This young man, whom We rocked on our chest, toted in and out of Abundant Life COG in a baby carrier, then held his hand thru the parking lot... who just had to run upstairs and sit with his Papaw while he ushered... who sang “I Cast All My Cares upon You” with me a thousand times in my van when little...
This young man who insisted he & Papaw wash every vehicle sitting in the yard almost every time he ever came over, who loved shoes - expensive tennis shoes and nice western boots...who kept them as clean as they came out of the box for months and years.. this kid who loved playing drums, playing basketball, watching football (especially the FL gators), who loved his mom’s meatloaf and any dessert on earth... this boy who never missed church because he loved it.. who participated with his whole heart in youth ministry, who drug every neighborhood kid and school friend he could to church from the time he was old enough to invite them.. this boy who always brought a backpack with an extra set of clothes and a “dry” pair of spit-shined tennis shoes to Neenie & Papaws when he came “just in case he needed them.. this boy who loved riding on the Walmart truck with his Papaw and who saw it as his “job” from the time he was first able to ride at 6yrs old.. our grandson who loved “destruction” ( His Word for it instead of “construction” ) equipment from a young age....our boy, turned young man who had been trying for several years to get his facial hair to grow.. who wanted to be a youth pastor and a realtor, who was making plans to upgrade the pickup we had given him right up to the text he sent his Papaw 2 days before he went to see Jesus about ordering fog lights for it.. our sweet, caring, kind, considerate, corn-hole playing, sweets and bread eating, hamburger-loving, sports watching, Christian music loving, sister-aggravating, administrator from birth.. was one of the most beautiful gifts God has ever given Paul & I.
Joshua genuinely loved. He prayed for everyone. With faith.
He was a dog lover, a friend to all, a help to anyone he could help whether it was putting my power chair on and off my car, raking the yard for friends, feeding the homeless with One Fire, who he loved with a passion, or befriending the least noticed person. He wanted his family to love each other and always be together. He would have to go to the bathroom 3 times if that’s what it took, to buy a few more minutes at our house. He loved video games, Tim Hawkins funny videos, and his Duck Dynasty, which got him thru many hard, pain-filled hours there thru the last days.
Joshua didn’t ever want to be the source of anyone’s pain so going thru the awfulness of cancer and knowing those who loved him was having to watch the scary and heartbreaking changes it was bringing to his physical body, his ability to live normally, and then seeing him not able to do anything for himself, was his worst pain.
Joshua NEVER lost faith that God was going to heal him.
And although it certainly wasn’t the healing we had begged Him to give our sweet Josh, God chose to promote him even before his elders.
Joshua is sitting at the feet of The Creator of the Universe, the Savior of the World, our soon-coming King. He is getting to know the grandfather he never got to know very well on Earth, the great granny (grandma) who fed him chocolate every time he saw her, and I’m sure our little Tina was clapping her heart out when he came thru those Gates.
Josh- there was only one you.
You loved all of your family with a passion to be envied; one we should all aspire to in your memory.
You will never leave us but will be indelibly with us until Eternity. Because we know that even tho the rest of our days here will be without your physical presence, that in your heart you always wanted to be nowhere except where your family was.
Hold the gates open, sweet boy... your family will be coming thru them one fine day and we will laugh with your quiet chuckle once again.
Love you and miss you more than you will ever know.
Nene (his spelling of it) and Papaw