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Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
by Tom Kelley
Can you believe it? We are already into the second day of June. Seems like just last month was May. You can insert your own cliche. "Time marches on." "My how quickly the days pass when you're getting older." All I know is that my twin grandchildren turned nineteen months Wednesday. We had them our usual Thursday evening which was their first day of their twentieth month of life. Although I am not ancient I can verify that I have been around for quite a bit more than twenty months.
Matter of fact, I am thirty-three and one half times as old as my grandchildren. I am 670 months old compared to their twenty. Age amazes me. I watch my grandkids play in the backyard and they're more interested in running around on the deck than in blowing bubbles. The fascination of looking out from between the stanchions on the railings at Grammy and Pawpaw still mesmerizes them. In fact, there are a lot of things they seem to be more interested in than what we thought they would be.
Do you like the seasonal song, "Winter Wonderland?" We hear it a lot on Thursday evenings. My wife, Becky, bought one of those animated snow people things where a snowman and snowwomen sit together and sing that song at the press of a button. It's the grandkids' favorite thing to play with. No matter what else they might pull out to enjoy, the feature of the evening is pressing that button and listening to those two bouncing snow people sing. They even join in on the last syllable of the song and sing a rousing "LAAAAAAAAAAAAND."
The things that interest those two sweethearts are totally different from what held our own kids' attention. The one thing that is consistent with the two generations that came from me and my wife -- they all love being outdoors. Patrick and Grace can't wait to get out of their car seats and go for a walk with us up the street. Then it's off to the backyard when we return. We've already started talking to them about the wonders of God's world. What better way to present God than through His creation.
"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead." Romans 1:20 Nature's classroom? Nah. God's classroom. Everything greens back up in the spring of the year after going dormant in the winter as a sign of God's providential care. The air embraces us everyday with a life-giving hug to remind us of God's love. Even on gray days we know the sun is there to remind us that He will never leave us or forsake us. Yeah, my grandkids are gonna love the outdoors and its God.
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...He was the Minister of the Minorsville Christian Church located near Stamping Ground, KY.
...Becky and Tom have three children; John, single and in worship ministry in Nicholasville, Kentucky; Sean, married (Jennifer, elementary school teacher) with twins (Grace and Patrick, b.d. 10/31/04) and regional director of Papa John's Pizza in Central KY; Kara, married (Vince Taylor, prison guard) and working with Hospice East in Winchester, KY.
...Tom went to be with the Lord on November 13, 2009 after a lengthy battle with cancer. If you have been touched by Tom's writings please send an email to Tom's son at jkelley@catalystchristian.net
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