As I opened the door this morning my senses were aroused by all the fragrances in the air. There is nothing like springtime in Florida. Ligustrum, jasmine and honeysuckle are in full bloom and you simply cannot escape the feeling that this is what it might be like in Heaven, even if you do have allergies! Taking my evening walk this time of year is always a special treat because I know Tracy will go with me – it will just be a somewhat longer walk than normal. Tracy will literally stop and smell the blossoms along the way. It used to make me mad, because I had a hard time keeping my heart rate up. But, after I got used to it I realized God was giving me a real life example of “stopping to smell the roses” along the way of life. I realized she was the breath of fresh air that brought new fragrances into my life! The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had seen her display a similar trait with you as you grew up. With each of life’s challenges there was a moment to stop, savor the issue, assimilate and deal with it, then lock it away in the memory, ready for recall as appropriate.

Tracy never went to seminary, but I have caught her on multiple occasions reading Chesterton, Charlesworth, Bonhoffer, Tozier and the likes. Rarely can I get too far ahead of her and I have long since quit trying to make a scripture say what I wanted it to say. That dog simply “will not hunt.” Years ago, I believe she read Paul’s charge to Timothy and took it very seriously. It goes like this: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:14 – 17) She taught you by pointing out the errors of your ways so you would do the right thing and in turn, be the person God wants you to be.

Your mom is not always on a fast track, like me. While she does have some propensities which may get under your skin, she rarely embarrasses herself by making the same mistake twice. (I cannot claim this virtue!) She takes an experience in and learns from it. As she has taken in each life experience with you, there has almost always been a time of reasoning and conversation rather than a burst of anger and things said in haste. If you were listening, you heard a scriptural reason behind her direction and a course set by love that will make you strong when you are older. Rarely were you or will you ever get an “ah, that’s nice” because she wants to understand all that surrounds your decisions. Be grateful for that depth of caring and desire to see that you follow God’s direction (through her) so you will be equipped to live a life of peace before the living God.

Hopefully now you understand the theory of Magnetic Fields (opposites attracting)! When you have both ends of the spectrum, you get exposed to most of what you will cope with in life. Hopefully, you will have balance from living with both of us!!!

Love Dad