If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.
(Sir Isaac Newton)
This year has been filled with the unexpected.
One of the things I didn’t expect was that people I knew back home would die. These three individuals have blessed me immensely and I thank God that He placed them in my life. They have been some of the giants who have allowed me to see a little further.
This blog is a tribute to them.
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Aunt Lori was my grandma’s sister. Visiting her and Uncle Bill was always a breath of fresh air. Their love and humility, even in the face of difficult circumstances, never failed to blow me away.
Aunt Lori showed me what a precious thing it is to belong to Jesus. She was the one who helped me see that I don’t need to know what I’m going to be when I grow up; I just need to walk with Jesus today.
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Doris Goodman was a lady at my mom and dad’s church in South Bend, Indiana. I often heard about the dinners she would host in her little house and the hospitality and blessed fellowship people would experience there. In fact, the last time my mom and dad got to see her was for dinner at her home the night before she passed away.
Grandma Doris showed me what it really means to pray. Although there was nothing fancy about the words she would utter before God but when she knelt to pray, there was no doubt that she knew her Heavenly Father in a deep and personal way.
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My grandpa taught me a lot of things. Like how to kill the slugs that destroy your vegetable garden and what to do after you get sprayed by a skunk. He put Thai sweet chili sauce in everything, even tomato soup. He was the one who taught me how to parallel park and took me out for ice cream right before we went to my driving test. Through the big picture window in his dining room, he showed me the wonders of God’s creation as we watched the birds come to the bird feeders and the deer and turkey wander out of the woods to help themselves to his garden.
But the biggest thing that I learned from Grandpa was to enjoy the present. Grandpa always said, “Don’t get old!” He showed me that instead of wishing away my current circumstances, I should squeeze all I can out of each day before it’s too late and all that’s left are regrets.
I’m blessed that I get to have these giants not only to learn from but now they’re a part of the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) cheering me on as I continue to live this life that God has given me.
