93 Years of Wisdom...

Proverbs 31:25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

On Father's Day, my precious momma tripped in a crowded restaurant.  Less than 30 minutes later, as a precautionary measure, 2 clown cars and 6 people descended upon the nearest emergency department.  As we sat in the waiting area, I had the honor of spending time with my Papaw, mom's 93 year old father.  A few hours earlier, he made the drive from Celina, Texas to celebrate fatherhood.  At this particular moment in time, we both found ourselves in somewhat of a "pickle."  It just didn't seem right for us to bring out the cookie cake and celebrate fathers in a waiting room with complete strangers!  However, the family conversations in this place provided me with unexpected pockets of joy.

As I sat down, Papaw leaned over to me and said, "I think your mom's paying me back for my recent trip to the ER.  I guess we'll know for sure if 2:00am is the time of her discharge."  A few moments later, my sister and I gasped at the inappropriate attire worn by a young girl standing at the front desk.  As she moved away, Papaw giggled and said, "If she recently bought those shorts at the store, we need to tell her she left the store with only part of them."  As the clock moved forward, we observed a frantic dad pacing the floor, terrified about the location of his son.  With the passing of time, my sister and I felt increased anguish for this father as he walked from one side of the room to the other, over and over again.  Papaw leaned towards me, once again, and stated, "See, sometimes you just need to walk it off like that old' boy!"  Finally, an old man tried hard to fight off the instructions and bossiness of his very irritated wife.  It was an embarrassing sight.  Papaw scooted closer to me and whispered, "Do you think that lady's name is Billie?" This woman, a drill-sergeant of sorts, reminded Papaw of his late wife!  My grandmother was Billie, and her middle name could have been "Bossy."  

I don't want to ever forget the Father's Day afternoon I spent with Papaw in the ER waiting area.  I still sit back in amazement at the beautiful reality of how we observed the same situations unfold.  All 3 situations made Momma Vaughan's blood pressure rise a little...made my hair stand on end...even just a little.  These same situations made Papaw pause, reflect and share pockets of wisdom/humor with those around him.  How is that even possible?  I'm not sure I have the exact answer; however, I do know this.  93 years of wisdom has provided my Papaw with the blessed ability to find God's grace, His mercy and His light woven into the tapestry of every dark circumstance.  Thank you, Jesus.  This experience gently reminded me sometimes we take life too seriously.  Sometimes, our seriousness causes us to lose perspective.  God never intended for us to live like this.  As I get older, I pray I can laugh a little more at the days to come, relax in waiting areas and observe the world around me through a Godly lens…just like my Papaw.  Thank you, Jesus for wisdom.  Thank you, Jesus for Papaw's 93 years of wisdom.  Amen.