I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and that 2007 will be a wonderful year for you. I know it’s cliché to say it, but this year has indeed flown by. In fact, the last 20 years have flown by for that matter. I turned 40 years old back in September, and I’m still not sure what I think about that. I guess it’s normal to feel the weightiness of encroaching mortality as you cross such milestones in life, but I think I’d rather instead celebrate the eternal journey toward God than lament the finite days that we have here on earth. Wow, how’s that for a philosophical opening thought!? I thought with this blog I would recap Christmas and also honor my many blessings as I recount the gift that was 2006.
I write this during a lull in my evening shift. Tuesday night I was sitting by the fire with my beloved Bobbi. I couldn’t help but be flooded with contentment. After all, I had just spent a beautiful weekend celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ with my family. I drove in from Washington D.C. last Friday night to be greeted by Bobbi, Nathan, Kristin (just in from Atlanta herself) and Marcus. Even our puppy, Nienna, aka Neener Puppy, was bouncing happily around at the sight of all of us together. Saturday was a perfect day, we did a little shopping and had a great meal at El Dorodo’s in West Ashley, and left just enough room for a Krispy Kreme run…the “Hot Now” light was on…yeah, that’s what I’M talking about. For Christmas Eve, Nathan and I made it to church where I was able to say hello to many of my friends that I hadn’t seen in quite a while. The youth did some fantastic skits and the kids sang some carols. I showed up just early enough to plug in and play some Christmas tunes as the congregation arrived for the service. Afterward, they had a chocolate birthday cake for Jesus in the fellowship hall. Won’t it be cool when we’re all together and Jesus, Himself, cuts the cake for us in heaven? I bet the cake will have some of that butter cream frosting that Publix uses…I digress. Okay, I must be a little hungry as I write this. Anyway, Sunday evening Mom and Dad, my brothers, Jimmy and John, and my niece, Courtney, came over and we had a great time together. I was due to be home the rest of the week and return back to D.C. on the 1st, but the phone rang Tuesday night with the news that President Ford had passed away and that I was to return to duty. I remember watching Ford’s inauguration on TV as a kid. Mom had me watch Nixon’s resignation and Ford’s inauguration and told me that those were important events. I even remember him joking that he was a “Ford not a Lincoln.” So, it seems a little surreal that I should be involved in his State funeral all these years later. My unit is the Air Force component of the Military District of Washington, and as such, is responsible for a significant portion of the funeral. So tonight I wait for the moving parts of the ceremonies to run their course and look for any contingencies that require my attention and input. It was hard cutting my visit home so short, but I’m honored to have a part in honoring President Ford, and I’m thankful for the wonderful time with my family.
Beyond the holiday and these current events, this has been an extraordinary year for me. I’ve seen and done so many things. When I try to wrap my mind around it, I’m overwhelmed. One of my earlier blogs, Name Dropping, listed more than a few events. I met quite a few guitar/musician heroes, Phil Keaggy, Christopher Parkening, Chris Thile, but it’s going to be tough topping the honor of helping to host Doyle Dykes and his daughter, Haley, out at my church last March. What an inspiring night that was! I really felt God’s presence. It was the first time my Mom, brother and niece had the opportunity to see him perform, and it was a special treat to watch all of my guitar buddies in the youth group go nuts watching him eloquently demonstrate what God can do through a guitar player. I actually got to attend three concerts in a row with him that weekend and one night he invited me to dinner at Cracker Barrel…his treat even! I consider Doyle a friend, but there’s still so much fan in me that I have to admit that I had to pinch myself while talking with him over my Old Timer’s breakfast. Doyle and his family was going through a difficult weekend, but I felt the Lord bless him even in the midst of it. God doesn’t always free us from the trials of life, but He does hold our hand through them. It has been a blessing to see God open up blessings on their lives since that weekend. As for me, that was a weekend I’ll never forget. I’ve toured so many historic sites here in the D.C. area that they are too numerous to list. But, here are just a few of the things I’ve seen to date: Mount Vernon, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, Gettysburg, Antietam, the Smithsonian and national monuments, National Gallery, Capitol Building, Ft McHenry, Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville…and the list goes on. I had an unbelievable evening at the Library of Congress’s book release for Operation Homecoming, as the guest of my friend, painter, author and patriot, Maj Steven Givler. Bobbi, Nathan and I had a great week at Disney World back in May, and I’ve spent countless hours shark tooth hunting (and finding) with Nathan. We attended the marriage of our friends, Larry and Marlene back in November, and helped Kristin move to Atlanta back in August. I’ve made lots of music buddies up here, and have enjoyed many evenings playing out at Tiffany Tavern and the 219 King restaurant in Alexandria, Va. All this, and I know I’m leaving out so much!
As this year draws to a close, let me say thanks. Thanks to friends, family and heroes for making it a year to remember. Most of all thanks to Jesus Christ for paying my penalty and giving me a life yet to come more beautiful than anything I can now imagine or comprehend. A huge life change awaits me as I retire from the Air Force in a couple of months after 20 years, and come home for good, but I look forward to the things God has yet planned for my life. I’m working on some performance opportunities when I return, and let me say I’m really excited about a recent opportunity that might find me playing in the heart of the old historic district in downtown Charleston! More to follow on that hopefully…
Recently, I read the Christian testimony of one of the world’s greatest classical guitarist, Christopher Parkening. He referenced composer J.S. Bach pointing out that many of those most beloved compositions bore Bach’s signature followed by the initials S.D.G. which stood for the latin Soli Deo Gloria. It meant to God Alone be the Glory. Bach took his gift and gave it back to the Lord claiming no glory for himself. May we never hoard for ourselves what God has given us. Like the child who gave Jesus his meal of fishes and bread, let us give our gift back and watch it be blessed and multiplied beyond our greatest abilities and wildest dreams.
God Bless you all and I hope you receive all God has for you in 2007! Soli Deo Gloria.
S.D.G.
Keith
