Reece Gardner: No regrets
My brother, Rick Gardner, passed away last week, and he will be greatly missed. He treasured his family and friends, and he was always ready to help any of us who might need his assistance. He lived for the moment, and I am sure he left this earth with very few regrets.
That can't be said for everyone. The saddest words by voice or pen, are the words, "What might have been." Over the years in my teaching experience, I have heard countless human experiences that make those words ring true. Here are just a couple of those experiences.
A gentleman in a class in Roanoke Rapids gave this example: He told about arriving home after a rather trying day and seeing his 6-year-old son's bicycle lying on its side in the driveway. He was furious, and upon seeing his son in the backyard with some of his little friends, he angrily lashed out at him, "Boy, you come over here right now and put this bicycle in the garage where it belongs, and then you go into the house. I'll be in to deal with you in a minute."
What might have been -
He then said sadly that while that incident occurred 10 years ago, his relationship with his son had never been the same. He said that with those harsh words he had embarrassed and humiliated his son in the presence of his son's friends. Then he said he had wished so many times that he could go back and relive those moments by driving onto the driveway, giving a cheerful greeting to his son and friends, taking the bicycle into the garage, and then later having a quiet, private talk with his son about how important it was for him to keep his bicycle in a safe place.
In yet another example, a man told about the many sacrifices his mother had made for him over the years, giving him unconditional love, understanding, and encouragement, while not receiving that kind of love in return. He said he would give anything just to be able to thank her for all she had done for him. We have all heard the expression, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That, of course, is not correct. Words can indeed hurt, sometimes for a lifetime. And while we can't go back and relive yesterday, we can resolve TODAY to be more loving, caring, and understanding toward others, and by doing so help to make this world a better place in which to live.
Rick leaves behind to cherish his memory his loving wife, Lydia, his two children, Wayne & Cathy, and a wealth of family - grandchildren, Nieces, Nephews, and a host of friends and acquaintances. I had the pleasure of being one of the speakers at his funeral, and here is a portion of what I said: "Having to say goodbye to you is painful for all of us, but we can take comfort in knowing that we will be together again soon, in a land where there will be no more pain, no more disappointments, no more sorrow, and no more sad goodbyes, in a land where we'll never grow old. as the message
in the song, The Old Rugged Cross, proudly proclaims, "So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, until my trophies at last I lay down, I will cling to the Old Rugged Cross, and exchange it some day for a crown."
My Brother Rick has now made that exchange, and Heaven is brighter because of it.
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