A Summer Of Weddings & Looking Back At the Summer of '69

 

The summer of 2009 is turning into a summer of weddings for Keith & me:) It's probably not an unusual number, but for some reason this summer each wedding seems to be a welcome, uplifting, break in routine for me. It's a time to think of hope & great joy; of a family being created, of the eagerness of two people embarking on a lifetime of dreams to be dreamed, and God willing, fulfilled together, even disappointments & sorrows to be weathered together:)

This photo was taken June 13th at the reception after Amanda Corbin's marriage to Justin, a handsome young Charlotte policeman. The previous weekend Caroline Hanson wed Nathan from Nashville, and July 11th Stephen Haynes will marry his sweetheart. All three are from our church family.
We've also been invited to Peter Lanier's wedding (son of longtime friends) which will be held in Boone the 18th of July, the same day that friends & I are giving a wedding shower for my dear friend Kathy who will walk down the aisle August 22nd:)

Maybe the reason I'm feeling nostalgic about these weddings in 2009:
Forty years ago Sunday, August 3rd, 1969, on the hottest day you can imagine (and the most sultry), Keith & I were married in a tiny country church in the Sandhills of NC. We were so young, 22 & 19. A simple ceremony & frugal; cotton dresses--white for me, yellow & orange for the bridesmaids, we carried daisies, had no photographer. Rev. Green officiated, a pastor from a nearby town standing in for my vacationing preacher. No reception. And then off we went to live in upstate NY, a place my mama thought was on the other side of the world!

What an adventure!
(Little did we know Woodstock would be such an historical event, as we moved into a mountain cottage less than 50 miles of Max Yasgur's 600 acre Farm 2 weeks before it all began!)

Forty years later (could it be that long!)I'm thankful to celebrate a milestone anniversary:) And to celebrate with 3 great children, a wonderful DIL, & Cameron's girlfriend Holly:) We are blessed.
Besides trying to find a B&B in the mountains for a weekend get-away in the fall, we're thinking of going to The Melting Pot in Raleigh with Cameron & Holly, Seth & Kelley & Skye--don't you think that's appropriate for a hot & humid August anniversary?:)

Reality For A Family I've Grown To Love To Visit

 
I just finished watching Jon And Kate Plus Eight.
Rumors were rampant Jon and Kate were separating. I secretly hoped it wasn't true. Skye and Alexis suggested wouldn't it be great if they announced they were having another baby--imagine how uplifting that would have been, or kooky in a joyful kind of way! What a story that would have been:)

As the show unfolded it became evident they were splitting up, calling it quits. A beautiful family countless folks have watched and adored, broken.
I was hoping to hear "We're seeing a counselor, talking to our pastor, praying, working through it"---but, none of that was mentioned:(

Is there hope?
I didn't sense any....
Jon separate, Kate separate, both trying to be brave in the midst of deep hurt and sorrow.
Is it just "another family bites the dust"?
It's discouraging.....
I am sad for all ten of them, especially the dear Eight.

Biking The Neuse River Trail

 
Saturday afternoon, May 30th, Seth, Keith, & I met off Poole Road in Raleigh to bike the Neuse River trail. It seemed a good idea. A trail along a river is usually pretty level terrain, maybe even shady, or so we thought. After leaving the parking lot at the trail head we realized right away we'd be traveling a rough gravel road. Much of the time it followed the river, but often it snaked away & wound back towards more hilly terrain. For a brief time the trail merged with a paved road which surprised us with a very steep hill! After pushing my bike up the "mountain" we headed downhill again to a beautiful area of swamp, or wetlands, spread out in every direction. Wooden bridges had been built to cross the swampy area.

All in all, the trail was about 3 miles long, so we covered 6 miles in close to 2 hours. (Seth could have done it in less time; Keith & I haven't ridden much this summer:)) We stopped often, walked our bikes often, & few spots were easy-going.
Thank goodness we didn't have many bugs:)

The photo here shows some shade next to the river, but we didn't find many places like this.
I must admit I would rate this trail near the bottom of my favorite area trails for amateurs' list.

Melancholy

Today I went to a funeral at Westover UMC in Raleigh.
The service was for Carol Hines Watson.
Carol was a strong, talented, Southern lady who possessed faith, foresight, & leadership. She was a charming lady:)
She was also the mother of my good friend Anne.

Twenty years ago my family left Westover UMC. It was heartbreaking to leave that church but circumstances pressed us, ushered us (and over 100 other friends), to pack up & move on.
Suffice it to say that our basic beliefs were being tested (Carol & husband Roy left with us, then returned to Westover friends after a time)

I had not been back, til today.
I must say it was humbling.
Time heals much.
Regrets & unforgiveness have been erased long ago.
A sense of melancholy overcame me (besides grieving for Carol's husband Roy & Anne).
Why?
Maybe it was how things should have been or could have been at Westover.
Maybe it was because Keith & I grew spiritually while there (with Kenneth Sexton as pastor & precious Rosamond his wife).
Maybe it was that twenty years had passed so quickly.
Maybe it was because my children were born while we attended Westover & spent part of their childhood there.
Maybe that our New Life Class was such a precious tight knit group for many years, & we were sent out to worship separately.
Maybe it was all the above?

I firmly believe God has a purpose for all things, so when doors are closed & other open, when our lives take a turn in mid-stream where we're so comfortable & we're driven to another part of the river, there's a reason.

I admit it was a sweet feeling to see Rev. Kenneth Sexton in that pulpit again:) Did twenty years melt away?
For a few minutes:)

I'm a better person for Kenneth, for those years at Westover, and for being nudged to another place where people of faith love & care for one another--I'm at Peace:)

Ponderings of a Western Christian

Last Sunday Reverend Issac Shaw spoke to our Peace Church congregation.
Whoa!

He is a Christian pastor and from New Delhi, India, a native of India, who is dedicated to spreading the hope of the Gospel of Jesus to Northern India. This region is full of the poor and homeless, and populated by people of Hindu & Muslim faiths. This area makes the Western culture look extravagant to excess. Christians in this region of the world are in the minority and are persecuted and martyred daily.

This is a hard fact to wrap around my Westernized mindset, where I'm surrounded by people who have much, who strive to get more, and, honestly, I'm right in foray with them; I do love to buy and want so many things:(!

I'm addicted to HGTV and all their make-over home shows. But lately it seems that people blessed with lovely homes are willing to spend thousands of dollars to have a 'more lovely' home:(
Success breeds excess, doesn't it?

Issac challenged us, tried to shake up our comfort zone, to realize the North American church lives in the midst of unbelievable blessings that few others in the world have and can only dream of. We, the Western church, are 'called' to be generous with our wealth and/or time and to pray for/ or go to those that are living in poverty and hopelessness in order to love them in Jesus' name and care for them.


Jesus chose to live among the common people, ministering to the poor & downtrodden, those forgotten by the world.

Saying all that, Cary/Apex/Morrisville, for the most part quite affluent, is filled with needy, desperate, people as well. Many of us live in luxury compared to Northern India and other countries of the Third World, but we struggle with hopelessness & despair in our midst; broken relationships, broken dreams, health issues, loneliness, struggles of old age & living on an income that will not stretch, abuse, neglect, mental health problems galore---should I go on??

Yet God is able to use us wherever He desires. The only thing Christians are called to do is to be available to be used by Him & to love those around us.

Am I listening?
Am I loving others?
What are my priorities?

Rev. Shaw, you did rock me.

May Already!

 
Where has 2009 gone??

Here it is the 15th of May, the pool is opening this weekend, Skye has finished her Junior year at Appalachian, ball season is in full swing, & the honeysuckle is blooming!

Last weekend my family helped me paint my bedroom, & I love it; it a tan color, like coffee with cream:) I'm thinking maybe I'll hire Kelley to paint my stairwell & my landing, strip off my kitchen wallpaper & paint that too:) She is so good at it:)

Father's Day cards are out at Hallmark; I've been working on them all week:)

I had my annual physical Tuesday & survived--I whined for days beforehand:(

My good friend Kathy & her fiance Alex have set their wedding date, August 22nd, so I've been pondering some sort of wedding shower:) Kathy & I'll have to talk:) Should we have a Tea Room affair or a larger gathering? I'm so tickled for them both!!
Such a sweet romance:)

Three Three, my grand puppy, was critically ill for almost 3 weeks, has been diagnosed with Addison's disease, & is recovering, thank God:)

Summer is on the horizon. What is in store?
A bike trip along the New River?
A wedding shower in July?
Keith & I will have our 40th wedding anniversary August 3rd.
Skye will be moving into an apartment in Boone mid August.
The Fuller/Worrell wedding will be a highpoint the third week of August:)

Each day brings forth something new....
Stay tuned:)

(The pic is rain on the car window as we drove home from Pa. May 2nd; I thought it was cool:))

Skye's New Adventure

 
Beginning Tuesday, Skye will start her summer job, and the interesting thing is, it's where I work, Lynn's Hallmark!
I don't think of us as being alike at all, but, she wanted to try working in retail for a change. Previously she's been employed at the Cary Y, and last summer volunteered as a counselor at Camp Ridge Haven. She enjoyed the kids, was very good with them, but is ready to try something new.

We won't be on the same schedule at Beaver Creek, and that's a good thing. No one needs their mom around too much when you're 22 years old.
Our Hallmark girls will be helpful and will guide and direct her through every situation:) They'll be a blessing to her, as will our wonderful manager, Yvonne:)

Skye will find this is a job where you concentrate on the customer, listen to their needs, try your best to help, and, overall, leave a genuine friendly impression with everyone:)
She will need patience and grace in all situations, and that's what I pray for her:)

Have a grand summer, Skye!
I'll try not to fuss over you too much, and, it'll be a treat to see what you learn:)