INSPIRASUNS

I found myself yesterday thinking about him, my Uncle Ronnie. He was what we would refer to as a “gentle giant”. Ronnie was every bit 6′ 4″ tall, born and raised in Amarillo, TX, and as you can imagine had quite the accent. He was the kindest, gentlest man I think I’ve ever known. Of course, I was a bit partial to him. I remember as a kid, he did all the fun things, you know swung me around like a rag doll. He made fun of my toe-headed blonde, he joked and laughed with us kids all the time. Even then at the age of like seven, I knew he genuinely cared.

Ronnie was my mom’s younger brother. There were six kids total in mom’s family, and he was right in the middle. Ronnie was special, I learned over time, as I became an adult. You see, my uncle Ronnie developed a drinking problem very early on in life. And…as you can imagine at 6′ 4″, there were few people he couldn’t handle when he’d had a bit too much at the local bar. I remember the stories he would share, later in life that is, and it was amazing he lived past 25 years old.

Well, he found his way to “cleaning himself up”. He was a faithful attendee of AA, and over time found himself counseling others. Ronnie would go to the local prison several times a week to talk with the inmates. He’d been there after all and he knew what they were going through. He also talked with them about God. He never pushed it on anyone but he found a way to share God’s message. Ronnie shared with me once, “God found it in his heart to forgive me, I need to share with others that they aren’t lost either”. He was a talented man too, he owned his own construction business, an amazing carpenter, painter, sketcher, and my favorite, Harley rider 🙂 The picture below was one he painted back in 1980 and hangs in my office.

I’m not sure why Father laid him on my heart today. Maybe it’s because of the craziness of the last few weeks. You see, Ronnie had such a calming way about him. He was an incredible man. He not only spent time with inmates at the local prison, he started the local pinewood derby race for special needs kids. He loved helping them build those cars and learn how to race them down the hill. Ronnie had an amazing gift for connecting with children. I was fortunate to attend the last derby race he put on just a few months before he passed. The kids loved him, we all loved him.

I’ll never forget the day Ronnie called me to say that his cancer was back with a vengeance. “It’s not looking too promising”, he said to me that night. “It’s ok, I’m gonna do what God want’s me to do”. I sobbed that night, like really cried. The man who had been such a calming, humorous, and loving force in our lives was not going to be around much longer. At his funeral, we all shared laughter and love. That’s what he wanted and we obliged.

As I think about him today, I hope that I can be such a testament to Father’s love. Ronnie exuded the love of Christ in everything that he did. He wore nothing on his sleeve so to speak. His actions however showed every day that he was a messenger, a disciple. His love of his fellow man was like no other. He had no problem visiting prisoners in a cell. He had no problem helping special needs children. He looked at everyone as a child of God and someone who deserved God’s love, plain and simple.

Father, please help me to be more like Ronnie. Help me to be an example of your Son’s life. Show me Father humility to help all those around me, regardless of the situation.

Ronnie, I look forward to laughing with you again one day. I can’t wait for the stories when we reunite. Until then, “I’m gonna do what God wants me to do”.

Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for use?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”