Amazing

Wow. What an amazing experience this thing called life is. Now, I know that this statement can mean everything from brutally awful to wonderfully grand to everything in between. Let me explain myself just a little, however.
First, I must say that we both have been wondrously blessed with loving family, gainful employment, a mind that works, a body that works, and experiences in the time dimension past that have helped make us who we are today. But, I must say that even if one or more of these would not be present in our lives, the experience of life would be (or at least could be), although different, still an amazing thing.
As I stop and look at things just now, I marvel at all of the people, places, and things that have been influenced in some way by us. Our influence is still felt in a big way in some of the places where we’ve lived we did our jobs or worked with the church family there, or raised our own kids. One example of that is the assisted living that I built while working for a hospital in southern Kansas. It’s still there…still in use…and still providing services to those who need such.
Another example is the nursing home that we opened in Western Kansas when we lived out there and worked for the local hospital. It too is still open…still in use…and still providing much-needed services to the community. The fact that the hospital is even there may well be due in part to my leadership as I struggled with finances and possible financial default on the part of the hospital when I first moved there to assume the CEO position. The hospital was, to put it mildly, broke when we moved there. When we left, it had a substantial cash reserve.
And people. We’ve some life-long friendships in each community where we’ve lived. These folks have put up with me and my family and have chosen to love us and befriend us regardless of our quirks and faults. And I believe that we have influenced at least some people we’ve met to live better lives and to seek God and His will for them. I think some people were permanently changed for the better by our example and our love and concern for them. That is comforting to me.
I’m not bragging about these things. On the contrary, I am humbled that despite our failings, bad decisions, poor example, and incompetence, somehow the Creator of all managed to use our efforts to His glory and to make things, people, and places better because of our presence.
And that, dear ones, is what is so amazing about this experience.