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Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
by Tom Kelley
Every year members of the Curtis, Wright and Johnson families gather on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend or the following Sunday for a memorial service at the Minorsville Cemetery. This service has been held for a number of generations now and was, at one time, quite a large gathering. Sadly, the people to whom it was of such great importance have become the residents of the cemetery and the size of the gathering has dwindled. Still they forge ahead with the service every year in spite of the handful of people who now attend.
As the minister of the Minorsville Christian Church it has been my esteemed honor to preside at this service for the past three years and share some thoughts which hopefully help the family members focus on their legacy and heritage. Even though the gathering is comprised of mostly people at least my age and older, there are a few who are in their thirties and have young children that attend. It is hoped that this youthful remnant will restore the interest in the service and the cemetery for the younger generations.
A brother and sister were present yesterday for the service. The sister had her two sons with her. They were probably in the five to seven year old range and quite rambunctious. They were rummaging around the trees trying to find something of interest with which to entertain themselves when the youngest of the two found a small branch from one of the cedars in the cemetery. He started playing with it and his brother intervened to begin a wrestling match for the stick.
The younger boy began to call out for help from his mother who came immediately. That was when the older boy put everything into perspective by saying, "We were just playing with a stick, Mom, and he starts freaking out." There amidst generations of ancestors lying at rest and their children struggling to frame their memories, a little boy points out that playing with a stick is no big deal. How often do we blow things completely out of proportion and forget the things that are truly important?
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone." Matthew 23:23 Today we call that majoring in minors and minoring in majors. We focus on a pet peeve and forget what's truly important in God's way of thinking. I mean, hey, it's just a stick. Why do we freak out over it?
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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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