BUCK AND RIVET

I recently wrote a blog about the mother of a wonderful friend. Her name was Florida Thompson. Florida recently passed away at 91 years of age. While attending Florida's funeral I learned she worked for over 30 years at one of the air force bases either making air planes or repairing them. She was part of a two person team performing a job called a "riveting team". As the pastor giving her memorial spoke, he explained what the two person "riveting team" did on an air plane. Their is one person with a gun that installs a rivet through a hole in steel body/wing/or whatever of an aircraft. A bucking bar is used on the backside of a metal rivet to counter the force of the hammering with the gun on the other side. This enables the rivet to fit snugly into place. Modern day aircraft can have up to a million rivets. Though today, as they are built, they are inserted by machines, when replaced for repairs, they are hand done by man. During the war and until recent years, civil service workers held these jobs. Florida Thompson was one of these employees.

You see, it took two people to install every rivet. One to work the rivet gun and the other to be on the other side of the steel with a bucking bar. One person could not put a rivet into place alone. There had to be cooperation of both people at the same time. Each person needed the other in order that the rivets be attached properly. Though sometimes there were flaws due to human error (i.e. wrong angles when hold the rivet gun, or too much pressure when hold the gun, or holding the bucking bar to close or too long against the steel), each person needed to carefully follow each procedure so that the rivets would fit snugly and at the right angles.

This makes me think of how it is with us and our Lord. Though God himself is capable to do all things without our help, we are not able to do anything without His. When He calls us to do a job, to mend a fence, to forgive a person, to love someone who is unlovable, to feed the homeless, care for someone we don't even know, and so on and so on, there is no way we can do it alone. We may have the tools in finance, time, talents and desire, but without His involvement and help, it will never be right or perfect. It will always be flawed. It will never have His seal of approval because we have done it on our own and without Him. We would have the gun and rivet, but without Him holding the bucking bar, it will be flawed.

So you see, He is to be our partner in our riveting team. He is to be a part of everything we do. We can do nothing without Him.

Today, I am thankful I have a bucking bar holder. Thankful my teammate is always there, never to let me down. Always there holding the right angle, never too close or too far away. Always on time and always, always waiting for me. So thank you my BUCK AND RIVET partner. Thank you for your faithfulness.

MEDICINE FOR THE BODY AND SOUL

You know, at this time in our lives, most of us take some type of daily medication. Many of us take several a day. It could be for high blood pressure, cholesterol, acid reflux, hypertension, back pain, joint pain, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and the list could go on and on. Some times, when people take a variety of prescription drugs, there are occasions when a doctor must "play" with those meds to get just the right combination to take care of a person's needs.

My mom has high blood pressure. Her cardiologist in Lufkin (where she moved from) was going to change up her medicine but chose to wait and let her new cardiologist determine how he would treat her needs. She has been having problems regulating it. Then there are people like Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith who have used prescription drugs and have been prescribed certain drugs by a doctor/doctors who choose to give them drugs simply because they request them (allegedly). No matter what the reason...all over the world, prescription drugs are handed out every day to treat the needs of people in order to give us a better quality of life.

Now I know medicine is a gift from God. God has given man wisdom and knowledge and discernment in order to come up with these drugs. I also know God, THE great physician, has given man the brains to become doctors with minds of knowledge capable to help others. But I believe there is a medicine all of us have the capacity to hand out that we often forget to use. Laughter and joy. Laughter and joy lighten the load, lift the spirit, take away the stress, soothes the heart, gives us rest, comforts the pain, removes the anxiety and so forth. And one doesn't have to be a doctor or physicians assistant or nurse to dispense it. One only has to love others and be willing to pay it forward.

So today, I am thankful for smiles, lightheartedness, laughter and joy that comes from those around me. Those friends who share their fun stories, their awkward moments, things their children say, their "foot in mouth disease" moments, etc.

I am so glad my Lord has a wonderful sense of humor. Thankful He has given me many funny, "brainless" moments to share with others. So hey....share a moment with a friend today and make them smile. It's good medicine for the body and soul!

Happy Father's Day FATHER!

Jimmy, "Big Jim", Dad

Daddy

Pop

Many years ago, our family had the opportunity to celebrate my father-in-law's 75th birthday. As Jimmy and I contemplated what to get a man who had everything, we were stumped. What do you get a man that age who seems to have everything he needs and really wants nothing? A few days later, I came up with the idea that each of us (including Clark and Graham), write a poem or letter or something, that let's him know who he is or has been to us. I would type the writings out and have each of them famed. Each of us could give them to him for his birthday.

After everyone wrote what they wanted, I typed them on paper that matched what they had to say and had them famed in what would compliment their gift of words. Pop loved each gift. Each was from the heart, made with our own time and thought and presented with love. He hung each one in the entrance of his home. On Father's Day, I think about the poem I wrote and the man who meant much to me.

Jimmy's dad is no longer living and my dad no longer lives either. I did something similar for my dad on one of his birthdays. I had a picture, in the background, of the two of us as he walked me down the aisle at my wedding. In front of the picture, were financial records of all he spent raising me through the years. The last line was the total cost of a dad walking his daughter down the aisle and giving her away...total personal cost...PRICELESS!

Yes, dads are very, very special. Jimmy is dad, father, pop, Big Jim, "Jimmy" to our children and grandchildren. He is the "one" whom I am forever grateful, God gave me to be father to our children. He was always active in their lives when they were young. Because we both worked, he participated in all the daily duties necessary in their lives. He taught them to be men. Men of honor, integrity, and men of good character.

I am thankful today to my heavenly Father for the fathers He put in my life. My two fathers, Daddy and Pop, and Jimmy, the wonderful father of our children. But most of all, I am thankful for my Heavenly Father. It is His standards we should follow to live by. He is the one who is always there, by our side, in the good and bad times. He is the Father who comforts our pain, sooths our sorrows, shares in our joys and gives all good things.

So thank you Father. Thank you for being a loving, tender and faithful Father. And thank you for providing me with such wonderful earthly fathers here on earth.

Happy Father's Day!

HONORING PARENTS

Florida Thompson

Today is beautiful. The sun is shining, the temperature is warm and school is out. A perfect day for a.....funeral. Yes, a funeral for the mother of a dear friend of mine. Her name is Florida Thompson. She was 91 years old. A tall beautiful lady. An only child, who had and only child (my friend Shirley) with only one grandchild and great grandchild.

Florida had been very sick over the past several months. In fact Shirley, her daughter and my friend, spent the last 6 weeks by her bedside, sleeping nights in a lounge chair in order to be there to care for her. Though Shirley is a retired nurse, we all know those times when we are at our own loved one's side are never easy...even if we are skilled. The emotional strain of watching someone you love, sick, is just plain hard.

Shirley never complained about being tired. She never complained about not enough sleep or the things Florida might be in constant need of. Shirley saw this time through the eyes of our Lord. Though she had not planned to retire as early as she did, she now realizes that God foreordained this opportunity so that she, an only child, could spend these past 6 weeks, unconditionally loving and caring for her dying mother. Why do we marvel so at God's work in our life? What a sweet time he provided for Shirley as she obediently honored her mother in Florida's last days.

Since I just moved my own mother her, it makes me even more aware what a privilege I am given to honor my own mother. The time I will be allowed to spend with her (since she has never lived near me in my 39 years of marriage). God calls each of us to honor our parents. Yet in today's world, we are so busy, so need "me time", think only about what "we" want, that we have forgotten not the "call" to honor our parents, but the "privilege" to honor them with what time any of us have left here on earth.

Father's Day is coming up this weekend. Jimmy nor I have our dads still with us. But what a day to celebrate the FANTASTIC earthly fathers we were privileged to have. I didn't have the opportunity to care for my dad when he was sick before he died, as Shirley did for her mother, but I will celebrate his life as I celebrate Florida Thompson's life today.

So today, I am thankful for parents. Thankful for the joy of loving, caring for and the privilege God has given me to honor my parents. What a BEAUTIFUL day to celebrate! Florida...say hi to daddy, will you?

BUCKET LIST

WOW! It has been over a month since I've written a thing! My, how time flies! It is truly amazing how one never notices the days tick away. Life just keeps on moving and one day, we open our eyes and a year or two have passed by. I will turn 60 in December and I can't believe it! Where have the years gone?

My mom moved to San Antonio this past week - into an Independent Living facility. She's 84 and will be 85 in December. Yet I still see her as I've always seen her - no certain age....just my mom. I seem to see myself in the same light. Perhaps when I get up in the morning, when I step out of bed and feel those extra aches and pains, have a hard time opening bottles because my hands hurt, stretch and get a crick in my shoulder or leg or have to be up for a while before my body feels "alive" do I feel "the same" as I always did.

I was thinking as I lay in bed this morning...60 years old...I never thought about my age before, but now, 60 means I have maybe 25 to 30 years max to live. I've lived two thirds of my life and it has just "gone by" It made me begin to think of how I would spend the last third of my life.

What have I done with the first two thirds to make a difference? Who's life have I touched that will count in eternity? Who has benefited from a kind word or a helping hand, a gentle smile, an open door, a listening ear or a needed hug? Is that all I have done? Have I really made a difference at all? I do believe we are all put on earth to make some kind of difference. I believe God allows people to cross our lives in order that we may be blessed by how we allow Him to bless others through us. But have I missed opportunities? Have I not been looking? Have I not asked Him to give me eyes to see, ears to hear and the wisdom to know who He is sending?

I realized that Jesus was only on this earth 30+ years...approximately one third of our life expectancy. Look what He accomplished. Look at how many lives He touched, how many people He helped, fed, healed, hugged, listened to, felt compassion for, etc. He made a difference in every life He came in contact with and more! He is our standard today. I should strive to make a difference, holding Him as my standard of living in order to make a difference in the lives of anyone I come in contact with.

So today, I am thankful for having another day, or year or even 30 if that's my Lord's desire. Thankful that my "bucket list" is headed by my desire to make a difference in the lives of others, using my Lord Jesus as my standard. Making a difference by loving unconditionally, giving of myself without complaint, serving others without complaint, being a peacemaker, speaking truth in love, showing kindness to the poor and needy, reserving anger for the sin, not the sinner, having patience and self control. Yes, thankful for another day to work on my "bucket list!"

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23)