September 27, 2008

Although just two of the grandchildren are standing up here right now, rest assured that what is said now comes directly from the perspectives of all 22 of John VanSomeren’s grandchildren.

Each grandchild contributed to the eulogy today by writing down memories, stories, jokes, quotes and lessons.

This is a painful time for every one of us, each of us is a unique “VanSomeren” and we will handle the coming weeks and months in different ways. However, we have a special opportunity to be of a collective mind as we say goodbye.

An amazing thing happened when each of us were asked to write about our memories…all 22 of us invested our hearts and souls into to trying to narrow down our thoughts. It will be a long and precious document when all of it is compiled and it will be a gift to us as we grieve.

The overwhelming theme from each of the grandchildren was how he cherished each one of us.

This says a lot about a person who consistently and genuinely treats you like you are a treasure.  A person who treats you like there is all the time in the world to talk and that is completely “in the moment” when you are together makes a permanent impression on your soul.

Everyone jokingly claimed to be grampa’s favorite grandchild, and the truth is that his favorite grandchild was always the one that he was with…that was how he made each of us feel, he was invested in us, and he was stealthily teaching us how to treat each other …he was so good at it, he was so genuine, that when any fellow grandchild claimed “I’m the favorite”, we laughed on the inside, naively confident that we in fact had that title locked up.

Yes, his departure from our lives stings, this hurts and maybe all of this was beyond his wildest dream, but, look, here we all are, connected because of him. We have learned from him and his legacy lives on in our lives and in the lives of our children, his treasured greatgrandchildren…our lives and the way we continue his live out the principles he taught us, spreads out from Baldwin…across the entire world from Iowa to England, from Seattle to Boston, from Wisconsin to Florida, and even as far as Tokyo.

It may be hard to see right now, but in the midst of death and grief, there are blessings given to us. None of us will ever forget that all 22 grandchildren were together, for the first time in 13 years. Look at what grampa and gramma created! Contemplate the impact we make on the world every day, we carry his name with us, he was our leader, our teacher, the quintessential patriarch.

Dear Grampa,

Thank you for your sense of humor, showing us the power of a small gesture and for being selfless and kind.

Thank you for loving your role as a grandfather and great-grandfather, your drive and determination, and ensuring that we were all brought up in the church.

Thank you for your even-keel attitude, teaching us how to give a good hug, insisting that we learn that family comes first and for showing us the value of hard work.

Thank you for your humble and subtle way of showing your approval and pride and always making us feel welcome in your home.

Thank you for your unconditional love, and showing us in quiet and meaningful ways how to live a Christian life.

Thank you for the gift that through your passing we were able to be together to celebrate your life.

Love, your favorite grandchild,

Brian, Gretchen, Anna, Corey, Chris, Matt, JohnDavid, Kirk, Erin, Michelle, Kim, Nick, Robyn, Scott, Nate, Denise, Paul, Renee, Seth, Mark, Leah and Kelly.