The Dock.....

What a beautiful day. After a week of cold, dreary weather, the sun finally decided to make an appearance. As I was doing my daily activities at the Dean household, I realized that the bird feeders outside were empty. While filling up the various bird feeders behind the glassed back porch, I looked at Dad in the window and told him it felt great. I fed the birds and walked toward the dock to look at the water that had finally risen to a decent level for the rowers. A few minutes later, I was surprised that he had put on his shoes and make the trip to the dock to join me.

The water was peacefully flowing with the sound of ducks and geese in the background. Warm…peaceful… beautiful. The Baptist Rabbi began to talk, reminiscing about many things about his life. During our 20-minute dock visit, he shared several things, and I sat quietly soaking it in….

·      As he enter the later years of life, he enjoys the simple things in life – like a roof over his head, food, and people who have helped him along the journey of life. Material things no longer matter. People and relationships do.

·      He spends a great deal of time talking about how his life has played out and how thankful he is for all the people who have played an important part in making is life successful –

o   His sisters who helped raise him.

o   His mother who always supported him.

o   His sister, Irene, who loaned him money for a car.

o   His brother who has always been there for him.

o   His Dad, who asked his boss to co-sign a loan for him to go to college.

o   The couple who gave him his first church to preach.

o   The members of his churches that became his best friends.

o   Mom’s unending faithfulness to him through it all.

o   And the list goes on and on.

·      He finds it important to tell people that he is appreciative of all they have done for him and how much he loves them.

·      He is aware of the mistakes that he has made and times that other people were right. He actually had recounted a few times where he was brutally wrong (I surpassed that number a long time ago!!!!). He is very humble that he has not always been right and has learned a great deal from his mistakes.

·      He ends his soliloquy with these words, “I have lived a blessed life. If the Good Lord takes me today, I don’t have one complaint.”

This day on the dock. I would not trade it for the world. It is times like this that I wish life would suspend time and make it last forever. Mom and Dad both talk about how blessed they have been in their life, but I must say……it is all of us that have been blessed by our lives crossing paths with them. I am the luckiest daughter to belong to them. Thank you, Jesus, for blessing me with this special moment. Selfishly, I pray for many more days on the dock…..