Keith, you mentioned that your wife, Andrea, is also a writer. What kind of writing does she do, and is there something available in print now?
Yes, Andrea is a very accomplished writer and an editor. She recently showed me a devotional she wrote, and I asked her if we could use it on this Monday morning space. She agreed. So here it is.
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I looked at a picture of my brother and his family on the monitor’s screen. According to the e-mail to which it was attached, they were having breakfast with our sister on a visit to Tennessee where she was living in our late mother’s garden home. My sister’s happy face smiled back at me, too.
A flood of memories and feelings washed over me as I surveyed the scene…the familiar fireplace in the background over my sister’s shoulder flanked by the unfamiliar arrangement of objects placed there for a recent estate sale.
My eyes settled on my nephew’s face. At fifteen, he is tall and slender, much like my father had been at that age…and my brother, too. The expression on his face is so achingly familiar it causes a catch in my throat. Eyebrows raised high, lips pressed together and upturned in a smile, his smile echoes one of my father’s smiles. From grandfather to grandson…the connection is so visible. Of all the memories that picture holds, that one teen-age smile is the most gripping, a living connection to the precious gift we siblings have shared … parents with strong commitment and deep loyalty. They passed their great faith on to us as they guided and provided for the three of us and our sister (who suffered brain damage a few hours after her birth) through our growing up years.
We are in the process of dissolving that home place. My fingers froze on the keyboard as I wrote, thinking of all the “endings” taking place as we do this. We share the decision-making and work of this transition, and also the memories and gratitude for the gift of two such remarkable parents.
Lord, thank you that no matter what endings happen in our lives, we’ll never be alone. You’re always here to be our home. Amen.
“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.” – John 15:4 (THE MESSAGE)
“Sorrow … turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history…”
– C. S. Lewis
Note from Keith: Andrea has written or co-authored seven books. The following are the ones still available at www.keithmiller.com.
• The Eternal Present, ed. by Andrea Wells Miller (Daily Devotionals Selected from the published works of well known Christian Authors)
• Facing Codependence by Pia Mellody, with Andrea Wells Miller and J. Keith Miller
• Breaking Free: A Workbook for Facing Codependence, by Pia Mellody and Andrea Wells Miller
• Facing Love Addiction by Pia Mellody, with Andrea Wells Miller and J. Keith Miller
Besides the books listed above, Andrea has written a number of study guides for books and small groups. She has also edited and helped write a number of Keith’s books.
