By Richard Mabey Jr.

None of us have a written guarantee of tomorrow. When the sun sets tonight, it will be the last sunset for many, many people who share this planet with us. None of us know when the time will come when our Divine Soul will depart our body. It is the very serious responsibility of each and every one of us to find the diamond of truth, that is sometimes hidden within the lump of coal. 

I am not a theologian by trade. For the most part, I have earned my weekly paychecks in the arena of being a wordsmith, a writer, at times a proofreader and editor. I find myself torn at times, between maintaining a certain sensitivity toward all paths to the Divine One and sharing the golden truth granted unto me by all so many good people. This is a true-life story of one of the last endearing opportunities that my beloved mother had to share the love of Christ with the children living in the neighborhood of my church. 

At my church of Grace Baptist Church, it is a tradition to hold the infamous “Trunk or Treat” event for both, the children of my church and the children of the neighborhood. This Halloween event is usually held on Halloween night or the night before Halloween. It is generally well attended by both parents and children. It is such a fun evening. The children come dressed as their favorite super-hero, a monster of some kind, an astronaut, or some other television character. 

There are usually a good two dozen cars parked in the big parking lot, parked so that the car trunks are facing the path that the costumed children and parents walk to collect their goodies. Each open car trunk is decorated with a unique theme. It is such a fun time and everyone has such a wonderful time.

At the time of the Trunk or Treat event of 2019, Mom had been enduring severe chest pains from her damaged Aortic Valve. Mom was scheduled for heart surgery in early November. My sister, Patti, and I were concerned that the Trunk or Treat event might have been too much of a strain on our dear mom. But Mom insisting on going to the Trunk or Treat event. 

I was amazed by Mom’s devotion to the children who came to our Trunk or Treat car site. Sitting in her wheelchair, Mom had a basket of little candy bars on her lap. Mom chose not to simply throw the little candy bar into the child’s Halloween bag, but rather hand a candy bar to each child. As Mom would hand the little candy bar to a child, she would simply smile and say to the child, in a loving voice, “Jesus loves you.” Mom would hold the child’s hand for a moment or two as she shared these three words with the little boy or girl.

It is important to note that the “Trunk or Treat” event was clearly marketed and advertised as a Christian event, sponsored by a Christian church. So, there was no problem of Mom’s words being in conflict with a family’s belief system. It was made clear as the crack in the Liberty Bell, that Grace Baptist Church was sponsoring a Christian event. Parents were clearly told this when they registered a child for the Trunk or Treat event.

For a few hours, that night, Mom forgot about her intense pain. It would be the last time that my dear, sweet mother would have the chance to share such an endearing moment with all so many children. I know it meant a lot to my beloved mother.

Mom did have her heart surgery in November. Sadly, she had a stroke in the latter part of the middle of December. My heart broke when my mom went Home to be with the Lord, just two days before Christmas Day of 2019. 

In the last days of her life, before Mom had her stroke, she would often talk about the wonderful time she had at the Trunk or Treat event. In looking back, I am very grateful to my beloved Minister, Pastor Rocky Culpepper, for spearheading the wonderful Trunk or Treat event. 

None of us have any guarantee that we will be here, in this physical body on this earth, when tomorrow comes. Each and every one of us have to find the golden truth of the existence of a Divine One. I have read the Holy Bible, cover to cover, several times. However, I am far from being an academician of the Bible. But I do know for sure, each and every one of us needs to sincerely seek the golden truth of the existence of a loving Divine Being. For truly, tomorrow knows no guarantee.

Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@hotmail.com. Please put on the subject line: My Life Publications.