"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." Proverbs 31:28 (NIV)
It's long overdue...sharing the blessing of my sweet Mama! Here are just a few verses from Proverbs 31 and thoughts of one who deserves the praise.
My Mama is a "wife of noble character." "She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her....She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." Mama has set a wonderful example of being a Godly wife. She submits, supports, and loves boundlessly. She encourages, strengthens, and helps in whatever way is needed. My Daddy is a retired pastor. Her role as pastor's wife was walked in an exemplary manner. She was surely worthy of that calling. Her graciousness and selflessness abounded. Many lives have been blessed through her. Many have been ministered to through her loving care. Ah, yes, noble character.
She "works with eager hands....She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family....She sets about her work vigorously, her arms are strong for her tasks....Her lamp does not go out at night." My Mama gives of herself...with or without sleep. She cooks. She is one of the most hospitable people I know. She entertains. She does all of the "behind the scenes" things that make every gathering perfect for all who attend. She makes each person's favorite food...bakes the most yummy (even if not always perfectly beautiful *smile*) cakes...laboring hours on end. She welcomes one and all.
"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." Mama is one of the strongest people that I know. We've walked some difficult roads...Daddy's health issues, my brother's cancer & divorce, my health concerns and bout with depression, and days in ministry that stretched us to our limits. She clings to The Rock...and resembles Him in her own steadfastness. My Mama may worry, but ultimately, she "knows Who holds the future" and trusts completely in Him. When we stumble or get discouraged, she is our guide to The Truth.
"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." Mama is one of the wisest people I know. She guides us all...loving us no matter what...children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews. It is wisdom that comes from the Lord.
"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." She manages the finances and takes care of the tiniest details in service to her family and to God. Not only does she watch over her own household, but that of her parents...as her Daddy is in the final stages of cancer and her own Mama battles dementia. She loves. She gives. She walks in the power of the Lord.
"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."
Mama, "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all!"
Thank you, Lord, for my Mama. Thank you for her heart, her love, her selflessness, and most of all for Her relationship with You. Thank you for being her strength and her song! Thank you for meeting her needs...as she takes care of so many others...by being her portion and her deliverer! Bless her richly, please.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
All in a Morning's Walk
"Yes, LORD, walking in the ways of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." Isaiah 26:8 (NIV)
I feel that I need to start this off with a true confession. Here goes. I've gotten out of the habit of exercise. And it shows. I hit 50 and bottomed out...pun intended! I asked my hubby to help me...to remind me...to encourage me. I prayed for God to help me...to give me the time...or help me see that I really do have the time.
God answered through my 10 year old. Last night, she said, "Please, Mom, can we take a walk??" Well, I was already feeling bad because we were not participating in the school "Corn Maze outing" and that we probably won't do any trick or treating (Is that a downside of having a 50 year old mother?)...so I put on my walking shoes and said, "Let's go!" We had a nice time...me walking, her zipping past me on her scooter. We chatted with each other whenever she was beside me. We stopped and chatted with neighbors. It was a nice time. So much so, that I thought this morning, "Hmmm, we need to do that again." We did.
We followed our usual path...well, it's usual when I'm disciplined enough to do it. I decided that I'd rather conquer the big hill right off. Man, that's tough. My legs ached. My heart pounded. But I endured. That's when God spoke the first words to me. He said (inaudibly), "The more you do it, the easier it gets." Funny, I had said those very words to Melea this morning as she practiced a difficult piano piece. Yes, those words ring true...for walking, for piano practice, for praying, for studying God's Word, for obeying God, for trusting Him. And I just have to add, for my writer friends out there, that it applies to writing too! (Children's writers, please click on the Write2Ignite icon in the top right hand corner and sign up for our conference!!!)
God also reminded me that we shouldn't give up if we've "fallen off the wagon" with our exercise plan, or our time in His Word, or our prayer life. See, I had started justifying the idea that I had already gotten out of the habit of walking, and that when cold weather gets here that I'm not going to want to continue...just like every year. But...I do have a treadmill...gathering dust upstairs. Okay, so I'm jumping back on the wagon...and hoping to stay...the neighborhood on nice days...treadmill when winter brings blustery ones! Spiritual application: So ladies, if you've fallen behind in your Bible study, don't give up! Don't just quit going. Don't feel like it's hopeless. Get back on the wagon!!!
The next point was that walking is essential...physically and spiritually. It's the only way to stay healthy...and joyful...and feeling good about myself. Just like exercise combats the destruction of osteoporosis, walking in His Word prevents the deterioration the enemy would like to see in our spirits. In the same way that being physically fit will improve my feelings about myself, time in His Word will remind me of the truth of how He sees me...and who I am in Him! As that hill in my neighborhood becomes easier to climb in time, so will my perseverance in the struggles that I face in life...as I remember His strength...and the victories He's accomplished...and the promises He has given.
Oh, and just another thought...whether it's walking or worship or Bible study (or writing!), it helps to have someone to keep us accountable. I know I need that! And the fellowship and encouragement that those who join us brings is just icing on the cake! Okay...so no icing and no cake...let's just say tremendous blessing!
Father, thank You for Your love for us! Thank You for Your Word to us. Thank You for the many ways that you speak to our hearts! You are amazing! Help us to walk closely by Your side all the days of our lives.
I feel that I need to start this off with a true confession. Here goes. I've gotten out of the habit of exercise. And it shows. I hit 50 and bottomed out...pun intended! I asked my hubby to help me...to remind me...to encourage me. I prayed for God to help me...to give me the time...or help me see that I really do have the time.
God answered through my 10 year old. Last night, she said, "Please, Mom, can we take a walk??" Well, I was already feeling bad because we were not participating in the school "Corn Maze outing" and that we probably won't do any trick or treating (Is that a downside of having a 50 year old mother?)...so I put on my walking shoes and said, "Let's go!" We had a nice time...me walking, her zipping past me on her scooter. We chatted with each other whenever she was beside me. We stopped and chatted with neighbors. It was a nice time. So much so, that I thought this morning, "Hmmm, we need to do that again." We did.
We followed our usual path...well, it's usual when I'm disciplined enough to do it. I decided that I'd rather conquer the big hill right off. Man, that's tough. My legs ached. My heart pounded. But I endured. That's when God spoke the first words to me. He said (inaudibly), "The more you do it, the easier it gets." Funny, I had said those very words to Melea this morning as she practiced a difficult piano piece. Yes, those words ring true...for walking, for piano practice, for praying, for studying God's Word, for obeying God, for trusting Him. And I just have to add, for my writer friends out there, that it applies to writing too! (Children's writers, please click on the Write2Ignite icon in the top right hand corner and sign up for our conference!!!)
God also reminded me that we shouldn't give up if we've "fallen off the wagon" with our exercise plan, or our time in His Word, or our prayer life. See, I had started justifying the idea that I had already gotten out of the habit of walking, and that when cold weather gets here that I'm not going to want to continue...just like every year. But...I do have a treadmill...gathering dust upstairs. Okay, so I'm jumping back on the wagon...and hoping to stay...the neighborhood on nice days...treadmill when winter brings blustery ones! Spiritual application: So ladies, if you've fallen behind in your Bible study, don't give up! Don't just quit going. Don't feel like it's hopeless. Get back on the wagon!!!
The next point was that walking is essential...physically and spiritually. It's the only way to stay healthy...and joyful...and feeling good about myself. Just like exercise combats the destruction of osteoporosis, walking in His Word prevents the deterioration the enemy would like to see in our spirits. In the same way that being physically fit will improve my feelings about myself, time in His Word will remind me of the truth of how He sees me...and who I am in Him! As that hill in my neighborhood becomes easier to climb in time, so will my perseverance in the struggles that I face in life...as I remember His strength...and the victories He's accomplished...and the promises He has given.
Oh, and just another thought...whether it's walking or worship or Bible study (or writing!), it helps to have someone to keep us accountable. I know I need that! And the fellowship and encouragement that those who join us brings is just icing on the cake! Okay...so no icing and no cake...let's just say tremendous blessing!
Father, thank You for Your love for us! Thank You for Your Word to us. Thank You for the many ways that you speak to our hearts! You are amazing! Help us to walk closely by Your side all the days of our lives.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Borrowed Words
"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name." Psalm 103:1 (NIV)
Yesterday morning as I walked outside, the beauty before me almost took my breath away. I couldn't help but raise my hands in praise to the Creator of that glorious sight. My mind flooded with the words from the great hymn, "Praise to the LORD, the Almighty, the King of Creation!" As I drove my daughter to school, we worshipped together as we joined with Travis Cottrell on his Alive Forever CD! Friend, ponder these words anew. Read them, meditate on them, sing them as a praise offering to our great King!
"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"
(German hymn by Joachim Neander, 1680)
"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen How all thy longings have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him."
Oh, I do want all that is in me to adore Him...and praise Him, for He is great and greatly to be praised! Won't you join me??? Go to Psalm 103:1-6 and Psalm 150, and be lead to the throne in praise.
LORD, we praise You with all that is in us..gladly...for aye we adore You!
Yesterday morning as I walked outside, the beauty before me almost took my breath away. I couldn't help but raise my hands in praise to the Creator of that glorious sight. My mind flooded with the words from the great hymn, "Praise to the LORD, the Almighty, the King of Creation!" As I drove my daughter to school, we worshipped together as we joined with Travis Cottrell on his Alive Forever CD! Friend, ponder these words anew. Read them, meditate on them, sing them as a praise offering to our great King!
"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"
(German hymn by Joachim Neander, 1680)
"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen How all thy longings have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him."
Oh, I do want all that is in me to adore Him...and praise Him, for He is great and greatly to be praised! Won't you join me??? Go to Psalm 103:1-6 and Psalm 150, and be lead to the throne in praise.
LORD, we praise You with all that is in us..gladly...for aye we adore You!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Ever Thought of Running Away?
"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12 (NLT)
So, have you ever thought of running away? When things didn't go as you planned? When the going got tough...in school...in your job...in your marriage...in parenting...in life???? In times of desperation, failure, overwhelming circumstances many people consider it. It's surely not a new concept. Running away has been considered...and done...by multitudes who've travelled this journey before us. Individuals have run away. Remember Jonah? He didn't just run away from home....He ran from God! Whole armies have run away. That kind of amuses me...musclebound men (in skirts) with weapons running as fast as their hairy legs will carry them.
From the Old Testament to the New, countless people have encouraged others to endure! Great men have felt like running or giving up...even Moses! But Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, gave counsel to Moses and said, "If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures...." (Exodus 18 NLT) We need to seek guidance from God's Word...from Paul and other Heroes of the Faith who remind us that "since we have been justified through faith, we have peace...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." (Romans 5:1-5 NIV) Peter says, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while." (1 Peter 1:6)
Let's join with the One who understands endurance! "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...." (Hebrews 12:2 NIV) because of His amazing love for us...a "love that endures forever." (Psalm 106:1 NIV)
So, if you feel like running, don't run away. Run to Jesus.
Our precious heavenly Father, thank You for Your love that endures forever. Thank You for the hope, peace, and joy that we have because of Your unfathomable love! Lord, give us strength to endure, patience to persevere, "love that never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT)
So, have you ever thought of running away? When things didn't go as you planned? When the going got tough...in school...in your job...in your marriage...in parenting...in life???? In times of desperation, failure, overwhelming circumstances many people consider it. It's surely not a new concept. Running away has been considered...and done...by multitudes who've travelled this journey before us. Individuals have run away. Remember Jonah? He didn't just run away from home....He ran from God! Whole armies have run away. That kind of amuses me...musclebound men (in skirts) with weapons running as fast as their hairy legs will carry them.
From the Old Testament to the New, countless people have encouraged others to endure! Great men have felt like running or giving up...even Moses! But Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, gave counsel to Moses and said, "If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures...." (Exodus 18 NLT) We need to seek guidance from God's Word...from Paul and other Heroes of the Faith who remind us that "since we have been justified through faith, we have peace...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." (Romans 5:1-5 NIV) Peter says, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while." (1 Peter 1:6)
Let's join with the One who understands endurance! "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...." (Hebrews 12:2 NIV) because of His amazing love for us...a "love that endures forever." (Psalm 106:1 NIV)
So, if you feel like running, don't run away. Run to Jesus.
Our precious heavenly Father, thank You for Your love that endures forever. Thank You for the hope, peace, and joy that we have because of Your unfathomable love! Lord, give us strength to endure, patience to persevere, "love that never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT)
Friday, October 9, 2009
What Are You Looking At???
"...I focus on this one thing...looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us." Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
I am loving Fall, aren't you?? Aaahhh, the cool breezes, the change in the angle of the sun...and the hues that produces, the crackle of leaves underfoot...and the incredible colors in the trees, the rustle and chattering of squirrels gathering acorns, and that smell...that Fall smell. Aaahh.
I was out for a walk this week, around the lake of Meredith College, enjoying an amazing Autumn day...and getting some much needed exercise. I hadn't been walking long when I realized that my focus was all downward. I was having to concentrate on the ground to avoid the goose poopy. There I was in an amazing setting on a beautiful day, and missing it because of the poopy.
I stopped and just looked around me. Then I looked up. I could almost hear God speaking and saying, "You do that sometimes." I said, "What?" He said, "Get bogged down in your circumstances and forget to look up. You miss the beauty....the glory. You lose the vision of the hope to which I have called you...to the glorious inheritance awaiting you." I said, "Do you see all this poopy around me? How can I keep looking up?" He said, "Trust me....'walk by faith, not by sight.'" 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB) I said, "Sometimes I can't." He responded, "I know, but I can. I am 'the lifter of [your] head.'" Psalm 3:3 (KJV)
Yes, I continued to "watch my step" until I got out of the "poopy zone," slowing my pace so that I could also look up to the magnolia and sycamore trees and the deep blue sky, refusing to let what surrounded my feet be my focus.
Do you find yourself buried deep in the circumstances of life and forget to "look up" at the goodness of God? Do you find yourself saying, "I can't?" If you know the great I AM, you can!
Oh Lord, the author, perfecter, and finisher of our faith, lift our heads and our eyes to see Your power, Your presence, and Your glory among us. Help us to "trust Your heart even when we can't see Your hand." Thank You for Your love that knows no bounds, and Your faithfulness to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9), including our very own. You are great and greatly to be praised!
I am loving Fall, aren't you?? Aaahhh, the cool breezes, the change in the angle of the sun...and the hues that produces, the crackle of leaves underfoot...and the incredible colors in the trees, the rustle and chattering of squirrels gathering acorns, and that smell...that Fall smell. Aaahh.
I was out for a walk this week, around the lake of Meredith College, enjoying an amazing Autumn day...and getting some much needed exercise. I hadn't been walking long when I realized that my focus was all downward. I was having to concentrate on the ground to avoid the goose poopy. There I was in an amazing setting on a beautiful day, and missing it because of the poopy.
I stopped and just looked around me. Then I looked up. I could almost hear God speaking and saying, "You do that sometimes." I said, "What?" He said, "Get bogged down in your circumstances and forget to look up. You miss the beauty....the glory. You lose the vision of the hope to which I have called you...to the glorious inheritance awaiting you." I said, "Do you see all this poopy around me? How can I keep looking up?" He said, "Trust me....'walk by faith, not by sight.'" 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB) I said, "Sometimes I can't." He responded, "I know, but I can. I am 'the lifter of [your] head.'" Psalm 3:3 (KJV)
Yes, I continued to "watch my step" until I got out of the "poopy zone," slowing my pace so that I could also look up to the magnolia and sycamore trees and the deep blue sky, refusing to let what surrounded my feet be my focus.
Do you find yourself buried deep in the circumstances of life and forget to "look up" at the goodness of God? Do you find yourself saying, "I can't?" If you know the great I AM, you can!
Oh Lord, the author, perfecter, and finisher of our faith, lift our heads and our eyes to see Your power, Your presence, and Your glory among us. Help us to "trust Your heart even when we can't see Your hand." Thank You for Your love that knows no bounds, and Your faithfulness to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9), including our very own. You are great and greatly to be praised!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
A Legacy of Love
"Well done good and faithful (one)..." Matthew 25:21 (NIV)
For those of you that read my last post...the clock ticks on. My Granddaddy is fighting the good fight. There must still be lives he needs to touch. He was able to return home from the rehab facility. He sure left an impression there. Everyone was sad to see him leave. Many tears were shed. They said that he was such a wonderful patient. They were right. He was obedient. He tried hard in his rehab. He wasn't demanding. In fact, we had to keep telling him that if he needed something...or wanted something (like chocolate ice cream)...that he should just ask. He didn't want to be a bother. He just wanted to encourage them...to love them. He would tell the nurses how pretty they were...or what a great job they did. He would pat them on the back or kiss them on the hand. He showed interest in them. He asked them about their families. He told them about the blessings of his own...his "sweetheart," his beautiful daughter and his son (that awaits him in heaven), a preacher son-in-law and grandson-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He loves.
The song, "Legacy" by Nicole Nordeman keeps playing in my mind as I think of him.
She writes:
"I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me? Did I choose to love?"
My Granddaddy chooses to love...no matter what...a wife with dementia...people who don't return the love...those who've failed him...no matter what.
He walks the message of "the Love chapter," 1 Corinthians 13.
It says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy, and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
In "Legacy", there is a line that says, "Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred, Just want to hear instead, 'Well done, good and faithful one.'" That's my granddaddy.
1 Corinthians goes on to say, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." That's my granddaddy. Well, I do have to laugh a little...about that rejoicing with the "truth." He sometimes tells the truth like a fisherman! Do you get my drift?
Aaaah, a legacy of love. That's what I want to leave. That's what I want to be remembered for. Thanks for setting the example, Grandy, for showing the way.
Lord, thank you for Your amazing, unfailing, unending, sacrificial love. Thank you for your mercy and your kindness. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for walking the path of love for us, for setting the example for us to follow. Lord, help us to remember that "the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)
For those of you that read my last post...the clock ticks on. My Granddaddy is fighting the good fight. There must still be lives he needs to touch. He was able to return home from the rehab facility. He sure left an impression there. Everyone was sad to see him leave. Many tears were shed. They said that he was such a wonderful patient. They were right. He was obedient. He tried hard in his rehab. He wasn't demanding. In fact, we had to keep telling him that if he needed something...or wanted something (like chocolate ice cream)...that he should just ask. He didn't want to be a bother. He just wanted to encourage them...to love them. He would tell the nurses how pretty they were...or what a great job they did. He would pat them on the back or kiss them on the hand. He showed interest in them. He asked them about their families. He told them about the blessings of his own...his "sweetheart," his beautiful daughter and his son (that awaits him in heaven), a preacher son-in-law and grandson-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He loves.
The song, "Legacy" by Nicole Nordeman keeps playing in my mind as I think of him.
She writes:
"I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me? Did I choose to love?"
My Granddaddy chooses to love...no matter what...a wife with dementia...people who don't return the love...those who've failed him...no matter what.
He walks the message of "the Love chapter," 1 Corinthians 13.
It says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy, and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
In "Legacy", there is a line that says, "Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred, Just want to hear instead, 'Well done, good and faithful one.'" That's my granddaddy.
1 Corinthians goes on to say, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." That's my granddaddy. Well, I do have to laugh a little...about that rejoicing with the "truth." He sometimes tells the truth like a fisherman! Do you get my drift?
Aaaah, a legacy of love. That's what I want to leave. That's what I want to be remembered for. Thanks for setting the example, Grandy, for showing the way.
Lord, thank you for Your amazing, unfailing, unending, sacrificial love. Thank you for your mercy and your kindness. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for walking the path of love for us, for setting the example for us to follow. Lord, help us to remember that "the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Clock is Ticking
"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath." Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV)
Tick…tick…tick…as I lay in the still of night, that was the only sound I could hear. It was quite poignant…and ironic. The last few days had been spent at the side of either my 92 year old granddaddy in the hospital or with my 89 year old grandmother at their home. Grandy, as we call him, fell and broke his pelvis and badly bruised his ribs. Tests revealed even greater troubles…a rampantly increasing PSA count (blood test for prostate cancer) and lesions on his lungs, as well as infection. The blue DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) band around his wrist blared as a constant reminder that the end of his earthly life could be near. He’s a “fighter” and pushed through the pain and hacking cough. He made the move to the rehab unit of a local nursing home, in a wheelchair and on oxygen. Our Nana, needing constant watch care because of her Alzheimers, remained at home…confused at where her husband of 70 years and her primary caregiver had gone. As we took her for visits, she grasped for understanding of what was about to unfold.
We have surely been blessed. Our daughters have enjoyed the rare privilege of not only having all four of their grandparents living, but also their great grandparents. Trips to Nana & Grandy’s were famous for excursions “across the creek” to throw rocks and skip stones, wearing Grandy’s hats, and riding in the back of the pickup truck on the gravel roads. There was always “work” to be done, either out in the yard with him, or in the kitchen with Nana, helping to roll out her infamous “stickies.” And there was always laughter, and lots of it…and stories, told and retold, to everyone’s delight. Aaaah, the sweetness of memories.
But endings are inevitable, this side of heaven. We all must face the fact that our time here on this earth will cease…as will that of our loved ones. And the clock ticks on.
As I left the nursing home, Grandy said, “Make every day count.” I thought of the ticking clock. I want to do that…make it all count. I want to imitate him and love unselfishly…be kind and do nice things for others…forgive (even if it’s over and over)…hug… and kiss…and laugh…and keep telling the stories that keep memories alive and people smiling.
Even more than I want to imitate Grandy, I desire to be like Jesus and follow His guidance. Check out these Scriptures that correspond so perfectly: Matt. 22:37-38, Matt. 25:40, Matt. 18:21-22, 2 Cor. 13:11-12, Psalm 126:2-3, Isaiah 38:19.
The prayer of Psalm 90 is far greater than any I could offer.
Tick…tick…tick…as I lay in the still of night, that was the only sound I could hear. It was quite poignant…and ironic. The last few days had been spent at the side of either my 92 year old granddaddy in the hospital or with my 89 year old grandmother at their home. Grandy, as we call him, fell and broke his pelvis and badly bruised his ribs. Tests revealed even greater troubles…a rampantly increasing PSA count (blood test for prostate cancer) and lesions on his lungs, as well as infection. The blue DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) band around his wrist blared as a constant reminder that the end of his earthly life could be near. He’s a “fighter” and pushed through the pain and hacking cough. He made the move to the rehab unit of a local nursing home, in a wheelchair and on oxygen. Our Nana, needing constant watch care because of her Alzheimers, remained at home…confused at where her husband of 70 years and her primary caregiver had gone. As we took her for visits, she grasped for understanding of what was about to unfold.
We have surely been blessed. Our daughters have enjoyed the rare privilege of not only having all four of their grandparents living, but also their great grandparents. Trips to Nana & Grandy’s were famous for excursions “across the creek” to throw rocks and skip stones, wearing Grandy’s hats, and riding in the back of the pickup truck on the gravel roads. There was always “work” to be done, either out in the yard with him, or in the kitchen with Nana, helping to roll out her infamous “stickies.” And there was always laughter, and lots of it…and stories, told and retold, to everyone’s delight. Aaaah, the sweetness of memories.
But endings are inevitable, this side of heaven. We all must face the fact that our time here on this earth will cease…as will that of our loved ones. And the clock ticks on.
As I left the nursing home, Grandy said, “Make every day count.” I thought of the ticking clock. I want to do that…make it all count. I want to imitate him and love unselfishly…be kind and do nice things for others…forgive (even if it’s over and over)…hug… and kiss…and laugh…and keep telling the stories that keep memories alive and people smiling.
Even more than I want to imitate Grandy, I desire to be like Jesus and follow His guidance. Check out these Scriptures that correspond so perfectly: Matt. 22:37-38, Matt. 25:40, Matt. 18:21-22, 2 Cor. 13:11-12, Psalm 126:2-3, Isaiah 38:19.
The prayer of Psalm 90 is far greater than any I could offer.
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