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"A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward." ~William J. Bennett, Statesman



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"The Key"
by Mike Collins

Life is short. None of us can be sure when exactly we will draw our last breath, and what is even worse is the fact that not one of our family members will be prepared when we have finally exhaled it.

This past Thursday my grandmother passed away. As I write this, we have not yet attended the funeral services, and I have not quite had a chance to grieve on my own time or in my own way. I am writing this on the day she died, and I am simply remembering a wonderful relationship with one of my closest friends in life.

She and I had a special relationship from my earliest memories. I grew up in the same hollow where she lived, and spent many hours a day with her. I'm not trying to be overly reverent or make emotionally praise-filled banter about her as many people do with loved one's who have passed away I can honestly say that my maw-maw was one of the best friends I ever had.

Because both of my parents were working full-time, many times it was only my maw-maw who came to watch me play football in junior high. She was the same lady who would slip money to me when no one was looking, and then tell me not to mention where I got it. She knew I loved her banana-nut bread; so every holiday she made one for the family and one for me. Always making sure that maw-maw's baby never went without, she was always there for me financially, mentally, and spiritually.

I'll never forget the lengths that she would go in order to keep me out of trouble. As I mentioned earlier, my mother and father worked, and when I would come home from school I had to use my own key to get into our house. I couldn't tell you how many keys I had lost during those years. My father would have killed me if he had known that I had lost just one, much less tons of keys to his house. So I would walk up the hollow to maw-maw's house and we would go have a new one made. She had a key to our house, and we would get a copy made from it?then, she would give me her key because it looked worn, and she would keep the new one to immediately put it through a wearing process for the next time I would lose it.

She was my biggest fan, my loudest cheerleader, and my greatest supporter. She always believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. She stood with me when it seemed no one else would. She always told me that she knew God had special things in store for my life, and she always told me, "Jesus will never leave you, and He will never forsake you, He will always love you, and Maw-maw will always love you too."

In his book entitled Miracles, C.S. Lewis wrote, "On the one hand Death is the triumph of Satan, the punishment of the Fall, and the last enemy. Christ shed tears at the grave of Lazarus and sweated blood in Gethsemane: the Life of Lives that was in Him detested this penal obscenity not less than we do, but more. On the other hand, only he who loses his life will save it. We are baptized into the death of Christ, and it is the remedy for the Fall. Death is, in fact, what some modern people call 'ambivalent.' It is Satan's great weapon and also God's great weapon: it is holy and unholy; our supreme disgrace and our only hope; the thing Christ came to conquer, and the means by which He conquered."

As I sit here thinking about the banana-nut bread that I will never taste again, I realize that my maw-maw has helped ensure that I retain a more important Key?a Key that will allow me to gain access to my Heavenly Father's house: Jesus Christ.

I miss you maw-maw, but I will see you again someday because I am hanging on dearly to that Key.



Mike Collins copyright 2003
mikecollinsemail@yahoo.com

Mike wrote "Mike's Knives", "Cowboys and Indians" & "The Valentine Balloon" & "The Oasis", found in our archives. He is a syndicated columnist, broadcaster and author of Christian-related material.


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The Letter Box:



John,
All your stories really inspire me. I want to thank you for another truly wonderful story. I'm sure your friend has not forgotten you either! Nicole in Houston, TX


John,
Wonderful story! I too want to know what Cheezxies are and hope we get to find out! Thank you for sharing this moving memory of your youth. I pray that God continues to bless you with the ability to share your experiences so that others may be inspired and given hope. Merriam Forrester


TA - DA... the Cheezie explanation!

Hi Susan, Just wanted to thank you and all your reader's for the kind E-Mail's and to let you all know what Cheezies are. Cheezies are made by a company here in Canada Called Hawkin's They are a childhood staple in canada and they describe them on their website(http://www.cheezies.com/history.htm) as --"a technique of extruding cornmeal into various shapes, cooking them in vegetable shortening and then coating them in aged cheddar cheese". Whatever, they are great. Anyways hope this clears that up for you. Love John


John' story 'Cheezies' tugs at the heart strings and makes me count my blessings even more.

Sooz, do wish you well without your wisdom teeth. You poor kid, how will you manage without them???? Seriously, give yourself time to get over the op, don't overdo things. Margaret Drysdale


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