Live Life Well

Last week we began to explore the fact that life is a story, and we are writing that story with each passing day. We believe an integral part of that ever-unfolding story is that of our friends and family. People, who embody, what it means to actually – live life well.

At Conizo, we want to be a part of your story. And perhaps one of the best places to start would be to unpack our story a bit. People, places, and memories make up so much of the narrative, as it were, of each of our stories. Those life-lessons learned from folks living life well leave lasting impressions on our hearts and lives that resonate – even today. As I look back over a lifetime, the life-lessons from my Aunt Mary Murdock still resonate today.

I grew up in a very ethnic Greek family in Huntington, West Virginia. Also unique to my family were Italian, Lebanese, and good ‘ole “Heinz-57” – relatives all-blended-in this wonderful Mediterranean mix. As a boy, reaching up to the dining room table could as easily yield a Greek grape leaf, an Italian meatball or even a West Virginia favorite – celery-sticks with cream cheese filling.

All those tastes!

Aunt Mary & Uncle Fred represented the “Heinz-57” group. They were central to my boyhood spiritual formation as they saw that I attended church from an early age. Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and weekly services were all under the loving gaze of Aunt Mary & Uncle Fred. But the weekly highlight was ending up at their house for Sunday after church dinners.

The smell of a cooked roast, green beans, carrots & potatoes would greet you at the door. Soon followed by the unmistakable smell of those irresistible dinner rolls. Hungry yet? Sitting around the table, we would often recount the day’s sermon, followed by anything I could remember from Sunday School. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was being given a lasting image of what family blessings look like.

Often after Sunday dinners, the lazy afternoon naps were sure to follow. But on occasion, Aunt Mary would be in the kitchen teaching yet another life-lesson. A life-lesson that involved the sound of aluminum foil. She would be lovingly taking left-overs of the meal we had just enjoyed and preparing plates of food that would soon go to a needy family in our church.

Two things I remember: the sound of that aluminum foil as she crimped it around the edges of those plates. And the faces of those children when we delivered the food to their home. Unforgettable. Aunt Mary would always say, “Donald Gene, we’re blessed so that we can share with others.” Thank-you Aunt Mary, for the sights and sounds of what a well lived life looks like.

Wisdom has been defined as the art of living skillfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves¹. And hope, well hope could be a meal, all wrapped in aluminum foil and above all, wrapped up in love. Now years later, I have to thank both Aunt Mary & Uncle Fred, for a lasting snapshot of what a well-lived life looks like. I guess in reality, Aunt Mary & Uncle Fred’s address was indeed, the intersection of where wisdom meets hope.

It’s in that spirit, at Conizo, we believe the wisdom of one generation intersects with the hope of another. Whatever your story is, our story is driven by a desire to provide the best in multi-generational experiences, resources, products and services you need.

We believe at the intersection of wisdom and hope, generations can unite to live life well – at any age. And when it’s all said and done – we can all look back and together see – a well lived life. Thanks again for stopping by. Look forward to seeing YOU next week.

Live life well.

Notes

1. Peterson, Eugene, The Message, copyright @ 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale Publishers, Inc.

View Don Peslis' bio here.