Page 42 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2018 - Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS
2 2

Senior Senior

My

Papa

by Lindsey Blackwood

y Papa, Charles Taylor child, my uncle Jeremy. Papa had who had fallen and gotten trapped,
Lindsey, is one of the several good jobs offered to him, traveling underground 2,000 feet
Mmost influential people but after getting plugged in with the to dispose of nuclear waste, and
in my life. When I was originally church in Sweeney, he and Nana being called to the scene of a tragic
asked to contribute to this Senior became more involved in the service death due to an explosion and asked
2 Senior edition of Lubbock Senior and mission of the church. Their to clean the area. This experience
Link magazine, the first person to relationship with God deepened, connected him with NOVA (the
pop into my head was my Papa. and they decided to move to National Organization for Victims
Growing up, I have always felt very Lubbock where Papa could continue Assistance), with whom he began
close to my grandparents. They have his mission and Bible studies at spending much of his time as a
lived near us for most of my life and, Sunset Church. volunteer. This path provided
because of that, I have gotten to see countless opportunities for him to
my Papa in many different settings After his studies there, a door serve people truly in need.
- from family gatherings, to projects opened which led him and his
at work, to traveling, to how he family to Taos, New Mexico, where Whether he was playing a big role
interacts with strangers. One thing they served and ministered to in a high-intensity underground
continues to catch my attention. I surrounding communities. While military meeting during the Bosnian
see something about him that draws in New Mexico, he got involved and Serbian war, transporting
people. From talking with him, I with Wilderness TREK, a Christian a few hundred stuffed animals
know, also, that he is drawn right backpacking camp in the Colorado across Germany for the children
back to people. My Papa shows love Rockies, where he also began to in a community, or counseling
to others in a rare and courageous serve when he could. Eventually, numerous victims of attempted
way, and that is the core of how he they moved to Carlsbad, where genocide and natural disasters
has impacted and inspired me. Papa was first a preacher and then all over the world, he did it
worked at a government research wholeheartedly. He was faced with
Papa graduated from A&M with a facility. Through this job, he was some of the toughest situations and
degree in Microbiology, and after involved in some crazy projects scenarios, but eventually, he was
college, he lived in Sweeney with - including rappelling into a 200- led back to Lubbock, where he now
my Nana, Brenda, and their first foot cavern to rescue a researcher works as a counselor for Hospice of

42 Lubbock Senior Link