Karl
Barbie and I thank you for sharing your feelings about yourself as well as reflections on Lent.
You know, because, you yourself have said this, God does not view our lives the same way we do - even our own lives . We view it as a start with a finish. God views is as a continuum, sort of going through phases. Please know that as you go from one phase to another, your life here on earth may be cut short but the impact you have made on so many people’s lives will continue for many, many years.
You are a stone thrown into the water whose ripples will continue moving outward long after the rock has disappeared from sight. Please smile and take satisfaction that those ripples demonstrate God’s never ending gifts to us all.
Peace and grace
Barbie and Leland
Karl, you are so eloquent and so passionate!. The reflection on Lent deserves publication in a profound spiritual diary, full of heart and grace. I write this through tears which share the grief of incompleteness and the depth, breadth, and height of the love of the One to whom we belong.
Karl,
Thank you for sharing the gifts of your heart, your faith, and your vulnerability. You will live on in all of us who have been blessed by crossing paths with you. Sending prayers for you and for all of your loved ones.
How contemplative and inspiring! This was forwarded to me just in time. I do not have a terminal illness but various changes in my body, unexpected at my age of 78, have rendered me handicapped to a great degree. Although I have great faith in God, i worry over my immediate decisions that need to be made. Also, heavy on my mind, are all the things that are unfinished, waiting for me to complete and I don’t have the energy or strength to even begin completion.
Your writing is perfect for any person, young or old, who is dealing with a similar situation. It is inspiring. Now I wish I could pray for myself as much as I do for others and their needs and healing.
May you find joy and some peace in the way God enables you and has, obviously, called you to minister to others.
Karl,
This is well said! You may feel like you have loose ends but I think what counts most is what you HAVE done in and with your life. You can be proud of all the people whose lives you have touched, enriched, supported, comforted, made laugh, and so on! You have been a ‘good and faithful servant!’ If you say all you want/need to say to your loved ones, you will have tied up what I think is the biggest loose end. Don’t just think ‘Oh, my kids know how I feel about them.’ Use your gift of prose and write each one a letter. They can cherish your words and love for years and years. Your love will be there after you have gone and it will not run the risk of being partially forgotten as the years go by. It’s just a suggestion. I know I was so grateful that I had the chance to say all I wanted to say to my mother before she died.
Karl, I see the connection with Lent - the facing of the darkness inherent in it - to prepare to embrace moments of resurrection which arise. I cannot, though, fully imagine how this one feels to you. And I suspect all of us will be blessed with whatever you continue to share .
I did not realize your process had become this - and I am so sorry to hear it. My heart hurts with your and your family's -
Although I am not dying at this moment , the past few years have brought several health issues that can lead to a sudden end. These same years have also brought me 3 Grandchildren and I love them beyond comprehension.
Karl, the joy these children bring is accompanied by the sadness that I may miss those same life events you express. I have told my wife and daughters that I want to live long enough for these children to remember their Papa T.
Your letter is incredibly sweet, life affirming, and eternal life assuring.
Thank you, Karl. If I still lived in Ft Worth, I’d wish for you to be my pastor....and my friend. A friend sent this to me and it touched me deeply. I will pray for you and your family
Once again you have taken me to my knees with your words... sort of came at a sensitive time as Ann went home to the Lord.... she was a loose end.... so many things to share but didn’t...your wisdom about life challenges me to try harder to take care of some of those loose ends with others. God bless you.❤️
Beautiful and sad. You are in my prayers🙏🏼
You were one of my best bosses. Always patient and kind to me and the wonderful members of Westminster. I bet a lot of them already in heaven. My mom and daddy are there too💜
Barbie and I thank you for sharing your feelings about yourself as well as reflections on Lent.
You know, because, you yourself have said this, God does not view our lives the same way we do - even our own lives . We view it as a start with a finish. God views is as a continuum, sort of going through phases. Please know that as you go from one phase to another, your life here on earth may be cut short but the impact you have made on so many people’s lives will continue for many, many years.
You are a stone thrown into the water whose ripples will continue moving outward long after the rock has disappeared from sight. Please smile and take satisfaction that those ripples demonstrate God’s never ending gifts to us all.
Peace and grace
Barbie and Leland