Caleb Keller
needsalt
a well lived bland life
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A Note to my Girls
I'm making the mistake of watching "Children of 9/11". Its a mistake because it's making me sad and emotional. These children lost their mothers and fathers at an early age and some of them have only faint memories of their lost parents. I don't want to leave my girls and I don't want them to grow up without a mother or father. The reality is that my life could end at almost any moment and I'm powerless to do anything about it. I want to make the most of every moment with my children in case I do leave this world early. So, I decided to make a list of things I want my girls to know because I love them so very much:
- I love Jesus. I believe that without Jesus Christ I am condemned. I constantly fail; I'm selfish; I give into my anger; I lack faith; I sin. Yet, by God's underserving Love He has paid the price for my sin by giving His Son as a propitiation for not only my sin but all who call on His Name and believe in His saving grace. And I believe that all will be made right through Him. I believe He was propehsied by the Old Testament prophets, lived, taught, and performed many miracles, died on the cross, rose on the third day and appeared to many, passed on His work to this Apostles, rose to the right hand of God the Father, and will one day return to judge all the living and the dead.
- I love Christ's Church. I believe that God's plan to reconcile all human kind to himself is, and always has been, to be completed through His Church (Ephesians 3:1-12).
- I love your mother. Your mother means more to me than any human on this earth. She has taught me what it means to love and more things about myself and the life we have to live than anyone. I love the way she nutures and cares for you. She spends each and everyday doing everything that she does for you. From the moment you were born she has thought about you every moment of your life. There are none who care for you more than she. We are kids when we're together. You are going to be embarrased of us when you're older, but I'm sure inside you'll enjoy it. God has blessed me with her. She has a beautiful heart and I don't deserve her.
- I love you. I write this when Nora is 2 1/2 and Ellie is only 3 months old. I love you both so very much. You instantly bring joy to my heart. I love you hold you, to snuggle with you, and to play silly games with you. I love to take you on dates: be them either a short trip to the store or a dinner and ice cream. It is my prayer that you both grow to be godly women and have the same love for God that I have. I take this quote from your Uncle Luke (modified a bit, of course): "We're not raising girls, we're raising women."
- I love my family (including in-laws). I love my parents, my brothers, my grand-parents, my sister in laws, my nieces, my nephews, my aunts, my uncles, and my cousins. Even though some of our family we don't get to see very often, I love them. Even though we sometimes have to miss things because of other prirorites, our families mean the world to me. I want a big family. I hope we can have many more kids and have large family gatherings. Basically I'm Clark Griswald when it comes to family gatherings and holidays. If you don't know who Clark Griswald is, ask somebody born in the 20th century.
- I love my friends. I love people. A great vacation to me is going somewhere new, meeting new people, and sitting down to a coffee or a beer and talking. Some of my fondest memeories are of doing things or going places with people. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being alone and having time to ponder life's great mysteries, but people all have different stories and experiences and I love to hear about them. I feel bad when I can't spend more times with friends, but I know the time I'm putting towards other things is just as valuable.
- I love working with my hands. I spend about 40 hours a week behind a desk solving the computer and technological problems of a great academic instituion. But that is only one side of me. I love to dig. I kinda think I should have been a farmer sometimes. And not just any old farmer, but a farmer living about 200 years ago. If I had a time machine big enough to old all those people above and some medicine, I'd take us back there. Just think about it: We would have a small house on the priarie, I would farm, your mother would garden, your Papa and Uncles would hunt some game, and you girls would do what you do now anyway: get filthy and eat dirt. I also want to know how to do just about everything, and do it from scratch. I was just telling your mother that I have this fear that we're going to lose all of our technology and I'm not going to know how to do anything. Yes, people CAN survive without a microwave...I just don't know how.
- I love my life. I have been blessed beyond means. I have a wonderful life and I don't deserve it. I pray that I may live this life humbly and pleasing to our Creator. When I fall before Him one day may I not regret the time that He gave me on this earth.
Well, it's late now, so I best be heading off to bed. I love you girls.
Oh, look what you did. I decided to find a picture of you both to post with this and you made me cry. Wait until I see you tomorrow and I'll give you a snuggle you won't soon forget.
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