Thoughts of Tony...

The following is a guest post from my husband, Rick, about his cousin Tony. Tony is struggling for life right now and we have all been praying for him so strongly.  I have been trying to get Rick to write a guest post for some time and I am so glad that he has put his thougth about this special person on paper and decided to share it with Tony and all of us.

I'm proud of you sweetie!!!

My cousin Tony Cluck is in the hospital fighting a brave battle. He was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was a baby. Last July at the age of 39 he received a double lung transplant. The last few days I have read a lot of messages and encouraging words that people have wrote about Tony and how he has impacted their lives. There is so many ways that I could tell you how he as impacted my life that it would take me writing a novel to tell every story, but I would like to tell you a few thoughts about him.

Although we would use this as an excuse why we couldn’t do things, Tony has never let it hinder him in doing what he has wanted to do. Complain, well I don’t think he even knows what that word means. I remember a trip our families took together to the Smokey Mountains. Tony and I went and recorded and song together at Dollywood. It was “old time rock and roll” by Bob Seger, I think we did a better job at it. My favorite time was when I was staying with him during the summer, and the first Batman movie was just coming out that weekend. I remember before the movie crusing around Gadsden in his camaro, I was on cloud nine that whole night.

Some people say that you cannot believe in something that you cannot see. This is true when they come to these three things, God, faith, and love. They claim that since you cannot see God then he must not exist, you cannot see faith it must not be possible to have it. And love, well it’s a shame if they have never seen love. I believe you can see these three things. I see God when I look outside and see the world that He has created for us to enjoy. I also see God when I read His Word. I see faith when I see prayers answered. Love, I see love when I see the cross where Christ took my sins upon him and set me free. I also see these three things in Tony. Love, I see love in Tony when a he takes his cousin (me) four years younger than him to watch the movie Batman with him. I see love in the way that he loves his family. Faith, I see faith in Tony that he knows God is in control, and is always giving him praise for the things in his life. I see faith when there is no doubt in his mind that he is safe in the arms of God, and he knows where he will spend eternity. As for God, well I see God through Tony. I could only wish that these people that claim that they have never seen these three things could know the person that I have always looked up to and considered to be my hero.

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…..” Tony is truly a gift from God that has touched every person that has had the privileged to know him.

Tony, I am praying for you daily!

Love ya,

Rick Cluck

Please join us in praying for Tony and his family.

Have a Blessed Day,
April