Dear Isaac,
You were born on January 3 and I’m just now writing your letter because you decided to come three weeks early! I wasn’t totally prepared – and neither was your mom and dad. Your momma called me on Wednesday, January 3 and said, “Daddy, I NEED you to come TODAY!” So what did I do? I dropped everything, threw my clothes in a suitcase and jumped on the Interstate to get there as quick as I could. I held down the fort until Nanna could get there on Friday. But we made it and you got here and we are all so happy to see you.
As I have thought about what to write to you — you have given me a few ideas along the way as I waited for your arrival. That means your first letter may be a little long!
For most of your mom’s pregnancy, I’ve called you NUMBER 7! There were three reasons for that name. First, you are our 7th grandchild. That’s so cool. I never dreamed I would have 7 grandchildren! You will hear me say this many times, but I truly believe I was born to be a Poppo! I have so much fun with your sister and brother and your cousins. The second reason I called you NUMBER 7 is because your parents wouldn’t give me a name! They waited until you were almost here to tell us that your name would be Isaac Nathaniel. That’s a GREAT name and I’ll talk about that in a minute. The final reason I called you NUMBER 7 is because seven is the number of perfection and completion in the Bible. God created everything in 6 days and rested on the 7th. There are 7 churches in the Book of Revelation. There were originally 7 deacons chosen in Acts. Basically, 7 represents divine intervention and spiritual completeness. I’m sure I’ll come back to this theme as I write future letters to you.
Once we had a name and I no longer had to just call you NUMBER 7, I was excited that your parents chose the name Isaac. What a wonderful name that is. In Hebrew, your name is Yitzhak and it means “one who laughs or rejoices.” Isaac is one of the three patriarchs in the Old Testament. There was Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah and is referred to as the “son of promise.” When God told Abraham that he and Sarah would finally have a child, they were VERY OLD. In fact, when Sarah heard that she was going to have a baby, she LAUGHED! I think Nanna would have FAINTED if God told her she was going to have a baby at this point in her life. And Sarah was MUCH OLDER than Nanna! God said to Abraham, “remind Sarah that NOTHING is too hard for God” (Genesis 18:14). As Isaac grew, he would be a very important part of God’s story and His plan to bring redemption to the world. So, you have a very special name.
When I met you on Wednesday night, momma and daddy went for a walk down the hall. (Momma was going stir crazy!) While they were gone, I did with you what I have done with all 6 grandchildren. I looked into your face and said, “I love you, but more important than that — JESUS loves you.” I prayed for you right there that you would one day hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and that you would follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then I sang “Jesus Loves Me” to you. Isaac, you are LOVED by all your family and by Jesus. What a blessing!
Back in 2014, when your cousin Hudson was born, I decided that each grandchild would have a special nickname. These nicknames may not mean anything to anybody else, but they are all special to me because they are attached to each one of you. Hudson is SCOOTER, Harper is LITTLE BIT, Ellie is PUNKINDOODLE, Benny is BIZZY (I bet you’ve already figured that one out – LOL), Hadlee is SWEET PEA and Holland is BUTTERCUP. So it’s time for your nickname…But first, a little story.
I grew up in a little place called Potecasi, NC. That little community was filled with characters. I wish the world had more characters today. In our world today everything is the same. There just aren’t many characters in the world. For example, there was Pea Chicken. I don’t know what his real name was, he was just called Pea Chicken. He was the first STREAKER! Even before Ray Stevens had Ethel in the pole beans (Google it), Pea Chicken was streaking through Potecasi one day. Pea Chicken had a tendency to overindulge in adult beverages and he decided to ride his bicycle right down the street just as naked as the day he was born! He was a CHARACTER.
There were other characters too. There was Mr. Ronald Chappel. I thought he was the richest man in the world because he drove an El Camino (again…Google it). He never drove that car over 15 miles per hour. He also lived in a big brick house. But the main reason I thought he was rich was because he had a circle driveway! You could pulll in one entrance, stop in front of his house and then drive out the other side of the driveway. I figured you had to be RICH to be able to do that! Again, he was a CHARACTER.
Then there was Mr. Rut Powell. He owned a gas station in Woodland. It was a Sinclair station and their “mascot” of sorts was a green dinosaur. I remember that my daddy would take me and my sister Brenda to the store and Mr. Rut would give us a little brown bag and let us get a few pieces of “penny candy.” That was a big treat for us. I also remember that during the gas shortages of the 1970s, Mr. Rut would call my daddy and tell him when gas was going to be delivered. During those days, people often lined up at the gas station trying to get gas so they could go to work. Sometimes you got gas…sometimes you didn’t! It was a scary time. Mr. Rut would let my daddy come to his store very early in the morning before other people got out and would let him fill up his car so he could get to work. Mr. Rut loved my daddy and he loved me and Brenda.
Whenever we went in that store, he would always say, “Well, there are my LITTLE PIGS!” That’s what he called me and Brenda — LITTLE PIG. We called him BIG PIG. “Hey there little pig.” “Hey there big pig!” And we would laugh because we were allowed to call him that.
On Wednesday night, January 3, I immediately noticed that you are a little grunter. When you are asleep and content, you have this sweet little grunting noise. It reminded me of the good times I had as a child in that Sinclair gas station with Mr. Rut “Big Pig” Powell.
So, I’ve decided that you are going to be my LITTLE PIG. Because the other six already call me POPPO, I’m sure that’s what you will also call me, BUT if you ever decide that you want to have a little fun, I can be your BIG PIG.
Isaac, Nanna and I love you more than you can ever imagine. There is absolutely nothing that you can ever do to change that. You will make choices in your life that I may not agree with, but nothing can ever stop me from loving you. I want you to grow up knowing and believing that your Nanna and I are your biggest cheerleaders. I truly believe that God has a special purpose for your life and I can’t wait to watch you grow up and become all that God intends. Your momma and daddy love you and they will do everything they can to be sure that you, Ellie and Benny are brought up to know Jesus and follow Him. Nanna and Poppo will always be over here encouraging you and helping you reach that full potential.
Sorry for the long letter. It’s a lot for a little fellow to take in right now. But I pray that as you grow, you will come to understand just how important you are to me.
I love you LITTLE PIG!
Love,
Poppo
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