It is said that you can best know a person by the fruit
they drop along the way. Everyone who knew Janet Tramel, can probably identify
some kind of fruit my mom left in your path. As for me, some of this fruit became seed and the resulting
roots run so deep that the fruit I now drop can be traced directly back to her influence
in my life. Three of the attributes, I now carry because of her, are an
overwhelming love for everything Disney, an eye to see every obstacle or
opportunity as an adventure, and a deep connection to the third person of the
trinity… Holy Spirit.
When we were little, my mom had all the latest Disney
albums. She played them constantly on our stereo. I was an official member of
the Mouseketeers at age 3, but my biggest memory was the giant Disney jar she
kept on her dresser. We were always wanting to go to Disneyland, so mom
empowered us to get involved in the planning by having us clip out coupons when
we went grocery shopping. Every amount we saved on groceries was turned into
coin and placed in the jar until we had earned enough to go. I don’t think we
ever earned enough ourselves, but in doing this, mom was such a representation
of God in my life. She was empowering, encouraging, and she inspired us to find
creative ways to set aside our childish impulses to go after what was truly
important. I even learned to make bread so we could save the money it would
have taken to buy it. She, like God, never showed me the price she paid,
herself, for the flour, sugar and yeast it would take for me to succeed. She
just praised me for partnering with the plan.
The fruit of adventure came when my sisters, our daughters
and I would travel with mom to Women of Faith each year. During the trip we
would inevitably get lost somewhere along the way. The moment we did, my mom
would say, “Well, it looks like we’re on an adventure.” At first, I hated that
phrase, but after years of hearing it, I began to see every obstacle and
opportunity as a door to adventure. I could either get stuck in it or choose to
go through it and see where it would take me. Jeff and I raised our three
children, Jeremy, Tiffany, and Cody not only to embrace life’s adventure, but
to also take it a step further and pursue it. Find the adventure and follow it.
You never know where it will take you.
The third and most important fruit my mom dropped in my
life was Holy Spirit and all the fruit that comes with Him. I grew up knowing
God and learned all about Jesus in church, but Mom and Dad went after Holy
Spirit and taught me how to do the same. Since I lived away from home, from the
time I was 18, Holy Spirit was where mom and I have always remained connected.
No matter where I was or what I was learning, I could call and process it all
with her. She was as hungry as I was for MORE, and we couldn’t wait to hear the
new revelation we each were receiving each time we talked. This connection
became a supernatural one for us. We would uncover new attributes of Holy
Spirit at the same time, even though we lived miles apart. We could even sense
things going on in each other’s life even though we weren’t in close proximity,
and we often knew how to intercede for each other even though we hadn’t spoken.
I’ll never forget the afternoon I called my mom as I held my own daughter in my
arms after she had just passed away. Mom didn’t say a single word. She just
cried on the other end of the line with me. We were, at that moment, together through
the power of Holy Spirit. During the last year of her life, she never lost
touch with that connection. Just like the author of the famous song, she could
say, “Whatever my lot, though hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well,
with my soul.”
Today, I live 10 miles from Disney World. I work at a
church and school introducing people to Jesus and the power of Holy Spirit. My
life is one huge adventure. Mom would get a kick out of seeing a group of
spirit-filled Presbyterians, from a church inspired by Disney, change the world
for Christ. But it’s my guess… she’s already seeing it.
