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We should always be conscious of the fact that tomorrow is promised to no
man. As healthy and vibrant as we may be today, tomorrow tragedy may
strike and our life or the lives of those who mean the world to us could
be taken away. It is for this reason that we should always be quick to
share a kind word and let those whom we love know exactly how we feel
about them. We should take every opportunity available to sit with them,
laugh with them, travel with them, and simply enjoy every moment that we
are together. In the end, all we will have and all they will have are the
memories that were created when we were together. (James 4:13-14) (1 Peter 3:8-12)
Be encouraged to remember how fragile life is and do not take for granted
your life or the lives of those who mean so much to you. Visit them, call
them or even send them an e-mail just to let them know that you love them
and are thinking of them. This simple gesture can do so much and will show
that you do not take them for granted. (1 Peter 1:24) (Romans 12:9-10)
I hope this message encourages and challenges your heart to enjoy and
appreciate each day that comes before you and be quick to mend fences and
reconcile with those who mean so much to you.
LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS
Her young grandsons stood around - sometimes fidgeting as if not quite
sure what they were supposed to do be doing, other times they took turns
sitting next to their mom on the small, but comfortable couch.
Her husband, Al, stood close by, just a few feet away from the shiny teal
blue casket that now held his beloved wife of 52 years.
The extra tight hugs, the occasional flow of tears, as visitors paid their
last respects and extended their condolences to a bereaved husband, were
a sobering reminder of why family, friends and neighbors were gathered there.
Technically, Al and Mary Keffer were not really my husband Bill's aunt and
uncle.
Al was my mother-in-law's cousin. But that made no difference. For as
long as I've known Bill they have been Aunt Mary and Uncle Al to us.
Aunt Mary's passing took us all by surprise. Like most busy families, we
sometimes lost track of each other on a day to day basis. We'd enjoy each
others company at weddings and other family get togethers. Sometimes we'd
run into Uncle Al at the park where we'd end up doing more talking than
walking, which was always a pleasant opportunity to catch up on family news.
The diagnosis of end stage lung cancer and the brief, but futile battle
that followed is the reason we were brought together to say good bye to
the matriarch of the Keffer clan.
A lifetime of photos decorated tables and stood on easels, each one
recalling happier days - family milestones that make up the moments worth
celebrating.
Aunt Mary and Uncle Al were married for 52 years. Now, a marriage that can
endure that many decades is bound to have weathered a storm or two. But if
the clouds ever rained on their bliss, they didn't linger for long.
Throughout all those years you never saw one without the other. They were
always a team, through thick and thin - through sunshine or rain.
I thought of this as I watched Uncle Al, suddenly solo.
The older I get, the more wakes I attend, I am reminded that no matter
what your relationship to someone, when they are gone, the recollections of
good times come rushing back - the years adding up to a mountain of happy
memories, remembered as if they happened yesterday.
When Bill and I tied the knot, over 30 years ago, it was Aunt Mary and
Uncle Al who added some special touches to our small and simple ceremony
and reception.
They took turns playing photographer - taking all the wedding photos. They
also supplied us with printed wedding announcements.
I recently came across the remnants of a yellowed and tattered napkin from
our wedding day. Outlined in silver is a silhouette of a bride and groom,
just below it our new married name and special date etched out in fancy
lettering, also a special keepsake from a thoughtful aunt and uncle.
The kind acts and good deeds of others is what you remember long after
their presence is gone.
Time stops for no one. Sooner or later we will all pass this way to our
eternal home.
If there is one meaningful message to take with us, from each good bye, it
is perhaps simply this: If you live your life rich in purpose and filled
with kindness, it will be worth remembering.
A kind and generous woman, Mary Keffer lived a life worth remembering.
By Kathy Whirity
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
James 1:22-25 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he
is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth
himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man
he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed.”
Philippians 2:5-7 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men.”
Psalm 91:1-4 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my
refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall
deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou
trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through
and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor
steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today's Selected Poem: TEN RULES FOR A HAPPY DAY
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem133.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony27.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |
