Prayer to God: "Thanks for people You have placed in our lives, and thanks for the memories."

Today is Monday, March 28, 2011. Last Saturday would have been my mother-in-law's birthday, the 26th of March. She was a wonderful God loving woman who left this life in her 81st year of sojourn here, in May of 1998. My wife's family are my family. That may not have been that well understood as I said my "I do" way back in 1964, but it is something I learned, and not only just by acknowledgment, but I learned it to be a treasure. My wife's mom was a simple woman in many ways but with a twist. She was a maker of things. She had a quick mind and a wit that you had to stay ready just to keep up with her. She could sew up a storm and when she had sewing on her mind, she stayed with it. She loved her kids, and she loved their kids, and yes, she even loved the spouses, including me. I know that is easy to say after the fact, but it is also the truth because I lived in that prayerful love that she carried with her 24 hours a day. She loved music. She loved Gospel music and especially songs with a mountain twang. Most of all, she loved to hear her family sing. She didn't sign up initially to be a pastor's wife but she was faithful in doing her best to fulfill that role in their nearly 50 years of ministry together. One thing I thank God for is a fairly good memory. Sure, if you have one, you have to deal with some recollections that are not too pleasant, but my how wonderful it is to hear my mother-in-law's voice, laughing and talking, even as I write about her this morning. I didn't get to be who I am today by myself. God had to provide and often He did so through wonderful people like Mom Rawles. May God bless our memories of this dear woman. Amen.

My nephew up in the Dallas area has been working to preserve some photographs for some time now. He was gracious enough to send copies of his finished work to me. Isn't it interesting how a photo taken so long ago can cause tears to immediately begin to flow? His compilation includes some photos of folks that have passed on to their reward who were so very close to me. Seeing our own image from so long ago causes us to not only remember a good time but to think about how things might have been different had I made different choices. Choices do matter folks. That's not a slogan because we all have seen it up close and in person as we have made our way through life. This photo of our family is telling. Rodney, the youngest, is seen, barefooted and doing a thumbs up. That pretty well reflects his personality. Marilyn, beautiful then, and still just as beautiful, if not more so, today. That would be our eldest, Chris, wearing his Wilkerson Wildcat T-shirt, and then Jimmy in his jacket, and yours truly, leaning on the tree, featuring lamb chop sideburns and wearing a replica of a Houston Astros batting helmet. That would have been in the mid 70's and I can remember the very spot where it was taken. It causes me to wish I had done better but it also causes me to be thankful that God has brought us to where we are today and His faithfulness is why we are still here. And, just for the record, we were a pretty decent looking lot, don't you agree?

It is good to be able to look back, to remember, and to enjoy the thoughts from times gone by. Yet, today is the only day we really have that we can do anything to make a difference. I can't go back to 1969 and change the decision about taking a job in the metroplex versus staying in a small rural hometown environment. But, I can, today, with God's help provide someone with Godly advice and counsel based on experience and His faithfulness, I can, with God's help, see someone hurting and find a way to reach out and help. Looking back is so much different than living back. I've known a few folks that did live in the past. I know of a person who lost someone close to them and they essentially froze everything in their home and have kept it for years the same as it was when their loved one was with them. I'm not being critical of them but there is a sense in which we have only today, in the here and now, to get on with the life God has given to us. I read a very interesting obituary the other day. It was written by the deceased person. That's not the first time I've seen this done. He reviewed his life story and thanked many different people that were influential in his life. He had a long term breathing related illness and that was why he was able to pen his own obituary. We may not be inclined to write our own but we are in so many ways writing it every day in how we live, the people we touch, and in the way in which we pursue the life God has given to us. A common question asked is one that inquires about how a person wants to be remembered. I shared with you just a little of what I remember about my mother-in-law. She wasn't perfect and she had her bad days, like we all do, but she etched in my mind how she was to be remembered by her everyday actions, and that included her contribution to my life. We all can learn something from this example. Okay, that's a wrap for Monday. See you next time, and may God bless! Amen.         .....More later.