Things Change...

This poem was written by an older lady in our church who just went to heaven. I thought it was worth sharing - I have a hard time trying to do things my way knowing that my Lord knows exactly what I need an when I need it. I like being reminded with a sweet poem that with the life lessons I tend to require.

Things Change

When you get to the end of your tether

And your energy seems to have gone,

When you’re weary and wondering whether

It’s worthwhile to keep struggling on.

When the fire has gone out of your spirit

And your armor has fallen apart,

Let go and let God do the fighting

Be still in your head and your heart.

When you get to the end of your courage

And there’s nothing much more you can do,

Try folding your hands for a moment

And letting God’s guidance get through.

Life can’t be altered by worry

Stop trying to push it your way.

Just let the good Lord take over.

You’ll find that things change when you pray.

By Adera Bradley

Cari's Eyes are Open!

If you have ever met our youngest daughter, Cari - then there is no doubt you have been kissed and hugged by her. She is the most loving and caring person I know. She loves walking in the woods with her dad and looking at the animals, trees, flowers, and anything else that will bring her a smile. Her life cup has alwasy been half full instead of half empty. Cari has always seen the world through "Cari colored glasses". By that I mean that she has always looked for the good in people and trusts everyone to love her as much as she loves them. She never meets a stranger and is just as loving and kind hearted to an acquaintance as she is her closest friends. I knew that one day, she would see the ugly in the the world and our little innocent wide-eyed Cari would be gone. I was sad thinking about that day.

I believe that day has come. She was in class listening intently to someone present their project before the class. She knew that person had put time into preparing and was very focused on giving her the attention she deserved. However, there were other students who were being very disrespectful and it made her mad. She wrote the following letter for her review to turn in the next day. I was very sad when I read it because I knew this was the day I had dreaded...but I was also very, very proud of her.

Enjoy.

Every person in the world at one point in their lives begins to see the world around them for what it is rather than what you were taught it should be. There is no longer a knight in shining armor ready to kill the monsters that lay wake in the shadows nor does it seem that there is a princess whom is meant to live happily ever after. It is all gone, taken almost, just when it begins to feel that the dream is merely beginning. When we grow up we begin to lose the hidden world within our minds of what we had once called home and in a way we begin to lose a part of ourselves. Childhood is the beginning of your life, it is where you start to explore, learn, create, but it is also a time when some of the most life changing lessons are taught. It is in childhood that you begin to grow up.
When you are a new born baby, still baring the ink mark on your foot, you learned that if you cried then someone would come take care of you. However when you began to grow you saw that you had to ask politely rather than demand it. When you got your first toy you understood that it was yours but as you grew up you knew that you were to share what you had with others. These simple lessons were still being taught to us as we entered the unknown world of middle school yet it is in high school that these lessons seem to fade. When did it become appropriate to say hurtful things about someone who is different from you or even treat others with disrespect just to look cool in front of a group of people that you will never see again after graduation? When did degrading yourself to please others take the place of doing what was right rather than what others say is cool? And just who are these “people” who dictate what is cool and what is not cool?
The lessons that we learned as kids do not stop merely because there is a certain clique that you want with all your heart to be included in nor when you are faced with decisions that will define your character. You feel all of those lessons and more but it is ultimately your choice to do what is right rather than what is easy. Yes, there will always be those whose main goal in life seems to be to ridicule and embarrass you. Those people that nothing you do is right and that you will never fit in but guess what? Saying ‘I was the most popular’ or ‘every guy wanted to be me’ as either an excuse or as a reason for your actions does not work in the real world. The real world does not care who you were in high school or even in college. What the world looks at is your character, you morals, your integrity, and how long and hard you will fight to define them rather than accepting defeat.
So, when you feel the urge to laugh at someone’s mistakes or even take your sick pleasure from their pain I want you to think about this before you even open your mouth…why am I about to attack this person? Does this show who I really am or who others tell me to be, and is what I’m going to say worth their pain? - Cari Raymond, Age 17.

Goodbye Uncle Harold

March 5, 2006

Dear Uncle Harold

As long as I can remember you have been my Uncle Harold – Literally. You were married to Aunt Norma before I was born. I remember being scared of you at first. Of course, at the time I was about 2 feet tall and it looked like you were 10 feet tall. The Uncle of my distant childhood doesn’t even resemble the man you are today. Your voice was gruff and loud, your step was hard and your brow was very often furrowed with that quick temper.

That man doesn’t even resemble the man you became when you said yes to Jesus. When you put off your old self and put on the new you, you gave Him your step, you gave Him your furrowed brow, and you gave Him your gruff voice. You also gave him your heart and your all. I remember the rejoicing in the family when you bowed that knee and surrendered your whole life. But no one celebrated more than the woman who was standing beside you, your bride. From that day on you became the man each one of us needed. If I were to ask you what you would like to be remembered best for – I know you would tell us – “Oh Baby, don’t remember me, remember Jesus in me!” What an awesome legacy to leave your family!

I don’t know if you understood just how important your hugs are to all of us. You were there when my dad left for Heaven – You were there for mom, for me, for Dana and for Jimmy. I remember especially after we left the hospital and returned to mom’s house. There you were – just his size, just his shape holding your arms out to me for a great big hug and asking me, “How are you doing baby?” And the most wonderful thing was that you really wanted to know just how I was doing – every single time you asked me. You have a gift of letting me know that you see me – really see me and care about me – every time you ask.

You gave me another gift that I will never forget. One of those gifts that mean so much to you that you save them in your heart forever. Sometimes I forget that others can get a bit overwhelmed, to say the least, at one of our family gatherings. Chris, my now son in law, was one of those new comers not so long ago. You did for him what you have done for so many others – You caught him by the shoulder, stuck out your hand and introduced yourself, “Harold Harvill, Who are you?” Then you listened intently to a young man in a room full of strangers and just as fast as that you were his safe place in a sea of new faces. You did that same thing for me when Gary was a new face in the crowd. It’s not a coincidence that people seek you out in a crowd – you are a safe place for so many of us.

Your legacy of kindness, compassion, selflessness, servant leadership and love will live on for generations. A friend of mine spoke this week about his own Dad leaving for Heaven. He said, “I’m on a new road today, But I’m ready because my Daddy taught me to drive and showed me how to read a map.”

Paula, Karen, Brett: Your Daddy taught you how to drive on this road you are on now….Drive as your Dad did – By that I mean live as your Dad did….Ephesians 5:1 & 2 reminds me of the way he lived, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Walk in love every day – just as your dad did. He taught you how to love one another, how to love your spouses, how to love your children and grandchildren, but most of all, he taught you how to love your Lord. Continue this legacy of love. What a wonderful gift your Dad gave you and it’s a gift you are able to share with each one of us.

As for that map my friend referred to – You and I both know Uncle Harold’s map was his Bible. Pick it up every day – He showed us all where the answers come from and pointed us to the Savior whom he loved so much.

We love you Uncle Harold. It will be hard not having those long legs sticking out from under a chair or from behind a couch as you take your scheduled nap during our family gatherings. It will be hard not having your hug and hearing, “How are you doing Baby?” But I know where you are today and I know who you are with. So, we will hug one another like you taught us. And we will stop and ask, “How are you doing Baby?” and wait to hear the answer. And we will love on one another until we see you again.

We Miss You Already.