I love to write. My escape from the mundane, drudgery,
monotony, and boredom is a blank sheet of paper. There I can make time come
alive. I can repair what’s broken, celebrate the good, and mend what needs
fixing.
For me, even in my weakness and deficiency, writing breathes life
into my being and captures timeless experiences that can be relived again and
again, offering great satisfaction. I realize that writing alone isn't life.
Even so, words heal, strengthen, and inspire abundantly. It’s my connection to
all that resides on this earth, my witness of God’s hand in our lives. Though
speckled with tedium, the world is vivacious, beautiful, and vibrant. Prose
captures that.
Think of the scriptures and the simple verses that give hope,
pledge faith, and build confidence in the midst of despair. Feel patriotism grow
as we read the
Gettysburg
address and stand beside a brother. Our family cherishes papers and drawings
created by its children and displays samples on the refrigerator or on
grandma’s desk per the tender note written with love. We fill our files with
these treasures and store boxes of memorabilia with these gems because memories
resonate family and evoke tender emotions that validate our existence, further enabling
us to share our gifts.
Ancestry.com recently announced the retirement of several
websites, including Mycanvas.com, a favorite of many family history buffs. I think
of the implications of such a change to many who have contributed considerable
time and effort to treasured memories and build personal and family histories of sorts to leave for their posterity such a legacy.
Then I wondered about my own canvas. What have I done with
the talents the Lord has given me to benefit others? How have I used my
abilities to build, unite and strengthen those around me and leave a timeless legacy
for my family? That’s an interesting question and worthy of exploration.
I could always count on my dad to help me, support me, and
provide encouragement and inspiration when I needed it most. He is sorely
missed, but interestingly you see his influence every day in the lives of those
he affected, the people he touched, his children and family.
Interestingly, I spent the other day helping my mom. In many
ways it was a delight to be with her. We visited, reminisced, ate a delicious
lunch together, and worked side-by-side like hundreds of times before over
the course of a lifetime. I wasn't amazing like my dad who could install all
needed facilities. Like Gregg who can fix every problem, I couldn't. It was
obvious that I didn't work as quickly or get as much done as Jeff. But the
amazing thing I realized is that those criticisms came from me alone. Mom had
nothing but accolades for the wonderful job I was doing. She praised me for
lifting, moving, and trying. Even though my efforts are far inferior to others,
Mom doesn't think so. She built me up and made me feel like the most important
person on earth.
That, my little family, is a virtue, a gift, a legacy—one I
hope to leave with you that you can pass on to your children and their children
and so on into perpetuity. The heirloom you carry on will bless you and your family
and magnify your talents. The good you will do is an opus to you forever and ever.
My canvas is not finished yet, and it is exciting to rise
every morning to see what treasures will reveal themselves during the coming day. One thing I
know for sure as part of our family…I’m worthwhile. I’m needed. And I’m loved.
And so are you.
Today and tomorrow, what can be better than that?
