Seeing and Doing

There are some things in life that we hope for. Some things can be imagined, wrongly or rightly. We visualize in our mind's eye that which we have not experienced or seen.

Richard and I just came back from a trip to Texas and Oklahoma. Now we have seen for ourselves that which before the trip we could only imagine. In addition to cementing a picture in our minds, we are so glad that we didn’t put off a trip which we have been talking about for months. We chose to light the candle and make it happen.

We went to visit Richard’s family in Oklahoma. Tela will be 90 years old on March 3, 2011. She has made a major change in her life and moved into a Retirement home in Oklahoma City. Prior to being with her, we could only imagine how she was doing or where she was living. Words cannot express how happy we are with our decision to make the visit. She absolutely looks wonderful and is adapting so very well to her new home and regained sense of independence. Her new life has freed Richie’s sister and husband, Nancy and Lloyd, from worrying and extra care giving. They can now feel peaceful about her comfort, care, and life in general. Now we have seen her elegant new home. We have seen Tela for ourselves and are happy that she looks so well and is doing so well. We had hoped that she was doing well, now we have seen.

How many times do we put the things that we know we should do on the back burner’s of our lives. I can only encourage you to write that card, make that call, give that word of encouragement, or visit someone as we did. Give and it shall be given unto you. A kind act shouldn’t be done for that reason but it sure has that effect on one’s life. Don’t procrastinate and be generous. These are good rules to live by.

The other purpose of our trip was to be with our daughter, Christa, for a couple of days in Dallas. Her job, with a growing internet advertising company, Reach Local, brings her from Pennsylvania to Texas once or twice a month. She introduced us to so many of her wonderful out of state co-workers. She took us to work with her as she taught the new hires, from all over the country and Canada, about the company and their internet media products. The company labels this teaching orientation their “Boot Camp”. For us, it was “Bring your parents to work day”. As it was with Tela, we now can visualize where Christa is when she is in Texas and we will be able to put faces to names as she talks about her job and the people she works with. It is so important to us to be involved in our children’s lives. We never want to be intrusive, but always want to be there for them and to be aware of things that are going on in their lives. This trip opened up a window into her life and this makes our lives richer. Thank you Christa for lighting this candle with us, and for driving with us to Oklahoma to visit Grandma Tela and our extended Oklahoma family.

God is good. When we honor Him, He honors us. He shows us His favor and makes our lives work. The only thing constant in life is change. God gives us wisdom and is always there to help us adapt to new situations. He is with Tela. He is with Christa in her travels. He is with us as he directs and leads us to care for others and be an important part of the lives of our loved one’s. I am so grateful that we took this trip. I ask The Lord to always keep us aware of where He wants us to be and how and when He wants to use us, to His glory, in the lives of others.