20 years ... the marks of time

When I stopped by Uncle Bill's place last weekend, I took a walk down memory lane.  Twenty years ago this spring, I graduated from Crown College with a Bachelors degree.  My friend Linda gave me an evergreen tree as a special gift. It was a combination graduation and housewarming gift.  I planted to tree on the NW corner of my property about 20 feet in from the corner. I tried to plan for it's growth.  In the first picture it is difficult to see the size of the tree.

Marking 20 years

But looking at the second picture you can see that the tree now fills in the full corner of the lot.  The small tree to the side is about 5'6" to 6" tall.  My height or slightly taller.  I no longer own the property but since my uncle still owns the adjoining property, I get to see the tree as it grows.  

The smaller tree is my height

This 20th year celebration is going to be a bitter-sweet celebration.  My mother was alive to attend my graduation celebration.  It was just a few months later that my mother passed away after 10 years of struggling with the side effects of a bone marrow transplant which had put her (CML) Leukemia into remission.  This winter, my Father and I have written a book together.  It is called "Hugs, Hands and Heaven Help Hank".


The final draft is ready to go to a publisher.  Pray that I can find a publisher that will embrace the story about how Faith in God can help you get through the loss of three wives and the diagnosis of stage 4 cancer.  Everyone wants to know: "Are you terminal?"  Yes, everyone is from the moment they are born.  The natural consequence of birth is death.  What the true question needs to be is: "Are you living the moments that you've been given to the glory of God?"