The Vicissitudes of Life
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The Vicissitudes of Life
By
Author’s Preface:
To my loving family and
friends,
The message that you are about to read has been one of
the most enjoyable I have ever written, and yet, at the same time,
one of the most difficult. I found it to be enjoyable because as I
wrote I had the opportunity to reflect upon the days of yesteryear
and relive in my mind’s eye some wonderful and precious memories. I
found it difficult, or maybe the word challenging would be better
used here, because of the kaleidoscope of emotions that I
experienced as I endeavored to put into words some of my deepest and
most personal feelings about those days of yesteryear.
As a result, it has taken the better part of three months to bring together all of
these humble thoughts, that I wish
to share with all of you, into their final form as presented here.
It seems that every time I would write a small portion of this
message and then go back to re-read what I had written, I felt
directed to delete some things and insert some others. There were
also a few times when I put this message aside for a few days and
upon returning to continue working on it, I felt prompted to
completely do away with what I had already written and start afresh.
And so, I cannot honestly take full credit for what you are about to
read. This labor of love has come forth as a result of prayer,
inspiration, and through the loving guidance and direction of my
constant companion, the Holy Spirit.
It is my sincere heartfelt prayer that this message
will be received by all who read it in the spirit of love in which
it was prepared and that it will also be a blessing to those
readers. These thoughts are being shared with you humbly in His
Marvelous, Matchless name, even the name of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Sincerely,
Keith Lionel Brown Keith Lionel Brown
The Vicissitudes of Life
By
In celebration of the ending of two score and
ten years of life, that being the equivalent of five decades or one
half century of life, and welcoming the dawning of a brand new
decade, this journey through life continues to amaze me. To God is
all the glory given, great things He has done.
Scripture Reference: Psalm 90:10,
12 “The days of our years are threescore years
and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet
is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we
fly away. . . .So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom.”
My dear family and friends,
I send love and greetings to each of you in the name of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. I pray that this communication
finds all things well with each of
you.
I would like to take just a little time today to address a
subject that has been weighing heavy on my mind in recent days.
Though it may seem peculiar to some, I believe that in light of the
day and times in which we now live, the subject that I am about to
address is not only appropriate but also relevant. And so, if you
would indulge me for just a little while, I would like to address
the vicissitudes of life.
As I sit here writing this my mind begins to reflect upon the
days of yesteryear. I find it almost hard to believe that in just a
few short days, on 17 October, should the Lord be gracious and allow
me to see the day; I will celebrate one half century of life.
In the fall of 1958 I was born at approximately
At
that time
Yes, things have certainly changed over the
years. In the first half century of life I have had many experiences
that have helped me grow and mature into becoming the person that I
am today. Some of these experiences have been wonderful, and there
were some that were not so wonderful. In the first half century of
life I have literally been blessed to stand on some lofty
mountaintops, but I have also spent nights in some very low valleys.
I have been blessed with many calm and peaceful days and I have also
experienced the blowing of the chilling winds of adversity and have
at times watched the storm clouds roll by with their thundering
voices. But thanks be unto God because through it all I have learned
to trust and obey the voice of my Lord and Savior and to give Him
all of the praise and glory for leading me and guiding me thus far
on my journey through life. It is because of Him that I am able to
see the bright day dawning on the horizon, even in the midst of a
raging storm. Yes, I am reminded of the words of the old spiritual,
“Without Him I could do nothing. Without Him I would fail. Without
Him I would be drifting, like a ship without a
sail.”
Looking back I think about the days gone by
when as a young boy I did not have a care in the world. My days were
filled with running, jumping, playing, and just having fun. I did
not have to be concerned with waking up and going to work each day
to make a living so that I could keep a roof over my head, keep food
on the table, pay the bills, or even put gasoline in the tank of the
family vehicle. Those types of things were transparent to me. My
father and my mother took care of all of those things. I was no
doubt young and naïve and definitely did not realize at that time
that all the comforts of life that I so richly enjoyed would one day
no longer be my parents’ responsibility, but indeed my own
responsibility. Nonetheless, even as I transitioned from being a
young boy into becoming a young man learning to take care of myself,
one thing that I always knew for certain is that whenever I was in
trouble or just needed someone to talk to, my father and my mother
were always there for me. Even when I finally left home and joined
the military for 20 years of my life, their love, and more
importantly, their daily prayers for my safety and protection gave
me great comfort and the courage to press on even at times when I
did not feel like doing so. I will always love them both and miss
them dearly. Sometimes I truly wish I had just one more day to sit
and talk with each of them if for nothing more than to be able to
ask them, “Now, what was that you said again?”
Looking back, those were the days when men
seemed to have a clearer understanding of what it means to be a
husband and a father. Those were the days when men could be
described by such words as “honesty” and integrity. Those were the
days when more often than not, men would be found away from the
home, not because they
wanted to be, but because of the necessity to earn a meager living
to support their families. There were many men, including men like
my own father, who worked two or three jobs just to try and make
ends meet. Yes, those were the days when men understood what it
meant to work by the sweat of their brow and earn an honest day’s
wages regardless of how small the wages might have been.
May I briefly pause at this juncture and put
a very strong emphasis on the word “honest”. It seems that in those
days, only fifty short years ago, you would not have heard about all
of the schemes and scams that you hear about today. Thank God there
are still men of honor and integrity today, but still the sad
commentary remains that there are so many men who find it easier to
“make a living” by cheating hard working people out of what they
have through the diabolical schemes and scams. Today, there are even
those that appear to be much bolder. They don’t use schemes and
scams to get what they want; instead they just break in and take
what they want. These men have neither concept nor clue of what such
words as honesty and integrity mean, and the word “work” has become
nothing more than another four letter swear word. Sadder yet is the
fact that these men do not necessarily work alone, but they have
recruited a younger generation of vagabonds and thieves to join
their numbers. The message that they are sending out loud and clear
to future generations is “They that have shall lose, and they that
have not shall get!” Again, thank God that not all men are like
that.
Looking back,
Yes, those were the days. Those were the days
when “family” truly meant something special. We did not have all of
the modern conveniences and electronic gadgetry that we have in the
home today, but we had something even more important, we had each
other. And even though fathers worked hard to support their
families, they still found the time to spend true “quality” time
with their families. Families worked together, ate together, played
together, prayed together, and worshipped together. Even though my own father
was a hard workingman, he still had the time to take us to fun
places and do things with each of us. In those days it was
understood that the word “family” was more than just a byword.
Fathers and mothers, and yes, even the children, understood the
meaning of the concept: “Together we stand, but divided we fall!”
Families understood that “no man is an island unto himself” and they
understood that the strength of the family rests in the unity of the
family. Families understood that they needed each other to survive
and often went to great lengths to protect one another.
Those were the days when women seemed to have
a clearer understanding of what it means to be a wife and a mother.
Those were the days when mothers felt that it was more important to
stay at home and raise their own children during the formable years
rather than run off to an office, to the next meeting, or some
social function and leave the children with a baby sitter or a
daycare service. During those formable years mothers took the time
to nurture their children in the admonition of the Lord and trained
those children to walk in the way that they should go so that one
day when they grew up and went out on their own, they could look
back and remember the things that they were taught, and not depart
from the path upon which their feet had been planted. I thank God
that my own dear mother was one of those mothers. She was indeed my
first and my best schoolteacher in the school of
life.
Now, allow me to pause for just a moment to
make it perfectly clear that I am not so insensitive that I do not
realize that there were mothers even back then who had to leave
their children and go to work out of the necessity of being able to
sustain a living. I understand that. I also understand that there
are many mothers today who find themselves in similar situations
through no intent of their own. Circumstances in life often dictate
the decisions that must be made. To those mothers I humbly applaud
their efforts and willingness to support their families. God bless
them. But, the flip side of that coin is that there are many women
today who have willingly chosen to have a career and live a life of
their own over rising up a generation of respectable young men and
women. These women feel that it is the job of the baby sitter, the
nanny, society, the school, and yes, even the church to raise their
children. It is to these women that I would say that perhaps it is
time for you to re-prioritize your lives.
Two score and ten years ago, mothers
taught their children to have respect for themselves, their
siblings, other family members, and for others that they would meet
along the way. Those were the days when some of the first words that
a child was taught and learned to speak were: yes sir and no sir,
yes ma’am and no ma’am, please and thank you. Children addressed
their fathers as father, dad, or daddy and mothers were known as
mother, mom, or mommy. Children did not dare address their parents
or any other adult by their first names. To do so was considered a
sign of blatant disrespect. Even at the age of 50 years young, if my
parents were still living today, I would address them as Dad and
Mom, not John and Frances. And I would do so out of my love and
respect for them.
Now, after all of this has been said, there
may be some who will say, “Keith, you just don’t understand. You
don’t get it. Times have changed.” No, I can’t really say that I
agree with that completely. I don’t think that it is so much that
the times have changed, but that people have changed the times.
Somewhere along the way we missed the mark. I believe that we need
to get back to the “Old Landmarks”.
I thank God for the days of yesteryear. It
was those days that laid the very foundation upon which I have
strived to build my life upon these past 50 years. I thank God for
those whom He has allowed to be a part of my life to show me and to
teach me the way that I should go. Some of them have gone on, but to
all of them, I will forever be eternally grateful and my life richly
blessed for having known them.
I do not know what tomorrow may bring, but I
do know the One who holds all tomorrows. If I am faithful and
obedient and trust in His perfect will, I know that He will never
leave me nor forsake me. He alone knows the plan that He has
prepared for my life. I only pray that I will always be willing to
say “Here am I, send me”.
I
began this journey
God our eternal Heavenly Father lives and
Jesus is the Christ. Of this I bear solemn witness and do so testify
in His Matchless, Marvelous, Wonderful name.
Amen.
Sincerely, Keith Lionel BrownKeith Lionel
Brown
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