Much of what I write tonight could be descriptive and revealing. It's been 33 days since my last post and there has been so much life to unpack and share with you. But tonight I will simply give you a bit from my heart...
Each day is a privilege and has risks. This side of heaven involves pain, betrayal, misery and mystery. Yet sorrows can be traded in. Although you may seem busy and life has you gripped and controlled, think again. Our days have been granted and numbered so we don't have time to hold on to regret. People suffer and need a savior. Believing surrendering is weakness is pride disguised as strength and a blatant denial of weakness that delivers true strength. Love endures. Love sustains. Love is hope.
Bradley,
I remember the days that you and I would spend with dad at the lake fishing. Although the cooler was packed with trans-fats (Bologna sandwiches and Ruffles) and country fix-ins, those were days to remember.We learned how a worm squirms while facing a hook and a bobber is like training wheels on a fishing line. Still the bluegills would always bite and we felt like Kings! How the lake seemed so vast and endless. As the falls would crash we would imagine we were anglers to be renowned and feared. Tiny warriors challenging the great sea (also known as Merrill Park). At least until my line got stuck on a log and dad would have to cut it and thread a new hook. Those days were innocent and unforgettable. Although you may not remember those and the many times we shared with dad at this very moment, I look forward to days that we may reminisce. That we may be reminded of the influence that brought us to where we are today regardless of the journey. Time and circumstances never separate truth. Nor do they hinder love. I still remember bouncing around the halls of grandma's house at 4 years old waiting to see you, my little brother, for the first time. Oh the responsibility of being the older sibling! The image of Dad holding your tiny, dark-haired, olive-skinned body in the palm of his hands radiates in my mind tonight. You are missed. Dad is missed. Still, love is the fragrance that remains.
As I pray for your well being, safety and progress tonight... I surely find you in fond memories and laugh until tears. You are not just a brother worthy by blood, but worthy by name. I will trust in the one who directs the cosmos and earns the hearts of the broken with your future. Missing you tonight...
As for the man who gave his life in unmentionable ways and inspired me to be sensitive to the legacy that I leave in my time... Happy Birthday, Dad. You are remembered and missed... (April, 26th, 1955)
Ephesians 6:1-9
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Luke 17:4 If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”"
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
