Goodbye Uncle Harold

March 5, 2006

Dear Uncle Harold

As long as I can remember you have been my Uncle Harold – Literally. You were married to Aunt Norma before I was born. I remember being scared of you at first. Of course, at the time I was about 2 feet tall and it looked like you were 10 feet tall. The Uncle of my distant childhood doesn’t even resemble the man you are today. Your voice was gruff and loud, your step was hard and your brow was very often furrowed with that quick temper.

That man doesn’t even resemble the man you became when you said yes to Jesus. When you put off your old self and put on the new you, you gave Him your step, you gave Him your furrowed brow, and you gave Him your gruff voice. You also gave him your heart and your all. I remember the rejoicing in the family when you bowed that knee and surrendered your whole life. But no one celebrated more than the woman who was standing beside you, your bride. From that day on you became the man each one of us needed. If I were to ask you what you would like to be remembered best for – I know you would tell us – “Oh Baby, don’t remember me, remember Jesus in me!” What an awesome legacy to leave your family!

I don’t know if you understood just how important your hugs are to all of us. You were there when my dad left for Heaven – You were there for mom, for me, for Dana and for Jimmy. I remember especially after we left the hospital and returned to mom’s house. There you were – just his size, just his shape holding your arms out to me for a great big hug and asking me, “How are you doing baby?” And the most wonderful thing was that you really wanted to know just how I was doing – every single time you asked me. You have a gift of letting me know that you see me – really see me and care about me – every time you ask.

You gave me another gift that I will never forget. One of those gifts that mean so much to you that you save them in your heart forever. Sometimes I forget that others can get a bit overwhelmed, to say the least, at one of our family gatherings. Chris, my now son in law, was one of those new comers not so long ago. You did for him what you have done for so many others – You caught him by the shoulder, stuck out your hand and introduced yourself, “Harold Harvill, Who are you?” Then you listened intently to a young man in a room full of strangers and just as fast as that you were his safe place in a sea of new faces. You did that same thing for me when Gary was a new face in the crowd. It’s not a coincidence that people seek you out in a crowd – you are a safe place for so many of us.

Your legacy of kindness, compassion, selflessness, servant leadership and love will live on for generations. A friend of mine spoke this week about his own Dad leaving for Heaven. He said, “I’m on a new road today, But I’m ready because my Daddy taught me to drive and showed me how to read a map.”

Paula, Karen, Brett: Your Daddy taught you how to drive on this road you are on now….Drive as your Dad did – By that I mean live as your Dad did….Ephesians 5:1 & 2 reminds me of the way he lived, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Walk in love every day – just as your dad did. He taught you how to love one another, how to love your spouses, how to love your children and grandchildren, but most of all, he taught you how to love your Lord. Continue this legacy of love. What a wonderful gift your Dad gave you and it’s a gift you are able to share with each one of us.

As for that map my friend referred to – You and I both know Uncle Harold’s map was his Bible. Pick it up every day – He showed us all where the answers come from and pointed us to the Savior whom he loved so much.

We love you Uncle Harold. It will be hard not having those long legs sticking out from under a chair or from behind a couch as you take your scheduled nap during our family gatherings. It will be hard not having your hug and hearing, “How are you doing Baby?” But I know where you are today and I know who you are with. So, we will hug one another like you taught us. And we will stop and ask, “How are you doing Baby?” and wait to hear the answer. And we will love on one another until we see you again.

We Miss You Already.