A Stitch In Time Saves ..... ALL Of Them

Ephesians 5:15-16 -- "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil."

Claude Eugene Saunders was a very well-known and highly respected member of our church in Orange Park. He was there to help in whatever capacity was needed of him - every single time the doors were open. In fact, once the doors were open, you couldn't get through them without a firm handshake from him because as one the ushers, he manned the entrances and greeted people as they headed in for worship. AND - if one were to really get down to brass tacks - much of Orange Park wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for men like Claude and his colleagues. An independent contractor and owner of  Claude Saunders Builder, Inc. - Claude very literally helped build Orange Park from the ground up and was living there long before it became the sprawling cluster of suburbs that it is today. Dotted across the OP landscape are homes and office buildings that he built brick by brick, layer by layer, window by window -- and -- one dream at a time.

Claude was called friend by many, professional by more people than one could count without the use of a calculator, and an outstanding pillar of the community. But none of those titles could ever come close to matching the one for which he was most cherished by a privileged few. It is what I called him - Grandpa.

When I think of Grandpa words like tall, stoic, patient, quietly authoritative, and gentle come to mind. And of course - I'll never forget hearing him laugh.

Shortly after my twenty-fourth birthday my then fiance', Steven Wayne Dalton, and I hopped into his car and headed out to watch a movie with my Grandparents. We ate dinner, had cake of some sort, and then nestled into the living room to enjoy a rented film called "Down Periscope". [If you've haven't seen it - go get it. It's wonderful!] Part-way through the picture an intense moment in a cramped diesel submarine has us at the edge of our seats. The submarine is hiding from an enemy by laying quiet at the bottom of the ocean - and then - the tension is broken by - [drum roll, please] bodily function humor. My Grandpa erupted in a deep and rumbling laughter that I could feel in my ribcage. I remember turning my focus away from the television and onto Grandpa. It was the first time in my life I had ever heard him laugh that hard. It surprised me. It tickled me. And to this day that movie is my favorite of all films. I can't watch it without thinking of Grandpa. I even have a framed print of the theatrical poster hanging on my wall at home.

Those precious moments gently planted in a dimly lit family room, all of us content with tummies full of dinner and birthday cake - were the last moments I was able to spend with my grandfather. Just a few short days later he was taken home to our Lord by way of a massive aneurism. It was a shock to all of us, and that experience forever etched in my heart the truths in Ephesians 5:15-16.

My grandfathers were suppose to give me away at my wedding. I was going to walk the isle with a handsome grandpa on each arm. I was gracefully gifted a bridal walk down the isle with my Dad's Father, something that I will always remember with pride - but I felt the empty space to my left where Grandpa Saunders would have been.

Make the most of your time.

We don't know what tomorrow will bring. I will forever be grateful of the time I was able to spend with my Grandpa Saunders just before he died. That precious and most cherished gift will always remind me how important family ties are - and how fleeting can be the life we have on this earth.

As the long line of funeral attendees attempted to wind our way through the church parking lot and pull onto Kinsley Avenue - I was struck by two things - One: An ambulance heading in the opposite direction of our motorcade stopped, the EMT's stepped out, turned the lights on and took their hats off - holding them over their hearts with heads bowed in respect. Two: As we pulled into the Jacksonville Memory Gardens on Blanding Blvd. - people were STILL pulling out from the parking lot at First Baptist Church. That's 3.10 miles. Grandpa's funeral stopped Orange Park traffic dead in its tracks. Businesses in the area flew their flags at half mast. People walking down the streets stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads in shared grief. EVERYONE knew my Grandpa. To this day, my Grandfather's funeral procession was the single longest non-military funerary motorcade in Orange Park.

Be careful how you walk.

You may have no idea who might be watching you live your life. My grandfather was careful in his step. He prayed about business transactions, put forth an honest foot, he stood for what is right in God's eyes and served our Lord faithfully until the very end. People recognized him for his quiet dignity and Godly spirit.

We who follow Christ are charged to provide a positive representation of our Savior. When we wear the name of Jesus - it's important that we behave accordingly. It's been said that a stitch in time saves nine. This could not be more true now. As we - members of the body of Christ - stitch together the nets with which we shall be fishers of men - it's crucial to use our efforts wisely.