From Peanuts to Cocoa

I was sitting here thinking about the snow melting today and I remembered a time when I was probably about 9 or 10 years old. I had my very first job delivering the Free Press Newspaper in our neighborhood. I would bundle myself up every day after school with the full gear - snow pants, winter coat, scarf wrapped around my head twice, a toque, and mittens of course. Then I would brave the bitter cold, with my bright red toboggan in tow - loaded to the hilt with papers, to ensure that everyone in our neighborhood received their daily news. I had taken over the route for my best friend when she decided it was time to call it quits. During the week, it wasn’t so bad delivering the paper. They were thin and easy to handle. Saturday morning, on the other hand, was a different story. It was the worst!! The paper was twice as thick and we mustn’t forget the funnies - heaven forbid they would leave those crazy "Peanuts" out just one week. There was also more houses to deliver to because some people only subscribed to the weekend papers.

On quite a few occasions my Dad, though he had been hard at work all week, would get up early on his day off, make a batch of his famous cocoa and meet me half way on my route to share a cup of loving warmth. He made the best cocoa in the world. He would then follow me along in the car while I finished up, and give me a ride back home, so that I wouldn’t have to walk. This is just one of the thousands of little things he did to show how much he loved me. Something that may have seemed small to him, meant so much to me. I used to look forward to the time we would just sit in the warmth of the car chatting. Nothing else was important durring that time. Just the two of us.


Some days, I miss him so much, I feel guilty that I may have taken him for granted. I only hope that I can create some of the same memories with my son that he gave me. These are the legacy that he left. His gentle lovingkindness only surpassed by the Lord himself. Always remembered, never forgotten!

I am reminded of the verse in Psalm chapter 63 verse 3 which states:

"Because Your lovingkindness is better than life," The Nelson Study Bible NKJV.

The commentary states that lovingkindness may also be translated "loyal love". That is the kind of relationship that we should have with our heavenly father. We need to go out and brave the bitter world, with our leather-bound Bible in tow - loaded to the hilt with footnotes, to ensure that everyone in our neighborhood recieves there daily news. Our Father may not be there to meet us with a cup of Cocoa, but he is storing up in heaven the crown of righteousness for those who have served him faithfully. That is how we show our Father lovingkindness.