Saturday, January 10, 2009

How to Change the World

For those of you who know my mother well, you know that she has a great sense of humor and a little bit of spunk. She woke up today to see Maxine, a long time friend at her side, and told her that her husband, Steve, was going to shoot her for spending so much time with her. Maxine assured her this was not the case. Later in the day she woke up and said, "when is all this Jazz going to end. I'm ready to go." Through it all my mother is still my mother. Light hearted and to the point.

There is nothing new to report on Corrine's health. She is still very weak but continues to drink a little liquid throughout the day. Her moments of lucidity are fewer and fewer. She speaks with a soft voice and is at times difficult to understand. The times she is awake, however, are sweet times indeed.

Interestingly, my mother's sickness has demonstrated to me how to truly make a difference in the world.

My mother has been married (and widowed) on two prior occasions. First to my father. Second to Dick Peterson who succumbed to cancer in 1989. Dick was a father to Angela and I, as well as to his own children Jill Najar, Karla Drake, Stephen Peterson, and Martha Gorski. Currently my mother is married to Don Leoni who is father to Eric Leoni and Paula Baccus.

I say this to make a point. Many people feel that to change the world one must have large amounts of money or political influence. I would argue that this is not always true. My mother has made a large impact on 8 separate family trees. This is not insignificant.

Observe how Jesus changed the world. When he died only a limited number of people in a small part of the world knew of his story. Jesus did not raise an army or take on the title of King that was offered to him. He did not write any books or letters that we know of. Jesus did not even advocate for a new religion, just a new way of life. Christianity came after the fact. The way that Jesus changed the world was by living life deeply with a few. In living life together with the disciples for three years the world was changed forever.

Family is the most natural way God intended us to be deeply in relationship with others over the long haul. As family we have the opportunity to influence one another for better or worse. My mother clearly influenced us for the better and, as a result, gave our children (her grandchildren) a better family to grow up in. This blessing will be passed down and expanded upon from generation to generation, and each generation is larger than the one prior. Relational impact scales over time.

Each of us "kids" has made it a point these past few weeks to share with mom how she has dramatically changed our lives for the better. Eight family trees have been influenced for the better. Although pundits may say this is only a small impact, I believe that this is the seed of something big in generations to come.

Let us remember to go deep with few, starting with our family, and then with our neighbor. The world can be changed if we do. It just takes time.

Steve

1 comment:

  1. For the family. There is a book entitled, Where Is God When We Suffer by Dr. Lynn Gardner that might be of help sometime in the future. Lynn experienced many, many tough days in his life and wrote this book as a result of those experiences. He was a professor at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO
    Kathy Ransom, Spfld., IL

    ReplyDelete

Please share anything that comes to mind. Any notes to Corrine are shared with her daily.