After being gone for nearly a week, my wife finally got back home last Friday. She and the girls that she took to church camp came home bubbling over with excitement. But they were not the only ones excited—I was too; excited that Gale was finally home to relieve me from loneliness and trying to accomplish everything at home all by myself.

I made some memories of my own while she was away, even though mine are probably considered less outstanding than theirs.

One memory that I have is that of a quiet house—almost too quiet. There is usually a good bit of foot traffic in and out of the house, but there was very little of that while she was away. Now I know who they have been coming to see—apparently not Papa!!

Another of my memories took place in the kitchen. After going to the store and purchasing some ready-to-cook biscuits, I prepared to cook a can of them. I read the directions and got the oven preheated. After a bit of a struggle I finally got the can opened and placed the raw dough on the pan just like the directions advised. After putting the pan in the oven, all I had left to do was wait for them to cook. Simple enough. The only problem is that I got involved in other things and forgot about them. Do you know that adding just four minutes to the cooking time of canned biscuits will not enhance the quality of the finished product?

God had a beautiful plan in mind when He created us with the need for each other and when He gave us varying talents to complement one another. The writer of Ecclesiastes sums it up well by stating: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (4:9-10, New International Version).

From time to time others tell me that they could not do what I do–constantly ministering to the sick and dying, and helping families work through the grief that results from the death of loved ones. Yet I do not consider what I do a burdensome task, instead, I count it an honor to be able to render if but a small helping hand to those walking through the most trying time of life. God calls and equips us for the rolls that He has appointed for us to fulfill; when we operate under His empowerment and enablement, we are able to do what would otherwise be impossible.

We are all called, gifted, and appointed to different roles, and everyone is needed to fulfill the role that we are assigned to. Sometimes that role is not immediately shown appreciation, but it is important to someone. I talked to a gentleman a few days ago who had a long career in the Air Force. One of his duties was packing parachutes. Most of us do not wake up in the middle of the night appreciating those who pack parachutes, but for those whose lives depend on it, that person is of great importance. Your position in life might be far more important to someone than you even realize.

Let us never forget that we need each other. And let us never cease to be thankful for each other. Two are indeed better than one!