("Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman)
Hello and welcome to a very special Keil's Comments (kinda like those "very special episodes" you may have seen back in the day -- yes I have watched entirely too much television, but that's not the point right now).
To say the past 24 hours has been a whirlwind of emotions for Sharon and I as well as Sharon's family is the understatement of the year. Even with all the madness about COVID-19, who would have guessed that we would be dealing with such a loss.
I have only known Mom for 4 years and one thing that is standing out in my mind as I am typing this is the reason I broke out the song at the top of this post.
Mom left an indelible legacy on this earth. For 40-plus years, she served with her husband (my late father-in-law) in ministry as he pastored churches in Arkansas, Colorado and California and developed ministries like one in Colorado for whitewater guides. All of this while raising three wonderful children to know and trust God in everything. She used her gifts in a tremendous way, using crafts as her way to minister to people (I guess you would say in a sense she was crafty). She had a gift of card making that will probably be unmatched.
If you know David or Joe or Sharon, you can immediately see the impact that legacy has, whether it is teaching 4th graders to sharpen their reading skills or ministering to college students or serving their community. Add to that the support of their spouses (Tonya, Angela and myself) and the grandchildren and eventually her great granddaughter Erza and future greats, it's easy to see that the legacy will hope to continue until Jesus returns.
Just sitting here typing out this post, it is going to be hard going forward to mention anything about Mom and it being in the past tense. As a family, we know that one day we will see Mom again and she will definitely be showing us around her Mansion.
Wanda Lou...it's been a pleasure to get to know you and to be your 3rd son! Thank you for instilling your wisdom into me and for giving me the figurative swift kick in the pants when I needed it. I will be forever grateful for this short time that I have had with you. I am running out of words to say so I will let Carrie Underwood finish this post out for me.
