Anniversaries!

As a history buff I am a stickler for dates and events, the ever-linear timeline of life.  For example, every year on September 1st I acknowledge Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939.  I know that sounds very weird and is not disguised as some sort of political or idealogical message.  It is simply a fact of historical record that I chuckle about whenever I think of it.  Recently I had quite a few dates of remembrance.  First was January 30th, which is the date my maternal grandfather passed away fifteen years ago.  At the time, yours truly was under thirty days away from getting released from incarceration and was never able to see him again this side of Heaven.  Immediately following on February 2nd, I marked ten years since moving into my present residence.  Wow, have I really lived here this long?  When living in Houston, it seems like I was moving every six months.  Father God has richly blessed me with stability and somewhat affordable housing.  On February 26th, I marked fifteen years since moving to Fort Worth and beginning my life in the land of exile.  With the passage of time, I don't hate it here nearly as bad but still don't like or enjoy living in Fort Worth.  Unfortunately I have lived here too long to seriously consider moving anywhere else or starting over in someplace new.  Guess I'm stuck!  Maybe I simply need to accept the facts of life for what they are.  In the meantime, I am making due the best I can with what I have to work with.  Thankfully I am under the watchful care of the Great Shepherd who knows what is best for me.  Psalm 23 is a comfort when I question Father God's actions.  Sometimes the author of this blog post thinks he knows better how to run his life.  Wrong!  What dates do you celebrate every year?  What significance do they play in your life?  As you come across those milestones, cherish the memories and go out to create new ones.  It's amazing what we become fond of or simply smile about over the course of a lifetime.  One last memory for the road...  January 27th is the birthday of an old drinking buddy.  Don't know what happened to him.  As hard as we partied, I wouldn't be surprised if he was dead or locked up.  That sounds harsh but is the reality of the situation.  Gotta take the bad with the good; however, I choose to remember the good times of friendship with this man.  He was a dear friend at the time, and I wish him many blessings wherever he may be.  Cheers to my friend Orlando!

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