25 – A Sorrowful Memory

Today started out a normal day with Al, Jordan, and I getting ready for worship. We woke up in the morning, got dressed, and drove to church as we do every Sunday morning.  When we arrived at worship, we learned that there was going to be a short meeting afterward to discuss the new building that the church had constructed.  Jordan, Al, and I looked at each other smiling because we knew that we didn’t want to stay for the meeting, and we weren’t planning to stay.

Worship service began and we prayed, sang, and then listened to the minister talk on the goodness of God.  It was a heartfelt lesson that reminded us that God is the creator and sustainer of this world and that time is in his hands.  We should be thankful for the time we have to spend with our families, the ability to work and play, and that we should spend more time in prayer and worship to God.  After the sermon, we took communion and gave back to God a portion of what he has blessed us with.

After hearing the word of God preached Albert, Jordan, and I looked at each other and decided that we would stay for the meeting.  As we sat, we chatted with each other and those around us.  The meeting began with a short talk and then a video was played.  The video showed the groundbreaking ceremony of the new church building that was recorded months earlier.

In the groundbreaking video church members sitting under a large tent, others were walking around looking for shade, and others were standing fanning themselves because it was a sunny and hot day.  The leadership of the church were wearing hard hats, gloves, and sunglasses as gathered around each other in a semi-circle with shovels in their hands. They were laughing and smiling at each other because of what was to come.   There was a short announcement and then all of the men drove their shovels into the ground.  They broke ground, which was the beginning of the construction for the new church building.

And then I saw Albert on the screen. He was standing tall, talking and laughing with the other men, holding his shovel in both of his hands, as he drove it powerfully into the hardened dirt. My heart dropped and tears streamed down my face. I turned toward Jordan and saw that he was crying. The emotions of seeing his dad as the man he once was; a man of strength and emotions, a man who helped and encouraged others, the dad that he respected and loved, stood before him on the screen as he was before the stroke.  It was too much for Jordan.  He cried. We both cried.

Those around us saw our tears and understood our tears. They felt the emotional impact of seeing Albert as he lived before the stroke just as we did.