September is a month that I love and hate . First I love this month because I will celebrate two very important birthdays . The first I'll mention is my wifes on the 26th . She will turn 45 and I must say , she looks amazing. I think she is drinking the same water Dick Clark drinks from.So we will look forward to that . Then of course because of her birthday , my youngest son ,Jordan will turn 18. Quickly turning into a fine young man. So these two events will be fun times of celebrating the lives of them both that God has been so graciously to allow me to be a part of . For the record I love being Dad to Jordan and a husband to Kathy.
The thing that I hate about this month is the date of Sept 6th. On that day my Mom died due to the cancer ravaging her body. It will be 19 years this year and I can still remember hearing those words , Mom is gone. I recall my reaction , my pain and my grief. I'm so grateful for the love and support of my wife through one of the darkest days on my life.I still vividly recall my oldest son , Jacob , who wasn't much than 2 and a half years of age ,giving me a hug. It meant the world to me .
So every September since , it has been a time when I become reflective and as I get older , its a time to just take stock of the blessings of God and try not to take each day for granted. Which we tend to do way too often. It is so sad that it takes the loss of someone we love to shock us into what is important and to value those things in life that are truly of lasting worth.
Final thought. Even though Mom succumbed to cancer , death did not win the day . Through her ordeal she surrendered her life to Jesus Christ. So yes I still hate the day she died but it was a birthday in way for her , for she passed from life , to life in the presence of the Lord . Nuff said.
1 comment:
Thank you for the compliment, Honey. You're so sweet. I must add, Jordie is becoming a fine young man despite being like his mother. I'm not so worried, anymore, he seems to be outgrowing it.
It's hard to believe it's been 19 years since Maggie went to Heaven. Dear Readers, Reg's sister gave birth to our nephew Tyler on September 8th, same year. For the sleepy people, our Jordie was born a year later less 2 days. So, within a year, all her current grandchildren were born.
For most of Jacob's first 2 1/2 years, we lived with Reg's parents. At times, I wouldn't have recommended it. Looking back, I am very grateful to God. Maggie adored Jake. Those 2 1/2 years gave her more joy than any of us could probably know except, for where she is now, with the Lord.
One recommendation, if you're going to live with your in-laws, and have your first child, order up a really cute, happy good baby. Jake made me look like I knew what I was doing.
I'm also grateful for another gift from God. He preserved Jake's last sweet memory of her. When he was about 5 or 6 years old he told us a story about living in the blue house and Nanny Maggie taking him out to the garden and showing him all the vegetables. He preceded to name them. He was right because I had planted them.
That was the day she'd been told, by the doctors, that the cancer was terminal. What's more amazing is that we'd never spoken of it to him.
I know this is a hard time of year for you. The hardest part, 15 years later, was telling you that I had the exact same cancer show up in the exact same place. I am so grateful for the days the Lord had given me. Sometimes, I start to take them for granted and I am reminded of His mercy and grace. Love you, Mrs Reg
Post a Comment