Contributors: Caleb (33), Bethany (30), Timothy (forever 28), Joseph (27), Hannah Grace (25), Jubilee (16), G3’s: Brantley (6), Baylor (4), Bella (2)
Let’s Talk
***I actually started this newsletter in March of
2022, then everything turned upside down again in April, so it had to all be
changed. I’m hesitant to begin again, not knowing what might happen before I
get it mailed…
Where to
start? What to say? Looking back at our last newsletter, published in March of
2021, some of the articles seem almost prophetic. Like this little gem: “there is a day appointed for each of us to
meet our Maker, and it could be very soon.” And this: “ …we are indestructible until our purpose on this planet is
finished. God's plans for us cannot be thwarted by the whims of the enemy.” I
was so sure of myself and my beliefs a year ago; but these beliefs were shaken
to the core on April 23, 2021, when the wing broke off of the plane that
Timothy was piloting, and he flew to Heaven. Our world exploded, and our hearts
were shattered, but our faith is still solid, and God is still good.
It’s hard to believe we made it a year, when we didn’t really want to
and didn’t believe we could – only by the mercy and grace of God.
Handling
Timothy’s estate became my full-time job for the year and beyond, which I was honored
to try to do. I only wish I had become his secretary years ago – then I might
have known where to look for everything we needed to know! It is similar to
wading into an ocean and trying to walk to the other side. Thank God for some
wonderful new friends at the airport who have taken us under their “wing” and
spent countless hours helping us get Timothy’s plane ready to sell and on the
market.
Tragedy again
struck our family on April 5, 2022, when Herb “ran ahead of us” into eternity.
He wasn’t depressed or despondent, but appeared to have some sort of
biochemical “short-circuit,” possibly linked to his Type 1 diabetes. We are
awaiting the results of several post-mortem tests that might provide some
closure. In the meantime, we have had to
give the unanswerable questions to God, which is exactly where they belong: “He
has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” (Isaiah 53:4)
I’m sharing some articles that were posted on Facebook throughout the year, for those who don’t do social media. It is very hard to pick which ones to print! Writing the stories is redemptive and therapeutic for us. If you have internet, we would be honored for you to visit timothyallisonaviation.org, where we have posted Timothy’s memorial service, pictures, tributes, and especially the blog posts. It’s another way of honoring his legacy and using his life to share the gospel (Herb, like me, didn’t travel the world, learn multiple languages, or leap tall buildings, so his eulogy takes a quieter sideline, as he would have wanted.).
Enjoying Life
Timothy was arguably the busiest man in the state, yet when Brantley asked him to play Chutes and Ladders with him one morning (as Timothy was passing through to grab his cup of hot chai) he played 3 games in a row! He laughed so hard at Brantley's overt attempts to cheat, he was practically wheezing! I had not seen him laugh that hard in years, so I motioned to Jubilee to take a picture (I didn't know it would be the last time I would ever see him in this life).It takes a special person to enter into a child's world and truly enjoy them. Timothy was always down to play with the nieces, nephews, cousins, and little friends. He didn't endure them - he enjoyed them - with bright eyes and a happy heart; such a rare gift.
Even as a youngster, he would laugh at the clumsy antics of his little siblings. He would often remark, "Isn't Joseph cute with those little bulldog cheeks?"
For many years (until it fell apart!) I had a poster hanging in my dining room that read:
Meanwhile…
Hannah
Grace signed on her first home in April 2021 in Broken Arrow. She bought a
fixer-upper, anticipating the family projects her dad and brother would help
her complete. As with every other event since April of last year, it was a
bittersweet success. The bright side: Maggie, the dog, finally has a back yard
to dig in! She has already unearthed a myriad of treasures from the Byzantine
era and continues to dig. Check with the National Archives for updates on her
finds.
*******
Joseph came
in off the road and off the crane last fall and is living in Timothy’s
double-wide in McLain. He started working for Brannon Plumbing and is also
following his dad’s footsteps as a handyman. We are grateful to have someone
taking care of Timothy’s place and filling the rooms with the sounds of
children playing (or arguing, as the case may be).
With a little help from Uncle Bill, Caleb has passed his bail bondsman test and hung his shingle at the jail. He can do this part-time, while he still keeps an eye on Uncle Nub, as his live-in helper. Too bad Caleb can't recruit his siblings for bounty hunters!
******
Bethany is living
in the Bixby area and pursuing her master’s degree in order to advance her
paycheck as a deputy sheriff. For 2 years, her finals have been disrupted by
major family catastrophes which make it very hard to keep up with assignments.
But Bethany wrote the book on determination! Never quit!
******
Jubilee graduated
with her CNA from Vo-tech in May of 2022, but at 16, she is too young to enroll
in/graduate from their LPN program, so her senior year is still up in the air.
She only needs 2 classes to graduate, so it would be easy to do school on the
road to wherever the Lord leads! Stay tuned!
After a quick trip to Belize, Hannah Grace boarded the “traveling nurse” train, and is currently serving a 3 month contract at a hospital in North Carolina (till August 20). She is renting a room from a couple who serve as her surrogate parents, even offering to help her work on her car! Win-win!
An Unlikely Prophetess
"Why
are you crying, *Amy?”
Amy has
cerebral palsy and carries her feelings on her shoulders. She cries very loudly
about pretty much everything, good or bad.
“I don’t
want to go home early!” she wailed. Her entire body was heaving with the sobs.
“You aren’t
going home early,” I explained. “This is the time I had planned
for you to go home because I’m going caroling tonight. I knew when I invited
you that we would have to leave at 5:00, so it’s not early – it’s
the plan.”
My logic
was falling on deaf ears. New tactic: I got the calendar off the wall and
showed her that almost every day and evening in December was filled in. “I
wanted you to be able to come and visit this month, so I penciled you in this
afternoon, right before caroling. Would you rather I hadn’t invited you
at all? What if I had said, ‘Amy won’t like it if we leave at 5:00, so I had
better not have her come over.’?”
Amy looked
forward to her visits at my house like most kids look forward to a trip to
Disney. She paused her sobbing and slowly answered, “Noooo.”
“Ok, then,
let’s get started toward the door.” Amy uses a walker, and has to start moving
well ahead of time to actually leave. But she still wasn’t budging. She started
wailing again and blubbered, “I might not get to see Herb!”
For some
reason, Herb was Amy’s super-hero, and she was terrified she might not get to
see him. Minutes were ticking away while she bawled, and I tried in vain to get
her to co-operate with the plan. I was beginning to frazzle.
“Let’s not
worry about what we might miss. Let’s look at what you got to do
today!” I listed in my most enthusiastic voice all the fun she had had: “You
got to decorate cookies! You got to have a tea party with your friends (we
invite the church ladies on ‘Amy Day’ for coffee and snacks – it’s a big
event)! You got to rub *Miss Evie’s arm (a favorite activity, which most people
don’t appreciate); you got to drink 3 cups of coffee and eat all the food you
wanted! You even got a Christmas gift! Let’s be grateful for what you did
get to do, instead of crying about what you might miss!”
At that
moment, the Lord spoke to my heart, “Really? Are you seriously going to tell
her that - when you are just like her?”
All of my
conversation with Amy came tumbling back to me in an instant as if from God
Himself:
“Timothy
didn’t go home early, it was the plan... I knew the number of his
days before he was ever born. Would you rather I wouldn’t have invited you into
his life because it would be too painful when it was time for him to go
home?... Let’s not focus on the years you didn't get with him and the things
you might miss ... Let’s be grateful for all the things you got to do with him
while he was here ...”
Silence.
I forced
myself to think of all the things I was privileged to do with Timothy. I got to
nurse him, rock him, and pray with him. I got to homeschool him, teach him to
read, encourage his business adventures, and listen to his heart. I got to
participate in his joys and sorrows, successes and failures. I laughed with
him, cried with him, and watched him grow and take flight. I wouldn't trade
being his mom for anything in the world, even if the party was to end much
sooner than I expected. Being grateful doesn’t eliminate the tears, it balances
them.
Knowing it
was God's plan releases so much of the anxiety and the questions.
I don’t have to understand. I can rest.
Psalm 37:7
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."
*Names changed
Ruined?
For many
years, we had celebrated Passover with all the pomp and ceremony we could
muster: fine china, candles, linens, and lots o’ matzo! Our family filled our
table as we bumbled through the Seder meal, reading the traditional blessings
and prayers, lighting the candles, and always ending the meal with the hopeful
refrain, “Next year, Jerusalem!”
But the
night that Herb passed (April 5), our home was filled with police officers,
sheriff deputies, pastors, and nameless others, all wanting statements. The
darkness told me, “Passover is ruined. Easter is ruined. You’ll be planning
another funeral.” The thoughts came from the enemy, but I believed them.
Everything in the future looked dismal and bleak. Ruined. How could this
happen? How could we ever get through this?
We didn’t
celebrate Passover this year, but we lived it. The sad part that the disciples
experienced - death and grief, confusion, and hopelessness – we lived that
part. No eggs, no bunnies, no new Easter dresses; don't think, just breathe.
Easter
morning, Jubilee and I decided to go to a church we had never set foot in, and
where Herb nor Timothy had ever gone, so we wouldn’t be carrying any memories
with us.
The huge choir enthusiastically sang, “Death has died! Hope has won! Jesus Christ has overcome! He has risen from the grave!” Song after song shouted, “Christ has conquered the grave!”
There in the ground, his body lay, Light of the world, by darkness, slain.Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave, he rose again!And as he stands in victory, Sin's curse has lost its grip on me!For I am his and he is mine - Bought with the precious blood of Christ!No guilt in life, no fear in death - This is the power of Christ in me.From life's first cry, to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from his hand'Til he returns or calls me home... Here, in the power of Christ, I stand.
While
listening to the songs, Hope rose up and assured me, “Nothing can ruin Easter!
Easter ruined death! Easter ruined the funeral! Jesus is Victor! Death is
defeated! Easter wins!”
Satan
thought he had won when Jesus was crucified and buried, but he was oh, so sadly
mistaken! His short-lived celebration became his demise when Jesus walked out
of the tomb! There is no place for despair or self-pity when death has lost!
Life wins! That is the message of Easter - the one holiday that nothing can
ruin!
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”
“But thanks be
to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians
15:54, 55, 57)
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)
Giving Around the World
Timothy
came in one day years ago and enthusiastically announced: “I’m going to write a
book called ‘How I Bought a Villa in France’!” This idea was hatched after Tim
read how a young man named Kyle MacDonald had bartered his way from a red paper-clip to a house in a series of 14 trades.
Timothy
then showed his dad pictures of a tractor and a truck on E-bay that were
selling dirt cheap. He explained they could be bought, fixed, and sold for a
huge profit, then… buy something bigger and sell it for a bigger profit, and so
on. Looking at the pictures, Herb said, “That’s a really good deal … I might
need that tractor myself… And you could use that truck…” Timothy stared at the
pictures with his dad for a second,
shrugged, and laughed, “Well, I’ll have to change the name of that book ---
from "How I Bought a Villa in France" to “How I Bought a Truck and
Tractor on E-bay!”
Many of the
“goals lists” Timothy left behind included giving away a million dollars (or
even billions!), and givers are always on the lookout for resources! He really
enjoyed the challenge of finding unique ways to make dollars from dimes, and
occasionally (okay, rarely), his efforts paid off!
One day, as
Timothy ran through for breakfast, I read him some highlights of “Giving it All
Away and Getting it Back Again” by David Green (Hobby Lobby’s founder). The
book explained that God can use a businessman just as much as He can use a
minister. The “deal-sealer” for Tim was when Mr. Green wrote out a check for 2
million dollars to a Christian ministry to get the gospel to children in a foreign
country. Timothy’s face lit up as he affirmed, “That’s ME!” (#goals!)
We recently
found among his papers a donation receipt to a charity we didn’t recognize, and
knowing Timothy, I figured he must have known someone who worked there. I
contacted the organization, and sure enough, Tim had met someone in his TESOL
class (Teaching English as a Second Language) in Oklahoma City, who later moved
with her husband to Uganda to teach in a Christian mission school. Through
Instagram, Timothy had asked if there was anything they needed, and she
mentioned tires for their vehicle. Request granted (through his donation), and
they were able to continue their ministry without worrying about
transportation.
Fast
forward to September, 2021. Hannah Grace, Jubilee, and I were invited on a trip
to Mexico with a pilot friend of Timothy’s (now a friend of ours!), Ben
Shaffer, and his family. Ben officially dedicated the trip to Timothy, and we
enjoyed the chance to help give and serve in a “dump” village, an orphanage,
and a home-church fiesta! While loading a native missionary’s vehicle with food
staples to be taken to the mountains, Ben noticed Joel's tires. “We can’t send
him over the mountains with those tires.”
The search
was on, but we could find only two matching tires in the entire town, and we
practically had to fight Ben for the privilege of buying them for Joel! We
wanted to continue Timothy’s “tire” legacy and honor his memory where the
“rubber meets the road” (But so did Ben!). I think we finally compromised and
bought one each.
Timothy never did buy that villa in France,
neither the truck, nor the tractor! But
there are people in the mountains of Mexico who will thank him in eternity for
the life he lived, the love he gave, and the example he set.
“As it is
written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his
righteousness endures forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:9
“Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18
Fifty More Years
A short
time before Timothy moved in with Jesus, he was standing at my kitchen counter
debating with me about Bible prophecy and the last days. He and I had different
views about how it would all play out at the end. “I’ve read through Revelation
four times, Mom!” Timothy went on to explain about the horses of the apocalypse
and what they will do, then he ended his persuasive speech with “…we have 50
more years!” He stared hard at me, desperately wanting me to agree with him. I
smiled back. I knew it would take too long to present my counter-points, so he
left with a hug and a cup of vanilla chai for the road - and we never had the
chance to finish our discussion.
It reminded
me of a conversation my dad had had with a co-worker about the book “88 Reasons
Why Christ Could Return in ’88” (Remember that one?). Dad’s friend asked him if
he thought ‘88 would be ‘The Year.’
My dad said, “I have no idea when Christ will return, but the main thing is,
you need to be ready to go NOW. Your day to meet the Lord could be tomorrow.”
My dad said a few days later, this same man called him back and asked him the
same question. Dad reaffirmed, “You need to make sure you are right with God,
because you could go today, regardless of when the rapture takes place.” They
talked a while longer, and when they hung up, the friend was still troubled. My
dad said within a few days, his friend was killed in a tragic accident, and Dad
never knew whether or not the man was saved.
I know
Timothy was born again and was ready to meet the Lord, but he sincerely wanted
50 more years. In reality, he had only a few weeks. How much time do YOU
have? How sure are you that you will be allowed into Heaven? If you are 90%
sure, don’t gamble on that last 10% - and don’t count on fifty more years! Let’s
nail it down today!
First of
all, you can’t be good enough to go to Heaven. “I’m a good person. I’m nice. I
give to the church. I never killed anyone,” etc… won’t get you in the gate.
Salvation cannot be earned by good deeds; it is a free gift. “Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us”
(Titus 3:5). “It is by grace we are saved through faith … not of works, lest
any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we could be good enough to make it
to Heaven, we would be trusting in ourselves. But it is only by trusting in the
death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that we can enter.
As you read
these verses, think about what they mean: 1. All have sinned and come short of
the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) 2. The Wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) 3.
God demonstrates his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. (Romans 5:8) 4. The blood of Jesus Christ, His son, cleanses us
from all sin. (1 John 1:7) 5. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. (Romans 10:9) 6. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved. (Romans 10:13)
How do you
know if you’re saved? 1. “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”
(2 Timothy 2:19) 2. “Don't you know that wrongdoers will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers,
effeminate, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none
of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to
be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor 6:9-11) 3. “Without
holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)
After
writing this article, I found an entry in one of Timothy’s notebooks: "At
the end of my life, I would like to look back and say, “This is what God accomplished
through me”… ‘getting the gospel out to people.’"
Son, that is exactly what is happening.
At the end of your life.
Rest in Peace.
Memories of Dad
From Joseph:
I got drawn
for a once-in-a-lifetime bull elk hunt in the Wichita Mountains last December. The
rules were: I could take only one person to help pack the elk out, and he had
to stay at the check station until I shot something. I took Dad - knowing he
wanted to go, but thinking he might be too decrepit to actually help. We would
have to see.
Long story
short: I walked to the top of a ridge by sunrise and dropped an elk by 9:00
a.m. I called Dad and told him how to get to me, and said, “Get some help if
you can.” He called back and left a message: “There’s no help. It’s just me and
you.” Oh, great.
While I gutted the elk, I could hear him
calling in the distance: “JoOOOoe!” I would holler back, “Yeah!” Then he would
call my phone. He couldn’t hear me yelling back, didn’t see the landmarks, and
didn’t know how to find a pin on his phone. I’d gut a while, and he would
holler. Two and a half hours later, I had it gutted, skinned, quartered, and
bagged when I finally saw some orange dragging over the peak with a bewildered
look. He was legit lost!
I wanted to
pack it all out in one trip, but we couldn’t do it. Each hind quarter weighed
120 pounds! We loaded up, and I kept calling over my shoulder, “Old Man, you
still back there?” He would laugh, “Yeah, I’m still here.” On our second trip
out, my legs were really hurting so we sat on a fallen tree to rest. Dad said a
prayer while we sat there. Dad always cried when he prayed – count on it. He
thanked God for the opportunity to kill the elk and be together. We were both
thinking about Tim, so Dad talked to him awhile, too. I had used Tim’s hunting
knife to gut it, so we felt like he was involved.
It took all
day to pack the elk out, but when we checked it in, it was the biggest elk
killed that day. Dad was so proud – as if he had shot it himself. We ate real
food at a restaurant that night, instead of the usual dad-meal of sugar cookies
in a tin can and Vienna sausages. I’ll remember that hunt the rest of my life. Dad
was always my first call, and he was always willing to go the distance.
From Caleb:
I remember one time we tracked a deer for quite
a ways, and finally got it.
(The true gist of this tribute can only be achieved by reading it very slowly, with long pauses, as it was told to me. Lol! Caleb is a man of few words. J)
From Jubilee:
A couple of
weeks before Dad passed, I had an exam at school that I had just found out
about that morning. I was so stressed and worried about it, I was having a
mental breakdown at 7:00 in the morning! I saw Dad in the shop getting his
tools together to go to work, so I called him as soon as I pulled out of the
driveway. I tried so hard not to cry while I was on the phone with him just so
I would seem tough.
I said,
“Dad I need you to pray that this goes well.” There was a pause, and when he
started talking, I could hear his voice breaking. “I will. You’re gonna do
great. God is with you, you’re smart, and I love you.” We both started bawling,
and I said, “Thank you! Love you too!” Then we hung up. I passed the exam, and
he was the first person I texted to tell.
From Bethany:
I remember
Dad taking us fishing. He always stopped at the gas station first and loaded up
with junk food and pop. That was the best part! I enjoyed the fishing and
actually caught a few that Dad allowed me to keep in the fish basket; but the
feast of junk food on the pond bank was over the top!
Dad was
also the greatest “untangler” of all time! We girls would regularly take him
our necklaces to untangle, and he could do it in record time! He took his
position very seriously! Shoelaces, ropes, chains - if anything was in a knot,
Dad was the man!
From Kim:
Herb was
infamous for running over the kids’ toys with the lawnmower, primarily because
he mowed in the dark! The dawn’s early light would reveal various colors of
shredded plastic all over the yard!
From Hannah-Grace:
Dad supported all my endeavors no matter
how crazy. Like the time we tried to move a baby grand piano into my house by
ourselves because I thought we could do it… and the time I had him personally
inspect three houses (roof to foundation) because I trusted his opinion over
anyone else’s, and the time he drove to Texas to pick up my first car just
because I wanted a lime green beetle bug! I can’t even count how many house
projects we completed together. I still have a list that we will never get to
finish…
I remember every time we went hunting, Dad
walked me to and from my deer stand because of my fear that a mountain lion
might eat me! He always told me I was holding a mountain lion killer in my
hand! Haha! Dad was one of a kind, for sure.
