Category: family

I won’t write next week as we break for Thanksgiving – my favorite holiday. In 2014, I wrote about developing a list of people who have impacted my life. This exercise helped me be more grateful for family members, friends, teachers, authors, musicians, and other followers of Jesus who have helped me draw closer to Him.

Almost a year before that, I put together another list of more than fifty trips God had allowed me to take since a cancer diagnosis in 2000. (Since then, He has permitted many more.) Once again, this remembrance caused me to praise God and thank Him for His marvelous faithfulness.

I’ve formed another list and would encourage you to do something similar. Thanksgiving should always be on the lips of God’s children. How kind He is to us! “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us – that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!” (I John 3:1)

Write down important dates or seasons in your life, and the reasons for their significance. Perhaps you remember the day you were baptized, or the day you met your spouse. We all remember anniversaries and birthdays of loved ones.

I remember the day I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (my 41st birthday) and the times I had to enter the hospital for lengthy treatments. I remember taking our entire family to visit my brother in Cape Town, South Africa, shortly after recovering from a stem cell transplant. As we were deciding whether to purchase airline tickets, I confessed I was too weak and didn’t think I could make the trip. The kids disagreed: “Of course you can! God will give you strength!” And He did.

While sadness accompanies dates of loss, memories of loved ones live within us and bless us. God is present in every moment… and we can give Him thanks.

As I travel on life’s pathway,
Know not what the years may hold.
As I ponder, hope grows fonder,
Precious memories flood my soul.

Precious memories, how they linger,
How they ever flood my soul.
In the stillness of the midnight,
Precious sacred scenes unfold.
(J.B.F Wright, 1925)

Happy Thanksgiving!

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:1-8

Taylor’s team won the state championship in volleyball this past week. His team had an incredible season and played their best in the state tournament. It is very satisfying as a coach to see hard work and team effort pay off.

The grander celebration of the week took place a few days before when little Keightly experienced her very first birthday. Family and friends enjoyed pizza and cupcakes at Kinsey’s and Jordan’s house. Our grandchildren are now ages 1, 2, 3, and 4 and we are so thankful.

Susu has given a car to each child on the first birthday. She told me this was her plan so there would be no expectation of cars on sixteenth birthdays. Susu loves to give.

I’m glad Jesus came as a celebrating Savior. John the Baptist was called to a more austere and rugged path, living in the wilderness while calling people to repentance. Jesus, however, rubbed shoulders with all kinds of people from village to village.

His first miracle was turning water to wine at a wedding celebration. He seemed to enjoy going to the homes of ‘sinners,’ but He also accepted invitations from religious Pharisees. With the rich or the poor, Jesus was at ease. He came to bring life to all.

Of course, Jesus received criticism at every turn, but the man or woman of God must not be deterred by critics. “There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” (see Ecclesiastes 3) I like the time to celebrate!

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke 7:33-35

Friends from Tennessee are coming to visit and attend an Atlanta Braves baseball game this weekend. With the three young Woodwards and the three Davis kids being close to the same age, we have gotten together every summer for years. As the children got older, the visits were less frequent, but we always picked up where we left off with friendship and fun.

Timmy Woodward was one of my best friends in college. Four or five of us played on the same intramural sports team each season. We also competed against each other constantly… including playing cards almost every night. When I think of college, these are my memories. Though none of us would admit it, we all knew Timmy was the best at everything… and the funniest guy we knew. Post college, Timmy became the best husband and father… while keeping his sense of humor.

On July 29, 2019, without warning, Timmy had a heart attack in a suburb of Nashville, an hour’s drive from his home in Smithville. Paramedics arrived within five minutes and started CPR, but it did no good. Timmy died 43 days before his 60th birthday.

In Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen explains that as God’s children we bless others in life AND in death. He writes:

We may be little, insignificant servants in the eyes of a world motivated by efficiency, control, and success. But when we realize that God has chosen us from all eternity, sent us into the world as the blessed ones, handed us over to suffering, can’t we, then, also trust that our little lives will multiply themselves and be able to fulfill the needs of countless people? This might sound pompous and self-aggrandizing, but, in truth, the trust in one’s fruitfulness emerges from a humble spirit. It is the humble spirit of Hannah who exclaimed in gratitude for the new life born in her: ‘My spirit exults in God my savior – he has looked upon his lowly handmaid – and done great things for me… from this day forward all generations will call me blessed.’

The fruitfulness of our little life, once we recognize it and live it as the life of the Beloved, is beyond anything we ourselves can imagine. One of the greatest acts of faith is to believe that the few years we live on earth are like a little seed planted in a very rich soil. For this seed to bear fruit, it must die. We often see or feel only the dying, but the harvest will be abundant even when we ourselves are not the harvesters.

How different would our life be were we truly able to trust that it multiplied in being given away! How different would our life be if we could but believe that every little act of faithfulness, every gesture of love, every word of forgiveness, every little bit of joy and peace will multiply and multiply as long as there are people to receive it…

We’ll all be constantly thinking of Timmy as our families reunite this weekend, but his life lives on. Printed on the announcement issued at the funeral home was a handwritten note found in Timmy’s Bible. If we could hear his voice from heaven, he would repeat the same message: “Stay focused! Keep priorities straight! Seek first the kingdom of God!”

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24

Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen; ©1992 The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, NY; pp 122-123

School’s out this week, so you probably won’t hear from me until August. Please pray Taylor’s heart procedure goes well on June 18. In July, I’ll have a ‘one-year analysis’ of last summer’s CAR-T cell therapy. Susan and I have a busy summer planned… we always cherish your prayers.

Kinsey, Jordan, Owen, and Keightly flew in to Georgia from Denver last week for a wonderful event. Brian Lee grew up in our neighborhood; he was a 6’5” 280 pound tackle for the Parkview Panthers and about the nicest kid you could ever meet. The Lees are a devout Catholic family and Brian, one of six children, considered becoming a priest as he completed his education.

Kristen, one of Jordan’s fellow residents in Birmingham, is also a strong Catholic. Kinsey suggested to Jordan one day a couple of years ago: “Don’t you think Brian and Kristen would make a fine match?” The wedding took place at St. John Neumann Church this past Saturday morning. Taylor was a groomsman.

Because Kinsey and Jordan played such a role in their story, the couple asked them to walk the Bread and the Wine down the aisle when it was time for Communion. I offered to hold the baby, but Kinsey replied that Brian and Kristen wanted Owen and Keightley to be a part of the ceremony as well.

The priest used an interesting phrase in his message. I’ll paraphrase: “Kristen and Brian, don’t buy into society’s philosophy of ‘instant perfection.’ Many couples seem shocked and disappointed when the first year of marriage presents challenges and difficulties. You love each other now, but your relationship is just beginning. God has welcomed you to His ‘School of Love.’ Brian, from this day forward, you will be learning to love Kristen as Christ loves the Church. Kristen, from this day forward, you will be learning to love Brian as his wife. Marriage is a calling and a vocation. Listen well to your Teacher in God’s ‘School of Love.’”

School is not a place of perfection… it is a place of growth and learning and understanding. Mistakes are made daily in school, but good teachers let stumbles become stepping stones of progress. The best schools are full of grace and truth and excellent teaching. I think we are all in ‘God’s School of Faith, Hope, and Love.’ May we listen to Christ our Teacher as we follow our Lord.

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things.” Mark 6:34

“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” II John 1:9

Macy turned two May 10! On May 8, my mom turned eighty-five. A few days earlier, I sat on the front porch with Meemaw around 5:00 am and watched the world wake up. This is her habit every morning as she and my dad drink a cup of coffee together.

Our Heavenly Father takes great joy in both these birthday girls. He knows Macy and He knew Barbara when she was two… being raised by a single mom, my Nannie. While a young girl, a kind family took my mom to church where she learned about Jesus. God has given her a loving husband, four children, ten grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

As we sat in the cool of the morning, talking, laughing, and counting our blessings, Meemaw shared that her only birthday request was to have a celebration meal at her house with a widow who had a birthday the same week. This friend is seven years younger than my mom and has endured many difficulties in life. She has recently been diagnosed with cancer and has a poor prognosis. Of course my dad was in full agreement to make the birthday wish happen.

God’s desire is for older men and women to be examples to the younger. My mom has lived this way all her life. I pray that all the girls in our family will walk in her steps. Perhaps in eighty-three years Macy will sit on a front porch with one of her children and welcome the morning.

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing in value… She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy… She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue… Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:10, 11, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30