Handwritten Letters

What a day this was for our family. Lonnie was leaving for a year-long remote assignment to Korea. He was so choked up about leaving his family behind. He says that it was the first time he ever had that "lump in your throat" experience. In fact, Jason looked up at him and asked him, "Are you ok, Daddy?" Lonnie could not even answer him. He tried to speak but no sound would come out. It was a sad day for us.

While he was gone, he handwrote many letters to us and I saved them all. He made "rules" for his letter-writing that year. He wrote the letters in cursive (except for the ones he wrote to Jennifer and Tiffany as they were 8 and 4 years old) and he also had "rules" for the content of his letters. I know this because one day he wrote that he had started a letter to me but had to throw it away and start over because he had broken one of his "rules."

He was always very encouraging and loving and enjoyed teasing me too. Here is an example: "Chris, please let Tiffany read this herself. She should be able to by now. Can she sing harmony yet? How often do you floss her teeth? Oh, how is she doing on her times tables? Chrissy--do you still love me?"

Yes, I do, Lonnie.

Good advice and godly wisdom were wrapped up in those letters too. On October 2, 1991, he wrote these words:

"I hope you realize how proud of you I am. Just take it a day at a time and please in all that you do--don't despair--you are everything to me and sweet to others and, above all things, remember--you can make it and I love you!!!

Phil 3:20 'Our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.' I am going to preach from I Thessalonians 4 this week on the soon return of Christ."

His handwritten letters continue to encourage and point us to Jesus today. Thank you, Lord, for Lonnie's words and life. Help us to remember our "citizenship is in heaven" and to live our lives with "eternity's values in mind."