself to another except for our Father in heaven and a four year stint in the Air force during the Korean conflict. He was not his own, he was ours, at our disposal, loving, caring for, praying over, advising and when needed reprimanding us. He was not his own, he was our dad. We are so proud to have been his children and to be so loved by him.
He was the one that led me into the relationship that I have with Jesus. He is the reason that my relationship with my Father, my Abba, comes so easily to me. He was the one that opened that door to let me glimpse heaven. I love him so very, very much. Right now, if dad were still with us, what would he say? He would say to repent of wrongdoing, to ask Jesus into our heart and wash us with His Blood shed for forgiveness of sin so that we may be whiter than snow in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. But his passion for life spoke beyond that. So live, live passionately, live in the present, in the now, for that is where gratitude flows. Be grateful, praise the Father, for when we praise our Heavenly Father the myriads of angels from here throughout the realms of heaven leading to the throne of God, join in that praise. Praise passionately. Live from the heart, stop analyzing things and let your heart lead for that is where we asked the Father to dwell, is it not? Love one another with unfailing Love and forgive. As Jesus told Peter, forgive everyone not seven times but, seventy-seven times, totally, completely. Forgive yourselves, for the Father loves you. And let your Light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. For you, you are the Light of the world. So the life of our Dad says to you, go forth and shine your Light, passionately.