Jeanette Short
Prepared by Mikayla Short, Ted's granddaughter...
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of self- discipline
2 Timothy 1:7
When I was asked to speak today, this was the verse that God placed on my heart. And as I thought about my grandfather, I realized just how well this scripture reflects the man he was. My grandfather wasn’t a man who expressed himself through many words, but rather he expressed himself through his actions. Through the way he carried himself and the way he carried all of us. He was our silent protector and our steady provider, always aware and alert to what our family needed. He worked tirelessly, not for recognition, not for praise, but out of a love that he didn’t always verbalize, yet always carried out.
My grandfather didn’t come from much, he endured things that none of us could ever even begin to imagine. Somewhere in the midst of that struggle, he knew that the family he would create would never go through what he did. His hard exterior, the side of him everyone knew, wasn’t because of hate or cruelty. It was self-discipline and protection. It was him fighting every day to become a better, stronger man.
Because of that choice, he built a life for us that has been nothing short of a constant gift. My grandmother, his wife, never had to work and was able to be a homemaker and present mother to all four of her children. My mom, my aunt and my uncles never had to worry about having a roof over their head, clothes on their back, and food on the table. My brother and I, we were able to go to college, pursue any degree that we wanted, and not be concerned with college debt because of the sacrifices that our grandfather made. Even down to him giving us $20 every time we went to his house just because he loved us and wanted to provide. None of these things were handed to him- God blessed him with the drive to craft that life through grit, sacrifice and determination.
I always grew up hearing how reserved he was, how he may have not said ‘I love you’ very often. But the man I knew- my grandpa- was soft in all the ways that mattered. He was gentle and patient and every time I saw him, I knew that he loved me and that he was proud of me. Every birthday, every graduation, every event in our lives, my grandpa was there. He would do anything to make me and my brother smile. That was how he loved; by showing up, providing, and protecting. His love was quiet but it was steady and unmistakable.
He built something from nothing, and in doing so, he built all of us. His strength has become our strength. His perseverance lives on in the way we work, the way we love, and the way we provide for our own families. His legacy is not just what he gave us materially- its who we are and where we are because of him.
In this new season that we are stepping into, I am reminded of a short passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-4. It reads: To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Yes, we are in a season of mourning, but also a season of remembering, honoring, and giving thanks for the life of a man who filled his time on earth with purpose. He embraced every season God gave him with strength and quiet resilience. And even now, in this season of grief, we also feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude ---gratitude for his legacy, for his example, and for the love he planted in each of our lives. So, we can find rest in knowing that this season of mourning is just that, a season. As scripture reminds us, there will come a day when our hearts will lighten again- a day when we will laugh and dance.
I know we don’t know what heaven looks like, but my mom reminded me just how much my grandfather loves to fish. And I have this image in my head of my grandpa on his boat, fishing with my uncle Teddy and my uncle Ron. Knowing that he gets to rejoice in God’s presence and be with his boys brings me a lot of peace, and I pray that it does the same for you. Though we will miss him deeply, we can stand in gratitude for the life he lived, the sacrifices he made, and the love he poured out in his own quiet way.
With that in mind, I would love to take a moment to pray- not only in thanks for his life, but for comfort, for strength, and for God’s peace as we carry his legacy forward.
