A Life of Change

Written by Mary Moore

Looking back on my life I see so many changes.

I remember as a little girl going to my grandparents’ house. What fun I would have playing under the big pine tree with my cousin. We used our imaginations and used the tree roots to make different rooms in our pretend house. We could play all afternoon. I can’t forget the love and kindness that was felt as you entered my Grandparent’s yard.  It seems like it was but yesterday.

I learned to drive at a very early age since I grew up on a small farm. I drove the tractor, truck, etc. anywhere on the farm. I just figured everyone was able to drive, but I learned differently when I took Driver’s Education. It seemed like ages before I was able to get my license.

Soon after, I made the decision to go to college. Those years changed my life. It was when I really learned to depend on the Lord. I learned the Lord was of most importance in my life. Then a bigger question came. What did I want to do in life to make a living? There were several options I could have chosen, but two things I decided: 1) I wanted to put the Lord first in my life, and 2) after college I wanted to come back home.

I was one that has always loved being around family. My parents were remarkable. They showed love and kindness to each other as well as to anyone that crossed their paths. Always ready and willing to help anyone. They would give the shirt off their back if you needed it.

Then comes the summer of my life. I met this wonderful man. After dating for a long period of time, we fell in love. After marriage we started our journey hand-in-hand, planning together for the future. As the days went by our love for one another grew. And we were learned to depend on each other more and more.

In this part of my life we moved from one area to another. With each move we learned invaluable lessons along the way.  Each place we lived was unique in its own way. Always gaining from each move. We shared lots of laughs, some tears, visited a lot of beautiful places, wonderful vacations, enjoyed every minute with one another. And still in love with one another.

Before I realized what was happening, I was in the fall of my life with more changes. Now we faced sickness in the family. My father was battling cancer. Like so many others in the same type of battle, my father passed away.  It was such a great loss in the family, as well as the church and community. He was such a wonderful husband, dad, grandfather, great-grandfather, neighbor and friend.

Mother was lost without her companion. I started taking one day a week just to spend with her. We would go shopping, visit family, doctor visits, etc., staying all day. She started sharing her life with me. How much knowledge I gained by just spending time with her. Learning valuable memories about her life as a girl, young lady, courting my father, married life all the way up to the present. As the years passed, she required additional help. I’ve been blessed to be able to spend time with her and help her in her later years of her life.

Looking back on my life, there were some hard trials. Times when I didn’t know where and how to take the next step. But God was always there.

I’m now looking at the winter season of my life. I often wonder where the days and years have gone. Life seems so short. Not clearly knowing what is ahead, there is one thing I’m certain about…God is there. I pray that when I get to the end of my life, I can be like my cousin Sarah, who, when nearing the difficult end of her life, simply thanked and lifted up praises to the Lord.