If you were looking for Musing Manor, well, I think you might have come to the right place. On second thought, that may be slightly misleading because when you think about that musing word it supposedly reflects the output of contemplative thought. Oh well, maybe you didn't come to the right place after all, however, since it is
Thursday, May 9, 2013, you might as well pull up a chair and sit for a spell. Ronald Reagan is widely quoted as having said, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." I did read this little funny the other day. "A little boy wanted $50 very badly and prayed for weeks, but nothing happened. Finally he decided to write God a letter formally requesting the $50. When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God they decided to forward it to a high government official as a joke. The official was so amused he instructed his secretary to send the little boy $20. He thought this $20 would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy, and he did not want to spoil the kid. The little boy was delighted with the $20 and decided to write a thank you note to God, which read: 'Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that you sent it through a government office and those idiots deducted $30, I suppose as a tax .......'"
The other day on our way out of my Louisiana hometown, the wife and I stopped by Beckom Cemetery to pay our respects. This is where the remains of many of my relatives were laid to rest. These include my dad, my grandparents, my older brother, my baby sister, my younger brother, my brother-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, along with classmates, teachers, friends, and neighbors. Walking around and looking at the headstones caused memories to literally gush forth. There's enough of them in that place to fill up a library. I could recall the voices, old times, and the way in which so many of these folks made a difference in my life. I know some people who prefer never to go near a cemetery. They say it's just too morbid. For me, I think about it as a very hopeful place. Why? God saw fit to make sure that we knew this about those who die in faith, "
But I do not want you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus." (From the Apostle Paul as written in 1st Thessalonians Chapter 5.) This tells me that I have not said a final farewell to so many of those whose time here on earth is now marked by a marble stone, for I will see them again and we have God's Word on it, and, that's good enough for me!
Last week my mom kept saying she thought she should pinch herself to make sure she really is 89 years young. I actually know how she feels. While I'm still for the next few months hanging out near that sign marked Route 66, I can tell you there are times when I feel like pinching myself because I am able to get up and go and function as well as God has allowed me to. Sure, I would prefer not to have to fret over the diabetes monster that hangs around twenty four hours a day, and I could do without some of the aches and pains that come with the territory marked aging. However, even with these slight difficulties, I feel blessed beyond measure because I am fully aware that it could be different. And, I am certainly not bragging because I know way too many people in that cemetery who went home way too early, or at least, from my way of seeing things. This doesn't mean I don't have my down days but when I'm thinking straight, I do thank God, like my mom, that He has seen fit to not only give me the years I have accumulated, but that He has enabled me to get up and go each day. As we so often hear, God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. And, that He is! See you next go round and may God bless each one.
Amen. ....More later.
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