A few days ago, I mentioned the passing of my uncle. His children, grandchildren and my aunt held a memorial service for him last night. They asked for family and friends to write down some memories of him, to be shared at the service. So I did. My aunt called me this morning to tell me how well received it was and how much she (and the kids) appreciated it. There was nothing I could do to change their family dynamic, to take away the pain and hurt, to make up for lost time, to restore their relationships. Helping them honor his memory by writing a few words was the least that I could do. In his memory....
My heart is with my aunt and with my cousins and their children. May you find peace knowing that he finally has.
When I get a chance to share my story of how I began my relationship with Christ, people always laugh when I say that it began at the skating rink. It really did! It was Christian Skate Night...I was in the 3rd grade. In the middle of this monthly event, there was always a time of devotion. Roller skating was just a way to get people in the door in the hopes of one, just one, accepting Jesus Christ into his/her heart. The devotion was always lead by a pastor within the Genesee Baptist Association. That night, Uncle Jr. gave the devotion and that night, I was the one...maybe the only one...who accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. God moves everywhere, folks...even at the skating rink!
My Uncle Jr. was an interesting man. He was SO smart! He seemed to know so much about so much...books, music, history, art, the Bible. I loved listening to him talk...his years in Michigan not being able to completely erase the Mississippi/Louisiana bend from his speech. His face would often carry a stern expression that reminded me of an eagle...intense and powerful. Every now and then, that stern demeanor would give way to a belly laugh that started far deeper than his belly. I can easily recall moments when he would be SO tickled that he would lose his breath from laughing and have to lean against the wall or grab the back of a chair for support until he could collect himself. I remember that he had a mischievous streak...I can close my eyes and see him smiling and winking in just that certain way that let me know he was up to something. I always prayed I wasn’t the target!
He LOVED to dabble in the kitchen and most of his experiments were good. He was almost fearless in the kitchen...sometimes, being a little too uninhibited. One particular December, he whipped up a pot of Curried Chicken. Two words....gut bomb! To this day, and that was nearly thirty years ago, I’m very apprehensive about anything that lists curry as an ingredient! He made cakes for various family functions. He made one for my graduation open house, one for my mother’s 40th birthday...complete with edible gravestones and buzzards. He made the groom’s cake for my wedding reception themed around Eric’s favorite NFL team...the Washington Redskins. Have a feeling that Earnest Byner never had a better likeness rendered in edible, food grade paint! Speaking of my wedding, it was Uncle Jr. who arranged my train behind me and told me how beautiful I was just before I walked down the aisle, on the arm of my precious Papa Wood.
Despite all his many talents and gifts, his inner critic was harsh. I truly believe that Uncle Jr. had a lack of self confidence that made it difficult to cope with just how gifted he truly was. No matter how beautifully he painted a canvas or how cleanly he knocked a dinger out of the park at a church softball game, his inner critic set a standard that was impossible for him to achieve. I don’t know why this inner voice was so loud in his head; I don’t know why it was so difficult to silence it. I do know that because of the sway it held over him, he never seemed to be content...there was something inside him that was so restless and always searching for approval.
His life had twists and turns that were surprising, some of those being the result of choices...some just being the nature of life. No matter the depth or level of surprise that Uncle Jr. may have experienced, I know that God was never caught off guard. For those of us who are Believers, there is hope beyond this temporary home. In the arms of Jesus, there is hope, joy, peace and comfort. Over the years, Uncle Jr.’s walk may have wandered...whose hasn’t...but I feel it in my bones that he is now in Heaven and has experienced a contentment he never could find on this earth. And that makes me smile.
Comments
Post a Comment