USGN Article -March 2003
Terry & Barbi Franklin
By: Terry Franklin

The Things That Count

Barbi has been helping me decorate my office, which is connected to our home. Most men, myself included, do not have the “decorator gene,” so I am very grateful for her help.

She had a number of pictures framed for me along with mementos from the past. She also got me this wonderful oriental carpet that feels so good to walk on. The fact that it’s from Wal-Mart doesn’t really matter to us – most of our friends are not the lift-up-the-carpet-to-see-if-it’s-real kind of folks anyway.

This is not to minimize how nice my office and our home is. We have some very nice things that we have acquired through the years: Paintings we purchased in Paris (not Paris, TN…the other one!) beautiful cherry and mahogany furniture, as well as items obtained in our travels all over the world.

But in my office, prominently displayed with a beautiful new frame is a picture that would mean almost nothing to anyone else – some would see it as just typical Christian bookstore kitsch akin to “Footprints In The Sand” wall hangings.

But this picture means more to me than almost anything I own. My two boys gave it to me a few years ago. Barbi swears they did it on their own. It shows a little boy with his dad. Written around it are these words,

Some may own castles on the banks of the Rhine…
And hire an orchestra each evening at nine…
But richer than I they will never be…
I had a dad who spent time with me…

My kids know I’m not Mr. Perfect Parent – I’ve had to apologize for poor attitudes, and for losing my temper, to everyone in our family. Hey, I’ve even had to apologize to the dog! But somehow the time I’ve spent with these boys has made up for some of my deficiencies. God be praised.

Cars rust, houses decay, pictures fade, but the TIME that we spend with our kids will yield a legacy like nothing else. The things that count the most are right inside our homes.

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