Remembering my baby sister Kayla on what would have been her 66th birthday.

It's Tuesday, May 15, 2018, and I am thinking about my baby sister, Kayla Jean. This is the 66th anniversary of her birth. She went home to be with the Lord in 1978 at age 27. She came down with a deadly form of leukemia and 18 months later she was gone. She will always be the baby of our family. She left behind a testimony of how a believer can face death in a way that encourages us all. She also left behind her three girls, our nieces, Stacy, Kelly, and Mary Beth. We could hardly come to grips with this challenge in her life, but, she came to realize that knowing that you know the Lord is what life, and death, is all about. Kayla is remembered more than just on her birthday or the anniversary of her home going. Recently, I was thinking about how that as a teenager she used to ride with the wife and me. She wanted to sing along with us a portion of a particular Dottie Rambo song:

Verse

When I'm low in spirit I cry Lord lift me up
I want to go higher with Thee
But the Lord Knows I can't live on a mountain
so He picked out a valley for me

Chorus

He leads me beside still waters
somewhere in the valley below
He draws me aside
to be tested and tried
but in the valley, He restoreth my soul

Memories. This quote has certainly been true in my life, "The past beats inside of me like a second heart." (Author, John Banville) We try to make a big deal out of Mothers Day each year. We have so much to be thankful for as it relates to all the moms who have been influential in our lives. However, I know a fellow whose mom more or less abandoned him when he was a wee little lad. He has a great wife who is a good mom, but, Mothers Day is not anything for him to celebrate with regard to his birth mom. God was good to him because an aunt and uncle took him in and raised him. He counts them as his parents. Recently, using the internet, I helped him locate his real dad. He already knows where is real mom lives. He doesn't really want to see them. His aunt passed away a few years ago and he honored her as his mom. He still calls his uncle, dad. I point this out because there are always those among us who have not had the privileged life where their real mom was there to love and care for them. This makes me even more thankful for how God has blessed in my life and it makes me sensitive to those who have not experienced that kind of affection. I really only have one word of encouragement. God is the answer. He is the healer of all hurts. Amen.

I ask everyone to say a prayer for our Alexander Benjamin. Alex is our 12-year-old grandson. He has been dealing with a runaway heart for some time now and they will be doing a heart cath this morning to try and pinpoint a way to improve his situation. Our Alex was handed some health issues from the get-go, but, he continues to persevere. They hope to slow down his heart rate by working on some of the nerves. We do love this boy and pray God's provision into his life at this time. He is anxious about the procedure. Who wouldn't be? We are blessed to have access to wonderful medical specialties here in the Houston area. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. What a privilege to be able to call upon believers both within our immediate family as well as our extended Christian family to join us in seeking God at this time. We know that God knows, but, He has given us the privilege of coming to His throne of grace in our time of need. He invites us to do that very thing. (Hebrews 4:16) There will be an entourage there with him in the downtown medical center and we know that God is aware. Thanks for praying. Enjoy the rest of your day and may God help us to help each other as we face the challenges of life. Amen. .....More later.