Valentines Day message

myself

[Craftmore]

This has always been a different type of sermon.Its not a bible sermon,but its a sermon about love,A true story about a couple I was proud to know.I call it,

Burnt Toast.

Many years ago there was an elderly couple in a church I preached at that had been married over 65 years. He was dying of cancer and she cared for him at home. She would call me if she needed to run an errand and I would sit with him as she didn't want to leave him by himself.She called me and asked if I could come by early the next morning so she could visit the pharmacy and store.As an added inducement she promised me breakfast.I arrived early the next morning and she ushered me into the kitchen to sit beside beside him at the table.There was eggs,bacon,hash browns,sausage gravy,homemade biscuits,and toast.Everything looked and smelled wonderful except for the toast,it was thin as a cracker and burnt black as coal.Her husband saw me notice the toast and put his finger to his lips in a hushing motion. She said her goodbyes and went through the kitchen into the garage and got in her car.He waited to watch her leave before turning back to me and spoke, "Bet yer curious about that toast ain't ya? Well let me tell you a story about that toast. Her and I had started dating when she was 14 and I was 16.The day I turned 18 tho her daddy said I was a man now and couldn't date her anymore.Two weeks later however she turned 16 and I was waiting outside the high school in my uncles Chevy.She hopped in and we lit out to the Kentucky border across the Ohio river. In Kentucky a 16 year old girl could get married without her parents permission.We found a justice of the peace and fer 2 dollars became man and wife.The preachers wife had a sister that ran a small motel and the motel had a small kitchenette room for rent,8 dollars a week. The kitchenette had a tiny bedroom,a small dining room,and an even smaller kitchen.Little 2 burner stove,miniature refrigerator and a few pots and pans.Dint matter tho,we was married. Next morning I woke up and heard her in the dining room and sounded like she was cryin.I walked in and yep,there she was sittin at the table cryin.My first thought was that she regretted runnin off and gettin married but then I saw breakfast. See,there was a country store next to the motel and she had brought her baby sittin money.Walked to the store and bought a few things.In those days small country stores was different.You could buy single eggs,single slices of bacon,half loaves of bread and coffee by the scoop.She had watched her momma cook breakfast fer her daddy everyday of her life.Now that she was a married woman she wanted to do the same. Problem was,,she couldn't cook to save her life. The coffee was luke warm and still had grounds in it.The bacon somehow was raw on one side and burned on the other.The eggs was runny and had eggshells mixed in.But the worst was the toast.Thin as a cracker and burnt black as coal. Well buddy let me tell ya,she was the prettiest thing Id ever seen and I felt I was the luckiest man in the world,I set right down and started eatin that breakfast sayin it was the best damn breakfast Id ever had.I made the biggest deal over that toast sayin it was how I wanted my toast made everyday for the rest of my life."

He got silent then as we both ate our breakfast.Now Id seen how good a cook she had become over the years,her dinners ,cake,and pies were always the hit at every carry in dinner that the church had.The eggs,sausage gravy,biscuits,bacon were all cooked to perfection,except for that toast.I couldn't touch it. He noticed I hadn't eaten my toast,, "You gonna eat yer toast ?" he asked. I didn't say a word just handed him my two slices. He snapped em in half like you'd snap a cracker and put a piece in his mouth. "Best damn toast I ever had! " he exclaimed.

He died about another month later,she hung on long enough to hold the funeral and settle everything and followed him in death 3 months later.I was never able to ask either of them,,, Was this a private joke between the two of them? Her burning the toast and him pretending to like it?Or had his love for her carried over so much that he truly had developed a love for burnt toast?Whatever the answer was,it showed me how true love should be.

[Blue Collar Christian]

Sweet.

[Responsibility2nd]

Hand in hand they’ll walk through that door
Just livin’ on love

https://genius.com/Alan-jackson-livin-on-love-lyrics

[Ezekiel]

Daisy A Day - Jud Strunk

[sasquatch]

Lost my wife 3 yrs 4 days ago. 40 plus years. It doesn’t get easy, just old.

[married21]

Sitting here next to dear hubby, I can’t imagine the depth of your loss. May God console you now, and bring you back together someday in His time.

[sasquatch]

Thank you.