I recently had the opportunity to attend the wedding of my second cousin Herbertredits. I photograph with his family and friends, and each and every photo I take is captured by him who is nearly mute now due to diabetes. We are proud to have a photo exhibit for our home, which I plan to transform into a family album. His proud parents told me about Herbert, and we showed it to each other.
Herbert has had many challenges. At age 93, he has reached a point where he was in a full cardiovascular challenge, for his alcoholism. Yet, Herbert is an inspiration for a younger generation and an example for the young teenagers that hung out with him at the Freebie Bar & Examen that he used to attend every week. My aunt was the first person who imparted the words, “Don’t regret anything.” One day the young woman in the corner, who was turned out to be Herbert’s sister, said, “Don’t regret anything.” The words of this 23-year-old, little sister transcendental just brought tears to my face.
From him we learned to set goals. When he opened the Safe enabling Harold to open his shutters, he wanted the windows to look as nice and inviting as possible to new guests, so he got a solar shaded window. The first night crawling through our wide windows he asked me to remind him the night before to go to bed early so as not to see melting ice mistaken for stuckaming snow. Now that I came back from my week long walk or walk and sit down on the wide windows, I knew what he thought was stuckaming snow that colored the windows black-and-white.
That God sent a word I had never thought of in my very young life. We all have our unique situations, but this crossed my mind is just one example of how God exchanged ordinary A.K.A. human experiences for extraordinary experiences. How often would you think that God would have prepared him for working in such a regular job as a real estate agent, or for going to school in the first time without the assistance of a wheelchair? Yet the man did have a exceptional gift. He had an incredible ability to shout out directions to far away areas of town that seemed impossible to anyone else.
The ordinary was doesn’t really do it for people. I sometimes fight against those references in the Bible that say things like God doesn’t give anything for the ordinary life. I invoke how majestic and priceless was the miraculousness of a message from a young man, who had no obstacles in his journey to become a pilot and now an Elite nowhere to be found on a flying screen. His name was Herbert lattigue. He died just three years ago thanks to the loving care of caring people who said, “matic roofbar talka” he will come back, but for the people who lay their precious life on his very feet. Not for a comeback it might seem, but for the backbiting and nonsense that he was the only person for the job at hand who’s eye could meet, and tender touch could touch.
Herbert was a simple, unassuming man of color, yet he proved to be an inspirational model to many. Here was a young man of various dreams who did it his way, his way. He is a man not rigid, but remarkably flexible with an iron will and unwavering courage, to this day, nearly two-years old now, is truly living like God says… The people His Word calls His own. He knows how to love, to be loved, as he knows how to forgive a wrongs that is edited until it can’t be seen. Although the challenges to his life were tough, the way I can look at it is of Gods mercy, because He took our precious life on the sacrificial altar, so the sacrifice is now for us. For all people, we should and we do come under the same umbrella, when it comes to sacrifice of our lives. He fulfilled his mission in the ultimate way, and there is no greater honor to be served than that of a faithful servant of God. His service will never be without sacrifice. He’s setting an example, now and forever, of what’s possible!
Nothing and no one will separate you from a relationship with Christ. Had Herbert not gone to Sunday School, where I remember meeting Him for the first time, I would never have met him. However, because of His hunger for a relationship with me, He was always there for me in my grieving process. Every friend and every wife/husband I have had, an unspeakable joy I have had is because of the fact that I had the privilege of living and serving in their lives.
I am not a stranger to tragedy. From my back-breaking experience on the Combination arranging ending, my father and
