Monday 31 July 2017

I smiled at someone today - I smiled that smile forever.

We are never really ready to say goodbye to our loved ones -
 How do we cope with the shock that sets in when someone we care deeply about dies too early or unexpectedly?
  We go to our cupboard and pull out the warmest coat that we can find; sewn with love by a wonderful supporting group of family and friends.  That garment may be frayed at the neck and arms from being worn so often, and it may be missing a few strands of our favourite colours; but the Creator looks on it and repairs it each time a thread breaks.

  His repair kit includes our  every smile and kind gesture.   If you want to know what eternity is, look no further than your smile; The kindness in your eyes and the breadth of your smile is the most precious gift we can offer; Once it is given, it doesn't just go away, it is an irreplaceable stitch that is woven into the fabric of that coat - for eternity.

 Those who go to the cupboard can be sure of finding it there - waiting to do what only a familiar, favourite coat can do - warm our souls, wrap us in its arms tightly, and remind us that our loved one's smiles and kindnesses are part of its fabric forever.

When my heart is numb,
My mind a blur,
And I've pushed away the memories  there,
I reach into my trembling heart,
And feel a warmth come over me,
For I find that smile still shining clear.

Within that smile,
 I see those eyes,
And I hear a voice that calls to me,
"All the love I've given you
Is yours for all eternity."

Wednesday 12 July 2017

Life's Relay Race

I have attended two funerals this week, each for a beautiful lady who I'm sure wondered to the end if she had run her race well; whether the love pressed into the  baton that she carried would find the hands of her loved ones, and be passed on to the next runner, and the next.  As I stared into the candle that I held at this morning's service, my thoughts were suddenly hijacked by my sixteen year old self:

As a grade eleven student, very small in stature, and clutching a miniscule piece of self-confidence, I somehow found myself in the school's track and field relay race. As I stood there, waiting for the baton to be slipped into my hand, my mind suddenly went completely blank; all of my focus was in the present - preparing to run with all that was in me.  As I tore down the track, I looked up to see my mother's face watching from the sidelines, pride and worry battling for first place in her emotions.  I don't remember finishing the race, or anything of the outcome - I just remember someone saying, "Did you see what you did?"  To this day, I don't know whether I did well, or if I totally blew it, and rather than destroying the fragile hope that I held onto,  I have avoided finding out.


We all have traumatic events in our past that have had dramatic ripple effects on our lives and our accomplishments; We too are left questioning how we have lived our lives, where we could have done better.  Rather than running our race reliving or regretting the past, let's seize the present moment, grab that baton of hope, and give life's relay race all we've got.  I know that's the advice that these two ladies would want to pass on.