Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great night on this beautiful Sunday evening. I also hope you had a great week last week, a wonderful weekend and you are ready to start your new week!
This weekend my Beautiful Bride & youngest Tender Warrior met my sister & brother-in-law at my Mom's house in New Mexico to clean it out. Kath was pretty concerned about what her emotions would be with this being the last time we would be going to Grammy's house. She asked our Home Group to be praying for us and I was praying this whole trip up as well. God's hand was all over us from safe travel to quality time in the car to tireless work to things coming together...I swear I could feel His presence. I was so aware of it and so, so very grateful.
When we walked into the house my Bride walked...somewhere. I honestly can't recall which direction she went, though I know she was in front of me. I walked in and started walking down the hallway to the right. Kath said something like, "what do you think?" I said, "It feels cold. There is no spirit here." And that is exactly how it felt. We both knew it, accepted it and did what we needed to do. We would both think about that comment a lot, and talk about it last night as we began our journey home.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary online defines Spirit as the force within a person that is believed to give the body life, energy, and power; the inner quality or nature of a person; a person. I would say yes, yes & yes. I would add, quite emphatically, it is the spirit that makes the house a home, not all of the other stuff. Grammy had some wonderful, beautiful stuff. I carefully & reverently packed it away, knowing it was my Mom's and at some point she got it with the same excitement that we get stuff. But ultimately that is all it was, stuff. In the absence of my Mom the warm, loving house was just a structure. The things that she had carefully picked out and placed in various nooks were just things...with their heartbeat now gone. There was nothing I felt I needed or had to have. I already have the greatest gift my Mom could have every given, her unconditional love & support. Though she is gone from this earth I carry her in my heart, I feel her unconditional love & I can still hear her as clear as day say, "Now Robby, you put a smile on your face, a bounce in your step and you go make this a great day!" Those are the things that made her house a home...her.
When we were driving home last night my Sweet Girl and I talked about all of this - the spirit, stuff, what makes a house a home. As I told her, I am going to focus on the spirit, not the stuff. My Bride and my boys don't need more clothes, more stuff...they need me. They need my unconditional love & support. We need to do things together...things too valuable and priceless to ever be placed on a shelf, only to be treasured in the heart. This is what makes a house a home, not the things we place in the home. It's the things in our hearts, the connections we have with one another, things that no matter the amount of wealth you possess you cannot buy. I encourage you Friends to give it some serious thought.
I really feel I need to share this with you as well. As I was doing yard-work this afternoon I was thinking about this message, about the spirit of a person. Sure enough some wisdom my Mom once shared with me came to mind; "Robby, we have to teach him but we don't want to break the spirit." Funny, when I was thinking about it this afternoon I did not remember the source that told me...it was as I was typing this that I remembered my Mom telling me that when I was first learning to be a Dad with Payton. We do have to discipline our sons & daughters - the act of true discipline is an act of love...perhaps a different Happy Friday - however we don't want to break the spirit. Your son or daughter is strong-willed? Great! They will achieve nothing in this life without perseverance. They do however need to learn to submit & obey as we all have someone we answer & report to. Without the ability to submit & obey they will not be able to achieve much of anything in this life either. And there Friends is the delicate balance beam that we as parents are privileged to walk. To nourish the spirit and at the same time instill character, values, integrity. I pray we will all think about that when we fight our battles. Choose words carefully, act thoughtfully & purposefully...precious souls are counting on us, regardless of the workload, stress and/or fatigue.
Right before my Mom passed away she had come to stay with us for nearly two weeks. On that trip she gave Kathy a sign that hangs in our living room. It says, "It takes hands to build a house but only hearts can build a home." I have no clue who said it however they were so right. My precious Mom made sure she got one more message through to Kath & I. It inspires our daily living and prepared our hearts for one last trip to her house in New Mexico.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always help you any way I can.
Have a great evening, a wonderful week and please cherish those precious spirits!
Kev
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