It’s a boy, Mrs. Fincher, it’s a boy!
On November 4th, 1986, William Josiah Fincher was born in Hollywood, FL. And he changed our lives. Jan, Ashley, & I welcomed this new happy baby to our Ft. Lauderdale home & “Holywood”, “Willigator”, & “Will-Son” became part of our daily vocabulary.
We’ve watched him grow (too fast) into a young man chasing his dreams. And I don’t think that two parents could be prouder of a son.
Will, we love you son. Happy Birthday!
Twenty five years ago today, at 6:30 AM on a chilly Saturday morning, Janet Norrell said “I do” to Pastor Lee & God agreeing to be my wife! Neither of us knew all that these two little words would come to mean for us.
Thanks to the Grace of God, we have stayed together these many years. God knit us together with our daughter Ashley, who had a “head start” on me by 4 yrs. A year & a day later He added Will, and a bit over a year later, the caboose to this growing train, daughter Aimee.
Our marriage has survived because of God & in spite of us. We both know that love is something that you do, not something you merely fall into – though we certainly did THAT! My hard-headed woman refused to walk away from what God had put together even during times when a lesser woman would have gladly left. And God has honored her & my commitment to Him & kept us by His strong arm.
Jan, I am glad that I’ve had you by my side these 25 years! Lets go for another 25!
What a poignant word that is. We’re told to call God, Abba, which we are also told is similar to the English “Daddy”. A term of endearment; of deep intimacy.
A year ago today, February 14, 2008; my Daddy left the bonds of this earth to dwell eternally with God. I don’t doubt that at all – I understand it deep within my heart & soul. And, because of that truth, I will see Daddy again someday.
Daddy loved my Momma & his four children dearly. He worked hard all his life to care & provide for us. He took us to church and he took us fishing. They both were as much a natural part of who he was as was his ready wit & even temper.
I miss Daddy and my eyes still quickly fill with tears when I write or think about him. I miss talking to him, his hugs, the feel of his rough face against mine. I miss his smile, his laugh, the way he so readily told us he loved us. I miss holding his hand & I miss praying with him. I miss that I can’t pick up the phone & hear his voice. I miss my Daddy.
But I have an Abba, a God who knows my loss, a God who promises me and Mom & my brother and sisters & my wife & my children that we will all be reunited with Daddy and Daddy Ed & Dean one day. And that reunion will be glorious! And with that vision, I can say with the Apostle Paul – “Maranatha” – or “Lord, Come!”
The Fincher’s have moved! And to prove it, here is our new two-car garage after the invasion!
Daddy would be proud! Now our goal is to reduce that mound of stuff & hide it sufficiently inside the house in closets, attic, etc. We really do expect to use this garage for cars.
Sure… a culinary career seems safe …
So, our resident chef, Will, is busy learning & cooking his way through culinary school in Charleston, SC. And from all accounts having a great time! But… Will has never been really safe around sharp instruments. Dicing garlic, peeling blanched tomatoes, an occasional finger nick here or there… Will usually just brushes it off and completes the meal. But this time, he got a little more than a nick! Wills arm meets a meat saw, 14 stitches!
Not for the faint of heart!
For the really inquisitive – (you’ve been warned!) It actually looks better than before it was stitched.!
Don’t miss UAB’s Cabaret the Musical at the Sirote Theater, Birmingham, AL –
April 16-20, 2008
Yeah, that is Aimee!
With apologies to Johnny Nash …
The last several months have been marked for eternity by the passing of three fathers. My wife’s Dad, Edmund Norrrell, died on January 30th. My own Daddy, Norman W. Fincher, died on February 14th. And, our dear friend & brother in Christ, Dean Barriault, died in our home on February 25th. Trying to put things in perspective over the intervening days, a post by Al Hsu helped me put some of it into words. His article here for Christianity Today isn’t about death at all. But when I read his words:
… I blinked several times, and my vision wavered back and forth. Clear, blurry, clear, blurry. Then I realized what was happening. While singing I had been tearing up, moved by God’s call, and the thin layer of water on my eyeballs functioned like contact lenses. The tears had been making my vision clearer.
…when God moves me to tears, I begin to see more clearly.
What I saw & felt & learned over these many hard days, weeks, & months is that “the tears had been making my vision clearer“! Thank you God for three men who loved you and showed it in their lives and in their final days. Thank you, God for the tears you brought to help me see YOU and my family and friends more clearly. And… thank you, God for the tears you shed as Jesus went to the Cross, died, and rose again so that there will be no more tears!
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
What now seems to be a few short weeks ago, our friend and brother in Christ, Dean Barriault moved into our house to live out his final days as his body battled the pernicious tumor that had invaded his brain. He moved in the week after Thanksgiving, and was welcomed into our home as “Uncle Dean” by Ashley, Will, & Aimee. We ate our meals together, laughed together and at each other, prayed together, and sometimes… cried together.
Last night at approximately 10:30 PM, Dean “caught the bus” to Heaven as the Father called him home. My wife, Jan, and another close friend, Emory Ellis, were with Dean when he breathed his last breath. We were joined soon after by some of the many friends who had served Dean and us for these many weeks as Dean’s physical condition deteriorated daily.
These brothers and sisters had graced our home around the clock with their loving care for Dean; and as Jan & I both lost our fathers during this same time cared for us as well.
Dean was a grateful and gracious guest in our home. We shared many mornings over oatmeal & our daily bible reading before he became mostly bed-ridden by the onslaught of the cancer. Dean’s love for God and for his children was daily evident in all of his conversations with his many caregivers. He was so proud of each of his kids, and equally grateful for God for the Mercy of the Cross. He looked forward to Heaven & I am sure today that he is there in the presence of God.
Our mutual friend, Scott Spearman, wrote an eloquent vision of what a day in Heaven may well be like for Dean here:
Reflections of a Friend, dying…
Last few days of 2007, just thinking about my Dad, and how it is to be one myself…
Of the many memories that I have with Daddy (because he will always be THAT – not just Dad or Father), this picture about sums it up. At Grant Park in Atlanta, GA; we are enjoying a quick bite to eat & drink while looking forward to seeing “Willie B” – the most fearsome but entertaining gorilla! From this picture (that Mom must be taking…), looks like I am pretty much in kid-heaven, while Daddy isn’t as sure about the sandwich he is digging into! Daddy took us to Grant Park all the time! Whether it was just to walk (or likely run!) around or see what new animals were added since the last time, afternoons spent with Daddy were special!
Anyway, this day, some 40+ years later (since I don’t know how old I was in the picture), I’m glad to have been raised by a man & woman who loved God, loved each other, and loved us with almost equal intensity. I pray that I learn to do the same with my God, wife, and kids.
The UAB Summer Theater program presents the Wind in the Willows – a musical. The show represents Aimee’s first paid acting performance, so we are all proud of her!
“Theatre UAB, in its first joint production with Birmingham Children’s Theatre, will present “The Wind in the Willows” July 12-13 and July 18-20 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and July 14 and 21 at 10 a.m., at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S. The production is based on the book by Kenneth Grahame and the music of Gilbert and Sullivan and is adapted by Scot Copeland and Paul Carrol Binkley. UAB Professor Will York, M.F.A., directs.
This short musical adaptation of the book chronicling the wild antics of Toad, Badger, Mole and Rat debuted to great acclaim at the Nashville Children’s Theatre. Now, the talents of Theatre UAB and the Birmingham Children’s Theatre are combined for a special production. Most of the music in the production is taken from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, with new lyrics written for the production.
The cast is Chuckie Fuoco of Homewood as The Piper, Constable Comment and Winston Windsor-Weasel; Chris Sams of Birmingham as Mole; Tom Wofford of Gadsden as Rat; Alicia Vaughn of Birmingham as Badger; Ashley Hubbert of Town Creek as Toad; Heather Fuqua of Birmingham as Cheek E. Driver, Wiley Weasel, Magistrate and Washer Woman; and Aimee Fincher of Decatur as Willa Weasel and The Goaler’s Daughter. Stage manager is Caitlin Suggs of Irondale.”