From the Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
I will be giving my mom a phone call today at some point.
Oh, it’s Sunday, and that is the day I usually give her a call each week, at the very least.
However, this particular Sunday has more meaning to it for my mom.
57 years ago on this day she and my dad exchanged their wedding vows to one another in a hot, stuffy Amherstburg church.
But there will be no dinner out, no anniversary card, no gathering with friends and family.
My dad died quite suddenly in his sleep a little over 29 years ago.
My mom has been a widow ever since and although there have been a few potential suitors over those years, she has chosen not to remarry.
Dates are a big deal for my mom, as they are for so many people.
The reason is that they mark milestones. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, they were instructed by the Lord to set up a series of special stones to mark the occasion.
The purpose was to remind the generations to come of the significance of this crossing.
Certain birthdays are often seen as “milestone” birthdays, such as one’s 50th or 80th birthdays.
In some years Christmas takes on a special significance due to the recent birth of a baby or the last one with a grandparent.
Even common dates on the calendar take on special status when something out of the ordinary happens on that day.
Do you know what you were doing on September 11, 2001? See what I mean?
Sometimes we can even remember what we were doing at the time that news hit us.
I encourage you to go out there this summer and create a few milestones of your own.
Do something out of the ordinary with your children; surprise some seniors at the nursing home; run or walk a 5 km race and raise some money for charity.
The sky’s the limit!
The main thing is to do something worthwhile and then mark the date.
Then, maybe each anniversary of that date, you may want to do something else to mark the occasion.
So, go on out and celebrate TODAY!
