Letter Written on the 25th Anniversary of My Ordination

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

     If you walk out into our Memorial Garden at All Saints Lutheran Church, you will see the placement of several Memorial Bricks placed in perpetual memory of Cherished Ones.  In many cases we suggest placing Memorial Brick Pavers in honor of our Beloved Ones who may have been buried or memorialized elsewhere.  Placing a Memorial Brick Paver in the All Saints Memorial Garden may also serve as a reminder of your unique touch and involvement in the life of our Faith Family. 

     Please consider doing such, and speak with either Dennis or Carol Strong in that regard.  Either will give you complete details with respect to memorializing the persons of your choice in this permanent way.  Come, “watch our garden grow!” 

     Over almost the last two years, I’ve had the privilege of watching our Memorial Garden bloom and change with the change of the seasons.  Members of our Memorial Garden Committee are continually endeavoring to insure our garden is a place of sanctity, peace, and beauty.  Watching the garden change with the move of the seasons is an ever-present reminder that our lives move ever forward, that time is precious and to be redeemed, even in those moments when it seems as though time is standing still.

     That reminds me to remind us each that summertime is a fleeting thing in Michigan.  “It’s been a scorcher,” as my maternal grandmother used to say, but don’t forget to read a new devotional, study some Scripture, get together with loved ones, and hug such.  Time with those whom we treasure is fleeting and precious.  At home, in our many communities, among those who worship the Triune God, may we remember to make the most of every moment. 

     Even as I write this on July 19, I recall my Ordination into Word and Sacrament Ministry exactly 25 years ago as I write.  I’m here to assure you time seems to accelerate the longer you live…  Tomorrow my mother will celebrate her 87^th birthday, and I hope to remind her in some way that her life has been one of great worth.  To build one another up is what Jesus would have us do.

     Included is a photo of a Brick Paver in Memory of my dad.  The Ones we Love are never really lost to us, for the Touch of their Love goes on… 

     Don‘t forget to participate and to “Come watch our Garden Grow!”

In Christ,

Pr. Drex