Thursday, December 20, 2012
Care. Delight.
It's been a heartwrenching week. So many folks have offered far better responses than I ever could.
My husband:
http://www.stmichaels-church.org/lections-sermons-1
My friend:
http://www.plantingdandelions.com/dealing-with-grief/
A wise person:
http://dmergent.org/articles/2012/12/19/naughty-or-nice-is-not-the-question
Life is a Great Paradox. While we stand at the grave and weep, while we strain to grow as we walk through this desolation, while we ache as day follows day of funerals....
We laugh (at exceedingly silly things).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RTs5eKZ0i1E
We glow in the unexpected.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM1XusYVqNY
And we start the new Christmas with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bjQDl95tOcU#!
Beloved in Christ, in this season of Advent, let it be our care and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind, to go even unto Bethlehem, to see the babe lying in the manger.
Care. Delight. Yes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWq60oyrHVQ&list=PLC9CBA7E985567228
Thursday, December 6, 2012
This one's for Daisy and Papa Henry
Remember my story about Daisy? Not going to the dog tracks in a thunderstorm? This one is for her. Daisy and Papa Henry are the only people I know who really and truly picked cotton, Daisy picked one morning, had her baby, went back out for the afternoon. I grew up with cotton fields all around--not outside my window, but a little drive could get you there. PH , on the other hand, spent every Friday down at the farm. He jumped in grain bins, played with tractors, learned to drive in the fields,as a teenager took girlfriends out there (LC, farm manager who'd watched him grow up, said, "Hanh, hanh ! TELL me she's your cousin!")
I'm gonna leave this place better than the way that I found it was.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Jesus gonna be here.
I didn't pick cotton, but I grew up where cotton was king (along with Elvis.)
He gonna be here soon
.He gonna cover us up with leaves
with a blanket from the moon.
I'm gonna leave this place better than the way that I found it was.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
That wedding. It takes me awhile.
Old news. But still. Of interest to my nearest and dearest. I wrote this last January. Maybe time to finish a few things?? Here goes.
I might be coming to some conclusions about this blogging business. I didn't know what I was doing when I started .I just stepped right off that virtual cliff and waited to see what was next. Lo and behold, a couple of times I found myself awake in the middle of the night typing things I 'needed' to type. Those are the posts I like to share with people. Other times I wrote little stories of my life. Those are the ones my nearest and dearest can appreciate because they love me. And then there are things I just don't want to forget. Those posts are really for me. Now if I had an even slightly organized bone in my body, those 3 things would wind up in 3 different places. Not going to happen. I am doing well to just get it down on virtual paper.
So here we are.
I have some things I want to say.
First up is the wedding miracle at Little Rock. No water to wine (that I know of), but in my drugged state, I never finished the story. I wrote and wrote and wrote, and then I got overwhelmed. I thought of all the things I'd covered and then I thought of all I hadn't. Phew! So here is chapter 2.
Some Really Great People
1. My brothers
Biggest Brother (BB)
BB likes hobbies. I remember many years ago making chicken kiev or cordon bleu or something decidedly adult in my toddler filled kitchen with BB in charge. He has played numerous musical instruments, self taught. Then came the woodworking. I have a number of his pieces. No matter how far his skill level goes, (and he is quite good) I will never treasure a piece more than the little vase he made from the magnolia I used to play under as a child.
Now it's photography.
And BB was there with his camera. Thank you! Some great shots. Some of them I got to witness. Some I only knew about because of the pictures. Some I never need to see again!! But I wouldn't trade a barrel of monkeys for the whole lot of them.
MrFatherBrother (MFB)
MFB. We grew up through Young Life together. Amongst other things. I remember many many hours sitting across from him helping figure out chords and strums while he taught himself to play the guitar. These days, James Taylor's got nothin" on MFB. Now I have a Priest Husband and a Priest Brother. PH was most definitely Daddy in this wedding .Seeing MFB standing facing my precious daughter and her soon-to-be husband alongside our former bishop in the liturgy filled my heart. Between the two of them, BrideGirl was "well known".
2.My sister
Never were there such devoted sisters...
We shared a room growing up. I am the bossy older one. Surprised?
I called her Wedding morning. "Wake up! Wake up! The sun is up!" She answered. She came. Together with some new Zealanders, we spread tablecloths, cut and arranged flowers, spruced up the reception site. She came back later with a niece in tow, or so I was told. We had fun.
3. The Wedding Guild
These women are amazing! They put on their little black jackets and give an entire day to making brides and grooms and mamas and daddies and all sorts of other people comfortable. This is the reaction they got out of the bride at one point. Wow! (can't make the picture work, sorry, You'll just have to take my word for it.)
3.Mary Poppins
Long ago in the land of Mississippi, PH and I left our children. We only left for a few days.( According to BG, we would periodically leave them to go off and lead conferences about all the great family rituals we practiced. She always found that a little suspicious. I found it-GREAT! A chance to GO and SEE and DO! And be all adult about it! ) Yes, we left our children in good hands.(Usually. There was the time the elderly, maybe-a-little-bit-crazy sitter almost blew up the gas stove....)This time we left them with a dear friend, a woman our age, very responsible, loving, attentive, energetic. Could not be topped. When she fixed the kids lunches, she gave them 4 cookies. (I usually gave them fruit. IF they got cookies, two was a party!) She took them to Brent's (seen The Help? It's the soda fountain) after school for milkshakes. And... this woman had a magic purse. Need some tape? She's got it. Scissors? Full size? Not a problem. Remember Mary Poppins and the hatstand? WillsKids were sure that was next. So they named her Mary Poppins. And when Bride Girl knew she needed someone to coordinate (since we had no hired Wedding Coordinator) , MP was the one. MP has lived in a different city from us for 16 years. She didn't know a lot of the people there. Didn't matter. She was there with snacks for the wedding party, coordinated the photographer, made sure Bride and Groom had water and sustenance at the reception, and then...the best Mary Poppins moment of all. Bride and Groom needed a ride to the hotel . In the absence of the MusicMan's BMW sporty thing (WAY too scared to do that!), it was decided that the 1970's van that brought us a groom and entourage all the way across the country would be the perfect transport to the Capital Hotel. What was needed was an alcohol-free driver. Mary Poppins to the rescue. She got them there safe and sound. AND THEN...upon her return, as she pulled to the curb to park, a company of Brits opened the door and hopped in. Shuttle service???Can't keep the Poppins down! She shuttled right on to the late night Little Rock hotspots!(They were wedding guests, after all.) Next morning found the Poppins with scissors and tape boxing and loading wedding gifts for the trek back to California. (Update: It is now the Poppins turn to be a bridal parent--I'm hoping to return the love---just gotta find the right purse.)
Advent 2012--Happy one year anniversary(plus) to those grown up children who are continuing to choose love for each other.And a big heart of love to all of you who have chosen to love me.
I might be coming to some conclusions about this blogging business. I didn't know what I was doing when I started .I just stepped right off that virtual cliff and waited to see what was next. Lo and behold, a couple of times I found myself awake in the middle of the night typing things I 'needed' to type. Those are the posts I like to share with people. Other times I wrote little stories of my life. Those are the ones my nearest and dearest can appreciate because they love me. And then there are things I just don't want to forget. Those posts are really for me. Now if I had an even slightly organized bone in my body, those 3 things would wind up in 3 different places. Not going to happen. I am doing well to just get it down on virtual paper.
So here we are.
I have some things I want to say.
First up is the wedding miracle at Little Rock. No water to wine (that I know of), but in my drugged state, I never finished the story. I wrote and wrote and wrote, and then I got overwhelmed. I thought of all the things I'd covered and then I thought of all I hadn't. Phew! So here is chapter 2.
Some Really Great People
Biggest Brother (BB)
BB likes hobbies. I remember many years ago making chicken kiev or cordon bleu or something decidedly adult in my toddler filled kitchen with BB in charge. He has played numerous musical instruments, self taught. Then came the woodworking. I have a number of his pieces. No matter how far his skill level goes, (and he is quite good) I will never treasure a piece more than the little vase he made from the magnolia I used to play under as a child.
Now it's photography.
And BB was there with his camera. Thank you! Some great shots. Some of them I got to witness. Some I only knew about because of the pictures. Some I never need to see again!! But I wouldn't trade a barrel of monkeys for the whole lot of them.
MrFatherBrother (MFB)
MFB. We grew up through Young Life together. Amongst other things. I remember many many hours sitting across from him helping figure out chords and strums while he taught himself to play the guitar. These days, James Taylor's got nothin" on MFB. Now I have a Priest Husband and a Priest Brother. PH was most definitely Daddy in this wedding .Seeing MFB standing facing my precious daughter and her soon-to-be husband alongside our former bishop in the liturgy filled my heart. Between the two of them, BrideGirl was "well known".
Never were there such devoted sisters...
We shared a room growing up. I am the bossy older one. Surprised?
I called her Wedding morning. "Wake up! Wake up! The sun is up!" She answered. She came. Together with some new Zealanders, we spread tablecloths, cut and arranged flowers, spruced up the reception site. She came back later with a niece in tow, or so I was told. We had fun.
3. The Wedding Guild
3.Mary Poppins
Long ago in the land of Mississippi, PH and I left our children. We only left for a few days.( According to BG, we would periodically leave them to go off and lead conferences about all the great family rituals we practiced. She always found that a little suspicious. I found it-GREAT! A chance to GO and SEE and DO! And be all adult about it! ) Yes, we left our children in good hands.(Usually. There was the time the elderly, maybe-a-little-bit-crazy sitter almost blew up the gas stove....)This time we left them with a dear friend, a woman our age, very responsible, loving, attentive, energetic. Could not be topped. When she fixed the kids lunches, she gave them 4 cookies. (I usually gave them fruit. IF they got cookies, two was a party!) She took them to Brent's (seen The Help? It's the soda fountain) after school for milkshakes. And... this woman had a magic purse. Need some tape? She's got it. Scissors? Full size? Not a problem. Remember Mary Poppins and the hatstand? WillsKids were sure that was next. So they named her Mary Poppins. And when Bride Girl knew she needed someone to coordinate (since we had no hired Wedding Coordinator) , MP was the one. MP has lived in a different city from us for 16 years. She didn't know a lot of the people there. Didn't matter. She was there with snacks for the wedding party, coordinated the photographer, made sure Bride and Groom had water and sustenance at the reception, and then...the best Mary Poppins moment of all. Bride and Groom needed a ride to the hotel . In the absence of the MusicMan's BMW sporty thing (WAY too scared to do that!), it was decided that the 1970's van that brought us a groom and entourage all the way across the country would be the perfect transport to the Capital Hotel. What was needed was an alcohol-free driver. Mary Poppins to the rescue. She got them there safe and sound. AND THEN...upon her return, as she pulled to the curb to park, a company of Brits opened the door and hopped in. Shuttle service???Can't keep the Poppins down! She shuttled right on to the late night Little Rock hotspots!(They were wedding guests, after all.) Next morning found the Poppins with scissors and tape boxing and loading wedding gifts for the trek back to California. (Update: It is now the Poppins turn to be a bridal parent--I'm hoping to return the love---just gotta find the right purse.)
Advent 2012--Happy one year anniversary(plus) to those grown up children who are continuing to choose love for each other.And a big heart of love to all of you who have chosen to love me.
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