In Memory of Samual Duane Grossman
October 11, 2011
What a blessing to be a part of this family. I was blessed with two wonderful sisters, five strong, manly brothers, a dad who instilled discipline and the work ethic and a godly mother who made it all work. I am proud to be a part of the Grossman family and a part of each of your lives. You have each added something special to my life – and Brother Sam was no different. I have to say I never remember him disrespecting me or even angry with me. I think we had a special bond that only brothers share.
When I think of Sam, like you I think of the hard worker, the fantastic dad and granddad, and a man who loved God. I do remember those days he wandered apart from God and some of the stories of his feats and fights. But to me, these last few years were his best. He wasn’t as strong; he couldn’t work as hard; but he had a heart for God. He had a passion for Jesus. And I loved to come home and talk to him about the Lord. You could see his face shine – like Moses’ face must have glowed. God was doing a work in Sam’s life. The night before he died, actually, less than 24 hours before he died, he wrote a commitment statement. I think it was from a N. A. Class he went to. The Sunday before he died he stood up in church and testified that he had been a drug user for 40 years and God had told him that unless he brought it out in the open and shared his addiction he couldn’t be free of it. So Sam did and the pastor had scheduled him to share some more about it the next week. There wasn’t a next week for Sam. But here is what he committed to. He said:
1. I plan on going to N. A. Meetings.
2. I plan to stay in touch with my Higher Power which is God and His son Jesus.
3. I plan on finding a speaker that I trust and is easy to talk to. I am not sure if I can find one yet, but I am going to rely on my own strength if not.
4. I am going to read from the Bible and Big Book that I got.
5. I am going to stay away from my old friends that bring me down.
6. I am going to build a trusting relationship with my wife and kids.
He signed in on October 6th, 2011. He was killed the morning of October7th, just hours later, when he fell sleep at the wheel while going to pick someone up.
I don’t know if last week if God said, “Okay. You’ve done. Your work is completed. Come on, home, Son.” Or if his guardian angel was out to lunch when he fell asleep at the wheel. Regardless, I can picture him waking up and saying, “What the heck!” Who knows how God works. Who knows why this was Sam’s time to go. It would seem he was doing the very best in his life and he could do a lot of good for his family and friends. Some of the old Indians would say, “Today is a good day to die.” But we don’t get to choose. One minute Sam was making plans for a better life – the next minute he was crashing into a truck.
And there to meet him was his wonderful Savior. Jesus –strong, a man’s man, eyes full of love and compassion, - with arms open wide, - saying Welcome Home, Son. Right behind him was Dad, perfect. Holy. Full of love and pride for his son. And of course, our brother Mark wasn’t too far off to give him a punch in the arm and show him the ropes. And a whole host of family and friends would be there rejoicing and welcoming him home. What a day that Friday must have been in heaven.
But it wasn’t so great here on earth. A lot of us were shedding a few tears. Our son, our brother, our dad, grandpa, husband, our friend was gone – doing what he did so often – on an errand of mercy. Just going about doing good things – sacrificing, being inconvenienced – but that was Sam. He would do anything for you if he could – and we have all experienced it in one way or another. I never visited without him giving me a knife or a tee shirt or something.
Yes, I wept – but it was for me and my loss. I wasn’t weeping for Sam – I was rejoicing for him. He was HOME. But, Oh, how I will miss him. I will miss his smile. He could light up a room. I will miss his laugh and his humor. He could get us all going with his antics. I guess I will really miss a fan. He always let me use his guitar when I came home. After singing one evening he said I sang like Kenny Rogers. All right! His taste in music was questionable! But never question his love.
Each one of you was loved by this wonderful man. He would have given his life for you. He would have taken a bullet for you. He had such high hopes for you. I think the best thing you can do to honor your dad, grandpa, brother, husband – is to live a life that he would be proud of. Cause, Sam is not dead. He is just gone. We may not see him right now – but I have a feeling he sees us – and is proud of you. Make good choices. Make good decisions. Sam made a lot of mistakes in life – and regretted each one of them. But he was man enough to turn around – to stop living that way. He was humble enough to turn to Jesus. He confessed his sin. He turned away from them. He sought to live a life for Jesus. I encourage you to do the same. Learn from his life. And as long as Sam’s life influences you – he will not have lived in vain. The poet, Emily Dickenson said,
“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain
Or help one fainting robin, Unto his nest again
I shall not live in vain.
My brother didn’t live in vain. He blessed us in so many ways. May his life continue to bless us.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the wonderful gift of Sam’s life. Thank you for the glory and the joy that he is experiencing right now with you. Comfort these mourning hearts – for they are an expression of our love.
