MY PRECIOUS FAMILY

"Count no day unimportant when you still have each other,
For the time will come, when you would give anything and everything
For just one day--any ordinary day, you once shared together."

I do not know the original author of this statement, but my mother wrote it on a 3x5 card and had taped it to a kitchen cabinet in their farmhouse. My mother truly lived the message of these words and she would frequently remind us that good-byes and departures should always (if at all possible) be on a happy, loving note--because none of us would know in advance if it could be our last farewell here on earth.

This week I was soberly reminded of the reality of these words. Two area families were tragically affected with loss of lives in accidents. Life as the survivors knew it will never be the same. My heart aches for the unimaginable grief their loved ones are experiencing.

I've been reminded of the truths from James 4 about "our plans" and the reality that we do not know what our life will be like tomorrow. The phrase comes to mind "Only one life will soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last."

So, Tim, Timmy, Taddy, and Tommy I love you ever so much. May I never minimize a day that I have the opportunity and privilege of sharing life with you and may I always have an eternal perspective on what matter most!

MY VALENTINE!!

Twenty years ago on Valentine's Day a "new friend", Tim Wiesner, made my day so special. Now these years later, as his wife and the mother of our 3 sons, he continues to be the treasured delight of my life! Together we have journeyed through life's moments--births of 3 sons, 2 miscarriages, witnessing the aging process in our parents (and ourselves!), job changes, kid's sports events, and many others.
Possibly Irving Berlin's "ALWAYS" conveys it best, Tim.

"I'll be loving you, always
With a love that's true, always
When the things you've planned
Need a helping hand,
I will understand, always, always
Days may not be fair, always.
That's when I'll be there, always.
Not for just an hour,
Not for just a day,
Not for just a year, but ALWAYS!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, TIM! May we have a thousand (and more) tomorrows just like today. I love you, ALWAYS! Marilee

HAPPY #16 TAD!!

Today is a special day in our home. Our middle son, Tad, turns 16! At about this time 16 years ago I was sitting at the kitchen table, and got up to go into another room. After taking a few steps there was a "pop" and water was running down my leg! We knew that this was the day! It was also John Deere Day in Abilene so we told my parents that they might want to go in early for the meal, etc. so they could head to Wichita! Tad weighed 8 lb. 3oz. and was born with a furrowed brow. (My dad said that he was already worried about the national debt.) He had long fingers and toes and I thought that he might be a piano player, but a number of years of lessons, and his great delight to quit proved that to be wrong!

We shared with Tad this morning, for the first time, that some blood work early on in my pregnancy "indicated" that there might be problems for the baby. (I can't remember for certain but possibly spina bifida or Downs syndrome. We would have never thought of ending the pregnancy as our love for him was unconditional.) We were so thankful that he didn't have these challenges, but possibly this knowledge will be a needed reminder to all of us to make the most of what has been given to us.

Last night it was fun to see Tad be the point guard for his freshman team. They won 58-51 and he was able to score 12 points. (His younger brother, Tom, thought that Mom was cheering too loudly at the end as it was a come from behind victory--but maybe that is what Mother's are for.)

The photo is of Tad carrying the ball after he had made an interception. He loves football and just the day before his favorite pro playing Brian Urlacher with the Chicago Bears had made a similar play.

Happy Birthday Tad! Please always remember that "To whom much has been given much will be required." We pray that to honor the Lord and always do your best and try your hardest will burn within your heart and soul.

Our Oldest Son--TIM

In a previous blog I had stated that I wanted to tell a little about each of our sons. We were so blessed on July 8, l990 with the arrival of Timothy Joseph "Timmy or Tim"! I had been helping my folks with the wheat harvest just 9 days before he arrived. His due date was July 31 so I "thought" that we still had a little more time. Tim has been such a joy in our lives. He is now a junior in high school at Trinity Academy. This year he has been especially busy as the junior class president. We were happy for him last fall when he was inducted into the National Honor Society. Tim enjoys music and is in several singing groups at school--though he refuses to sing for us at home and barely moves his lips during singing at church! He drives a l982 VW bus that doesn't have AC or heat so he and Tad have "cool" rides to school in the a.m. There was a time in his life when he thought that we were way too conservative and told his dad and me that living with us was like living with the Amish. He may have reconsidered that statement! I should also credit him for helping me with the computer and he will probably need to help me get these pictures of him loaded. We love you so much Tim and thank God that we have the privilege of being your parents and sharing life with you!

INFLUENCES

Last week I had the fun of helping at the Book Fair at our son Tom's middle school. When I saw the sign "Scholastic Books" I remembered how one of their books had influenced me as a 9 year old. Even back then we got to order books and one that I chose which had a great impact on me was "The First Woman Doctor". The story told of Elizabeth Blackwell and all that she had gone through to accomplish her goal. I was so taken with the book that upon completing it, immediately went to find my mother and announced to her that when I grew up I wanted to be a doctor. She was so kind, stopping what she was doing, and acknowledged that if this was my desire, she and my dad would always try to encourage me. (It took me years to fully appreciate what her validation had meant to me.)

Possibly the book was meaningful to me because two years prior, my parents had taken me to the Hertzler Clinic in Halstead and Dr. Ruth Montgomery-Short took my tonsils out. I recall, as a 7 year old, thinking that I had never met someone like her--she took tonsils out during the day and had 3 daughters at home as well. She took time to talk to me and made quite an impression! (About 20 years later, after I had completed medical school, I got to meet her, thank her, and establish a close friendship.)

After these two events, I had other goals and didn't really think about medicine for almost 10 years. When the dream was "reborn" in my mind and heart I only had nerve to share it with my parents. The long years and nights of preparation can be shared for another day, but mainly I've had delight remembering these two profound influences in my life which happened at the ages of 7 and 9.

For those with children who may read this--please never minimize their dreams and goals and always remember that you may be the very one who motivates them to pursue a great challenge that has "their name on it"!

60 YEARS AGO

February 8 will always strike a special meaning in my heart as this was the day that my parents were married. On February 8, l948 Laurel Leckron and Vincent McBoyle were united in marriage by Rev. Ralph Manchee at the First Baptist Church in Abilene, Kansas. Classes at the University of Kansas were resuming the next day so late at night (after having wedding portraits taken in Salina and stopping by the farm so that my dad's grandmother Sexton could see them) they journeyed to Lawrence. Their first home was a small trailer house. They got locked out as they were carrying in gifts and could only stand out in the cold and look inside to see their keys on the dinette table. The locksmith who came was nice and didn't charge them. He said it was his wedding gift to them!

It is with tremendous love and devotion that I write about my parents and their lives together which my sisters Donneta, Laurel, and I were a part of. The older I get the more I appreciate them and ALL that they represented and did for me/us. So many things come to mind but to name a couple--they drove thousands of extra miles for a number of years so that their daughters could be in a strong Bible-believing church. (At the time I did not appreciate enough the extra time and financial implications this put on them, but what an eternal benefit in our lives.) I also remember how they kept using old handed down furniture so that the money could be used to buy a nice saxophone for me. Now I wish that I had listened even better when they talked of WWII--my dad being in the Army Air Corps and my mom working at the draft board and filling out the papers for her then fiance. Now I better understand why they would sit on the edge of their sits to listen when TV documentaries on Pearl Harbor, Battle of the Bulge, Normandy Invasion, and others came on. They understood and had lived through those guarded days.

I just loved visiting with them, and it seemed that we never ran out of things to talk about. As I was older before I got married, we were able to take fun trips together. They were delightful to travel with and so appreciative. So many funny things would happen that we laughed at not only at the time but everytime we remembered the event!

A neighbor lady once commented that they were such "a good team" as they worked together. She was correct and this observation meant so much to my parents. My husband, Tim, commented on how much they enjoyed each other and how much fun my folks had together. A few weeks before my dad died, a caregiver in their assisted living home heard my dad tell my mom, "Laurel, you will always be my Miss America." (I believe that they were watching the Miss America pagent on TV at the time.)

As an adult daughter the joy of this and these memories gives me untold joy and happiness. Many people start the journey together, but to see a couple finish so well and so beautifully is a profound testimony!

On the gravestone where my dad is buried and where my mom will be buried replications of their signatures--Vincent and Laurel--TOGETHER FOREVER. There is the Bible verse from Lamentations--"GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS"!

So it is with great thankfulness to God and His Great Faithfulness that I say, "Happy Anniversary" to my parents that I love and adore. Marilee

Lessons From a Basketball Game

Kansas State University made history on January 30 as they defeated No.2 undefeated Kansas by 9 points! The celebrating was phenomenal to watch. Being so impressed by KSU I purposed to watch them "win again" on February 2 against Missouri. Well into the 2nd half this seemed to be a given as KSU had a 14 point lead. Then the "unthinkable" happened--KSU turnovers and excellent play by Missouri--making Wednesday night victors, Saturday afternoon losers. This reminded me of a quotation I had recently read by Dwight D. Eisenhower-"When you are in any contest, you should work as if there were--to the very last minute--a chance to lose it. This is battle, this is politics, this is anything." Personally, I believe KSU "thought" they had the game won, let down, and lost. More importantly I believe this is what was on the Apostle Paul's heart when he stated "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. ICor. 9:27" and Phil.3:13b "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." I also thought of the times in the Bible where great victories were followed by humbled defeats--example victory at Jericho followed by defeat at Ai due to Achan's sin, (though Ai was eventually defeated.)

Yes, victories and "good days" whether in the spiritual arena, sports, academics, family life need to be enjoyed and appreciated, but also received with much humility and the awareness that these are also times that make us extra vulnerable. Prov. 16:18 states "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling."

I learned some other things from that game about not "giving up" when all seems to be lost, but I will save that for another blog.