Martha Campbell

 

Rest in peace, Martha, mother of Nancy, mother in law of Jeff, grandmother to Jennifer, great grandmother to newborn Tanner, & friend to many:)
97 years young.
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 is your graduation day!
The race is run, good & faithful servant.
Till we meet again....

November thoughts

 

November.
A time of reflection.
A time to think of planning & preparing for the holidays:)
A time to stroll through the countless colorful leaves, unhurried.
The last few fluttery leaves left on the branches appear delicate & wispy-like.
Bare limbs gracefully reaching, twisting, outward.

A season of changeable weather.
Gray skies often cover the landscape.
Cold rain seems especially daunting, dreary.
Wind sweeps in once in a while, bringing a chill & the promise of colder days to come.
But sunny skies still reign in NC during November; brilliant blue skies & glorious sunrises & sunsets.

Retail is headlong into the Christmas season, leap-frogging over gracious & forgiving Thanksgiving.

November can be a sad time; last year one of our church teenagers, Matt, was murdered around Thanksgiving--still so heart wrenching, so heartbreaking:(
This year's news; in a neighboring county an innocent 5 year old girl sold & murdered:( Hard to grasp such tragedy.
Grief seems harder in November.

Bazaars dot the calendar, Christmas Open Houses, Thanksgiving, the Raleigh Christmas Parade, all special events that give us comfort & cheer us on:)

A time of rest for the Earth.
A time we should slow down & be thankful for our blessings, but, will we take the time?



(Photo taken from Lake Pine trail last week)

A November Walk

 

Lake Pine early yesterday as the November sun's rays stretched across the steam-covered lake & leaf-carpeted trail.
Glorious walking!

A Visit From The Past

 
Yesterday, out of the blue, I received a Facebook email post. Beth was looking for Keith & me:)
Little Beth, young---or that's how I picture her still in my mind, long dark hair, a few freckles, a smile, & twinkling dark brown eyes:)
One of our youngest youth group kids, from NY:)
Surprisingly, a few of the younger ones are the ones that have touched base with us through the years....

We found out later she had Googled my name & found my home church's website (ironically designed by my sister!).
Amazing:)
I called the cell phone number she had left for me. She's been in Durham working with the UMC Judicial Board this week. No voice mail. But, she saw I had called & rang me back when she finished her meeting. I knew her voice immediately! We both chattered over each other & giggled & laughed we were so excited to connect!

She was busy writing summaries or something to that effect all afternoon, had plans for last night & church this morning, but she could meet us for lunch.
Lunch, in Durham, near Durham??
The only restaurant that came to mind was Crackerbarrel...near the airport.
Would that work? She asked her friend, Belton Joiner, who was her transportation.
He said he could find it.
Belton Joiner, a former Raleigh area UMC District Superintendent--I recognized the name:)

I asked my boys & Kelley & Holly to come & meet Beth.
But disappointing to me, the place was so busy we had to sit separately:( Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be...
The three of us, Beth, Keith, & I sat at our table for more than 2 hours (the kids said goodbye/glad to meet you Beth & disappeared at some point). We were intent on catching up, knowing our time was limited; I'm not quite sure if we knew what we ate... She had to meet her next ride at 4:30.
A whirlwind conversation, but so encouraging, so uplifting, so precious.
To know dear people with which we shared 4 years, or less, still thought of us, still took the time to look us up, still crossed their minds---that moves me, warms my heart:)

Beth, we're proud of you! So gutsy to become a lawyer, to raise a daughter single-handedly, to crusade for Justice & Reconciliation:)

Till we meet again:)
May the Lord bless you & keep you.
)