Make God's Praise Glorious!: A Life Well-Lived, Part A

Introduction

Setting out on the drive for the 700-mile trip from North Carolina to Indiana my mind raced well over the speed limit as I tried to process what was happening. My sister had called me less than 24 hours earlier to let me know our Dad was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of acute leukemia. He had the flu in the last month and couldn’t seem to shake it, with complaints of extreme weakness and no appetite. The plan was for him to be released in a couple days to hospice care at home. At over eighty years of age, he told the doctors he’d lived a full, rich life and was ready to meet his Maker. Aggressive treatment was not an option the doctors recommended or that he wanted.

A scant twelve days later we sang him to heaven and watched the hearse drive slowly out the lane and down County Road 36, the last time, my brother noted, that he would travel that road. Yes, travel that road; both in the familiar sedan toward the funeral home, and on the wings of angels as he traveled to his eternal home.

On my trip to Indiana and back home, I struggled to know what to think and how to pray. As has been my habit while traveling this familiar stretch of road between my home and my birth home, I settled into silence and began to pray using the alphabet to help keep me on prayerful track. I thanked the Lord for things about my Dad that impacted my life and the lives of others. In the following essays, I share things for which I give thanks to the Lord that were part of my Dad’s life and character. Thanksgiving has a way of taking tears and turning them into rich, if sometimes wet, pearls.

I share these reflections as part of my own process of dealing with grief and celebrating the life of my father. It seems helpful to me to put these prayers into written form to help me move beyond the difficult days at the end of Dad’s life (although there were many precious moments at his bedside), and remember the overall story of his life. If these reflections strike a resonant note with you, I’d love to hear from you.

[Some of you will remember that when my Mom died in 2012, I shared a set of Alphabet haikus in her memory. Here’s a link to that set.]

A – Attitude, Ashes, Aspen

Many famous people have spoken on the subject of attitude. One succinct quote from Winston Churchill says:

Attitude is a little thing

That makes a big difference.

So true, isn’t it? Looking back over Dad’s life, I realize that he had a wonderful attitude. He was not one to complain, be moody, or bicker. He seemed to love life. I remember him saying numerous times, “This is really living!” as we drove down the highway on family camping vacations. When his six kids were all out of the nest with families of their own, he and Mom loved visiting each one, no matter how many miles away. And having all the kids and grandkids at their place for a holiday or celebration kept him and Mom planning with excitement for weeks ahead of time.

I wrote Dad's obituary, which included this paragraph:

Besides his legacy of planting seeds of the Christian faith at home and beyond, he is remembered for his integrity, large and loving family, many friends, love of evergreens by the many trees he planted, enjoyment of sacred music and contentment with his lot in life.

Contentment with his lot in life. The legacy of a great attitude. Thank you Lord for Dad’s attitude.

A brief mention of ashes: How many times did Dad clean the ashes out of the fireplaces or the wood-burning stoves in our homes? He loved to build a warm fire and sit beside it with the kids, a good book, a bowl of popcorn, Mom, or a cup of coffee. Life’s pleasures like this also entail work, ashes, and Dad taught us to embrace the responsibility along with the pleasure. Thank you Lord for Dad’s example of cleaning out the ashes.

A mid-west farmer visits Aspen: How many trips did Mom and Dad make to visit my brother Jerry and his family at their ranch just outside of Aspen, Colorado? A lot of them, sometimes with a pick-up and on-bed camper, and sometimes with his fifth-wheel camper. He loved the golden aspen trees, the roaring rivers, and the majesty of the mountain peaks.

The beauty and expansiveness of the West elicited his respect, love, and enjoyment of God’s good world. All this entwined with hours spent with an ever-growing passel of grandchildren. Thank you Lord that Dad’s embrace of the world was wide enough to include places like Aspen where family and nature shone bright and helped form him into the wonderful man he was.