For Sue

Just like any other summer, this has been a busy one.  A friend of mine once said, "They should re-name summer to 'Busy'!"  I agree with him.  It is so funny how you have all of these things going on and in the middle somewhere, you get a chance to catch your breath every once in a while.  This last week has been kind of hard to explain. 

Unfortunately, we lost a long time neighbor and friend Thursday evening when she succumbed to a heart attack.  However, as tragic as it seemed, she is in a better place and is no longer suffering.  She dealt with a lot of heath issues that were beyond her control.  It was hard for me to see this beautiful woman and mother of one of my best friends growing up, deal with a vast list of health issues that would probably long since killed another with lesser character.  This is one of those situations that makes you ask "Why?”  Why would God allow something like this happen to any one of His children?  You ever notice that?  Have you ever asked God why and gotten an answer?  I haven't.  I don't think that is how God works.  I was once part of a small group at our church that dealt with this very issue.  The speaker in the video series had a really good explanation.  He said that God allows us to go through hardship to help shape us into the people that He wants us to be.  A lot of people have argued this point with me, but I truly believe that it is right.  In college I once had a discussion about it with one of the women in my class.  Her argument was how God tested Job.  The problem with that argument is that God did not test Job but allowed Job to be tested.  There is a big difference.  A lot of non-believers would look at the story of Job and ask, "Why would God allow one of His most faithful servants be tested in such a manner?"  I am not God by any means, but if you look at the story, at the end Job was blessed beyond anything that he had ever experienced before.  It all boils down to one thing, faith.

That was the neat thing about Sue.  She had an unwavering faith.   I was able to speak with her on a couple of occasions this year.  The last time I talked to her she talked about the storms that we had at the beginning of the summer and how they scared her.  She also talked about the prophecies in the Bible and how that the storms are supposed to get worse in the end times.  I thought that was so cool, in the midst of all she was going through and dealing with, she still read her Bible and her faith did not waver.

Sue was one of those people that was very caring but did not hesitate to let you know where you stood with her.  Some people didn't like that but I always found it refreshing.  In this world of political correctness, I think that society has lost that ability to accept how others feel and it is always nice to know where you stand with someone.  It also gives a needed reality check every once in a while. 

Sue was the mother of a dear childhood friend of mine that we lost in the summer of 1989.  Jeff and I were inseparable in our childhood.  When one was seen, the other wasn't too far behind.  Jeff was older than me and as we grew our paths separated.  However, we still continued to be in each other’s lives.  He was loyal.  There were many times growing up that he stepped in and stood up for me when I couldn't stand for myself.  Kids can sometimes be cruel.  They like to pick on the little kid which somehow always seemed to be me.  When Jeff was around that never seemed to be the case.  Jeff wasn't an angel.  He had his faults just like the rest of us.  However, he will always remain a true friend.  Although he is gone, he will not be forgotten.

There is no doubt in my mind that Sue is now in heaven with her son that she lost so long ago.  We were counting the years up last week and realized that it has been 22 years since we lost Jeff.  I have always heard that losing a child is something that you don’t come back from.  That is not the way life is supposed to work.  Our children are supposed to live beyond our years.  When it doesn’t work out that way, I think that we as humans just can’t accept it.  I hope and pray that I never have to find out.

We went to Sue’s viewing last Sunday.  I had the pleasure of speaking with her mother-in-law.  She talked about how Sue appreciated me mowing her yard.  That really touched me.  I felt like that I was able to pay Sue back for all of the good memories that I enjoy of her and her family.  I realize that it was a little thing but it means so much more to me.  I will never forget Sue and her family.  They are a part of my life forever and have in a small way, helped make me into the person that I am today.  Even though time and life had taken us apart, God’s grace brought us back together in the end.  Last summer Kim and I ran into Sue at Walmart.  Sue had never gotten the chance to meet Kim and I introduced them.  She got to see Hannah and made over her as if she were her own.  It meant so much to me that even though Hannah probably won't remember her, she got to meet Sue and Sue got to see Hannah.

I love westerns.  A couple of years ago I saw a western called "Broken Trail" starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church.  In the movie they lose a character to an accident and Robert Duvall's character said something I will never forget.  "We're all travelers in this world. From the sweet grass to the packing house. Birth 'til death. We travel between the eternities."  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482857/quotes)

 

Sue's journey between the eternities is over.  Godspeed Sue and I love you.  For those of us you left behind, you will indeed be missed but never forgotten.

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Matthew 25:21 (New International Version)

Week of Vacation

Obviously I am not a very good blogger!  I was looking at my last posting and can’t believe it has been eight months since my last.  Time really does fly when you are having fun.  I finally took a whole week of vacation for the first time in nine years.  It would figure that I would wait until now to make another blog posting.

This week has been a busy one so far and judging by the weekend that we have coming up, it is only going to get worse.  We always have a big blowout every year for our daughter Hannah for her birthday.  She is turning four this year and we are so excited to have our family over to celebrate her birthday.  I have been doing a lot of work outside this year that I have been putting off for the last three.  It has been so bad that even the neighbors have noticed.  In fact, our one neighbor even asked if we were getting ready to sell our house!  I guess home improvements are not only good for making yourself feel better about your home's appearence but also to make the neighbors a little nervous!

With all of the chaos of the week, we wanted to make this birthday a little more special for Hannah.  It has been a rough year for her and besides, it is her birthday not ours.  We decided to take her to the Indiana Dunes.  We thought she would really like it even though she is not a big fan of water yet, we knew that she would love the sand.  I am not a very good traveler.  I am always worried something is going to catch fire at home or we are going to get robbed or something along that idea.  You know, the stuff that you have all the control over!  The night before we were to leave, I noticed that one of the tires on the car was low.  I checked it and sure enough it was eighteen pounds low, which means about half flat!  It was no big deal, we got the tire fixed and were only about two hours behind schedule.

Hannah was getting tired.  Of course, so was I!

The drive was uneventful and before we knew it, we were at the Dunes.  I had not been there since I was a kid and forgot how beautiful it was.  As we walked up to the beach and I saw all of that blue water and felt that cool lake breeze hit me right in the face, I just stood there dumbfounded.  As I stood there looking at all of that beauty, God tapped me on the shoulder like he does so many times in our lives and reminded me that there is more to life than jobs, money, impressing others and the general stuff that we waist so much time trying to get.  He really opened my eyes that day.  Kim and I were more excited to be there than Hannah.  The waves were really bad for some reason and the lifeguards cautioned everybody to only go out waist deep.  We sat right sat down in the shallow surf and let the waves hit us and knock us around.  It was so much fun.  Hannah sat on the beach and played with her bucket of toys and had a blast herself.  Amidst all of that fun, I could not shake the feeling of how lucky my family and I truly are.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful for God’s blessings on our family.  We have been very blessed but sometimes you need that kick in the pants to remind you just how much you really take for granted.

It was the perfect weather for a perfect day.

My mom and I were talking here recently and she said something that really stuck out in my mind.  She said simply, “God is rarely early but never late.”  Just because you are not where you think you need to be doesn’t mean that you are not where God wants you.  I think that we as humans are always looking for the next big thing.  Once one goal is achieved we often jump right to the next big thing and so on and so forth.

I have been looking forward to this weekend all year.  I love getting family together and sharing good food and good stories.  Another special part of this weekend is we get to play host to Kim’s cousin (or sister as they refer to each other) and her family.  That is always a blast because we only get to see them so many times a year.  Kim and her cousin are really close and I get along really well with her husband.  Brandon and I have started a tradition of staying up to about two in the morning around our fire ring in the back yard.  It seems stupid but we always have the best time discussing solutions to world’s problems.  By the way, we should run for office!  He can do the lawyering and I can come up with all the good ideas!

I keep stealing Dawn's pictues.  Sorry Dawn!

I guess what I am trying to do and am not doing a very good job of, is to encourage those of you who choose to read my long winded rhetoric!  I have seen prayers answered this year.  I was watching John Hagee a while back and he was talking about that God has three answers to prayer,

1.      No.  God sometimes tells us no.  He always knows what is best for us whether we like it or not.

2.      Wait.  This generally means that the timing is not quite right.

3.      Go.  This means that your prayer has been answered, now it is time for the rubber to meet the road.

I have witnessed all of these answers this year.  Some for me, some for others.  The major thing that sticks out in my mind this year is simply that God is in control.  Even though it might seem that things are spinning out of control, God is still there to catch us.  Sometimes it might not seem like it, but he is.  Whatever you are doing or wherever you are, just remember these three things,

1. God loves you.
2. No matter what the situation, it is temporary.  The only thing certain in life is that it is going to change.
3. There is light at the end of the tunnel. 

Thanks for reading and I promise to stay on this better in the future!

Isaiah 45:2-6 (NIV)

² I will go before you
   and will level the mountains^[a];
I will break down gates of bronze
   and cut through bars of iron.
³ I will give you hidden treasures,
   riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
   the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
⁴ For the sake of Jacob my servant,
   of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
   and bestow on you a title of honor,
   though you do not acknowledge me.
⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;
   apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
   though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
   to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
   I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Blessings Scott Style

Hello everyone! 

I have been thinking of doing this for some time now.  I guess the motivation that I was waiting for fell into my lap today.  One of the biggest things that I complain about is time.  I never have time to do this, or I don't have time to do that.  Truth is, I have time I just don't want to use it the way that I should.  You know, one of those things like watching tv is a better use of my time type things.  If you take the time to read this, great, if not, I won't hold it against you!

Staying true to the title of this entry, I want to talk about one of the greatest blessings that I have ever recieved from God.  For those of you who don't know, our youngest daughter, Hannah, was diagnosed with a moderate to severe hearing impairment this year.  At first it was devastating.  We want the best for our kids, and that is sometimes what we can't give them.  Kim and I both felt like we had done something to let Hannah down.  Then the whole "I can't get a break" thing starts in.  What it really boils down to is that it is just something that happens and you have no choice but to deal with it.

It has been a real roller coaster ride over the last six months.  Not just the emotional ride but the financial one as well. Getting hearing aids is expensive.  The insurance covered more than I expected them to but it still wasn't enough.  Obviously, we didn't have the money just sitting around.  However, God was faithful and saw us through just as He is now.  The major issue with Hannah having a hearing impairment was the fact that she fell behind in her speech.  Now, we have to enroll her in pre-school to get her caught back up.  Kim had a hard time with this because she felt like her baby was growing up so fast.  I didn't really look at it that way, but she is right.  Our baby is growing up too fast.  It comes right back to time.  Time is the great equalizer.  Nobody escapes it.  It always finds us and brings us back to earth no matter how high one soars.

That brings us to this morning.  Hannah got to bed late last night and wasn't very friendly this morning.  She didn't want to do anything because she was still tired from the night before.  However, we had to get her to school.  After some breakfast and crying, we were off.  I got her there on time and recieved a blessing that I missed with my older two daughters.  I got to take her to her first day of school.  I was so proud.  She cried when I left and it broke my heart.  When it came time to pick her up, her teacher told me how well she did.  I knew that it was the best thing for her but it was still hard to do.  It is so easy to take things like this for granted.  Believe me, I do it all of the time.  I have come to think that this is what life is really about.  Finding little things in bad situations that make all of what you are going through worth what you are going through.  Hannah is going to be fine.  She is going to grow and succeed.  If you know her, you see real quick that she doesn't quit.  She is too stuborn just like her mom and grandpa.  Kim and I have brought this very motto to the forefront of our marriage.  We don't quit. 

I will look back on this day for many years to come with both regret and thankfulness.  Regret that my baby is growing up, and thankfulness that she is it is a double edged sword.

"He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He."  Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV)