Arms Wide Open

I have said it repeatedly, but I continue to be overwhelmed by the flood of support we have received in my Mom’s passing. Between facebook, twitter, text, emails, phone calls and voice mails, the response has just been amazing. It is a testimony to my Mom. One thing that has been an anchor for us are the stories of her legacy. Things like:

“I can honestly say that my husband and I wouldn’t be together today without the loving example and time that your mom took with us.”

“Your mom took me under her wing when I moved to Cleveland for grad school – I always appreciated her having me over to your house.”

“When Bryan and I moved to Cleveland she just welcomed us as part of your family. We were so far from home and had no real family but she made us apart of yours and I am very grateful.”

“Your mom was an inspiration to me during my years of being in Bible study with her. She was so encouraging and Godly. Those were treasured times those Thursday morning Bible Studies with the ladies. They shaped me.”

“Your mom is a truly inspiring woman with a heart full of Christ’s love to share with others. She is a treasure.”

“I can’t stop thinking of all the angles she has made over the years, thinking that she will be rejoicing when she has lived her life to be…with Jesus”

“So thankful that we will all get to enjoy her smile (and maybe some lemonade on the porch) again one day”

“She holds a special place in my heart and in my family’s as well. So many chats on the front porch come to mind with lemonade and Penny as well!”

Friends I could go on and on with the notes we have received. This is just a small sample of the memories and legacy my Mom leaves. There is so much there for each one of us. If you knew her or not, you can see the impact we can have when we care about and for others. I included the last two comments because there was something so special about the front porch of the home I grew up in. It was my Moms “office” and where she healed broken hearts (including mine more than once), mended relationships, listened to hurts, extended grace, taught faith and shared some lemonade. Even the mailman got his fill of homemade lemonade on a hot day. That’s just who she was. She knew no stranger and always had an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on.

I’m obviously working through the healing process in one of the ways I know how and that is to write. If you can bear with me, I guess my point is that we all have an “office”. They don’t make houses like they used to – with front porches, but most of us have a deck on the back of the house. Coffee shops are places where we can meet. Ballgames, picnic’s and even the church foyer are places where we can mean it when we say “I’ll be praying for you”. My Mom had no formal degree in counseling, she just had a heart full of Jesus and a passion to share it.

We all can too.

At 1:05pm today, my Mom slipped quietly from life and into the presence of her Savior, Redeemer and King.

How do you put this into words? How do accurately honor the woman that literally brought you into this world? What words can be said about the nurturing love of a mother? It’s probably hard to believe but for once in my life I find it hard to come up with words to say or write. I have never been ashamed to say I am a “Mama’s Boy” and will wear that badge with honor now. My mom taught me so much about life, people, caring and most importantly, Jesus. I am so proud of her today. As Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “She fought the good fight, she finished the race, she kept the faith. Now there is in store for her the crown of righteousness”. If you knew my Mom you know that there is no other way she would know how to finish her journey. She overcame so much in her life and changed lives in doing so. Her legacy is one I can only aspire to reach.

Somewhere in my childhood, I heard the words below by Jimmy Dean. I still have the 45 record. It’s scratched and beaten up, but the words will forever hold a place in my heart. I can think of no other way to honor my Mom than to post it here. Thank you Mom. Thank you for your sacrifice, your investment, your grace, your faith and your belief in the good of others. May you now rest in the presence of your King where you most wanted to be. I love you Mom.

Mom….You listenin?

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Mom, I.O.U. for so many things…..
A lot of services, like nightwatchman for instance…..
Lyin’ awake nights, listenin’ for coughs and cries and creakin’ floorboards…..,
and me comin’ in too late.

You had the eye of an eagle and the roar of a lion,
But you always had a heart as big as a house.

I.O.U. for services like, uh, short order cook, chef, baker…..
For makin’ sirloin out o’ hamburger an’ turkey out o’ tuna fish,
And two big ol’ strappin’ boys out of leftovers.

I.O.U. for cleanin’ services,
The daily scrubbing of face and ears….all work done by hand.
And for the frequent dustin’ of a small boy’s pants
to try to make sure that you led a spotless life.
And for washin’ and ironin’ that no laundry could ever do.
For dryin’ the tears of childhood and ironin’ out the problems of growin’ up.

I.O.U. for services as a bodyguard,
For protectin’ me from the terrors of thunderstorms and nightmares
Hah, And too many green apples.

And Lord knows, I.O.U. for medical attention,
For nursing me through measles, mumps, bruises, bumps, splinters
and spring fever.

Oh-oh, let’s not forget medical advice….important things like,
‘If you keep on scratching that, it’ll never get well’ or
‘If you cross your eyes, they’re gonna stick like that’.
And probably the most important advice of all,
’Be sure you got on clean underwear boy, in case you’re in an accident’.

And I.O.U. for veterinarian services,
For feeding every lost dog that I dragged home at the end of the rope,
And for healing the pains of puppy love.

And I.O.U. for entertainment…..
Entertainment that kept the household goin’ during some pretty tough times…..
And for wonderful productions at Christmas, the Fourth of July, Birthdays…..
And for making make-believe come true…..
on a very limited budget.

I.O.U. for construction work, for building kites and confidence,
hopes and dreams an’…..
Somehow you made them all touch the sky…..
And for cementin’ a family together
So it would stand the worst kind of shocks and blows…..
And for layin’ down a good strong foundation to build a life on.

I.O.U. for carrier charges…..
For carryin’ me on your books for the necessities of life
that a growin’ boys just gotta have.
Things like, a pair of high top boots,
With a little pocket on the side for a jack-knife.

And one thing, Mom, I’ll will never ever forget….
When there were two pieces of apple pie left and three hungry people…..
I noticed that you were the one who always decided,
you never really liked apple pie in the first place.

These are just a few of the things for which payment is long overdue..
The person that I owe ‘em to worked very cheap….
She managed by simply doin’ without a whole lot o’ things that she needed herself….
My I.O.U’s add up to much more than I could ever hope to repay,
But you know the nicest thing about it all….
That I know, that she’ll mark the entire bill ‘Paid In Full’
For just one kiss and four little words….

Mom, I Love You!

It’s nearly 1am here in Houston, Texas and it has been a very emotional day. As most of you know, I left Columbus early this morning after learning that my Mom had been given very little time to live do to complications from a fall in my parents apartment on Monday. I was blessed to be able to find a flight early Wednesday morning and arrive in Houston by 1:00pm to be with my family. My Mom was resting peacefully when I arrived and I was able to spend a few precious moments whispering in her ear. As of this moment, she is still resting and they are doing their best to keep her comfortable. We have been told that she will eventually just breathe one final breath.  While we will no doubt mourn and grieve for a season, I cannot tell you the peace that we have and the promise we hold onto. We rejoice in knowing she will soon be with her King.

The point of this post was to first update you all, but secondly to just say “Thank You”. I cannot tell you how overwhelmed I have been by the outpouring of prayers, emails, twitter messages, texts and phone calls. Saying “thank you” doesn’t seem to cover the gratitude that my family and I have for the support each of you have shown. One of my Moms greatest spiritual gifts was the ability to draw people together. I find it fitting that so many people have expressed their thoughts and prayers. While it seems so empty, I just want to say thank you. I pray that my family and I will do the same if there ever was a time of need in your life as well.

Know that each contact today was received and appreciated. I am clinging to the promises of the peace which we hold onto. I am encouraged by your support and forever grateful for your thoughtfulness. I will continue to update twitter tomorrow as time will allow. We know that God is in control and on His throne.

A post I read over at Dad-Blogs.com regarding faith and parenting, along with an “episode” tonight with our children and their AWANA homework are on my mind at the moment. So much so that I thought I would sit down here at the keyboard and work it through. It all started with a comment that a Pastor friend of mine made a few years ago. Not only is he a Pastor, he is a Dad. He spoke about how he and his wife made the decision early in their parenting that they wanted their kids to have “their own faith” and not “their Mom and Dad’s faith”. Something in that stuck out to me. Our kids were really young at the time so I tucked it away for further reference.

Well, now would be “further reference”. I am so blessed to say that all three of our children have asked Jesus to be in their heart. There is no greater gift that I can think of for my wife I to know that our children are walking with Jesus. But here is what I want more than anything, I want them to have (to quote Depeche Mode) their own personal Jesus. I don’t want them to have my Jesus. My relationship with my Jesus is different. My needs, struggles, failures and grace quota are experienced, shared and discussed with My Jesus. Our relationship is personal, private and unique.

I want my son to have his own personal relationship too. When he is struggling in school, sports, relationships and with sin, I want him to call out to his Jesus. I want him to walk with Him, lean on Him, discern from Him, grow with Him. When my girls are searching for identity and struggling with pressure, I want them to rely on Jesus. Their Jesus. I want them to find beauty in their relationship with their Jesus and identity in the gifts He has given them.

Don’t get me wrong, as their Dad I have to provide love, identity, validation and support too. Yet I am human. I fail. I will fail them no matter how hard I have tried not to. That is why they need their Jesus. That is why it must be their relationship and not Mom and Dads.

And so we go through the delicate balance of teaching, guiding, providing places and opportunities for them to meet with Him while not making it “Religion”. Lord grant us the wisdom to know how to make space for you, for them and for personal relationships to grow and be their own.

In the morning, our son will officially celebrate his 9th birthday. I can’t even type those words without wondering where the last 9 years went. I can’t seem to get my mind around how quickly it has flown by. What scares me even more is that when that time frame goes by again, he’ll be officially an “adult”. In honor of his birthday, I thought I would post this letter I wrote to him in March of 2005. The words still ring true today. To “the boy” I want to say Happy Birthday. Thank you for making the last 9 years of my life something I never knew I was missing and so much more. I love you son.

Because…..A Letter To My Son

Because you are my son
Because I am proud to be your father
Because I will never forget the day you were born
Because you are more beautiful than I could have imagined
Because you were “fearfully and wonderfully made”
Because I am your hero
Because someday, you will be mine
Because “I want to go with daddy”
Because you have taught me how our heavenly father loves His children.

Because you have my hands and feet
Because you have your mother’s eyes
Because you love your sisters and mother as much as I do
Because, no matter what, you always love me..
Because no matter what, I will always love you
Because you greet the world with “Arms Wide Open”
Because I can’t wait to watch you grow and learn
Because of stories at night and breakfast in the morning
Because you always remind us at dinner to “say our prayers”

Because I can protect you at times
Because there are times when I cannot protect you
Because we serve a God that watches during ALL of those times
Because the things of the past
Because the future to come.

I love you my precious son.

“The Boy” and I recently rigged up an area in the unfinished portion of our basement so he could practice pitching to a target this winter while we’re stuck indoors. We also wired up an old computer and iTunes 9 (with home sharing) to pump in music while we’re practicing. It’s not quite a “man cave”, but it works. At some point this evening, someone dialed up a little “Hoedown Throwdown” on the jukebox and the dance party was on. Below is a video featuring my girls and our nephew Jackson who joined the party a little later. Make sure you check out my youngest really getting into it at the end. Good times.