Life is a gift from God that is meant to be celebrated, especially when that life has been well-lived and based in a faith in Christ. In these last days since we heard of Emory's death, our minds have been filled with memories of the times that we shared with him. And each time we remembered him and as we shared those memories with others we have celebrated and honored his life.
Over the past few days, I have been privileged to learn of just some of the many memories of Emory that are held in the hearts of those who knew him.
Memories of the hard working man that he was, of his love - for his family, for farming and ranching, for God and this Methodist church, and, lest we forget, for the Democratic party. Memories of a man who was born when Theodore Roosevelt was president, of a man who predated the Model A, of a man who ate bacon and eggs for breakfast for a hundred years, and claimed, with some confidence, that it hadn't done him any harm.
Memories of a man who believed in getting the job done when it needed to be done, but was always able to happily sing his famous and untitled, Doo De Doo song as he went off to milk cows.
Memories of a man with strong opinions about the best way to travel to wherever he was going, and perhaps, where you were going as well, and who once spent the better part of a trip from SD to Arizona questioning the direction of travel and asking, What time is it?
There are memories of Emory giving haircuts at the house in the afternoon, of 4-H meetings and practical jokes, of deep-sea fishing together, working together, talking together. Of birthday parties and family gatherings and of a granddad pulling money out of his pocket and after pressing it smooth, handing it to a grandson and his fiance, saying "here is a little something to get you started."
Memories of a man who was poetical as well as practical; Emory liked to write about the things of everyday life, like the marriage of his daughter and the birth of grandchildren; the passing of time at different stages of life, and of course farming, about which he once wrote "it is an occupation where you must depend on God".
Dependence on God was a mainstay of Emory's life. His faith in Christ often led him to talk to others about the things of God and to share how the Scriptures could give direction in life. In the 1930s he started and lead a Sunday School class at a country school and it was during this time that his neighbors began to call him The Deacon, a title he always enjoyed. His faithful involvement in the ministries of this congregation spanned some 60 years and in the Methodist Church at large, almost 80 years.
So many memories over the course of a lifetime, of conversations and prayers, of laughter and tears, of hopes and dreams and faith.
Several weeks ago, Emory seemed to realize that his time was coming to an end and he began doing things for the last time and saying his last goodbyes. These were not the acts of a desperate man attempting to grasp for one more bit of life, but the actions of a man who was calmly and quietly getting ready to go home. When I thought about Emory making his preparations for death, a Scripture came to mind that I want to share with you today. This event takes place just after the birth of Jesus, when his parents bring him to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
There is nothing else written in the Bible about this man Simeon. All we know about him is what is written here. He didn't write any great books or do anything terribly dramatic in the eyes of the world. But what we see here tells us that Simeon was a man who was guided by the Holy Spirit, that he was not afraid to speak the truth to the people around him, that he was a man who had seen the Lord's salvation for himself, and that he was ready to go home.
Yet this event; one old man's comments to a young couple dedicating a new baby, this event, was recorded as a testimony for future generations that Jesus was the hope of all humanity.
Like Simeon, Emory was a man who had seen the Lord's salvation for himself because he had accepted Christ as his Savior and had a personal relationship with him. Like Simeon, Emory too was guided by the Holy Spirit because he not only talked to God, he listened to him and obeyed him as well. Like Simeon, Emory was not afraid to speak into the lives of the people around him about matters of faith because he believed there were things that needed to be said. Like Simeon, Emory was at peace and able to say he was ready to go be with the Lord because he had a personal experience and knowledge of Jesus Christ. And like Simeon, books probably won't be written about Emory's life and the people who remember him by name will probably be limited to a handful of people living in Hyde Co, South Dakota, but as one of the grandsons said last night, the things he believed and passed on to his children and grandchildren, will be passed on to their children and untold future generations and his words will continue as a testimony that Jesus is the hope for all humanity.

I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great , because it works in those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc. Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've used it (and in KY, that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say, "It worked!"

There are a few items of unfinished business. Yesterday, I forgot to put in that when I talked to Dorothy Zilverberg this past weekend, she has said how much she enjoys the Holabird Advocate, As she put it, "Now that I've found it". I didn't set out to make this Newsblog hard to find, of course. Several people have found it with little or no trouble at all.

One thing I may have left out of the pacemaker story is that Grandad had two pacemakers. The first lasted 8 months, the second lasted 10 months. Both of them were called the Cadillac of Pacemakers. They lasted about as long as a new Cadillac all right!

Also, there seem to be a lot of people who remember what I said about seeing if there was a place for me at DWU when Grandad no longer needed me. Since his death, people seem disappointed that I'm not booked into McGovern Hall right now, surrounded by 25 pretty co-eds (well how do you think I feel about that?) . The fact is, it will take time to get that organized. I'm quite sure that it won't happen this fall, maybe next fall. As it is there are other things I am attending to now. I am hoping to see my cousin Kassidee Kennedy sometime next month. After that, we'll see when, or even if DWU wants me among their number. I want to enjoy the time I have left in Holabird, because once I leave, I will have to shut down the Holabird Advocate as we know it. I may have to disband it altogether.

I and the rest of my family have been overwhelmed with the love and support we have been given by all of you out there. It's nice to know that someone like Grandad made such an impression by each and every one of you in such a positive way. We were all blessed to have him for as long as we did. So now I ask you to remember his final words, "God be with you, and just do the best you can"