Today is Jrod’s birthday. He’s seven today. Can’t quite believe he’s seven (considering the fact that the shirt I bought him for his birthday is 4T, and will fit him perfectly). That boy has a life about him that is all at once energizing, perplexing, and addictive. He loves life and lives it to the fullest.
The world is black and white to Jrod. From personal experience, this may one day work against him, but for now, his simplistic perspective is nothing short of beautiful. He worries little, acccepting with ease what comes his way.
Jrod is creative. This can be to my demise, but I have to give him credit. When he runs out of toilet paper, why not use the shower curtain? When the backyard slide has lost its excitement, why not go down it in a box? And when you can’t think of another way to pass a hot summer day, why not sit on top of mom’s car and use the front window as a ramp for Hot Wheels?
I love Jrod and can’t seem to get enough of him. I’m grateful to the Lord for Jrod’s seven years.
Today is my grandfather’s birthday. Today he is eighty-three. I can’t quite believe he’s eighty-three. If you know my grandfather, you know that age hasn’t seemed to slow him. When I think about my grandfather, I think about these three things: Godly living, hard working, and the sun. John Buswell is a man that exudes God’s presence in every part of his life: Never leaving our presence without praying; and offering words of wisdom that come from God’s word in the pulpit, during the baptisms of his grandchildren and great grandchildren, and sitting around the dinner table. He has passed on to the next generation the importance of pursuing endlessly a deep relationship with Jesus.
John Buswell is one of the hardest working men I have ever known. But, to no avail, as hard working as my grandfather is, he knows how to rest.
To this day, he has the unique ability to soak up every ray of sun, leaving little for the poor pale soul who decides to join him on the beach. I love my grandfather and look forward each year to those sunny days on the beach. I’m grateful to the Lord for my grandfather’s eighty-three years.
And still there is someone else on my heart. Today my sister, Erin, will have surgery. The eight hour procedure will begin this morning while the doctors attempt to remove the tumor that has inflicted her body. This, I still can’t quite believe. I am grateful to the Lord for all He has instilled in Erin during the last thirty years. Because of her unending love for Jesus, she has blessed so many through her own difficult journey.
Today I am reminded that God holds our future in the palm of his hands. Whether a rambunctious seven year old, an eighty-three year old who has lived a full life, or a thirty year old mother with cancer, only God knows what tomorrow holds. And so, in this very moment, I embrace this truth and rejoice in one who holds today.
