Life-Changing Moments

There are moments in life that will forever change the way you look at the rest of your life…for me some of those moments include being in a car accident, getting married, moving overseas, assisting in the birth of a child, 9-11, and the death of my Grandma.

It happened quite suddenly, Grandma had open-heart surgery on Monday and was recovering quite well. On Saturday, I received the call that the Dr. only gave her hours to live. Living in Germany meant there was no way that I could physically be there to say "Goodbye". Words can't express how hard that was for me.

Anyone who has had the privilege of knowing their Grandparents, probably have many wonderful memories with them. I am no different. Memories of dresses and curtains she made for me, putting curlers in her hair for a payment of $.25, spending the week at Grandma's while I recovered from the chickenpox and that horrible blind date she set me up on because she was so worried I would never get married. My Grandma and I had a different bond because she was my fill-in-mom. My mom left when I was 7, and Grandma came to live with us during the week and went home to be with Grandpa on the weekends. She taught me lots of things, but most importantly she always pointed me to Jesus as the answer to all of my questions. Just like any mother/daughter relationship we didn't always see eye to eye, but I knew she loved me and was proud of me.

I will never forget her words to me before my wedding. "Melissa, I'm so proud of you. I always knew there was something extra special about you."  My biggest disappointment is that I was sick during her funeral and was unable to sing as she requested. I know she would understand, but it still makes me sad.

I am so thankful for a Grandma who loved Jesus and wasn't afraid to share Him with others. I will treasure her memory always and my life will never be the same here without her. I look forward to seeing her again someday.

TIME is tickin' away!

Last night we said “Goodbye” to our dear Hospitality House Directors, Lou & Cathy Rozmiarek. We still have a little “goodbye-ing” left to do with them, but today I find myself reflecting on the events of last night…

We had over 60 people come to thank Lou & Cathy for the impact they had made on their lives (many who weren’t able to come) and I couldn’t help but think of the overdone Ray Boltz song, “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed.” It’s impossible to go to a goodbye dinner without reflecting on the impact one life can have on another.

The military is blessed in many ways, and although I have not met a person yet who likes saying “Goodbye”, we are blessed in being able to do so. Having to say “Goodbye” so often, lends itself to a deeper understanding of the brevity of time. When you are changing locations at least every couple of years, you learn the difficult lesson of how to make the most of your time with people. 

Anyone who has been in a serious car accident, had a life threatening experience or precarious health can relate to the sense of how short life is.  After making it through that experience, there is a desire to breathe deeply, enjoy the world and the people around us, and even to make things right with God, ourselves and those we love. For believers, this is just another spiritual reminder that this world is not our home and we are aliens here. Our hearts were not meant to stay here.

So, even though my heart is deeply saddened to be saying “goodbye” to such dear friends and colleagues, I guess I write this as a reminder to myself and others- Don’t wait! Live life to the fullest and make the most of your time, because the days are evil. –Ephesians 5:16