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? King
Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NASB,
There is
an appointed time for everything.? And there is a time for
every event under heaven??”
(2)? ? A
time to give birth and a time to die; ? A time to plant and a
time to uproot what is planted.
(3)? ? A
time to kill and a time to heal; ? A time to tear down and a
time to build up.
(4)? ? A
time to weep and a time to laugh; ? A time to mourn and a
time to dance.
(5)? ? A
time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; ? A time to
embrace and a time to shun embracing.
(6)? ? A
time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep
and a time to throw away.
(7)? ? A
time to tear apart and a time to sew together; ? A time to be
silent and a time to speak.
(8)? ? A
time to love and a time to hate; ? A time for war and a time
for peace.
This verse
has recently pierced my heart especially 3b and 6b, because
I realize I have to take it at face value.? Months have come
and gone, my husband is and has been very ill, and I have
not heard from my best friend.? He has had a stroke and is
now facing the possibility of kidney dialysis, and she knows
this.? I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized, for the
past eighteen months, the only time I??™ve heard from her is
when I called her.
As I
ponder the last year and a half, I remember we had so much
in common.? Our husbands are like ???two peas in a pod.???? We
had the same mother-in-law problems, but hers has passed
on.? We have daughter-in-laws that could pass as twin
sisters even though I??™m positive they don??™t even know each
other much less be related.? We laughed.? We cried.? We
spent hours together, shopping, discussing the Bible, and
sharing pictures
of our
grandchildren.? We traded recipes, had our families over for
dinner, and exchanged Christmas presents...always Indian
artifacts.? We knew each other??™s hurts and joys almost
before they happened.? She nominated my husband for a
national educator award.? So what happened?
I dialed
her number shaking as I dialed.? She knew it was me.? She
has a caller I. D.
???Hello,???
her voice was tired.
???Good
morning.? How are you doing today????? My questions continued,
and she answered each one.? She had been sick.
Finally
she said, ???I recently received a phone call asking for a
character reference for you.? I told them we were
acquaintances that talked on the phone ever month or so.???
Acquaintances!? I thought: did I imagine all those years,
all those times we shared, all the comfort I thought we gave
each other?? When I hung up the phone and remembered for the
last year and a half, that??™s where our relationship went.?
When I called her, we talked.? Now I have to let her go.? I
need her but our season is over.? I still ponder the reason
why.
Carol Dee
Meeks |
