Blessed

One of the purposes and highlights of our trip to Jackson was Poppie's blessing of baby Austin.  Poppie has blessed all the children in our family, and it was very important to me that he bless Austin.  As the patriarch of our family, it was Poppie's right and our privilege.

In the Old Testament, it was customary for fathers to bless their sons or grandsons.  We followed the example of Jacob, one of Poppie's favorite men of the Bible, when blessing Austin.  In the 48th chapter of Genesis, we are told that Joseph took his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to his father Jacob to be blessed.  Jacob, who was renamed Israel, was very ill and almost blind with age by this time.  However, he "rallied" himself and sat up on the edge of the bed when Joseph approached with his sons.  Joseph had his sons kneal before Jacob.  Jacob reached out and crossed his hands, placing his right hand on Ephraim and his left on Manasseh.  We learn through this simple gesture that true blessing only comes through the Cross of our Lord Jesus.

As Dallas held our son, Poppie crossed his hands, putting one on Austin's head and the other on his feet, and prayed over him and blessed him.  Mom was there with a hand on Poppie's shoulder and another on Dallas'.  Mama Shoe had a hand on Poppie's other shoulder and one on mine.  Austin, not really fond of the position he was in, screamed.  The rest of us cried for another reason.

Austin may not have the opportunity to get to know Poppie.  I hope as he reads this some years from now that he will learn a little bit about the Godly character of his great-grandfather and begin to understand the legacy -the blessing- that Poppie left him.