Happy Birthday Lovey…

May 1 is a special day for me… it is my Wifey’s birthday.

Today I woke up early and gave her breakfast in bed. (thank you Pancake House!)

Happy Birthday Lovey. . . (those other blogs I need to do can wait)

thank you for your love.

thank you for your child-like devotion to the Lord.

Thank you for being you.

Your strength is something I lean on.

Your intelligence is very much appreciated.

Thank your for your encouragement.
Thank you for the life you have shared with me for the past 24years ( 10 years and counting, of which you have shared as my wife)

Thank you for your very generous and lavish love.

I could never imagine how my life would have turned out without you.

Every time I look at you, I am more keenly aware of how I did not deserve you, yet God gave you.

And every time I look at you, I am made more aware of how much God has blessed me in this lifetime.

I love you.

“Let me see him grow up…”

After church last Sunday, I met a former US serviceman who had served for many decades. He has been to many places all over the world. He described how Subic Bay Naval Base was in the Philippines in the 60s. He said “Manila was at that time, a real pearl of the Orient”…

He told me about his travels all over the world. He was even part of the first Gulf war… and in Kuwait, met his Filipina wife.
They are settled there now in Dumaguete. Living a peaceful life with their 15mos old son. What a handsome boy. We talked about his life in DFW (about 2 hours where I went for college…) and his life here now in Dumaguete. His son, being carried by his nanny, interrupted our conversation.

I asked him “How old is your handsome boy?”

“15-months” – he said…. and followed his answer with this “I am just praying that the good Lord would let me see him study and enter school…”

I turned to him and asked “how old are you?”

“67…… I would do my best to keep myself physically fit, but the rest is up to the Lord…”

(picture of the 15-mos old son of the older man I met last sunday)

We parted ways and he took his family to the car and drove off. I was leaving for Manila so i could not take him up on his invitation to visit them in their house just outside the city.

I could not shake the image away. An older man simply praying that God would give him more years so he could see his son go through his first day of school….

And amazing how we all just need God to show us His mercy. For others it is the healing of a relationship. Maybe a job for others. Prayers of protection for a loved one working overseas. Prayer for God’s provision for a family to be well-fed….

There is no one who would be able to say that they do not need His enabling grace….

“Lord I pray for this older brother. I pray that you would extend his physical health so that he would see his son grow up. Strengthen his body and give him your hope. He is in the twillight of his years yet you had given him a boy who would rely on his strength. Would you strengthen, encourage and provide for my brother? Would you make him the father to that handsome boy, that you had designed him to be…. Let him hold on to you for the fulfillment of his dreams. I lift him up to you in the precious name of Jesus our Lord.

Amen.