With honor I honor my parents today!

Today is a day of reflection for me. One year ago this morning, I was standing at my Dad's bedside when he took his last breath and went to be with Jesus. It was amazing. I knew at that moment, that my Dad was no longer in his body, but was with the Lord.

At that moment, all the things my mother and dad had taught me about faith and eternity became as real as they could for me here on earth. There are many things I don't have certainty on. Did he see Mother immediately? Did he visit with Jesus right away? Can he see me, today? I love imagining him with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even with little grandchildren that were lost by miscarriage. But, I don't know the full picture of those things. What I do know without any wavering, is that at that moment, my Dad was with the Lord, and still is today!

Empty spaces have been obvious this year. There have been moments when I have wanted to go see Dad, or call him, or to ask my brother how he was. Historical facts of the family can't be answered any longer by someone who lived them. My parent's generation is gone, and by the natural flow of life, we are now the oldest generation living in our family. That overwhelms me.

My prayer is that the legacy we carry on and leave will be one of honor and faith as it was with my parents. I want to be wise and live with an open hand, open heart like they did. My love for the Word is an outpouring of hearing my dad read it. His big farmer hands maneuvered their way through the thin shuffling pages of his Bible and always landed at just the right passage for the moment. The countless chapters and verses he quoted from memory still have a melody in my mind.

Stay-put-ed-ness is the word that is sticking with me this day. Synonyms for my made-up word are contentment and faithfulness. Dad and Mom were rock solid and stable. They exemplified stay-put-ed-ness in the land they farmed, the house they lived in, the marriage they were committed to for 62 years, the church they were leaders in, the friends they walked out life with, the young men they impacted by bringing them into our home, the children they prepared for life, and the grand and great grandchildren they prayed for. My desire is to be content, live with stay-put-ed-ness enough to be solid, yet open and movable enough to impact change. They modeled both.

In memory of my parents and their life, read the words to "Find us Faithful" by Steve Green. I can't find the song to download as I write this, but hopefully you will remember the tune as you read the words below.

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way

Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary

Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

Let us run the race not only for the prize

But as those who've gone before us

Let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus:

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone

And our children sift though all we've left behind

May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover

Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.

Thank you Dad and Mom for the big shoes you leave us to fill! I accept the challenge and hope I will find strength as you did by faith, discipline and love!