July 14
And Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. Matthew 1:4
We were walking through the woods that bright, summer morning, my “Uncle Jack,” and I, when he stopped, took out his pocket knife and carefully cut a small branch off a nearby tree. “I need to make a walking stick, and this is perfect!” he said. “Just the right length!” he added. How well I remember asking him what a walking stick was, as my 7 year old imagination went wild thinking about a stick walking about on its own! This very perceptive, peaceful man chuckled as he explained what he was planning to do with this leafy branch. Within a few days, the young tree limb became a simply carved cane-like stick, oiled and shiny at the handle, with a small nail in the bottom, “to keep it from splitting,” he told me. He carved his initials in that stick as well.
Uncle Jack was my great uncle, on my Mother’s side, a single man who had come to live with us after he retired - my only living “Grandfather.” This man was able to craft almost anything with his hands and was quite artistic, but most of all he loved to sit and “whittle” away with his pocket knife creating something unique, all the while patiently listening to little kids' chatter, and adding to it, his own bits of wisdom. What I remember and cherish most was his gentle, patient, presence.
Each one of our Grandchildren has found and asked me about that stick - a loving treasure I keep in a special corner of our home. We sit down and I share the story of the very special man it belonged to, who is related to them. And thinking about how many times one of the kids or another will look at a photo and ask to have a relative identified who is no longer with us, the importance of family history – the sharing of stories of the lives of those we love who are no longer with us – is brought to light.
As Matthew outlined Jesus’ genealogy in this first chapter, we are reminded of that significance, not only of our own family history, but also our relationship to each other and most importantly to God. No matter who we are, no matter how many living “relatives” we have remaining, WE are all family – God’s family. Isn’t it amazing?
God! You are so good to us! We are blessed to have memories of the people before us, you have placed in our lives, who have helped make us into the people we are today. Abba! Father! We are yours!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
And Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. Matthew 1:4
We were walking through the woods that bright, summer morning, my “Uncle Jack,” and I, when he stopped, took out his pocket knife and carefully cut a small branch off a nearby tree. “I need to make a walking stick, and this is perfect!” he said. “Just the right length!” he added. How well I remember asking him what a walking stick was, as my 7 year old imagination went wild thinking about a stick walking about on its own! This very perceptive, peaceful man chuckled as he explained what he was planning to do with this leafy branch. Within a few days, the young tree limb became a simply carved cane-like stick, oiled and shiny at the handle, with a small nail in the bottom, “to keep it from splitting,” he told me. He carved his initials in that stick as well.
Uncle Jack was my great uncle, on my Mother’s side, a single man who had come to live with us after he retired - my only living “Grandfather.” This man was able to craft almost anything with his hands and was quite artistic, but most of all he loved to sit and “whittle” away with his pocket knife creating something unique, all the while patiently listening to little kids' chatter, and adding to it, his own bits of wisdom. What I remember and cherish most was his gentle, patient, presence.
Each one of our Grandchildren has found and asked me about that stick - a loving treasure I keep in a special corner of our home. We sit down and I share the story of the very special man it belonged to, who is related to them. And thinking about how many times one of the kids or another will look at a photo and ask to have a relative identified who is no longer with us, the importance of family history – the sharing of stories of the lives of those we love who are no longer with us – is brought to light.
As Matthew outlined Jesus’ genealogy in this first chapter, we are reminded of that significance, not only of our own family history, but also our relationship to each other and most importantly to God. No matter who we are, no matter how many living “relatives” we have remaining, WE are all family – God’s family. Isn’t it amazing?
God! You are so good to us! We are blessed to have memories of the people before us, you have placed in our lives, who have helped make us into the people we are today. Abba! Father! We are yours!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson