Forget not His Benefits

All the Uncles on the Clemons side of my family have last names. I mean, I know everyone has last names, but when we say "Uncle" we always say first and last names.  See, there are three Mikes on that side of the family. Growing up, that only left David ,Marty, and Winker (whose first name is Charles, but I didn't know that until I graduated high school).  So we always have to be particular about the Mikes. 

I am so blessed to have a family that loves to be around each other.  Growing up, my dad (Mike Griffith, or big Mike as my Great-Uncle Os called him) was always the Mike who laughed.  Mike Fugate was always the one who was sneaking up on people and scaring them.  Mike Clemons was an avid Louisville fan, and I stayed at his house for most of my childhood.  I was always a little scared of him... still am.  I don't know why... he was nothing but good to me, taking me to the lake and putting up with my childhood whining.  These Mikes might have the same name, but their personalities were as different as daylight and dark.  MIke Griffith tended to be easy going. My Uncle Mike Fugate loves having us all over to his house =)  I've grown closer to him because of Bobcat football, but he still doesn't have much to say.  And he hates a camera!  My Uncle Mike Clemons is  computer genius, a talented artist, and the guy with the dryest humor around. 

A couple of years ago, my Uncle Mike Clemons had a light heart attack.  Tonight, my Uncle Mike Fugate is in St. Joe's in Lexington with pericarditis.  When faced with the possible mortality of people who in your childhood seemed invincible, it hits a little close to home. These guys never get sick... but then they are.  And I'm realizing that my dad, the other Mike, is almost 60, which used to seem old but now it doesn't.  Time keeps marching on, and as long as we live in a fallen world, people will face illness.  Tonight, I'm sending up a prayer not just for my Uncle Mike Fugate, but for many in my community facing illness... my sister-in-law's Mom, a dear friend Rosa who beat breast cancer and a horrible car wreck with a traumatic brain injury only to be looking at battling breast cancer again, a family friend who had open heart surgery, and many others battling sickness and loss.  When it seems like all you hear is sickness and sadness and grief, the only place we have to turn is looking up... to God, the author and finisher.

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion..."- Psalm 103:2-4. He is our healer, our redeemer, and the great and merciful.  Look down on us now, Lord... we need you most definitely.