Family Photo 2015
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Dear Aunt Lou: A Letter of Reflection.
Dear Aunt Lou,
I got the phone call today telling me that you were no longer here. Right away, I had to pause and thank God for the chance we had to see each other this summer. Before that, I realized it had been way to long since our last visit together. For that I am sorry, but I know mom did her best to keep you up to date with all of our happenings her in Florida. As the afternoon and evening went on, I found myself remembering all the wonderful memories we shared. I know there are too many to count but there are a couple that immediately came to mind.
Storytelling's and so & so. I can remember many times when mom and I would come to your house, I would be excited because I knew you would have a story to tell. Of course we would take a moment and catch up on our daytime "stories." Most of these stories were extremely humorous, but many of them were life lessons that could be applied to my life then and now. Most importantly, through these stories, I got to see and understand first hand how much you cared for your family. You embraced us all and in a lot of ways you became another grandmother to me and the other cousins.
Holy Hats and Fashion: Who could forget Aunt Lou's hats? I do not think there was ever a time that you did not have a beautiful hat for church service. There were many shopping adventures to your favorite stores to find the right dress...but more importantly, the right hat. I was reminded of the importance of giving your best to the Kingdom...and that included looking your best.
Food Friends for Life: There is no denying that you and I shared a common love for cooking, making, sharing and eating food. I would always laugh anytime you would call and ask me what I was making for dinner. And like wise, any time I was at your house I would inquire about your dinner plans...or desserts. If there is one thing the Gage Family can do well...it is to eat. I realized a couple of years ago, that my appreciation for making food for others, came from you and grandma Jewel. I can still remember summers in Atoka with you, me and grandma in the hot kitchen mixing cakes, frying chicken, baking cobblers, and of course perfecting the banana pudding! It was an honor to stand along side you both and share in the gift of making "Soul Food."
The list could go on and on of our time together. But my mind began to wonder, where do we go from here? The pain is so fresh in the hearts of our family. There are those who question why? But we are reminded of the hope we have in Christ! I was comforted by His word in 1 Thessalonians 4 that states:
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord, himself with a cry of command, with the archangels call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words." Aunt Lou, this is not our good bye. I am praising God that you are in no pain. I am praising God because you have found your reward. Being where you are right now, looking down on us, I wonder if you would say something like the words to this song.
You Wouldn't Cry
All you saw was pain. All you saw was rain
But you should see me now, Moments filled with tears,
Lasted all those years, Disappeared somehow
You never said goodbye, On your knees you cry
You're still asking why, but
Blue has never been bluer. True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet, There's a song in the breeze
A million voices of praise.
A rose has never smelled redder. The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say,
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place, You wouldn't cry for me today.
What you think you see, isn't really me. I'm already home.
You've got to lay it down, Cause Jesus holds me now.
And I am not alone.
Your faith is wearing thin, But I am watching Him... And He's holding you too.
What may seem like years will just be a moment.
Oh the day will come when I'll show you where you're going. I can't wait to show you that,
Blue has never been bluer. True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet, There's a song in the breeze
A million voices of praise.
A rose has never smelled redder. The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say,
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place, You wouldn't cry for me today.
Thank you for being supportive and encouraging to me and my growing family. You will always have a special place in my heart!
You are missed! You are loved!
Ryan
I got the phone call today telling me that you were no longer here. Right away, I had to pause and thank God for the chance we had to see each other this summer. Before that, I realized it had been way to long since our last visit together. For that I am sorry, but I know mom did her best to keep you up to date with all of our happenings her in Florida. As the afternoon and evening went on, I found myself remembering all the wonderful memories we shared. I know there are too many to count but there are a couple that immediately came to mind.
Storytelling's and so & so. I can remember many times when mom and I would come to your house, I would be excited because I knew you would have a story to tell. Of course we would take a moment and catch up on our daytime "stories." Most of these stories were extremely humorous, but many of them were life lessons that could be applied to my life then and now. Most importantly, through these stories, I got to see and understand first hand how much you cared for your family. You embraced us all and in a lot of ways you became another grandmother to me and the other cousins.
Holy Hats and Fashion: Who could forget Aunt Lou's hats? I do not think there was ever a time that you did not have a beautiful hat for church service. There were many shopping adventures to your favorite stores to find the right dress...but more importantly, the right hat. I was reminded of the importance of giving your best to the Kingdom...and that included looking your best.
Food Friends for Life: There is no denying that you and I shared a common love for cooking, making, sharing and eating food. I would always laugh anytime you would call and ask me what I was making for dinner. And like wise, any time I was at your house I would inquire about your dinner plans...or desserts. If there is one thing the Gage Family can do well...it is to eat. I realized a couple of years ago, that my appreciation for making food for others, came from you and grandma Jewel. I can still remember summers in Atoka with you, me and grandma in the hot kitchen mixing cakes, frying chicken, baking cobblers, and of course perfecting the banana pudding! It was an honor to stand along side you both and share in the gift of making "Soul Food."
The list could go on and on of our time together. But my mind began to wonder, where do we go from here? The pain is so fresh in the hearts of our family. There are those who question why? But we are reminded of the hope we have in Christ! I was comforted by His word in 1 Thessalonians 4 that states:
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord, himself with a cry of command, with the archangels call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words." Aunt Lou, this is not our good bye. I am praising God that you are in no pain. I am praising God because you have found your reward. Being where you are right now, looking down on us, I wonder if you would say something like the words to this song.
You Wouldn't Cry
All you saw was pain. All you saw was rain
But you should see me now, Moments filled with tears,
Lasted all those years, Disappeared somehow
You never said goodbye, On your knees you cry
You're still asking why, but
Blue has never been bluer. True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet, There's a song in the breeze
A million voices of praise.
A rose has never smelled redder. The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say,
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place, You wouldn't cry for me today.
What you think you see, isn't really me. I'm already home.
You've got to lay it down, Cause Jesus holds me now.
And I am not alone.
Your faith is wearing thin, But I am watching Him... And He's holding you too.
What may seem like years will just be a moment.
Oh the day will come when I'll show you where you're going. I can't wait to show you that,
Blue has never been bluer. True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet, There's a song in the breeze
A million voices of praise.
A rose has never smelled redder. The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say,
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place, You wouldn't cry for me today.
Thank you for being supportive and encouraging to me and my growing family. You will always have a special place in my heart!
You are missed! You are loved!
Ryan
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Statements by Keller: Chocolate Dreams
The other day, Ashley was telling me about the conversation she and Keller had in the car the other day. Even though I was not there to hear it, I still needed to share it with you! The conversation takes place after school on the way home:
ASHLEY: Keller how was school today?
KELLER: Fine! Ugh, is daddy going to be at home or at church?
ASHLEY: I will be at the church.
KELLER: Well, when I grow up I am going to be just like daddy!
ASHLEY: You are? Well that is very nice!
KELLER: Yes!!! I am going to be Dark Chocolate, just like daddy!!!
If you do not understand the humor of this message, I encourage you to go back and ready the previous statement by Keller, which refers to us as the chocolate family. Some people think I should compile all these stories and phrases and publish a book. A working title has already been submitted..."Through the Eyes of Keller"
ASHLEY: Keller how was school today?
KELLER: Fine! Ugh, is daddy going to be at home or at church?
ASHLEY: I will be at the church.
KELLER: Well, when I grow up I am going to be just like daddy!
ASHLEY: You are? Well that is very nice!
KELLER: Yes!!! I am going to be Dark Chocolate, just like daddy!!!
If you do not understand the humor of this message, I encourage you to go back and ready the previous statement by Keller, which refers to us as the chocolate family. Some people think I should compile all these stories and phrases and publish a book. A working title has already been submitted..."Through the Eyes of Keller"
31 days of Prayer and Praise: The conclusion...or just the beginning?
Well this is the final day of my 31 days of prayer, fasting and praise. Can I be honest and tell you that this was really hard for me? And If I am really honest with myself, I can say that I do not think it is over. I had set a date to complete the fast on September 1st and I was proud of myself for not counting down the days until I would be able to eat lunch, send tweets, and even update my facebook status. In fact, I almost forgot about the date. But here was the interesting thing. Once I realized what day it was, my mind started thinking about what I was going to say, or tweet. As the day went on, I never did any of those things. But these 31 days were about so much more then giving up the technologies and foods that I love. Of course I knew that going into it, but yesterday was when it hit home. It was one of those days when nothing goes right, nothing goes as planned, and folks were just being down right ugly. Do you ever have one of those days? As the day went on, it was just one thing after another. I finally had to take a moment and not only pray to the Lord, but to offer up praise. As I was praying, I looked down at my desk and noticed my bible opened to the following passage:
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us," (Ephesians 3:20)
After reading these words, my spirit was lifted. I could not let myself get bogged down in the things that were happening around me. Just because my fasting period was finishing, I could still hear his voice saying "go deeper. We are not finished." My heart has been up lifted during this time...and I am curious and anticipating what the Lord is going to reveal to me through his word.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us," (Ephesians 3:20)
After reading these words, my spirit was lifted. I could not let myself get bogged down in the things that were happening around me. Just because my fasting period was finishing, I could still hear his voice saying "go deeper. We are not finished." My heart has been up lifted during this time...and I am curious and anticipating what the Lord is going to reveal to me through his word.
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