WHAT’S THE MESSAGE?
The past month has been a busy few weeks for us. Early March we traveled by car to Tacoma to attend son John’s retirement party. He recently retired after 26 years of service from Federal Way Police Department. We planned to make the trip there in two legs. First leg from Bend to Longview/Kelso, spending the night with son Scott, wife Joy and twin granddaughters. The girls became ill and we did not want to risk catching their illness, as we planned to leave March 12th for Mexico to spend time with friends who are Missionaries there. Patty’s sister Nancy and husband Jerry were gracious to let us spend the night. We had a good visit with them and another sister Becky and her husband Brian. On Friday morning we met with son Jason and Shelly for breakfast, and had a short visit with son Scott before heading North. While we had to change our plans, we were thankful to spend time with family. Living a four hour drive apart, it is rare that we get to do so. It was the beginning of a wonderful weekend. We arrived in Tacoma Friday afternoon. Daughter Melissa and husband Jeff traveled from New Jersey to attend John’s party. Melissa arranged for us to share a townhome with them. It was really good to be together. Friday evening there was a pre-party gathering at John and Kathy’s home for some friends who could not attend the party on Saturday. Kathy, John’s wife, is a gifted planner and it gave us opportunity to meet some of her family along with the friends. The party Saturday evening saw around 120 of John’s family, friends and co-workers come out to honor him and celebrate with him. It became clear during the evening, John is loved and respected. People traveled from across the country to attend, in spite of the Covid 19 threat. As you may imagine, it was a proud moment for Patty and myself. What’s the message? Relationships matter! Family relationships really matter! Our busy lives make it difficult to give the attention and care needed to develop and maintain relationships. Those who prioritize relationships reap a great reward!
We traveled to Mexico as planned, returning March 19th. The trip provided a special visit with friends Holly and Steve, and an opportunity to meet new friends as well as view first hand some of the fruits of the ministry there. We are very grateful for their hospitality.
So, what’s the message? There is a relationship that is more important, one that matters more than any we may have with friends or family. We can have a personal, deep, relationship with our Heavenly Father who created us and loves us. The opportunity is through Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, to purchase that opportunity for us. He meets us and accepts us right where we are, warts and all. That is the message!