Thanksgiving Every Day

Okay, so this picture is a couple of years old, and one of my goals before the end of this year must be to get an updated family photo.

I am the most blessed man. Jesus saw fit to take my sins upon Himself, so I could be declared "not guilty" before a Holy and Righteous God. I could stop right there and that would be more than enough evidence to back up my claim of being the most blessed man. But, God didn't stop there. He blesses me with:
**My Bride, Peggy. She has put up with me all these years (we dated for four years before getting married nearly 28 1/2 years ago). Peggy is my best friend and the love of my life. I could not have asked for a better life partner. Always supportive, always giving, and not afraid to kick me in the butt when needed (and that is often), Peggy is the BEST part of me.

**Our children, Emily, Ian, Elliott and Abi. Yes, God has blessed us with four kids (we don't do the in-law thing around here) who love Jesus and serve Him with their whole hearts. It has been, and continues to be, such a blessing watching them grow in their faith, and watching them express that faith.

**My Dad, who is now living with us. Dad taught me what unconditional love was like. Dad taught me the good parts about being a father, and I could never repay him for that. To have him with us now is an adjustment for everyone involved, but I LOVE having my Dad with us. Let me refer back to my comments about Peggy in this matter as well, she is so supportive, loving, and great making this transition in our lives.

**Vero Christian Church, our home and our family. We LOVE serving God through the ministry of Vero Christian Church, and feel so blessed to work beside our elders, deacons and staff. Working with Steve Jones is a blessing beyond words. His support and Christian love for me and for what I do around here makes my labor for the Lord that much more enjoyable. Working with our praise team in rehearsals is the highlight of my week, surpassed only by what we do on Sunday mornings! Working in the student ministry is still a great passion of mine, and our youth sponsors are phenomenal.

**Christian brothers and sisters around the country and around the globe. I am so grateful for the communication age in which we live. Being able to stay in touch with dear brothers and sisters in Christ through the Internet and through text messaging keeps me grounded. I miss being able to be with "the crew" in person, but since we are now scattered all over the country literally, at least I get to be with them in Cyberspace or via the cell phone!

**Living in Vero Beach, FL. I always teased that I thought God was calling me to a "beach ministry" never dreaming that I would actually live in a beach town. In Florida no less! Wow, God You ARE amazing!

During this Thanksgiving season, I am reminded that I need to be thankful every day. I try to be, but I don't always express that thanks properly. May this be the year that all of that changes for the better. To God be the glory always. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, and make no mistake, they are overflowing in my life!

Remembering Mom

Mom would be celebrating a birthday today. Because Mom was a lady, I won;'t reveal which birthday it would have been, but it would have been a BIG ONE. It's amazing to me how that after 16 years since she passed from this life due to pancreatic cancer, I still miss her so badly every single day. The picture here is my favorite one ever of Mom. I snapped it while she was ironing (obviously) and if there was one domestic chore she hated, it was IRONING! You can see her telling me, "you had better not take that picture!" I disobeyed, and the picture was taken. I wish I could say it was the only time I disobeyed, but that would be a lie. I did try, however, to honor and obey my Mom. You see, Mom is one of my heroes.

Divorced just about the time my youngest brother was born, it was Mom and us three boys (with lots of help from my grandparents). That is until my Dad came along. When Mom started dating my Dad, I got to see what true love is like. Not just the romantic love between two adults, but the love for us boys that poured out from both Mom and Dad even before they got married. Dad recently reminded me of the gentleman's agreement we made when he first started dating Mom that we would "adopt" each other. What sweet memories.

Mom was the closest thing to being omniscient to anyone on this planet. She used to do this whole routine where she very dramatically reminded us that, "Mom knows all, sees all, but doesn't necessarily tell all." And she did. I found out the hard way on more than one occasion that I really couldn't pull a fast one over on her (even when I thought I had).

I am so glad to say that I had a great relationship with Mom. We remained close even when I "sneaked out of the nest" as she used to say. When I graduated from high school, my family moved to Alabama. I stayed in Kentucky and went up to live with my grandparents. Mom somehow had the mistaken notion that I was coming to live with them in Alabama at some point, but I never had intentions of doing so. That was my sneaking out of the nest, and we laughed about it for years.

When I brought Peggy to Alabama as we were letting family know of our intentions to become husband and wife, Mom had finally gotten to the point where she accepted the fact that her "baby boy" was gonna marry some girl. I know that Peggy didn't think Mom liked her for several years as we dated, but she now knows what Mom was going through (since our "baby boy" has married a fine young lady, himself). It wasn't that Mom didn't like Peggy, she just wasn't ready to share me with some other female. Mom wasn't just my Mother, she was my confidant, and she knew (rightfully so) that her position would change with my marriage to Peggy. My Bride reminds me a lot of my Mom, and that is the highest compliment I could ever pay Peggy.

When Mom was diagnosed with cancer, we were all caught totally off guard. Mom was rarely ever sick, and had shown no signs of the cancer until it was in the final stages. We got word in early July, and by October 17, 1993, Mom was gone from this life. I had the privilege of videotaping some conversations with Mom where she talked about everything from her childhood to meeting and dating and marrying Dad, to stories about each of of kids, and stories about her grandbabies. While Elliott has some vague memories of her, Ian and Emily really only know her from the video, from pictures and from the stories they have been told. I want them all to know how much they were loved by their Grandma Blount.

I was with Mom when she breathed her last breath. She had slipped into a coma on that Sunday afternoon, and I sat by her hospital bed in the living room and held her hand, praying, singing, and dreading the moment. I dreaded it for my sake, because I was not ready to say goodbye. I am glad that I was there and had that time. I am so proud to be Bettie Blount's son. As I remember her birthday today, I want to praise my Lord and Savior Jesus for walking with me every day as I miss my Mom. I praise Jesus for the strength He gave me to get through that very tough time of having to say goodbye. I don't concentrate of that final weekend with her on this planet, but I have a flood of memories that make me smile as I write this note today.