"I tell you that if these keep silent, the very stones will cry out." Luke 19:40
Death is the end of breath,
a silence of the tongue.
It has no voice but what we leave
in memories on stone. selahV
When I was faced with the privilege and honor of picking a headstone for my son, I knew it had to be special. One, because Chad was special. Two, because this would be the most permanent tangible mark he'd leave on earth.
Everything he owned will one day be gone~~ Even the items we so cherish and cling to in remembrance of him. His favorite book, his scribbled notes, his Christian music collection.
As I pass from life unto death, those things will fall into the hands of another who has no memory to connect the object to the original owner. It will simply be a silver ring, a stack of albums, a group of Indian pottery~~ a nameless photogragh of a distant relative.
But the headstone,
The chiseled granite~~
it shall speak to all
who venture by a group of graves
and linger long enough to read its words.
"Forever Alive In Jesus"~~ though Chad's body is no longer warm, though his eyes no longer shine, though dreams have ceased and hopes released, he lives eternally.
Date of birth and date of death~~ records his alloted time. Though some was squandered, and left in waste, his legacy's left behind. Within the years between his dates is friendship, love and grace. He gave so much and lived so fast, it's hard to comprehend~~ thirty-three years, eight months and thirteen days.
He died on Mother's Day at approximately 5:25 a.m. His last words to me were, "I love you, momma," just the night before. He was laid to rest in a country cemetery overlooking an elementary school, a frogpond, a dairy farm and our distant church steeple. So appropriate those things are~~ Chad loved children--all were precious. He loved to gig and fish. The place he called home in Kentucky rests beside a dairy farm which overlooks a cemetery next to the first church we ever pastored. His Oklahoma internment was on Friday the 13th~~ no superstition, here. What folks consider bad luck, Chad considered God's opportunity to show His presence. No evil could break his belief in Christ.
"His Death Gave Me Life" Romans 5:9,10~~ This passage was his chosen testimony of faith. He had them imprinted on a hat, on his Chad-the-Tile-Guy work tee-shirts and business cards. He used the verse to spark conversation regarding his Saviour.
"Totally Forgiven, Finally at Peace"~~ Chad lived in search of peace and love. His life was wrought with trials, heartache and pain. Yet, he lived like there was no tomorrow, as each day was his last. He was an optimist who often told people his glass was half-full. A few weeks before he died, he was visiting me. He was sitting in one of my cheetah-chairs. I'll never forget the look on his face when he said, "You know something, Mom. I come here and your home is so comfortable. But it doesn't feel like home. I go to Holly's, but it doesn't feel like home. I go to my house and it doesn't feel like home. I don't feel like any place is home. Do you know what I mean?"
Yes. I know what he meant. And I told him. "That's because your home is not on this earth, honey. You are just passing through here. Your home is in heaven and really, no matter how comfortable we make our earthly surroundings, nothing satisfies us. We long for heaven." His eyes filled with tears as he nodded his head. I know he understood. For all his goodness and striving to be better, Chad grasped the forgiveness for his sins and weaknesses only found in Jesus. In death, all the hay and stubble was "totally forgiven", and he was "finally at peace" in the arms of his Saviour.
The Cross~~ it's symbolic of all Chad wanted, to live in its power, to share its hope, and to bear whatever came his way.
The Shaft of Wheat~~ symbolic of John 12:24. "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest."
And what that says to me, is that my son's death was one from which others will learn of Christ. Several people have told me how his life effected them, how his example gave them ways to seek after and a Saviour to obey and love. Many people were touched by his death because of his life and from the harvest of his life his death produced seeds of greater grain. His oldest daughter remembers almost every word he ever told her regarding Jesus and faith. She shares those things with others. Others remember words and verses and his Christian example and strive to live as Jesus would want them to live. More fruit.
"Chad the Tile Guy"~~ is chiseled on the base of the stone. That was the name of his tile-setting business. When he first started his business, he called it Petersen's Pro-tile. But as he began to work, his customers began to share their pleasure of his work. Instead of using his business name, they'd say "uh, I can't remember the name of his business, Chad the tile guy, did it."
When Chad was bidding a job one day under Petersen's Pro-tile, the customer said, "well, I need to get another bid from this other tile guy." He then shared how he'd seen a really wonderful job that someone had done in a golf-course locker room. Chad laughed and said, "Oh yeah? what was that guy's name?" The customer replied, "Chad." My son chuckled and said, "Well, I'm that tile guy; my name is Chad. I tiled that locker room." From that day on, Petersen's Pro-tile became known as "Chad The Tile Guy". People all over his city only knew him as Chad the Tile Guy. It seemed only fitting that on the base of his stone, reference be made of his vocation. If you notice the "Chad" is at an angle to the level words "The Tile Guy". That made his name stand out on his card. The rest was a description of that man named Chad. We all smile sometimes as we imagine Chad laying the streets of gold and tiling mansions with silver in preparation of us coming home to see him.
Chad Robert Petersen~~ there isn't enough time, ink, or pictures to completely do justice to my son's name. Above is one side of his headstone. There's another side which I'll share later. For now, this is the picture. To enlarge any photo, just click on it. SelahV
[copyrighted, SelahV Today, 2007]
