Sometimes, it just can't be communicated in 25 words or less.

Hello and welcome back. I meant that for myself since I did make the nearly 400-mile roundtrip to Louisiana yesterday. It's Wednesday, June 26, 2019, and I'm glad to report from my trip: Mission Accomplished! The house and property now belong to Stacy, our niece, that is, her and the folks who financed the purchase for her. It was a very emotional day. Lots of memories flooded my soul. I got into the area early, intentionally. I did what I often do. I visited the cemetery where the earthly remains of many of our loved ones are interred. That, typically, will open the tear ducts. Our family has lived in the cubicle marked 'why?' for as long as I can remember. Dr. David Jeremiah has said that questioning why? is not a lack of faith but a way of getting close to the only One who knows the answer. We often say we will not know the answers until we get to heaven. I'm not so sure we will know them then, however, I firmly believe with all of my heart they will no longer matter at that time. Amen.

I first visited Granny and Paw Paw Mac's graves. They are buried in the plot along with Aunt Jean, a daughter born with many problems who was an invalid for most of her life due to an inoperable brain tumor. Also in that area is their infant daughter, Seawillow Beal, who contracted one of the deadly childhood illnesses, either diphtheria or scarlet fever. These folks were hugely influential in my life. I'll never forget Granny telling about Paw Paw when Seawillow died. He built the coffin for his little baby girl. She said she could see him out the kitchen window and he would saw and hammer for a while and then stop and wipe the tears rolling down his face.

I then stopped to remember Aunt Mary and Uncle Claude. Aunt Mary was Granny Mac's sister. They were connected at the hip. These were two ladies who knew what it meant to comport themselves in a Christian and modest manner. Uncle Claude was a mechanic. In the summertime, he used to take one of us boys with him when he would go fishing. I'm sure we were mostly added baggage for him, but, we didn't even know it, and oh how we looked forward to these outings.

It gets personal when I get to our immediate family plots. Donald, our younger brother, next to dad on one side.

Then the eldest in our family, Jimmy Don, on dad's other side. Jimmy had tried his best to be the dad figure at 12 when our dad suddenly passed away and I will always believe that was too much of a burden for him to carry. Dad would have been proud of Donald, a retired US Marine, and he would have been proud of Jimmy for doing his best to help hold our family together.

This is our baby sister's headstone, Kayla. Talk about being proud. To think that her daughter would grow up, work hard, and as of today, become the owner of our family home-place. She would be beaming, or, better yet, she just might be beaming up in glory land.

Next, I paused to pay tribute to one of the finest men to ever breathe air on the planet. My brother-in-law Kenneth. Beside him is where my sister Fran will be laid to rest. Next to them is Andy, their only son. Andy accidentally shot and killed his dad in a hunting mishap. Andy was 12 and he never got over what had happened.

I then left and drove into the little town of Hornbeck, Louisiana. So much still familiar, like it was only yesterday when I roamed here and there. I drove by the house we moved into in 1957. Our family, like most, had our issues, but, we also were blessed to know what it meant to have a home. Some amazing things flashed through my mind as I appreciated the significance of that place and the people who had dwelt there. God blessed us there and my prayer is that he will continue to bless our niece as she continues the legacy.

After concluding the paperwork at the lawyer's office, I drove out to the National Cemetery at Fort Polk, just outside of Leesville, Louisiana. I wanted to visit and pay tribute to mom and dad, for their lives, their work, their influence, and their making possible this transfer of a home and property. I know none of these folks are actually in the grave, just their bones, however, memorials have a purpose. That's why Joshua told the children of Israel to put those rocks up as a remembrance of what God had done for them. They were there also to answer questions when the children would ask their meaning. (Read about it in Joshua, Chapter 4) Like I say, an emotional day, a tiring day, but, one where I very much believe I had honored the wishes of mom and dad. This transaction pretty much concludes the handling of their estate, but, I will forever remember all those mentioned above and so many others who helped me become who I am today. Amen. ....More later.