Today is dad's, sorry, would have been dad's birthday. Potentially, it could be a sad day. We shouldn't let it be. You see, dad is still alive. His story continues. Interestingly, there are some great parallels with our Saviour: 1- he sacrificed, worked hard & invested so that we who came after would not go through what he did growing up. Our lives, careers & families we owe to his efforts as he was used by God as a channel to bless us. Our privileges today, my medical degree, my comfort, indeed all of us owe him a debt of gratitude. So we rejoice! Why? IT WAS NOT ALL IN VAIN! He therefore lives on in each of us & where he is now in heaven, he looks on us, like Jesus looks on us & this quote is so true of Prof (as it is of Jesus): Isaiah 53.11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied (KJV) Isaiah 53.11 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. (NLT) HIS LIFE WAS NOT IN VAIN. From his vantage spot, he sees us & I am sure he is pleased as he sees us progressing in our walk with the Lord. He, more than anyone else realises that NOTHING is anywhere as important as our personal intimacy with God. Not our progress with careers, etc. Though we may miss him sometimes, & sometimes we hurt, we should always remember this lovely quote: 'Grief is the price we pay for love'. The pain of his death has not gone away; we have just become bigger around it, strengthened by God's love & grace. So my people, be encouraged & reassured. Dad lives on. And his seeds sown in our lives are bearing forth fruit to the glory of our mutual Father. There is a confidence that comes from being loved & having Christ- we love because we choose to love. That trait is innate in us as we saw it modelled in Prof's life. Prof is the beginning, We are the present story. Our children are the continuing story. Their children are the future story. A multiplying story. So rather than be sad on March 8, let us all realise that when he sees the fruit of his sown seeds, he will be happy. Like our Saviour sees as He looks on us, the fruit of His suffering. Agape. Abimbola P.S. I remember not a dead man with a finished story; I remember a living saint with a forever continuing & expanding story.