Homeward Bound...

Last week, one of the most amazing men to ever walk this earth returned home to his Father in heaven at the ripe age of 91. Now, I may be a little biased, seeing as it was my husband's grandfather, but I believe that all who met him would agree that he touched their lives for good. He is known by Dad, Grandpa, Russell, and to us he is 'Horse Papa'. (He was in the business of raising horses.)



One of my fondest memories of him is seeing him ride as Uncle Sam in the Strawberry Days parade each year. He was awesome! And he kept trucking along up until a few years ago. I love that he did that!

People keep telling us, "Sorry for your loss". And it really is our loss. But we are not sorry. He lived a good, long, life and I remember him always saying that he was ready to go whenever the Lord wanted to take him. I'm sure he missed his sweetheart dearly. I know there was a joyous reunion in heaven that day.



Horse Papa's funeral was truly one of the most beautiful services. Some of the family members (myself and hubby included) sang a song entitled 'Homeward Bound'. Now, when I first heard the title I was thinking of the folksy Simon and Garfunkel tune. It's not that. :) Take a listen here:

Just in case, here are the lyrics:

In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red,

When the summer's ceased its gleaning
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure's lost its meaning -
I'll be homeward bound in time

Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow

If you find it's me you're missing
If you're hoping I'll return,
To your thoughts I'll soon be listing,
In the road I'll stop and turn

Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end
And the path I'll be retracing
When I'm homeward bound again

Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow

Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow

(Ah)

Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow

(softly)
Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return,
And I'll return,
And I'll return . . .to you somehow

I believe that this song is about a horse, which was perfect and fitting for Grandpa Schow. The performance was beautiful and we had a bunch of instruments too. Philip carried the Tenor part amazingly and it was hard not to lose it standing next to him. :)

Just wanted to share some of my favorite photos of the day:

He had a gun salute (he served in WWII). We saved all of the shells and all of the grandsons kept one.

For some reason, this man in particular caught my eye and I just loved the way he looked. It was perfection. (I am a little weird. It's okay.)

Love this picture of this general (?) saluting the flag in honor of Horse Papa.

Folding the flag over his casket.

Some of his war gear.

Bless these little girls, who throughout the service reminded us of why we are here on earth and what makes it worthwhile.

Now, the most amazingly awesome and beautiful thing about the whole funeral, to me, was the horse drawn carriage that a man volunteered to transfer the casket in from the funeral to the cemetery. It was amazing. Pictures can not do it justice and it touched my heart. It was so fitting for Horse Papa. Made me cry. Of course.

I admired and respected this man for his kindness, charity, love, thriftiness, his heartfelt prayers, and his thoughtful words. In fact, I still respect him. What an amazing man. I have no doubt that God said 'Well done my good and faithful servant.' He endured to the end. Love him.