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 What A Difference One Day Can Make
by Lonnie Harwell, 6/1/04
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One of the great joys of moving to Lakeport has been watching my little nephew, Quinlan, transform into an energetic toddler. When we arrived in January he was just six months old and doing all the things babies do (you know the big three): sleeping, eating and pooping. He was very attached to his mama, my sister, and he really didn’t want to have much to do with me (after all, I am a large hairy fellow). But little by little he began to warm up to me and eventually he became my little buddy. I now get to pick him up from the babysitters twice a week and we go on many adventures that I enjoy very much. In fact one of our favorite activities is riding the quad and visiting the cows.
Quinlan is in a constant state of motion and it wasn’t too long before he started to crawl. Then, before you knew it he was in what I call the “ape walking” stage. By April, he was able to walk holding onto only one hand and we were all guessing as to when he might actually walk on his own. My sister’s birthday is in the first part of May and Jasmin and I thought he would be so close to if not walking by then.
My Mom surprised my sister this year and was here for her birthday. This was great because it was also the first time in about fifteen years my Mom was here on Mother’s day. On Mother’s day, while my mom was packing, Quinlan was standing behind me. When I turned to look at him I noticed something new, he was standing on his own holding a coaster in both hands. We new it wouldn’t be long before he was walking.
The next morning my Mom left early in the morning to catch her return flight home. When I picked up Quinlan that evening from the babysitter, something had occurred. Quinlan was now ambulatory. I took him home and set him on the driveway and as my wife came to greet us he walked right over to her. She was so excited you’d thought she won the Lottery. When Tom and Laura got home there eyes were full of joy as they watched their baby boy take his first steps.
For me the experience was bittersweet. I was so happy to see my little buddy walk and yet at the same time I was sad that my Mom had missed it… by just one day. One day had made a world of difference in Quinlan’s life. It reminded me that one day long ago has made a world of difference in my life, the day Christ died. It was on that day that Christ made it possible for me to have a relationship with the Father. Hebrews 9:22 reads “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”. His blood equals my forgiveness. What a difference one day can make!
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