Two years marks the last time my Dad, in person, poured wisdom into my being, but the vast streams of loving, wise and essential guidance he left behind still flow through my heart and soul. Recently, the demands of life brought me to my desk where my fingertips re-located a letter to my 3B’s that shared the story of my Dad teaching me a lesson I needed both yesteryear and today. With tears in my soul and laughter in my heart, I re-read the lesson and re-thank my Dad for still watching over me.
Britt, Beamer and Brooke,
I finally got a few moments that I can share a really good lesson, and funny one too, that Granddaddy taught me last Friday. Yep, good old mom is still learning from her Dad!!! Well, the countdown was on to our first showing and needless to say mom felt all alone on her impossible mission to get the house ready and do the stuff I thought I couldn’t. However, I knew that no one is to blame for me flying solo in so many tasks. I only have to lean even harder on God to give me strength and endurance and hope. Well, the real test came when a light bulb in the kitchen went out and the day was so dreary, I needed all the light I could get to reveal how bright and sunny the kitchen area is.
Granddaddy was finishing his breakfast when I realized the bulb had to be replaced. I was really a tad flustered cause mom just isn’t any good with heights, and you know how high the ceiling over the kitchen area is. Well, after I point blankly announced this was ridiculous that I had all this on my shoulders, granddaddy said “WE” could do it. I said “HE” couldn’t climb at all, and “I” wasn’t about to climb anything higher than a six-foot ladder. Granddaddy said that a six-footer wouldn’t do it. I said I didn’t care. I was too scared to go any higher, so the six-footer had to work. Granddaddy went on to say if that was as high a ladder as I was willing to stretch my fear to, then I was to go get the six-footer and he knew how I could do it.
Kids, after I struggled with my self pity and the six-footer and finally got the ladder into the kitchen, Granddaddy was standing there with the table all cleared off and moved to directly under the light. Of course, I asked why on earth he had moved the table, especially since, on doctor’s orders, he wasn’t to move big things. Very calmly and matter of factly he simply said, “let’s put the ladder on top of the table”. HE WAS COMPLETELY SERIOUS!!! I told him he was crazy if he thought I was going to put a six- foot ladder on top of the table and then get up on the table and climb it. He replied that was the only way I could reach the bulb with a six-foot ladder.
Guess what? I brought the six-footer back into the garage; and after another struggle to get and eight-foot ladder into the kitchen, I moved the table back to where it normally sat, positioned the eight-foot ladder under the bulb, prayed for what might have been my last time and with determination and faith climbed that ladder, pulled that fixture down, unscrewed a tight not wanting to be replaced blub, replaced the bulb, put the fixture back into the ceiling and made it back down to earth!!!
Granddaddy simply said “see, you never know what you are capable of till you have to stretch your own set of limits!!!”. Now let me emphatically dictate this is not giving you three license to go out and cast your common sense to the wind and be dangerous. Let mom do it for the entire family. However, let our entire family increase our set limits of what we feel we can reach to find the light God wants to illuminate for our family. And above all, let us remember He holds us all individually and as family in the palm of His loving and protective Hand.
I love you all,
Mom
(My currently added P.S. today reads: Dad, I loved you then. I love you now, and I love you forever. And yes, I’m still listening to you, following your wisdom and thanking God for you.)
Uplifted in a Broken Down World 