april was such a month of contrasts. on the one side was the incredible easter season that we had. no doubt about it, easter is my favorite time of year. it draws you so close to the Lord and helps put life in eternal perspecitve.

but april was also a month a loss on a personal level. i lost a dear friend in april– herb philbrick. i know pastor’s aren’t supposed to say that they have “favorite” sheep”, but herb was one of mine. always the first one in on a sunday morning. always sitting in the same back row chair. always ready with a greeting that put a smile on your face. herb was 88 going on 65– he just never got the memo that old age had set in. just a few years ago, when i put an addition on the house, herb did all the wiring for me. yes it is true, herb never got the memo that when you’re in your 80s, crawling up ladders and running wire isn’t supposed to be what you do. i’m just glad herb never got the memo. he was a real saint and a beloved brother. herb, we’ll meet again soon.

the day before herb’s memorial service, Kath and i experienced a different kind of loss. it wasn’t the loss of a friend as much as the loss of a part of life. we had gone down to philly to watch our son dan play his last couple lacrosse games for eastern university. his four year college career was coming to an end (the final game was a 20-4 victory, so it was sweeeeeeet). but on the way up the jersey turnpike kath said, “do you realize that 20 years of watching our 4 kids play sports just came to an end today?” wow, that hit like a ton of bricks. a major part of life, hanging out in gyms and fields, just stopped. i’m gonna miss it. i guess all through life we encounter loss, and that’s why heaven seems so beautiful– because it is all gain.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 12:44 pm and is filed under my life.