Four friends lost parents during the holidays. Steve Wolf, who has managed this website and helped with these writings, and his wife Julie were with his dad when he passed away in his sleep on December 27. I met Mr. Wolf but mainly know him through Steve. A Civil War buff, he would often take his son to battlefields and teach lessons of history. Steve will miss his father and friend.
Tim Ball’s mother also passed away on December 27. All the years I have known Tim, I’ve noticed how he honors his parents. My good friend will miss his mother but knows she is in a better place.
Then Tim’s wife Pam lost her mom on January 1. Please pray for the Ball family during this difficult time.
One of my old basketball players’ father also died on December 27. Now 6’6”, Tommy Tormohlen was a small, skinny seventh grader in my first coaching job. His dad Gene often sat in the corner of the gym and watched practice. He was a six foot nine inch former NBA player and worked as a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers. Never did Gene say a negative word to Tommy’s young coach. Instead, he encouraged me and taught me the way to be a supportive parent. My heart goes out to these families.
The Sunday after Christmas, all the kids and grandkids gathered at my parents’ house in Chattanooga. I never want to take this home for granted. My dad is 85 and my mom is 84 and their love currently touches four generations.
My father is a child magnet. He scoops up the babies when they enter his home and holds them for hours. And when they are big enough to walk, he takes them into the fields to experience cows, horses, gardens, and the great outdoors. My dad is patient and gentle and kind… that must be why kids love to be around him.
There is no better cook or expert in hospitality than my mother. She mixes love in every meal and records memories with her disposable instamatic cameras. When she can wrestle the babies away from my dad, she will sing songs to them just like she sang to me. The lives she has touched go far beyond what she can even imagine.
Watching Taylor, Emma, Kinsey, and Jordan raise their children, I recognize some of the reasons God tells us to honor our parents. Parents work hard! May our memories, thoughts, and actions be full of thanksgiving for those who brought us into the world.
“Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2-3
