Sunday, April 10, 2011

a great man.

let me tell you about a great man. a man who i am so proud and honored to have known. a man i loved.

a man i called my halahbuhjee.

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my grandfather was a soft and gentle man, but he had great presence. he was loving and kind and generous and had a wonderful sense of humor that matched his contagious laugh.

like my halmuhnee, my halahbuhjee was an amazing example of unwavering faith. he truly lived what he believed; he constantly blessed those around him with genuine love and care.

as the hubs was preparing to speak at my grandfather's burial service, my mom shared this story with him from her childhood: one day, my grandfather did not return from work at his usual time and instead came home hours after he was expected. his family was worried sick about him and when he showed up at the door covered in blood, their worry turned to fear. but my grandfather explained that it was someone else's blood. he saw a man that was injured and he carried this bruised and bloodied stranger to the hospital and made sure the man received proper care.

that's the kind of man my grandfather was. a literal good samaritan.

my grandfather was a dentist in korea, but when he moved his family to the states in his forties, he found that he could not transfer his korean dental license to one here in america. undeterred, he worked instead as a dental technician. and though he could have been frustrated and angry that his years of dental schooling seemed all for naught, he worked faithfully and joyfully at his new job. {and kept his dental skills up by checking out his grandchildren's teeth. ;)}

in his early sixties, my grandfather enrolled in seminary, unbeknownst to his children or grandchildren. for several years, he took classes part time. and all of these classes were in english, his second language! eventually, he successfully finished a masters of divinity program. when he was close to completing his program, he shared this news with us, telling us that he felt called to the mission field and that he wanted to be sure he was properly educated before leaving.

upon retirement, instead of moving to a warmer climate and a slower pace of life, my grandfather and grandmother packed their bags and moved overseas and became missionaries. my grandparents served north korean refugees and my grandfather provided free dental care. they loved the Lord and loved sharing the gospel and living it out daily while serving others.

my grandparents served faithfully for nearly 10 years until their ailing health brought them back stateside.

my grandfather developed alzheimer's and we watched as the man we knew lost many of his memories and abilities. each time we saw him, it took him longer and longer to recognize us, and he eventually got to the point where he never remembered the hubs. for the rest of us, he could recognize that we were familiar faces, but often did not remember our names or confused us.

it was so sad to watch a brilliant man become someone who needed constant supervision and care, but the whole time my grandfather suffered, he never once complained. never. and the whole time he suffered, his faith never failed.

one of my treasured recent memories of my grandfather was last new year's day when he was asked to pray for dinner. and goodness, did he pray! my grandfather had little short-term memory and continued to pray the same words and blessings for several minutes. my dad eventually jumped in and finished up the prayer, but i think if he hadn't, my grandfather could have prayed that prayer for hours. as the hubs remarked, it is amazing that even in his condition, my grandfather kept Jesus so close to his heart.

this january, we drove up to philly to celebrate my grandfather's 82 birthday. it was the last time i saw him alive. at first, i was really hesitant about going up because choi boy had only been home for a month and was still a bit weary of strangers (and his car seat), but i am so glad we bit the bullet and took the trip. and though he wasn't up for being held by his great grandfather, i am SO thankful cb got to meet him.

i hope that as he grows, we can tell choi boy about his amazing great grandparents and the prayers they prayed for him. and i pray and pray that choi boy will grow to love Jesus as his great grandparents taught our family to.

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rest in peace, halahbuhjee. i hope you are dancing and gettin' your groove on in heaven.

30 comments:

  1. What a wonderful tribute. Nicely written Grace. So sorry for your loss.

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  2. Grace, this is one of the most lovely and respectful posts I have read. Your grandfather sounds nothing short of amazing, and what a proud man who was full of such worthy values. I'm so sorry for your loss, he sounds absolutely wonderful.

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  3. What a wonderful tribute to an AMAZING man. What humility he had to take a job as a dental technician and to do the job joyfully. What a difference he has made for the kingdom. I know you will miss him. But I also know you will see him again one day.

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  4. oh i have tears in my eyes! what a wonderful wonderful man your halabuhjee was!!! amazing. i got chills reading how he carried a man to the hospital. someone to truly look up to and aspire to be like.

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  5. Your halabuhjee was a wonderful man used by God! Thank you for sharing about him...it is a reminder to me about the blessing of finishing strong!

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  6. What a beautiful moving tribute to such an amazing man! It brought tears to my eyes. He truly lived a "life of love" Eph 5:2. I am so sorry for your loss Grace.

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  7. Oh Grace... this is beautiful. I'm a weepy mess right now, but so happy you shared your amazing grandfather with us. Thank you. And hugs and condolences.

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  8. What a truly amazing man. How brave of him to leave his country and start all over. How inspiring that he followed a dream and made a true difference in the world. This is a beautiful tribute to your grandfather. Thank you for sharing it with us.

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  9. A lovely post...I enjoyed reading about your grandfather and his amazing journey. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Beautiful stories, I am so sorry for your loss.

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  11. Beautifully written, Grace. I can tell how special he was and how dearly your family loved him. I know his spirit will live on through you and your son. He'll be with you forever :)
    Big hugs for your and your family's loss of an amazing man.

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  12. You have me choked up here! What a man and what a legacy! The first picture in this post is so neat. This tribute is beautiful and is a great way to memorialize him. My condolences to your entire family.

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  13. Wow, Grace...what a wonderful post about a wonderful, dynamic, caring and compassionate man.

    I am so sorry for your loss and am keeping you in my thoughts...

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  14. Amazing post, such a great tribute to your grandfather! Thinking of you & your family.

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  15. Your grandfather sounds like an amazing person! Wow. You have so many wonderful stories and memories to pass along to CB, and a strong assurance that he is at peace in Heaven right now.

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  16. Grace, this was so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing. I know it must have been difficult. I recently (in February) lost my grandmother, so this is very near and dear to my heart.

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  17. What a truly amazing man. I'm so sorry to hear of his passing, it certainly sounds like the world was a better place because he was in it.
    Thank you for the wonderful tribute.

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  18. I am very, very impressed with your grandfather. He sounds like a tremendous man.

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  19. Your Grandfather sounds like an amazing man. What a blessing that you had him in your life.

    Thank you for sharing him with us.

    Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

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  20. Your grandfather sounds like an amazing man. Thank you for sharing.

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  21. indeed a great man. so glad your son was able to see his great grandfather.

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  22. oh grace...what a beautiful tribute to your grandfather. he sounds like a truly amazing man and no wonder you loved him so very much. I know all too well how hard it is to watch a grandparent suffer from alzheimer's. my grandmother lived with my family from the time i was born until i was in my mid twenties. some days i just had to laugh at the things she would say to keep from crying. it is such a hard thing to watch.

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  23. Wow, I'm speechless. I am sorry for your loss but so happy that you had a grandfather like this. He sounds like a wonderful man. Your post had me crying (mostly) but also laughing. You have a way with words, Grace. Your grandfather would be so proud. I, too, had a grandfather with alzheimers and it is so hard to see their personalities change. In some ways, for the better, funny enough. My grandfather never showed any emotion but when he had alzheimers he had no problem getting teary eyed about emotional things. It was kind of beautiful to see.

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  24. Grace, I'm so sorry for you loss. Your post brought tears to my eyes but also a smile because your grandfather lived such a faithful, beautiful life. I know he will be greatly rewarded in heaven! My thoughts and prayers are with your family. XOXO, Chris

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  25. Grace: This was beautiful! Thank you for sharing these stories of your grandfather. He sounds like an amazing man. Hugs to you. Great photos too!

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  26. Wiping away tears, Grace! What a beautiful post. Your grandfather sounds like a wonderful man and a great role model for everyone. I'm glad that C got to meet him, too. I also understand the heartache from a grandparent who has suffered from Alzheimer's, but today I'm sure your grandfather is praising Jesus in Heaven and so happy to be in His presence.

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  27. First, I am so sorry for your loss Grace. Grandparents are a treasure and I only wish that mine were here to have met Wesley. You wrote a wonderful tribute that I'm sure had your halabuhjee looking down on you smiling.

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  28. Grace, what a wonderful tribute! Your grandfather was an amazing man and you were so lucky to be able to share so many years together. I wish for peace for your family and your grandmother through this difficult time. My father in law has Alzheimers also, and it is a crushing disease. But he continues to teach us new lessons about life and aging through this time. It sounds as if your grandfather did the same. Take care.

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  29. your grandfather sounds like an amazing man, this was a beautiful post about him, grace. thank you so much for sharing your memories. we're so sorry for your loss and are thinking of you. . .

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  30. What a beautiful man, and a great tribute to him. He leaves a beautiful God-loving family as his legacy.

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