We had a very nice Thanksgiving this year, my wife cooks everything fresh the day of and the house smells heavenly.
We have dinner at our house for our kids, significant others and my wife’s family. The day was very relaxing considering the week I was having.
I enjoyed dinner, we played a family game and had a nice visit with the family.
Later that night, off to bed, to get some good rest so I could review what I had for my uncle’s service and would be putting the final touches on it in the morning, even though I didn’t really have it nailed down yet but I’m an early riser and figured I’d complete it in the morning.
They say the tryptophan in turkey is what makes you sleepy.
I’m not buying it. I couldn’t fall asleep at all.
I ended up staying up most of the night, until about 4 a.m. and when I finally fell asleep it was one of those groggy, fitful, tossin’ and turnin’ kinda sleeps.
I slept in till about seven in the morning, took a shower right away, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed right back up to my bedroom to sit at my desk and review what I wrote.
I didn’t even drink my coffee.
I just sat there. Staring at it.Â
And staring…
And staring…
And staring…
And staring…
Then it hit me…
how to make it feel complete.
It was staring me right in my dumb face the whole time.
With the ‘rough notes’ and the ‘official service’ I wrote the night before I had a great picture of my uncle.
The notes, I would use as a ‘rough’ intro, as a way to show everyone how we all were in the same boat all week.
Maybe that’s how my shock manifested itself, in my inability to move forward on any one path for my uncle’s service.
I had twenty five pages in all. My approach would be one of just sharing it like it happened using my rough notes as a map of sorts to bring us across the lake together in that boat we were all in, as it were.
There it was. The bible says not to worry as God always leaves us a way out, he mostly means through Jesus but he also means a sure path in this crazy world.
As I was putting the notes together one of the bible passages I would use is found in Matthew and Jesus is explaining how people serve him in this world and don’t even realize it.
This also fits my uncle Lorenzo and how he was always helping someone with their car, giving someone a ride or inviting some neighbor kid or a friend of a friend into the house and giving them something to eat.
Matthew 25:35-40
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
One night during the week  one of my cousins called, she really needed to talk about her dad, we talked for a long time. I kept telling her I was only being quiet because I was writing down my notes as she talked and I think that page is a visual for how we were all feeling. It just doesn’t make sense.
One of Lorenzo’s granddaughters said it best, “It just hurts.”
I had my notebook, I had my plan and it was time to get ready to go.
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