The Thanksgiving gathering is a very important event for my wife’s family. It is the one time each year when the extended family comes together. For many years, we referred to this gathering as Thanksmas, as it was a time to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas. But, included with the celebration of these two major events is another date of great significance. In fact, the smaller celebration highlights the reason there’s a family to gather in the first place. It is the birthday celebration of the matriarch of the family, Leatrice Rapp, or as we call her, Nana.
This year we celebrated 102 years of life! Nana was a bit confused at times this year. As we helped her into the church where we gathered, she stated that she felt lost. She assured us that she knew where she was, but wasn’t certain why she was there on that day. The family was patient and kind, attempting to reassure Nana, reminding her of why we were there and of her significance to the celebration.
She lifted her voice, not in celebration of her own life, but in celebration of the greatness of the God who gave and sustained it for 102 years.
Following dinner, an angel food cake with “102” candles was brought out as we all sang Happy Birthday. When we finished the song, Nana didn’t blow out the candles. Instead, she made our last note her first, and began singing the classic hymn, How Great Thou Art. Many quickly joined Nana and finished out the chorus.
On the surface, Nana’s solo may seem like further evidence of her confusion. In that moment, however, I believe the confusion was ours. As she had clearly stated earlier in the day, Nana knew where she was. She was in her home church. She was a bit confused as to why we were gathering there to celebrate, but when the singing started, she knew what to do. She lifted her voice, not in celebration of her own life, but in celebration of the greatness of the God who gave and sustained it for 102 years.
Life on this planet is a limited resource. We only have so many days allotted to us… But there is a way for us to live a life of confidence, a fruitful life with “no fear” and “no worries.”
As our gathering drew to a close, Nana provided us with some powerful parting words. She spoke of heaven and her desire for all of us to join her there one day. One of the cousins asked Nana to put a good word in with Jesus for us if she got there first. Nana assured us that she would, but reminded us that we all must put our faith in Jesus and follow Him with our own lives.
The Lord alone knows how many more times Nana will join us at Thanksgiving, but Nana clearly knows how we can join her in heaven. Jeremiah 17:7-8 reads, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Life on this planet is a limited resource. We only have so many days allotted to us. And, we all have moments when confusion overcomes us and we don’t know why we are where we find ourselves. But there is a way for us to live a life of confidence, a fruitful life with “no fear” and “no worries.” We, like Nana, simply need to put our trust in the Lord.
