A Tribute to My Grandfather
As a writer, the ability to communicate is a necessity for me. Language is how I navigate through the world, it's the lens through which I view every moment, every person. But, there was always a language barrier between me and my grandfather, and because of this I felt that something was lost between us. I felt I could never truly know him because our words were different. However, I've learned over the years that some things surpass language. Things like the light in his eyes when he could just sit down for dinner with his family, his inclination toward creativity documented in poetry and calligraphy and paintings, and his determination to spend tim with us even as he grew weaker. I didn't have to understand my grandfather's words to understand the person. The last time I saw him, my parents, my brothers, and I sang a hymn for him. He didn't know the words, or perhaps even the tune, but he listened. And when we finished, he called hallelujah, and we said amen, and I knew at that point that there was no language barrier between me and my grandfather because there we were, sharing in Christ together with just two simple words. I learned that day that we did in fact speak the same language, my grandfather and I; the language of faith, of love, of art, and of family.
April Yoder