Richness to share

* My Aunt Mary Jane Dedrick resides in a Wycliff Missionary apartment building for independent living and often meets with her elderly missionary friends for a visit as they pick up their daily mail. My aunt is in her 80’s and her friends are all over 60. Long ago they agreed to not discuss their many aches and pains when they visit, but to rehearse the wonderful things that God has done for them throughout their lives. What a richness they impart to each other!


A heritage of blessings

* Aunt Mary Jane recently shared about her daughter, Esther, whose family is currently going through a difficult financial crunch. Since my aunt can no longer drive, she arranged to have her car delivered across the country to Esther’s family. She filled the car with things she no longer needed, but thought Esther might want. One item was an old dresser that had been my grandmother’s. When Grandma Bessie died, Aunt Mary Jane had acquired much of her furniture.

Aunt Mary Jane had painted the dresser several times and although it was very old, she felt it still had a few years left of use. After unloading it in the rain, Esther preceded to take it apart and dry it off. Under four of the five drawers she found old envelopes stuck to the bottom of the drawers. A total of $140.00 was found in the envelopes. How had Aunt Mary Jane missed those envelopes when she painted the drawers? This was certainly the Lord’s planning – an unexpected present from a grandmother who had passed away years before to a grandchild very much in need of financial assistance!


Legacy left behind

* Shelby was eight years old when her mother, Karali, died. Over the years Shelby became very close to her new step-mother, but didn’t want to forget her birth mother. When she was nineteen, Shelby dug out Karali’s old Bible study materials that her father had stored away in the attic. Going over Karali’s notes helped Shelby connect with her mother as a woman of God. A type of mentoring took place as Shelby read the scriptures along with her mother’s comments. What a heritage was imparted to Shelby because Karali had studied the Bible on a daily basis and her husband had stored those notebooks away! What are you leaving behind for your children and grandchildren? Will you be able to mentor them even after you are no longer here?


It never gets old

* Once a month I go out to lunch with three friends of over 20 years. We laugh, cry, catch up on the news and share our troubles. This is our way of keeping our relationships current when our lives are so busy with children, grandchildren, aging parents and church involvement.

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© 2003 by Susan Gaddis