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Excerpts from Souvenir Submitted by David M. Waid |
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SOME
THOUGHTS BEFORE LEAVING HOME. (WRITTEN APRIL 2, 1889.) "Though at times my spirit fails
me, And the bitter tear-drops fall, Though my lot is hard and lonely, Yet I hope--I hope through all."
MRS. NORTON.
Records of passing events are always kept, if not with pen and ink,
or by means of the printing press or the engraver's tools, yet in the
thoughts of men they are ever with us to perish only in death:
It is written: In
that very day our thoughts perish.
So while we live our thoughts live also; and I wish to express some
of mine before leaving home on my western trip.
I am aware of the fact that while these thoughts--the remembrance
of things--and acts live in our memory during life, and that the
accountability and influence continue thereafter, I am prompted or led by
the Divine Spirit to act on my better judgment, endorsing the truth that
as every man's judgment cometh from the Lord, therefore we are
accountable to Him. And since
we know what influence the lives of others--loved ones gone before--have
over us, we should think of the influence our lives may have on those who
follow us. And in recording my thoughts to-day--no matter how little the
reader may think of them--my object is to do good, and to honor the Lord
for his goodness and mercy to me. Few,
if any, are more indebted than I, and I have tried frequently to give
expression to my thoughts and views of life, of right and wrong; but
to-day I would fain try again. This
is a new day. I never saw it
before; it is passing away, and when it is gone I shall never see it
again. Life is precious, the time of our departure is sure to come,
and we are admonished that what we would do we must do quickly.
This thought is of great value to me, and I am trying to act on its
teaching.
My dear readers, I wish to speak to as many of you as I can, and
tell you what the Lord has done for me.
Some of you, I think, who know me so well, and are aware of my
present peculiar surroundings, may read, perhaps, with interest, the
description I give of myself and family, but do not lose sight of the fact
that my chief desire is to thank the Lord in this as best as I know how.
Now you may ask why I--on this morning of April 2, 1889, at the age
of nearly fifty-six, left alone, in not the best of health, and
about to leave home, amid peculiar surroundings--am glad, why I am
thankful, and why I praise the name of the Lord?
Well, I will tell you. This
morning, after family prayer and breakfast at Guinnip's
(the old homestead), where I had staid over night, I said to Anna
(Guinnip's wife): "Your
Bible is small print, have you no large Bible?"
When she answered me in the negative it occurred to me that an
opportunity had come. I will
buy Frank, Guinnip and Fred, each of them, a
Family Bible. I am thankful
for this thought coming to me, and I am going to carry out my intention.
Precious thoughts come to me, and I always court them.
I love them, and only wish I had always made better use of them.
Yet I am thankful I have been permitted to profit by so many of
them. You know David, the Psalmist, speaks of them as being more
countless than the sands on the seashore, and God in His mercy, sends them
to you and me. In getting my
boys a Bible each I intend to have our own old Family Bible rebound,
although in 1876 it was bound for the second time.
I think the Bible first cost $1.25, re-binding cost $1.25, last
binding (November 14, 1889), morocco cover, $2.00.
Old new Book! How
I love it! I wish the reader
could see it as it appears in its new cover.
I believe in thanking the Lord for temporal blessings as well as
spiritual, and with this before me, and with a retrospect of my past life,
how can I but feel I owe a debt of gratitude, first to my Creator, then to
humanity? Here is a thought: My wife always loved me better when I appreciated her love.
So I believe of our Heavenly Father.
All the blessings he pours down upon us in this life are intended
to increase our love toward Him. Now
let me thank Him in heart and life, in act, in word, in thought, in deed
and in truth for these temporal blessings.
Many a one makes a great mistake in life simply because he fails to
manifest due appreciation in return for what he receives.
And if this is true in the obligations we owe to each other how is
it in a higher sense when we think of our duty toward the Giver of all our
blessings! What, then, should
be the love, praise and gratitude of our hearts toward Him?
What actual service besides homage should we pay Him then?
In this sense let my thoughts ever be toward the Lord, and I will
exclaim out of the fullness of my heart:
"O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and His
wonderful works toward the children of men."
This spirit of prayer and praise has aided me in prosperity and in
adversity--yes, in the very darkest hours of life, and is helping me
today, in this year of sore trial and greatest of afflictions, the death
of my beloved wife. Surely
this is the most lonely, the most melancholy and saddest year of my life.
Yet, in all this, comes the consolation of His grace, which has
supported me thus far, and as I soon expect to leave home I think of my
children, who are now all married--Franklin, March
15, 1877; Guinnip, March 31, 1883; Fred,
March 7, 1889 (all married in the month of March!).
The thought that I have lived to see all my children married and
settled in life affords me comfort, and I rejoice that they are in good
homes and so near each other, and that they are so willing to help one
another in business and in the affairs of the farm.
Kind reader, let me tell you from the fulness of my soul that this
affords me great happiness, this pleasant condition of family affairs, and
my prayer is that it may ever continue so.
How few of us know with what anxious care and prayer the home must
be guarded to hold our children constantly in the bond of domestic peace.
In our own family the credit is nearly all due to the memory of the
beloved wife and good mother. No
wonder the influence lives with such undying love in the hearts of
bereaved husband, children, kindred and friends.
On April 8, I had the pleasure of presenting to each of my sons a
Family Bible, and I have also given Bibles to others.
My intention is to distribute other copies among my relatives and
friends, where I think they will do good, and my prayer is that they may
prove a blessing to all. "The
true way to bear evils is to yield ourselves up with confidence to
God."
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