On May 18, 1970 my family was residing in the city of Calgary where my father worked for an organization called the Janz Team. For the previous 9 or so months since moving to Calgary in July of 1969 my father helped run the Calgary office and also travel showing a film called Downbeat. In mid-May of 1970 my parents went to a Bill Gothard seminar in Seattle Washington and left my two younger siblings, Brian (age 6) and sister Sharilyn (age 3) along with myself in the care of an older lady who looked after us back in Calgary. We were lonely for mom and dad but my parents promised they would return on May 18th, which was a holiday Monday.
I am a little foggy on whether my parents called the day before but all I knew that my parents should be back in Calgary around noon hour and I remember going out and sitting on the curb by our house eagerly awaiting my parents’ return. 12:30 came, 1:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30. Around 4:00 I can remember to this day sensing with deep horror that perhaps my parents weren’t coming home and to an 8 year old mind I thought the worse and apparently caused my younger brother to think the worse too. As we both started to wail that mommy and daddy weren’t coming home. Maybe they were dead! To make a long story short my parents did have an accident as the above picture would indicate and by all rights I should have been an orphan as apparently the police thought they were going to just pull bodies out of the car. My parents had hit some trees near Banff and if they had been wearing seatbelts they would not have made it. As I understand it a priest even stopped to give last rites! Others stopped too including a couple who my parents maintained contact with over a fair numbers after the accident. Yes, May 18th was and is burned into my memory.
However I am so thankful that May 18, 1970 was not the end of my earthly relationship with my parents as despite some broken ribs and other injuries my parents were back in Calgary 5 days after the accident. I just want to share very quickly a few reasons why I am grateful to God that he spared my parents, the world’s greatest parents, on May 18th and why I feel closer to them more and more.
If my parents had been taken on May 18th I would not have had the opportunity to been baptized by my father as an 11 year old. I would not have had the opportunity to hear my father pray at my graduation ceremonies, gone for long walks and talks, heard him pray over the phone for me in different situations, or so many other things. I would not have had the opportunity to enjoy my mother’s cooking, her talks, or in recent times the encouragement to find the answer to a query by googling it on the computer (this from someone who a few years ago would call me about a rather simple email problem!)
I am thankful that May 18th, 1970 did not end my earthly relationship with my parents as I along with my siblings would not have had godly role models as parents to follow. I know there is teaching from somewhat notable Christian personages that say a marriage has to involve conflict and turmoil in order to be a good marriage but I can truthfully say that I have never seen my parents fight or argue in front of us kids nor have I seen them put each other down. I feel their marriage is richer than anything a James Dobson or Chuck Swindoll or any other supposed expert has who says conflict means a good marriage. Absolutely not!! Though I have never married or for that matter really had a relationship I have seen in my parents’ relationship one built on love for each other and for God and family that many others unfortunately do not have.
Along with my parents being an example of a loving couple I have seen them as they have followed God through good and bad times. Being a preacher’s kid growing up one sees a church and Christian people in a different way than others. I am thankful my parents taught us how to treat other people even when my parents were wronged and if they had been taken on May 18th, 1970 I may not have fully learned that. My parents have not only "talked the talk" as Christians but they have "walked the walk" in that they have shown me how a Christian should live. Though I fail many times I am thankful that they have been around to show me what a true believer in Christ should be like
I am thankful that my parents were not taken on May 18th, 1970 for they would not have been around for family gatherings including weddings, baby dedications (my dad dedicated all 5 of his grandsons), birthdays and other activities. I cherish the times we traveled as a family to friends and relatives be it to Edmonton or elsewhere in Alberta and B.C. or to Minnesota and Ontario. If they had been taken 42 years ago I would not have had that privilege.
So yes, May 18th, 1970 is burned into my memory and yes I can tell you almost to the minute and hour what happened on that day but thank God May 18th was not the end. I thank God daily for my parents and am so glad that I have had them around these past 42 years. Love you mom and dad. Love your eldest, Daniel Keith
No comments:
Post a Comment