thank you, aldeana

Wow! I just realized how long it's been since I last wrote. I know better than that, but then I reflect on things that have been going on around me lately. Seems I've been caught up in a lot of stuff, busy at work and at home, meaning all along to jot down items on my mind but not quite making it to the keyboard. Lots of "little" life issues tend to crowd up before my face, suddenly appearing larger and more obtrusive than they actually are. Suddenly they become disproportionally large, consuming my focus and attention.

Then the call came. The call that put things back into perspective. I received it just the other night, a friend calling to tell me that the wife of my former high school pastor (I first met them when I gave my life to Christ when I was 15), passed away last week. Her name was Aldeana Hinkle (on left in a 2006 photo with her husband, Don), and she meant every bit as much to me during my early years as a follower of Christ as Don did.

I remember countless times when I would drop by their home to talk to Don. I was going through my share of young adult issues and angst, and Don seemed to have the right word at the right moment. But sometimes he wasn't there. It was then that Aldeana would put down whatever she was doing and spend time listening to my questions, wonderings, confusion and discoveries. She welcomed me as if I belonged in her home and allowed me to safely grow up there, a little bit at a time.

Aldeana had lots to do. Two young kids (at that time) that needed her. A home and husband to take care of. Piano lessons to offer. A personal health history that was less than perfect. She could've maintained her already busy schedule, told me when Don would be back and sent me on my way...and I would've never known the difference. But she didn't. She didn't let urgent things of daily life prevent her from accomplishing what she must have figured were important things that came up. She chose to make time for a teenage kid who was trying to figure out which was was up in life. I guess because she saw something of value in him. Go figure.

I haven't seen Aldeana in years. But her impact in my life, almost 40 years later now, will never be forgotten. Neither will I forget that I must guard against allowing the urgent to crowd out the important, whatever (or whoever) that looks like at my front door.

I'm so glad she didn't.