Tag Archives: life

Reflections on The Honest Serving Men

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Here are the answers I came up with after reflecting on my existence and applying Rudyard Kipling’s What, Why, When, How, Where and Who questions in September 3rd’s post, The Honest Serving Men.

Who am I?

I am a child of God. “…I have made you and I will carry you…” (Isaiah 46:4) I am also a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend…

Why am I here?

I am here to help with earth’s population.  “Be fruitful and multiply…” (Genesis 1:28) My contribution has been five children, fourteen grandchildren, and six (soon to be seven) great-grandchildren. I was given good seed!

What is the purpose of my life?

I am here to serve God and his people.  “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3:14)

Where is my life taking me?

Back to God. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

When will I arrive?

When I die. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” (Psalm 23;4)

How will I know the answers?

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

This was a fun and enlightening exercise for me; I can always find answers in the Bible and this time was no exception.

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From Another Realm

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Shortly after the death of her husband, a friend turned on her radio and heard “Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it’s breaking…”

Smile is song from 1936 when Charlie Chaplin composed the music for his movie, Modern Times, though John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954. It is now 2015 and this song is still being heard by those who need to hear it.

I’m including a piece from the Poetry section of my blog site to show how another song manifested itself shortly after my mother’s death. The poem tells the story.

ANN

“Who’s Sorry Now”
was her favorite song.
“You’ll be sorry when I’m dead and gone,”
she would bellow at her two girls for whatever reason.
Her life spanned fifty-nine years
of hard work and harder partying…
and then she died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
We were two sisters
detailing the aftermath of her death.
Sorting clothes, memorabilia, and personal papers,
we turned on the Telefunken stereo
to break the deadly silence of this once lively house.
WHO’S SORRY NOW
blared from the old set.
We physically jumped!
She was dead and gone, and she had been right:
we were sorry.
Ann was our mother,
and she was bellowing at us one more time…
from another realm.

 

 

No Matter What

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Here is a verse that had me baffled for awhile. The promise is so promising that I didn’t expect to experience anything but wonderful events in my life.

However, what followed after reading Jeremiah 29:11 in 1995 was anything but promising.

Through the years, I suffered broken bones, business loss, cancer, heart disease, and the death of the second love of my life,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

These are the plans you have for me Lord? Forgive me if I don’t seem too excited to embrace them!

But embrace them I did. My bones healed; caregiving replaced retailing; I survived lung cancer and heart disease, and grief gave way to peaceful acceptance. Prosperity isn’t always of monetary value. Believe me, I am prosperous in more ways than one.

The point is to keep on believing in God’s good, despite the disasters life throws at us.

Through it all, my faith stayed strong…no matter what.

The Double Rainbow

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My best friend and her sister had never lived apart in their lives except for a brief period when one of them was first married. Their lives were intertwined through childhood, early adulthood, middle years and elder age.

Tanya died first in 2008 after a battle with lung cancer. She was seventy-one years old, and her passing had left her sister alone for the first time in her life.

In 2014 Virginia, in her seventy-fifth year, succumbed to life-threatening injuries after being struck by a bus one sunny September morning.

The “ladies”, as they were lovingly referred to by family and friends, were together once again as the urns containing their ashes sat side by side in the final home they had shared, awaiting an appropriate burial location to be mutually decided upon by the family.

It seems that whenever a rainbow was sighted after the ladies had left earth, it was a promising reminder that they were united again, because the rainbow is a sign of promise.

Their memorial was held just last week and they were interred together in their final resting place. It drizzled rain during the committal but when it was time to honor their lives with celebration, a beautiful double rainbow appeared in the heavens over the site.

What a wonderful sign of promise that my best friend and her sister will never be apart again.

 

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I’m Glad I’m Still Alive

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She’s ninety-two years old and in long term care after a fall left her with a broken hip. My visit with her on Tuesday was a delight, as she reminisced about various people in her life (many times over). Dementia is often a side effect of longevity, and repetition of conversation is one of the tell-tale signs of this disease.

My friend misses her euchre games with her old friends, misses her Sundays at church, misses her home which she is sure she will return to when her hip heals.

Nevertheless, this dear lady loves her life and told me, “I know my children appreciate me and I love that.”

When it was time for me to leave, she took my hand and smiled, “You know, Pat, I’m glad I’m still alive,” she said.

How happy I was to hear those words. I look forward to my next visit with this plucky ninety-two year old.

 

 

 

Some Pointers for the Blackboard of Life

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Get your chalk brushes ready…you may want to brush me off today as I offer up some pointers for the blackboard of life.

1. The Golden Rule – do to others as you would have them do to you.

2. Love your enemy – it`s healthier than hating.

3. Don`t spend a thousand dollars worth of emotion on a five cent irritation.

4. Don`t worry – it is a totally unproductive pastime

5. Don`t procrastinate – it is the thief of time.

6. Smile often – it increases your face value.

7. Stop and smell the roses – before their fragrance fades.

8. Laughing and crying are comfort for the soul – they each soothe in a different way.

9. Grieve when necessary – but remember to continue to live.

10. God runs a beauty parlor – have a regular faith lift.

11. Live, love and be happy – advice to be given and taken in heaping doses.

12. It is never too late to be baptized – Jesus wasn`t baptized until he was thirty years old.

13. You are never too old to do something new – just begin.

14. Try to have twelve hugs a day – even if you have to hug yourself.

15. Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at     all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can. (John Wesley)

And now, put away the pointer, the brushes, the chalk…tomorrow the slate will be clean again for you to chalk up some lessons of your own.

My Heart Will Go On

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“My Heart Will Go On” is the song from the movie, Titanic, that won James Horner an Oscar. And now he is gone…killed in a plane crash on June 22nd, at age sixty-one. But his heart will go on in all the music this brilliant composer has left behind.

On the weekend we were saddened by the deaths of two more of our church members. But I have no doubt that their hearts will go on in the memories of the loved ones they have left behind…hearts that knew and shared love…hearts that measured countless beats over a lifetime.

I remember being at a funeral years ago for a young woman who died too early in life from a brain tumor. She had requested that a song be dedicated to her family at the end of the service. The words were from the song “You’ve Got a Friend” and were heard softly in the hushed room. “Just call out my name, and you know where ever I am I’ll come running to see you again…”

You can be sure that that young woman’s heart will go on forever in the hearts of her family and friends.

So, if you are grieving, whether from a past or recent loss, I hope you can hear your loved one’s words…”my heart will go on”…and take heart.

 

 

And Life Goes On

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Yesterday a friend and member of our congregation celebrated her birthday. I’m sure she enjoyed her day as those of us who look forward to our birthdays usually do.

It was also Father’s Day, and a very sad day for another member of our congregation whose elderly father slipped out of this life and into the next.

I had the opportunity to be with each of these people just before their special day; a day they shared in such different ways; and I was glad for that opportunity.

Once again we are reminded of the intertwining of life events. Birthdays and death days are allotted to each of us, and both are a reminder that life does go on.

Celebrating Life

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On Saturday I attended two different life celebrations. One was a memorial for a dear friend’s husband, and the other was an 80th birthday party for a dear friend. Both events celebrated a continuation of  life; one here, and one in the hereafter. One celebration was as moving as the other, and I would not have missed either for anything.

Sunday’s events, besides the church service, were a committal and a concert. Once again different celebrations in different ways. The committal saw another member of our congregation on his way to continuing life, and the concert celebrated life’s commitment to music and song with a neighbouring church. The hymns we sang were chosen in memory of loved ones of that church’s congregation who also had transitioned.

It was a wonderful weekend of song and celebration, honouring the lives of those with us and those who haved passed on; a weekend of celebrating life.

Undying Love

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Last December I wrote about visiting a couple in their eighties whose love was as strong then as when they were first married sixty-one years ago. Wilda had been quite ill for a long time, and sadly passed away yesterday, but their love will never die.

GRIEVE NOT FOR ME

Grieve not for me though I am gone

For I am with you still

God grant you strength to carry on

And understand His will.

A soft tear shed from time to time

Will ease your sorrowed mind

But live your life as fully

As you helped me live mine.

Time will heal the hurting heart

Faith will see you through

There’s still a life for you to live

With courage I leave you.

Remember me with thoughts of peace

Live each day with your heart

Grieve not for me for though I’m gone

We’re never far apart.

©1981 Patricia Ann Boyes