He has His hands on you....

This post is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather, James Ousley 9/17/1936-6/21/2014. As I was leaving work today, I received a voicemail from my father to call him regarding my grandfather. When I heard the tone of my father's voice, I instantly knew in my heart my grandfather passed. The last time my father and I talked, it was on Father's Day. He encouraged me to contact my grandfather's room with a possibility that I might not here him talk because he had been extremely sick. He was right. I called but I didn't get a response so I just prayed for him. The last time I saw my grandfather was on my 27th birthday, July 7, 2012. Lord knows I needed a vacation so I took a week off from work and went to Orlando to visit my bff/sis from college and see my grandfather. Our last visit together before that was Sept.18, 2010, a day after his 75th birthday. He was in good health then but overtime became sick. As a child, I was never around my father's side of the family so it was a blessing to be able to see and spend time with him as an adult. I will never forget sitting and talking to him for almost 2 hours on that day. In that short timeframe, he shared with me so much wisdom from his life and he encouraged me to stay single, lol and work hard for everything that I want. I will always cherish that moment. Seeing him on my birthday was a great time as well. He was so overjoyed to see me again after that last visit. I could tell that he didn't want me to leave. He kept asking me when I would come back. To hear the news today that he's no longer here broke my heart but I know God makes no mistakes. My grandfather experienced a lot of pain and I'm so glad that he's no longer in that place. I have peace and solace that God is using this moment to restore, heal, and draw my family back to each other. The one song that popped in my head was Marvin Sapp, "He has His hands on you." These last few months have been tough and whenever I feel overwhelmed, especially today, I listen to that song. I know God is with me and my family during this situation. I pray that this moment will show us that time is precious. We have to love like Christ and live each day doing His will. With so much going on in the world today, it's imperative that we continue to strive for righteousness. I would write more but I'm gonna take this time and reflect. Below are moments I shared with my grandfather: the first two on the day after his 75th bday, Sept. 18, 2010. The last two were from my last visit with him on my 27th birthday, July 7, 2012.

Love you all,

God bless.