And One Day You Will Be the Old People Too!!!!!!

from the PUBLISHER'S PEN

And One Day You Will Be the Old People Too!!!!!!

What a statement to make, but it’s true. Sometimes, to tell the truth is harder than it is to just say nothing.

When I first met Micki, in one of our early conversations, she told me a story that was handed down to her from her father. When Micki was a little girl she and her Dad use to go to the nursing home to visit her grandmother, and on one of those visits her dad was trying to relay to her why her grandmother was in the nursing home, and he said:

“You see, each one of us gets our turn at getting old. Today your grandmother is the old person, but one day she will be gone and I will be the old person. Then soon after that I will be gone and you will be the old person.”

Those words have stuck with Micki ever since that day, and since she retold the story to me, they have stuck with me. Guess what? Her Daddy's word have come to pass. Micki's mom is now the "old person," and Micki & I are not far behind.

Well, gee – you might say, that’s not a real encouraging thing to say. But it's true.

This is the time of year when we begin to reflect on all the things that have happened throughout the past 12 months, and those who have gone before us. Each year there are those that don’t get to see the coming Christmas Season, and that brings me to my next point.

This last year Micki and I lost a very, very close friend and his name is “Keith Caldwell.” You may or may not of known Keith, but if you met him, you would never forget him. What Keith offered to everyone was his entire self, to encourage you, uplift you and make you feel good about yourself. By this, I mean he was the type of person that when he walked in a room, he brought the joy of the Lord with him. He would have everyone laughing and enjoying life, and he would treat you like you were the most important person he had ever met. And when it came to his talent, he was one of the special ones. He was a Pro – a true professional. When he would sing, you felt the song he was singing. He could on one hand make you laugh with his humor, and then two seconds later have you crying with one of the touching stories he would tell.

About three or four years ago, after a convention when everybody was getting ready to leave, we went to the Cracker Barrel here in Branson for a bite to eat before he took off to go back to Houston, Texas where he lived. We were talking about how the convention went and all the kind of stuff you would normally talk about, when I said:

“You know, Keith, each time we get up to sing, we need to sing as though it is the last time we will ever sing, because you never know when that moment is going to be here.”

I have been repeating these words since 2002 when I had my first heart attack. We really don’t know when that day is going to be. After I spoke those words, Keith said,:

“Well, I figure I have about 10 more good years left.”

At that time I believe he had just turned 50 years old. Of course, little did any of us know that he only had four years left in his life.

So I would like to leave you with this Christmas Gift: Live each and every day as though it was the very last day you will ever have here on Earth, because one day (I promise you) it will be.

Between now and then, if you are a singer, sing every song as if it was your last. Love everyone you come in contact with and treat them as you would like to be treated.

Be kind to everyone and when you see someone who doesn’t feel good, ask them if there is anything you can do to help them (whether you know them or not). Try to be a servant to others. You just never know -- one day when you are feeling low, you may have someone come up to you who has read these words, and ask you how you are feeling and is there anything they can do to help you.

You see God put us here on earth to help each other. He knew we were going to need it. In closing, I know this is so, because I met “Keith Caldwell” who came into our lives and picked us up numerous times when Micki and I needed a kind word.

I can say we met one of God's Very Special People who He sent to us.

We want to wish each and every one of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, and we pray that you have a wonderful New Year.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed