Grace

Only one more day is left in this year. I wonder what the new one will bring. I plan on being more intentional in the writing this coming year. I am glad to have a few days to slow down after the rush of the last few weeks, topped off by preaching in my home church the day after Christmas, while our new pastor was away visiting family. The week before Christmas, our church hosted three families through the Family Promise program. My husband and I usually sign up as overnight hosts, and we slept on a blow-up bed on the floor of the pastor's office again. A couple of nights later when we came to church for choir practice, we had a chance to see some of our guests again. I heard music as we left practice and went downstairs to investigate. There I found that night's hosts, the youth director and her husband, along with their daughter and two teenagers from two of the three families at the piano, playing and singing Christmas carols. One of the teenagers played her flute and the other sang like an angel. I joined in along with my husband and the choir director, who was coaxed into playing. For a time, we were no longer separated by the chasm between those who have homes and those who don't, but were one family, joined together by God's grace through the power of music.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Fast Eddy

My sons would chide me for thinking and writing about death. Two posts in a row on the subject of death is unusual, but this has been that kind of a week. I learned when I made one of my regular trips to the gym that an older gentleman I often saw there had died of a heart attack. Edward, one of the trainers, told me. He described this individual, and I knew immediately who he meant. Edward said he called him "Fast Eddy." I did not know Fast Eddy well. In fact I still don't know his real name, though I did talk with him one day about his career as a railroad conductor. After that, we greeted each other regularly. The gym is that kind of a community, and his passing cast a shadow over us all this week.

Fast Eddy was one of my heroes because of his courage and tenacity. I learned the first time I saw him that he was recovering from a stroke when I listened to others greet him. He walked slowly with a cane into the gym that day and was received with warmth and encouragement. Sometime later, after an extended absence, he returned following yet another stroke, moving even more slowly. But he still continued to come and to use the weight machines. Now I know I will not see him again, and there's a tiny hole in my heart. It seems strange to grieve someone I did not know well, but it is a timely reminder of our connection with one another. None of us will ever really know how much of an impact we have on the lives of those we encounter in this life. We are each uniquely important to each other and to God.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Going Home

I knew it had been some time since I last posted to this blog, but I did not realize how long it had been. Life has been good, but busy with lots of extra church work of late. Now that our new pastor has arrived, my life has slowed down a bit. I have been thinking this week about the funeral of a neighbor I attended a few days ago. It was a sad, but also a joyous occasion--the most joyful funeral I've ever experienced. Helen had moved in next door with her son and daughter-in-law a few years ago when her health deteriorated. I did not know her well, though I saw her often out walking their little dog. We rarely stopped to talk, however, as her dog did not like our two big ones. What I remember, is that she always had a sweet smile and a warm greeting each time we met. If life was getting her down, it was not apparent, even recently after her health had became so bad that she had to walk with an aide.

I learned more about Helen at the funeral, which was a celebration of her life with much laughter amid the tears. She had been a nurse for many years, and her huge extended family expressed their gratitude for her love and care. I think the story that told me the most about her, however, was the one her pastor related about a baseball game in which she participated just a couple of years ago when she was 81. She hit the ball and slid into second base and eventually scored. He said he had to stop her from climbing over the fence to retrieve a fly ball that went awry. What an amazing lady!

I do not know how much longer I will have of this life I love, but I hope that I too will be able to slide into second base and make it home at the very end. I also hope that my family and friends will remember me after I'm gone with as much love and genuine affection as I heard expressed by Helen's family and friends. Her funeral was a testament to a full life of love and service to God. I'm glad to have known Helen, and I am grateful she has made it home at last.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

God's mercies are new every morning

Actually what the Bible says is, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23. I have thought about those verses as I've used a new application or app for my i-Phone, which I originally downloaded to help me track calories when I'm away from home. I have been trying to lose a few pounds to help lower my cholesterol since I cannot tolerate the modern medicines that would do it for me. It has been a frustrating battle, but a necessary one.

When I read about apps that would help count calories, I checked them out and downloaded one that had a high user rating. Now I am hooked on this particular app. Not only does it have lots of information about food, but it also helps me track exercise. Now I can easily type in what I eat and add in exercise as I do it, which promptly adds to my calorie total for the day so that I can eat a bit more and still lose weight over the long haul. I find that a great motivator to keep moving.

What I have come to appreciate even more than the information, convenience and encouraging feedback, however, is the way the app gives me a fresh start each day. Every morning when I log in, I find that I have a clean slate. I have not yet indulged in too many calories or done too little exercise. I have the promise that today I have the opportunity to do better than yesterday. That reminded me of this verse in Lamentations with its promise that in life God gives me a fresh start and a clean slate each morning, regardless of how I did the day before. What a blessing to know my failures from yesterday are behind me. I can try to do better today. What a great gift from a loving God to keep me moving in the right direction in my life's journey.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

The God who fulfills his purpose for me

I was comforted by the words of Psalm 57 this morning, especially by the idea that it is God who will fulfill his purpose for me. I don't have to do that on my own. What a blessing! Especially when a good bit of the time I'm not sure I know what God's purposes are. I did not expect to be doing what I'm doing at this stage of my life, writing and occasionally preaching and teaching. Yesterday I preached about the walls we humans build between each other, using the first line from Robert Frost's poem, Mending Wall, as a title. I think it went well, but it's always hard to know. People at our home church where I preached this time are always so gracious and encouraging. I did not study preaching in seminary. I went to learn more about ethics and hoped to use that knowledge to teach. I had an opportunity to do that for a few years, but now God seems to keep calling me back to the writing. I am trying to respond and to continue to improve my skills. I was not an English major, and it makes a difference, for all that I wrote regularly and carefully for many years of law practice. In spite of my regular doubts and insecurities, however, I have found the writing to be a blessing in my life. And I hope it occasionally blesses the lives of others.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Hello and Goodbye

I remember when I was in seminary, our first grandchild was born within days of the death of another student's grandmother. Somehow life just seems to be like that. We are awaiting the imminent arrival of another grandchild and are on call to go and take care of his older brother when mom and dad head for the hospital. Yesterday, my husband's cousin called to let us know his brother, who had been battling cancer, had just died. Now my husband will be making a trip north for the service, and I will stay here. I hate to send him alone, but I do not want to be many hours away when the call comes that our new grandson is on the way. So it is a bittersweet time in our lives, saying goodbye to a good man and mourning his passing as we await the arrival of another beautiful child in our family. Sometimes life is more of a roller coaster ride than at other times, and this is one of those up and down times. I am thankful for family to care about, some people are not so blessed, and for the love that fuels both sadness at death and joy at new life. In this time as in all times, God is good.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Life Changes

We voted this morning to allow our pastor to sever her relationship with our congregation. That's the way we Presbyterians do such things. I teased her husband before the service and asked what would happen if we simply voted no. But part of loving someone is being willing to let them go when that is what they need to do. The ancient Chinese were right. Crisis presents both danger and opportunity. This change in our church life is a crisis in that sense. The danger is that our church family will split apart in the crucible of the coming change. The opportunity is that we will continue to grow in new and exciting ways. I pray God will help us to take the second path. At the moment, however, I'm coping with a sense of deep sadness as Margaret has been not only a pastor, but a good friend as well, and I will miss her. Coupled with the illness I have battled for the past three weeks, it's been a difficult month. I'm hoping that my mood will improve now that I'm feeling better. I know my grief will ease with time. For now I'm trying to focus on the many blessings in my life. God is good, even in times of sadness and unwanted change.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue