The Legacy of a Good Man

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing. Psalm 92:12-13

My Dad, Charles Whitten just turned 86 this year. He has had to deal with Macular Degeneration, and now a bit of sleep apnea after having two stents put in his heart valves. I am constantly amazed at how patiently he has faced all those challenges with very few complaints. Mark Twain used to say "When I got older I was amazed at how wise my Father had become". That certainly has been my experience.

When I think of him there in TracePointe Assisted Living in Clinton, Mississippi I can see him getting up every morning to his radio alarm clock that has a rooster crowing to wake him up at 6:00 a.m.. After brushing his teeth and getting his clothes on he puts his cassettes of the Bible and listens like he does every day. Then at around 6:30 if it is a nice day he walks around the building three times to what he has figured amounts to three miles. On days that the weather is bad he has figured how to walk the halls of Trace Pointe to rack up the same distance.

When my Mother was in the same room with him they would take out the Open Window which is a devotional book with the birthdays of missionaries at the back. They read the Bible reading for that day and after reading the commentary of the selection and reading the missionaries having birthdays that day they took turns praying for the family. There is a long list but they have made that a daily part of their schedule. Even now as I am older I find a lot of comfort knowing my parents are praying for us as part of that list. These days it may be a bit harder to get my Mother to participate, but I know my Daddy keeps up the praying. He told me how he had been praying for Tim in Iraq the last time we talked by phone.

Then he walks down to the room where Mother sleeps with the travel bag hanging from his shoulder. This bag has his recorder with the current book he is "reading" by listening. We have been so thankful for the books that are recorded for those who cannot see. Daddy has read more since having Macular Degeneration than perhaps ever. A lot of times when we talk we end up reflecting about a current book he is listening to.

Daddy spends all morning there with my Mother and when she is dressed and ready they go up to eat in the dining room upstairs. It is a good time for my Mother to interact with the other people in Trace Point. After lunch he leaves Mother snoozing in her bed and he walks to his room and takes a nap himself. On getting up he spend the rest of the afternoon with Mother till she eats supper and when she is being made ready for bed he slips back to his room where he listens to some T.V before he too goes to bed.

September the 4th of this year which was my Daddy's 86th birthday we remembered that it had been 49 years since my Dad almost died in an automobile accident between Madrid and Zaragoza, Spain. My grandparents who were visiting that summer were in the car as well as David, Margaret, and I. I was 10 years old almost ready to start 5th grade.

What would my life had been like if my Dad had died in this accident? He had 7 broken ribs, a crushed spleen (to the point it had to be removed), a damaged liver, and a pint and a half of blood that filled his plural cavity. My mother would have had to return to the United States and that would have changed my life entirely. I look at these pictures these 49 years later and wonder how we all fit in the car and how we all didn't die in the wreck.

Psalms 139:16 says, You saw me before I was born. The days allotted me had all been recorded in Your book, before any of them began. What an amazing thought that God had my Dad's days programmed as well as mine and he knew that we would walk through that experience.

Just like Daddy prays for the missionaries on their birthdays I wonder how many people later realized that they were praying for him on a day that he really needed special prayer. There were a series of miracles that got Daddy to an American Air Force Base that was able to operate on him right away.. their f.m radio station was just being inaugerated and they called for A- blood which was somewhat rare, but he needed it in order to survive the operation since he had lost so much blood. Dr. Bloomberg operated on Daddy and said when he came out, "I did my part, now it's up to God to do the rest." God did the rest and my Daddy has lived another 49 years since then.

Daddy and Mother's ministry went from 30 years on mainland Spain, to the Canary Islands (part of Spain but Islands off the mainland). In that time period all of us went to college, started working and got married. Daddy and Mother's last period of missions service was in Equatorial Guinea (the only country in Africa that speaks Spanish). Even now in TracePointe Daddy and Mother have ended up in ministry situations. Daddy does the devotional some mornings, he has preached for the Sunday and Wednesday night meetings in the chapel. He continues to let God's mission flow through him to those he comes in contact with. I, as his daughter, am so grateful to have him around still. There is no way to express the feeling that I have when I call and he answers. He will always be my Daddy whom I love and respect. I am so grateful that my Daddy didn't die 49 years ago, but hung around for me to get to know him like I am getting to know him now!

I am really blessed to have had both of my parents this long. At this time in my life I have no promise of how many years more I have but I am grateful for every day more that the Lord give me with both of my parents.