Matthew 18:3 And Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I never doubted that Christian Musician Randy Thompson would enter the kingdom of heaven but now as I watch him in a state that some people would consider “deteriorating” from the frontotemporal dementia he was diagnosed with several years ago, I am even more convinced that not only will he be there but there is a very special place of honor for those who can live for Jesus with a childlike faith.

Randy has truly become as a child again….filled with awe and wonder over the smallest things that the rest of us often take for granted. When he gets up he gives himself credit for each task he completes as though he has never done it before; “I put on my shirt!” he exclaims. “I put on my pants!” he boasts.“I am going to put on my shoes now!” he confirms.

Then he comes into the kitchen and his voice lilts with excitement as he says in true gratitude….”you made me toast with peanut butter and jelly” and “you put iced tea in my glass….you did….you put iced tea in my glass!.”  

Though he doesn’t say “thank you” as we might expect of adults or “older” children, Randy, in his present state,  makes his appreciation clear with his sincere, whispering and sing song type statements of gratitude and wonder.  

And then as he enters the living room his excitement raises as he announces that he found the remote. Though it was sitting right there on the table it was as though he had looked for days for it and he repeats with joy his find as he flips endlessly from station to station failing to stop for more than a few seconds on each station.  

Having not seen Randy in four years, since his diagnosis, this has been a challenge to see but I knew in my heart and spirit that something miraculous would happen during our visit. I didn’t expect it quite so soon but on the 2nd day I decided to see if Randy would pick up the guitar and join us in the music he had written that was so instrumental in leading my husband Ralph to Christ. I know what music does for me and I have seen the power of music with my mental health clients and many children I have worked with over the years and I just knew something magical would happen.

As I started to play one of Randy’s songs (My House)  Randy nodded in approval that I was doing an OK job with it. Then I deliberately messed up a part and said Randy I just can’t do it and I handed him the guitar and asked him to help me out and show me how to play it. For the next 45 minutes Randy played as his wife Linda and I sang random songs and impromptu worship as we rejoiced in this miracle.

Randy had not played guitar in several years. It was a miracle and one we hoped would not be an isolated incident so the next day, as his wife Linda lay in the hospital after a surgery, my husband and I took over the routine at home. After supper, a shower and getting ready for bed Randy came out into the living room and I picked up the guitar again and started to play another song of Randy’s. I played the same game of not knowing how to do it.

This time when I handed him the guitar he started playing something I had never heard. He played a much more detailed/complicated guitar solo that was just beautiful. I was recording it on my phone but suddenly my phone ran out of space and it shut down and so did Randy. I told him it was beautiful and I asked if it was something I hadn’t heard or if it was a brand new song and he said it was new. He put the guitar down and announced that he played a new song and then walked off to wander around as he does, ensuring that we knew what he was doing by his play by play announcement….”I am going to go to bed now….I am going to roll the covers back and watch my feet move”

Tonight, as Linda is resting after a painful surgery the house was quiet and I was sitting in the living room watching television and working on my computer. I noticed Randy come out from his bedroom so I got my computer recorder ready in case he decided to play guitar again.  This time, without any provocation, Randy picked up the guitar all on his own and began playing a beautiful melody with more professionalism than the previous evenings. After he had played for a minute or so he put the guitar down and announced he had played a new song on the guitar. I asked him why he hadn’t played for so long and he said he did not know but he liked playing now and said he would play again. A few minutes later he came back, picked up the guitar and played a few more bars. I cried.

Click here to listen 🙂

What God is showing me during my time with Randy is that gratitude can be much more pervasive in our lives than we make it to be. We should be grateful for the food and drink God gives us. Grateful for the people in our lives who are there for us. Grateful for a TV and the remote to go with it. Grateful for the ability to put on our own clothes and get ready to go to whatever place God has given us to live out our existence.  Grateful for the gifts God has given us and happy to be sharing those gifts with others.

Life can be much simpler than we make it, and in the midst of what seems a hopeless situation God can make beautiful music arise from the silent ashes of  a hopeless wasteland.  It isn’t over until it’s over! Thank you Randy for helping me savor each moment!