A 23 Year Relationship!

      I couldn't take my eyes off of her the very first time I saw her.  She was exactly what I wanted.  All I wanted to do was take her in my arms and make her mine...right then and there!  Can you imagine my surprise when I was told "Yes!"?  I was elated!

    I held on to her for dear life!  No one was going to take her away from me!  This was the beginning of a relationship that has spanned two decades.  Every time I wake up from my slumber, she's there to greet me!  Forgive me if I'm gushing a little but she's every bit as gorgeous as the first day I held her.  She's mine!  Oh yes, she is mine! (a little "Wayne's World" butchered quote for you all!)

   Here is a picture of her!  Eat your heart out, boys!  She's all mine!

     I have been playing this guitar for close to twenty-three years now.  She was given to me by a gentleman named Jay back when Melissa and I were pastoring a small church in Kentucky.  I had asked Jay to check out a guitar for me at a local pawnshop in the town in which we lived.  Upon further inspection Jay told me it was a piece of crap (probably not in those terms, but you get the point).  We left the pawnshop and went to one of Jay's favourite music shops in nearby Lexington (home of the  Lexmark printers - just in case you're on Jeopardy.)

   That's where I saw this Yamaha.  At the time, it was a $700 guitar.  I was making $250 a week at the church.  That was a big purchase for me to even consider.  Jay told me not to worry about the price; it was his gift to me!  Outside of my wife and family, this is the greatest gift I have ever been given.

   I have played it in every church I have been a part of.  I have played it in nursing homes, at benefit concerts, and coffee houses.  I've even played a bunch of Christmas carols one year for a family friend suffering with Alzheimers only to be joined by other families with loved ones in the same unit as our friend. 

    Mom always taught Pam and I that we had to share our gifts with others.  She meant our treats but the principle is the same. 

   We all have at least one special gift.  Maybe it's a musical ability, or maybe you a caring heart.  No matter what the gift is, it's meant to be shared.  Why hide it when it can be used to touch someone's life?  I may not be the greatest guitar player (or singer, for that matter) but I like using the talents I have to bless someone else.  I believe God gave me each gift for a reason...and I believe he did the same for you!

     Thank you, Jay and Rose!  I will never forget your generosity from all those years ago.  If you ever read this I still have it!  This guitar has helped me step out of a shell you never knew existed.  God bless you both!