Memories of dad

I suppose all of us who have lost our dads take a few minutes on Father's Day to wander down memory lane. My dad passed sixteen years ago, at the age of seventy-six.


Dad was always a hard worker. He held two jobs for most of his life, especially when my sister and I were younger. Our uncle owned a stationary store in town and, in addition to his full-time job as a route rider for a milk company, he worked a couple evenings a week and on Sundays at the store.


My sis and I used to ride our bikes down to the store, where dad would fix us ice cream cones. One of our big moments was to meet dad at the corner of our street and the highway when he was on his way home from work so we could hop in the car and ride back to the house with him


Dad loved his cars. He took good care of them, inside and out. I still remember him in a heated discussion with my uncle, declaring with a vehement punching of a fist on the kitchen table, "you will never, ever, see gas cost a dollar a gallon!"


Dad loved the Adirondack North Country, where he was born and raised. He married mom and raised us out on Long Island, but when we went on vacation, it was back up-state. I remember one time he called mom around ten in the morning and told her, "I'm getting off work at noon today. Be packed." She threw some things in a suitcase and we headed up to spend the week-end with relatives in the Adirondacks.


Dad loved the cold weather. I can recall going for walks with him in the snow. When we walked in the Adirondacks, it would be so cold that the snow would crunch beneath our feet.He never could tolerate the heat. Neither can I.


Dad played the piano with a talent that was a pure gift. He never learned to read a note of music and I was told he taught himself on an old pump organ. He loved the music of the big bands era. If I listen hard enough, I still hear some of those sweet melodies as vividly as I did when they floated across our living room fifty years ago.


I wish dad had been around to meet our granddaughter. I think he would have just adored her. I wish he were here to see our kids in their successful careers. On the other hand, he'd probably be miserable in today's world. All the technology, the economy, the politics, would be a constant source of irritation to him!


He lived a good life, and in those last months, when cancer attacked his body, he fought a brave fight and brought encouragement to all those around him.


Today, especially, I miss him.


Love you dad!


Thanks for reading my blog!

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL

It's great to be back in the blogosphere. I've missed my readers and I hope you've missed me!


I can't think of a better topic on Patti's Porch today than to tell you about the Heaven is for Real event my husband and I attended a couple of nights ago.


I'm sure many of you have heard about the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, which tells the incredible story of his three year-old son's visit to heaven while undergoing surgery. I couldn't believe it when I learned this event would be held in a high school gymnasium in the next town, a community of about 8,000 people. Through the hard work and financial contributions of several area sponsors, those of us in the oft forgotten rural section of Southeastern Colorado were able to experience a truly delightful and inspirational evening.


The band Read You and Me played praise and worship music for quite a while. It was a bit loud, but it set the tone for the fact that the audience was there to have an encounter with God and give all the glory to Him.


Mr Burpo, a pastor from a small church in Nebraska, then spoke about their family's experience. He took us through the heart-wrenching moments when they thought they might lose their precious son and the observations young Colton shared with his parents for months afterward that verified he had actually visited heaven. The Biblical references a child could not possibly know or fabricate bring authenticity to his words that, in my opinion, cannot be refuted.


We next viewed a home video, where Colton revealed some of his observations to his dad. There are several videos that can be accessed. This is one.


A local pastor then interviewed Todd and his wife, Sonja. I love the way this family handles the message God has given them to share. They don't exploit their now eleven year-old son by putting him on stage to testify to what he saw and learned. They don't preach "you have to believe this." They simply plant seeds with solid facts and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. 


We saw Colton briefly when he came on stage to sing Amazing Grace with the pure sweet voice of a child who knows without a doubt that God, Jesus, and heaven are for real.


Have you ever had a mountaintop experience? Most of us have, where our hearts are so full that we feel like we will burst with joy.


I can't say I felt that type of emotion after this event. What I walked away with was more of a sense of confirmation and anticipation. It reminded me of when I am planning a trip and someone who has been there says, "Oh, yes, all the things you've heard about it are true. You're just going to love it!"


There sure have been a lot of questions rolling around in my brain since Wednesday evening, though. Here are just a few:


What kind of work will God have for me to do when I get there?
(Colton talked about homework!)

Will I really be able to see everything around me without glasses?

What will it be like to travel with wings? (Colton says everybody gets a pair!)

Is my dad driving the open roads in the most luxurious car ever?

Is my grandmother, who loved gardening, tending a garden so gorgeous it is beyond human description?

Are my mother-in-law's many children who preceded her in death gathering together at the table to enjoy her home-made tortillas?
(Colton talks about meeting his sister, who his mom miscarried long before Colton was born).

How many people aren't there because I didn't share my faith when I could have? (Wow, that's a tough one!)

Heaven is for real. I have peace in the knowledge that no matter what I endure on this earth, whether it be pain, heartbreak, financial insecurity, or disaster, it pales in comparison to the glory that awaits. There will be stumbling blocks on this path we call life, but all I have to do to reach my final destination is accept the gift God gave me, His son. I am blessed to have heard this story first hand of a little boy who confirms it as absolute truth.


If this event comes to your area, I strongly urge you to attend. Read the book. See for yourself the truths God has revealed through the eyes of a child.


Thanks for reading my blog.