The Old Rugged Cross

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My father was sixteen years older than my mother who was a widow with three children when they met. It was just after WWII. Long Beach was overflowing with sailors returning from the war. Often my Dad would stop and ask one of the young men if they would like to join us for a homecooked meal.

On those occasions, Dad would turn to one of us kids and say pick a sailor so and so......which meant we were going to have company for dinner and many times the night. My Dad had a playful side to him that delighted in surprises and bringing a stranger to dinner was just one of them. If Mother scolded him he would just pinch her hiney and say, just doing our part for the war, and Mother would quickly get over the inconvenience.

A couple of times a year my father's, father would join us with my grandmother for the holiday. Since my father was already fifty when I was born...........his parents seemed ancient to me. Besides being very old, my grandfather never spoke to me or acknowledged my existance . It didn't seem odd or hurtful to me. Instead, I just assumed that was how grandfather's were. He never really spoke to anyone much except my Dad. Because of that I knew he could talk,......lol....Yet, I was unaware of what was obvious to everyone else, my Grandfather was nearly deaf.

I am only assuming now but I have to believe that my Dad wanted to share his new found belief with his father, as we all do when we find the Lord but would have been unable to because of the hearing loss.

So perhaps the last surprise he gave came as a gift to his own father. At my father's funeral as The Old Rugged Cross was being sung, my grandfather leaned over to my grandmother with tears in his eyes and said," I can hear, I can hear every word"..........and some very powerful words they were..........how merciful is our Heavenly Father.........

Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
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So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
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O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
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In that old rugged cross,
stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;'
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
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To the old rugged cross I will ever be true
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He'll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I'll share.
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So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the Old Rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown.
(George Bennard 1913)


Love,
Joian