Roseland

Roseland

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Thursday, May 31, 2007

Writing on Peace

I haven't written in a while because of difficult events in our church family.
A gentleman who plays on the church softball team got into a scrape at a local school recently and was arrested; felt bad for all involved:( Our sweet pastor & other men were on hand to support him through the initial court proceedings & to help navigate him through the media.

A tragedy involving one of our church youth occurred this past Sunday evening. He apparently accidentally killed himself, although at first it appeared to be a suicide:( How devastating to lose a young man only 16 years old. Words fail during a dark time. This comes on the heels of a girl among our college/career age group attempting suicide a few months ago.
We all feel so helpless:(

Christians need one another, as all people do. And we need to comfort one another and forgive one another and realize we are all vunerable & weak at times. We hope and pray our sins are not on the front page, but they could be at any given time.....

The sad part is when a talented, smart boy gets involved in things that have consequences that cannot be reversed. Or a young woman cries out for help in such an extreme way. Or a man needs support during a very stressful time in his life & he may feel out of control.
We should listen to those around us, truly listen, and be there for them through thick & thin.

Our church family is made up of many strong people of faith who are sinners, no exceptions, but who know where their strength comes from.
May we never forget to pour out mercy and forgiveness and grace to others, and daily ask for the same for ourselves.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Life

"Sooner or later you figure out life is constructed specifically & brilliantly to squeeze a man into association with the Owner of heaven. It is a struggle, with labor pains & thorny landscape, bloody hands & a sweaty brow, head in hands, moments of severe loneliness & questioning, moments of ache & desire.
Life is a dance toward God..."
And the dance is not so graceful as we might want. While we glide & swing our practiced sway, God crowds our feet, bumps our toes, & scuffs our shoes. So we learn to dance with the One who made us. And it is a difficult dance to learn, because its steps are foreign."

Donald Miller/Through Painted Deserts

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Thursday

Update:
Decided to paint. Will visit my mama next Tuesday.
Cool weather and working this evening swayed me:)
Planning to turn on my new Nano (compliments of my children:)) and go for it:)
Rustic Adobe is the color of the day!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Every week

Tomorrow do I visit my mama, or begin painting my guest room?
That is the question for me tonight.

I face the question of when to go see my mama every week......

I haven't been to her Assisted Living residence in Pinehurst for a week and a half:(
My guest room has been primed for a month or more, waiting to be painted:(

I work tomorrow evening & traveling to see/visiting Mama is exhausting.
I can't get to Pinehurst again till sometime next week.

Mama has Alzheimer's. She'll never remember what I do.
I promised her I'd do my best for her.

Gas is outrageously high:(
We can drive out to my sister's.

Maybe the answer will come in the morning.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

May/Honeysuckle

I noticed this week the honeysuckle is blooming--what a heavenly, delicious, smell to me:) It reminds me of my childhood, when my brothers and sister and I would try to eat the minute droplets of honey contained in the honeysuckle flowers. What a lot of effort for so little, but time meant nothing then, and we thought the taste was worth it:)

Years later Keith & I annually welcomed a dear, " New England Yankee", Catholic, friend who fell in love with the smell of honeysuckle and the friendliness of the South, and would plan his trips to NC in May. (BTW, he was the last Allen in the line of the famous Nathan Allen)

He loved our area so much he even tried living in Raleigh for a brief time, but he was legally blind and, in the end, Raleigh didn't offer enough mass transit for him to stay:( He died some years ago but I think of him this time of year and feel blessed to have known this good friend, George Allen.

Wonder if there's honeysuckle in Heaven? I know George would be sitting nearby:)

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Remembering a friend

Tomorrow, May 9th, is the second anniversary of a friend's death.
Bruce, a tall, soft-spoken, philosopher from Texas, died of brain cancer in 2005. My dear, dear, friend Kathy & her husband Bruce were married for over 25 years. They were one of the first couples we met when we came to Peace church. We all attended a Sunday School class taught by precious folks John & Carolyn Clark.

Dealing with such a devastating disease is exhausting for everyone, but Bruce dealt with his suffering with grace and great faith. He never complained, I mean never. His only worry was for Kathy. His last words to me were "take care of Kathy".

Bless you, Bruce. You endured to the end. We rejoice to think you'll be waiting to greet us in Heaven:)

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Mother's Day/Remembering Mama

My sister Christy wrote this recently to honor our mama who is in her 12th year of struggling with Alzheimer's.


I Miss You Mama

When the kids do something I'm so proud of,
and I want to share the joy
and sometimes even sadness with you
I still almost pick up the phone to call and tell you.

I miss you Mama....

Sometimes, I feel so alone
Like an orphan on my own.
I want you to see and to know
each grandchild and great grandchild,
How they look and how they're doing,
and my heart hurts so!

I miss you Mama....

There are others, friends and family
that help to take your place.
but let's face it,
They can really never fill your space.

I miss you Mama....

Your love of family history,
Your written words, each memory,
I treasure each word, each page,
Our Scottish heritage ingrained in me.

I miss you Mama...

You and Daddy worked so hard to teach all of us kids,
morals, values, the love of our land.
You worked hard at the post office and at home.
And gradually I began to understand.

I miss you Mama...

The gardening, raising tobacco, working the land,
We all worked together. It was in God's plan.
You were a great teacher, we learned of God's love,
We learned to always believe and have faith in our father above.

I miss you Mama...

Your sense of humor,
Laughing until you cry!
Even now in these circumstances,
It still doesn't pass you by.

I miss you Mama...

Your writings, drawings, quilts,
the women's circle, Lobelia, the "Blues",
Cypress, Roseland UMC, our homeplace "Sandrock Acres".
These things will always remind me of you.

I miss you Mama...

If I had just one more chance,
to speak to you and you could understand,
I would like to thank you for all the lessons you taught.
For putting up with my faults.
And just for you to "know" who I am again.

I miss you Mama....and I love you!
You'll always be in my heart!

Your daughter, Christy
Mother's Day 2007