Life is sure interesting. Tonight I'm pondering the many, many people I have met and gotten to know in my 55 years of life. I have been truly privileged to have formed many loving relationships and to have served and interacted with many wonderful souls! I must admit, though, that, for whatever the reason, there are also many relationships in my life that I have allowed to fade away, weaken or even become broken.

I was reading a local newspaper that serves my former hometown in PA and was struck by the announcement of the passing of a wonderful Christian man who resided for a time in the nursing home where I was employed as Activities Director.

Mr. Bill Owens passed away on Wednesday of this week and his wife passed away just a few months ago, on November 8, 2009. This Sunday, Valentine's Day, Mr. Owens would have celebrated his 95th birthday. Valentine's Day also marks the wedding anniversary of this wonderful couple....they celebrated 75 years of marriage in 2009! Pretty amazing!

Bill Owens and his wife, Ethel, were truly an inspiration and it was a joy to have served these folks for the years that I was employed at Buffalo Valley Lutheran Village. I cannot recall a single occasion when Bill wasn't joyfully sharing the love of Christ, the Gospel or just extending a comment of encouragement or support.

I am moved as I ponder the importance of not only cherishing every relationship that we are privileged to experience, but also of cultivating and nurturing those relationships! Looking back, I am glad I took time to get to know Bill Owens and to talk and interact with he and his wife on a personal level. I use Mr. Owens simply as an example of the many, many people we come in contact with on a regular basis. Too often, I am too quick to brush aside a relationship because I am too busy, or at time I have even shied away from certain relationships because I feared they might involve more 'maintenance' than I wanted to undertake. Shame on me!

"Lord, forgive me for self-centeredness; for thinking more of ME than of others. Please help me to be more sensitive to other's needs and to truly take time to get to know people, to share your love and to share the Good News of Jesus!"

May we all EMBRACE others with Christ-like love and may we be open to God-ordained relationships and the joy and fullness that come from genuine relationships!