1961

Today is my sweet Piper’s 67^th birthday.  I was going to say that it “would have been” her 67^th birthday but then it hit me that even though she is not present on this earth, that she is very present in heaven where her life will continue on forever… and that is where she is celebrating her birthday this year!  So, with great PEACE and JOY I exclaim:

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIPER!

I was contemplating the life of my wife yesterday morning and came across a scripture in the Biblical book of Colossians where the Apostle Paul talks about how God now sees us as “holy, flawless, and restored” through Jesus’ personal sacrifice on the cross.  The he goes on to add the stipulation, “if indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. And never be shaken from your expectation of the gospel in which you have actively believed in. And this is the glorious news I preach all over the world.” (Colossians 1:22-23 The Passion Translation – personalized) 

I got excited when I read that because while Father God sees us this way – through Christ – on the earth… Piper, who is now residing in heaven, is seen this way directly, unencumbered and in living color before the throne of God!  Another thing that got me enthused about this verse is what I found when I looked up the word “continue” in the original Greek.  According to Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, this word describes someone who “preservers, or stays at or with something or someone.”  It demonstrates “an action persisted with.”  When I saw that definition, I immediately thought of how it described Piper’s life in general and her faith walk in particular.

Then as I glanced up the page of my Strong’s Concordance, I observed that the number that Strong associated with that Greek word was 1961.  And as one might imagine, that got me taking an unintended walk down memory lane!  My first thought was how old was I, and what was I doing in 1961.  After some quick calculations I figured out that I was eight and attending Matanzas Elementary School located just around the block from the new house that my parents purchased a few months before.

Then in an instant, I zeroed in on Piper and wondered what her 1961 history page might have written on it.  The first and only memory that I could recount about her in 1961, was that I recalled her telling me, in great detail I might add, of how she, at eight years of age, made the life-changing decision to walk down the aisle of her Baptist church and give her life to Jesus as her personal Savior and Lord.  It was a decision that she never forgot and was the way of life that she built upon everyday of her earthly existence!

So, 1961 was a monumental year in her life, and while I have seen many pictures of her previous to that year that yielded images of her inner JOY, I firmly believe that her decision that year cemented her life-long passion to make a difference in people’s lives through her physical presence that simply emanated the LOVE and JOY of the Lord wherever she went.

I always felt that every eye in the place was upon her whenever we walked into a room.  And as I think about it today, in conjunction with our scripture, I would have to feel the confirmation that I was right.  But it wasn’t just her extremely good looks, lovely features and bright eyes (and the guy on her arm… He! He!), it was the joy that was written all over her face that was projected like a shining beacon into every nook and cranny in the room… as well as into the dim or dark places in people’s lives!

So, yes!  That’s the wonderful gal whose life I celebrate today!  There have been many days since her passing where I simply long for her presence next to me.  The warmth, the peace, the encouragement, the LOVE and most of all, the JOY that simply radiated from her… and she would never even have to utter a word!  That’s the presence of Piper that I remember and look forward to being near again when my exit interview comes!

At times I find myself having to fight off jealousy when I think of the myriad of souls in heaven that are now getting to revel in her bountiful and bursting JOY!  But I do have to admit that I have something that none of them can ever have… and that is 48 years of intimate oneness, hours upon hours of heart sharing conversations of deep feelings and thoughts that we’d never share with anyone else, and an unconditional depth of LOVE meant only for each other.

So, today isn’t a sorrowful day for me but one that is overflowing with memories of HAPPINESS, LOVE, PEACE and Piper’s trademark smile and bright shining brown eyes from which radiated the JOY of the Lord that was established in her life… way back in 1961.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!