Family – Apprentice 2 Jesus

Missing the first birthday

This will be the first birthday for my dad since his death. He would have been 84. We’ve gone through other firsts. First Father’s Day. First Christmas. The firsts are awful. There isn’t a guarantee they get better. This just first.

The ones not with us

We remember the ones not with us in times and seasons like these. This will be my first Christmas without my dad. He passed away in May of this year. Those firsts are such a mixture for me. The first Father’s Day without him. Mom’s first birthday without him. This Christmas.

Father’s Day without Dad

His is my first Father’s Day without Dad. It’s been a little over for weeks since his passing. Grief comes and goes. In and out like the tide. No phone call to him. No joking around. No smile to look at, but I do remember.

I love you, Dad

My Dad’s obituary

Charles J. Thompson entered this life on January 7, 1939 in Altamont, MO and peacefully left this earth on May 20, 2022 with his family by his side singing his favorite hymns. Charles, along with his mom and brothers and sisters, grew up on a farm in Galatin, MO. They worked the farm growing up,Continue reading “My Dad’s obituary”

The paragraph that broke me

I am far more able to slowly make my way through Eugene Peterson’s biography than most other books because I have to stop and repent so often.

The Passing

If I didn’t call my future father-in-law a redneck the first time I met him, I know I thought it. It was over 30 years ago and I had flown to Alabama to meet Terri’s dad and that side of the family. Almost from the start of our time that week Gerrard would find thingsContinue reading “The Passing”

One year

One year ago we walked out of our house in Minneapolis for the last time. Our truck was packed and headed to Alabama. Life was about to shift in a major way.

Dads

This is a reflection on not just the dad I have by birth, but the connection I am afforded by marriage.

A full circle journey

This is a weekend of memories. It is a weekend of significant milestones. We celebrated my parents’ 60th anniversary. Thankfully we did it in July. Their actual anniversary is in January and we risked freezing rain at that time. All the family made it. It was an incredible blessing. New great-grand babies, new spouses, newContinue reading “A full circle journey”