Late Spring 2008
|
Late Spring 2008
|
Columns
|
Did He Have a Premonition?
By
Lowell Pugh Last December a friend in San Diego sent me a copy of
his mother’s funeral bill with the ledger entries starting August 19, 1930 for
an ambulance trip to Springfield, Missouri. The
account read as follows:
Paid in full
1/31/38 (Editor Note:
We realize that total paid doesn’t add up to what is showing) He wrote on the back:
Copy of billing for my mother’s funeral, paid off over time mostly by
labor, by her husband (Reggie), her father (Frank) and Brother (Monta).
Note the time of the final payment, August, 1930 to January, 1938. Oh yes, times change. But
do prices? It took some time to pay
off my mother’s death! Signed R.C. I didn’t get around to answering his note for a
couple of months and my letter came back about the same time as the Dead Beat
which we mailed to his mother-in-law.
They lived next door to each other and he assisted in her care.
I learned later from one of his daughters that R.C. died in January less
than three weeks after mailing me his letter.
The mother-in-law was moved to a nursing home and died in April.
His daughter said that though her mother had been cremated and scattered
in California. Her father’s ashes will be brought back here in the fall to be
scattered on his parent’s graves. I
wonder if when he mailed me this information about his mother he had a
premonition of impending death? Do times change? According
to my uncle’s letterhead on the bill, “All Accounts Due First of Each Month.
Interest Charged After 60 Days.” No
interest was ever charged and since no one had any money anyway, billing was
probably not more than once or twice a year.
Try selling that policy to the bank or corporate today. It Was Only a Quarter Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state
accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas.
Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his
home to the downtown area. When he
sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too
much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself,
“You’d better give the quarter back. It
would be wrong to keep it.” Then
he thought, “Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter.
Who would worry about this little amount?
Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it.
Accept it as a ‘gift from God’ and keep quiet.” When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door,
and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too
much change.” The driver, with a smile, replied, “Aren’t you the
new preacher in town? I have been
thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship.
I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change.
I’ll see you at church on Sunday.” When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally
grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, “Oh, God, I almost sold
your son for a quarter.” Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever
read. This is an example of how much people watch Christians
and will put us to the test! Always
be on guard and remember that you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders
when you call yourself, “Christian.” Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. |
ADVERTISERS Brian Simmons Springfield Mortuary Service Miller Coach & Limousine Sales Si Mortuary & Cremation Services Mid-States Professional Services Dallas Institute of Funeral Service American Crematory Equipment Co. Aaron Beasley Embalming Service & Crematory Texas Funeral Directors Association Central Texas Funeral Transport
|