More Than Routine
This morning I attended the funeral for the mother of two of my friends, Russ and Jim. In his eulogy, Lillian’s son Russ told us how his mother’s life was built on routine: A cup of black coffee to start her day, followed by breakfast and puzzles: Sudoku, Jumbles and the Challenger. Russ held up a well-worn, old devotional book with dog-eared pages, another part of her routine for many years.
The church Pastor told of Lillian’s routine in the church: year after year, she sat in the same pew with family and friends, she sang in the choir, and most importantly, her gentle nature blessed the people she worshipped with every Sunday.
When Lillian was a little girl, her father used to sing a hymn to her in Swedish: "Children of the Heavenly Father". It was her favorite hymn throughout her life. Jim searched for and found the hymn on Youtube, sung in Swedish by a Swedish tenor. He played the video for his mother after she was hospitalized with severe health problems.
After their dad passed away in 2007, Jim had breakfast with his mother three times a week, every week, and Russ called 2-3 times a day from his home in Boston.
It occurred to me that Lillian’s story was more than just routine; her life was built around faithfulness, and when someone is faithful to God, He returns His faithfulness to us. Lillian was blessed with two sons whose own daily routines included showering their mother with love and affection.
As I drove home, I saw what we believers affectionately refer to as a “God-Wink,” one of those moments that remind us that God is never far away: the sunset was mesmerizing. I stopped and took pictures and thought, “I hope Jim and Russ are seeing this!”
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