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Unpacking BaggageJust going through my luggage, clearing out some things to make way for enlightenment Saturday, August 20, 2005Happy Birthday Daddy!Reflections - Delivered at the Homegoing of Willie Snell, my grandfather, who would have turned 80 years old today. On behalf of my family I would first like to offer thanks to everyone for the outpouring of support and love. God has truly blessed us. Our grief is a deep well, yet we are not consumed. We have so much to be grateful for that it would be abominable not to yield to the will of God and accept what He allows. After all, he made each of us, knows all about us, and calls us at the appointed hour. Our lives belong to him and control is in his hands. God is good. He allowed this servant nearly four score years to labor in this vineyard. We are grateful that Daddy was consistent in his habits. We may not have always agreed with his choices, but we were seldom surprised. He was usually at work, church, a lodge function or en route to one or the other. It was usually the “en route” part where we would be left wondering, but again, God is good. He always made it back home. This great church was as much his home as his residence. I used to tell him that he got nearly as much rest here as he got at home. As long as he was on that door he was on guard, but as soon as he sat down, his chin would hit his chest. I know I’ve got some witnesses. For all the services he attended, it was inevitable that he would sleep through a couple of good sermons. Alas he is about to sleep through another. But God is good. We have wonderful memories of cookouts, road trips, holidays… Daddy loved Christmas. They were huge when I was growing up. Even when he would pack us up in the car and haul us to Georgia, Christmas day didn’t suffer. His road trips are infamous. We have been everything from broke down to locked up messing around with Daddy on the highway, but never lost. He was the short cut king. So much so that when I find myself at the familiar crossroad I still ask the question, “Should I take I20 and go through all those little towns or just stay on 95 and get there faster?” Because he taught us all to drive too fast, I stay on 95. I believe he was most happy with family around. He loved when the house and yard were packed to capacity. Whether or not they brought anything he was always glad to see them come. And when I say family, don’t get caught up in the traditional definition of blood relation. Our idea of family has never been bound by the traditional. In fact, if you are sitting in this sanctuary, you are probably considered family regardless of who your peoples are. That is how we came up. Daddy loved people and he opened his heart and home to those in need. He could be most generous, but never forgot the difference between a gift and a loan. I learned to carefully word requests for cash because if you used the word “loan” he surely expected it back regardless of the amount. It was not about the money, but a matter of principle. If you owed someone you were obligated to pay it back whether it was five cents or five dollars. It’s not that he held money in high regard, If the truth be told he placed more value on work for that was the means by which you acquired money. As long as you work you will always have. He was not a man without fault, but if we had no faults we would have no need of grace and mercy. God is our secret judge yet we continue to attempt to judge others. Nikki Giovanni says that if we must judge a man, we should do so by his dreams, not just his deeds. Do so by his intent, not just his short comings and finally my brethren, to quote the gospel of Paul… whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 11/10/2003  
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