I've known June Edith Mauer for 32 years and called her "Mom" for 28 of those years. The truth is, she embraced me as her daughter long before I ever said, "I do" to her son, Andy. That's just the sort of gracious woman she is...er, I mean "was". I hate using the word "was". It abruptly snaps me into inescapable reality. Mom isn't with us any more. Ugh.
We lost her quite suddenly just five weeks ago, when a heart valve gave out. There were so many urgent decisions made on that day, so many difficult phone calls to make as we attempted to keep the family apprised of the dire situation. She left us quickly and peacefully on that day in October, but none of us were quite prepared for so great a loss. She was the matriarch of our large family, taking on a lead role since her husband, our Pop, suddenly left us just three years before. Now it was up to her children to come together, and make decisions regarding funeral arrangements, financial decisions and everything related to the estate left to our care. The details surrounding such an event certainly demand quite a bit of focus, but thanks to the grace of God, we have been carried through those details with relative peace and unity.
So, here we are one month later and the sadness that was partially eclipsed by so much busy-ness, is finding it's way to the surface of my heart, especially as the holidays ebb ever closer. It's like I haven't yet fully realized the finality of the situation. I find myself wanting to ask her questions about Christmas or Thanksgiving - our typical autumn conversational topics. And then, my heart sinks in that same moment as I realize she won't be there to answer those questions. She won't be decorating the Thanksgiving table this year, lighting the candles to provide the right atmosphere, or sitting at the head of the table next to our son, Phil. She won't be making an apple pie this year, or putting out the dish of junior mints following dinner. She, more than anyone in my life, taught me how to "do" holidays with gracious flare. That's why there's a part of me that dreads the holidays this year - because we have to celebrate without Mom's presence, the queen of holiday spirit. How do we walk through this?
By grace.
We will find God's grace as we remember that truly, we have more than our fair share of reasons to GIVE THANKS this year, and by remembering that Jesus, our Immanuel, WAS and IS her Lord and Savior, and for the first time, she will be able to celebrate HIM face to face this Christmas. We will find grace to celebrate her life, and thank the Lord for her tremendous impact upon each of our lives. Will I be sad? Absolutely. I miss her. But - more than that, I am confident that June, who has walked in a cloud of sadness for the past three years, is no longer sad, but rejoices that she's finally home - where she belongs.
Thank you Lord - for sharing "MOM" with us. We knew Your love, through this gracious woman and we couldn't be more grateful for that. Please, just hold our hearts during these coming weeks and help us hear You whisper the comfort that will soothe this ache. We lean on You.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Papa
I thought about sharing the following story in the third person - you know, change the names to protect the innocent and all that, but I decided I might as well tell it like it is.
It's a true story of love and restoration.
I grew up as the middle child of two hard-working parents who likewise raised their five children to be workers. Life at home wasn't real easy as my dad struggled with his moods, often exploding in anger, even upset to the point of tears which frightened me as a young girl. I learned early to be as busy as possible, working around the house to deflect any possible outburst of rage.
One Saturday (which was our official chore day), I decided to clean the TV room from top to bottom just to surprise my father, hoping for approval or at the very least, hoping to avoid any potential for another episode of anger. I was about nine years old and he was out working that day which gave me plenty of time to give myself to the task. I dusted and organized, vacuumed and straightened working all day until I felt quite pleased with my accomplishment. I had never worked so hard on one cleaning project before and was sure that my father would take one look and smile. I think that's all I was looking for - a smile. The assurance that for one day at least, our home would have peace.
Later on, my dad walked through the door of the house after a hard day, quiet and sort of grumpy but I was still hopeful. Eventually he came to check out how we did on our chores. In my excitement, I wanted him to come see the TV room first and so he obliged. I stood in the middle of the room, a smile on my face and my heart pounding, confident that I would witness a shift of approval on his countenance. I searched his face for the smile that would mean I did well, but instead I watched in horror as he took his forefinger and ran it across the top of the seven foot door frame. Oh no. I'm not sure I remembered him ever checking the top ledge of the door frame before but here he was... finding my failure almost as soon as he walked in the room. Upon finding the dust on his finger he said something like, "This place is a dump!" and my heart sank. Worse than that, something in my soul broke. I point to that occasion as a time when I stopped trying so hard to please my father. I still worked hard to stay out of trouble, but I didn't try so hard to win his approval, fearing the disappointment would be too much for me to handle.
I didn't think much about it again for years and years. I did what so many adults do with childhood memories - we tell ourselves to "Grow up and get over it." As adults we understand that our parents are imperfect and that everyone has issues. We dismiss the pains from memories, because it makes no sense to dredge up the past. It's better to forgive and forget - if possible. But somewhere around the age of thirty or so, this memory came back to me and strangely enough, it still stung.
I'm not really sure why I chose to bring it up to my father one day shortly after my thirtieth birthday. Our family was in the midst of a crisis and somehow I decided it was a good time to let him know that this was a difficult memory for me. We had a short, quiet conversation about it at their dinner table - just me, my mother and father. I warned my dad ahead of time that it might be difficult for him to hear and he said he felt a little scared about what I would say. When I told him my story (an event he hadn't remembered), he hung his head but didn't respond to me. Instead, my mother suddenly burst from her chair, rushed over to me in tears, and sobbed as she hugged me, apologizing for the pain. It sort of startled me, because I hadn't expected her to respond that way. I sort of expected my dad to respond that way, not that I wanted him to, it was just more typical for him to be the emotional one. Any way, there isn't any more to this part of the story. My father never really responded but I believed he generally felt badly about it and regretted the pain that experience caused me. And that was the end of that...
***
In the 18 years since that time (and almost 40 years since the day I cleaned that room), I have found a great deal of healing from all sorts of past painful memories, including this particular one. The Holy Spirit has graciously restored my heart and revealed the love of my Heavenly Father. He has walked me through forgiveness and releasing people who have hurt me. I look back to that day in the TV room, and I'm glad to say that my heart doesn't sink any more. I know my Heavenly Father smiles when He sees me. He's pleased, not because of my performance, but simply because I'm His little girl and because of that, I can know peace in my heart no matter what the circumstance. As a young girl, I wanted peace in my home - my Father brought peace to my heart. I will forever be grateful for His love that opened my eyes and healed my heart.
***
God is Good. So much better than we think.
My father is 78 years old. A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to my parents' home for a visit. While we were sitting in their living room and out of the blue, my father said to me, "Oh by the way, I've wanted to tell you something." I respond, "OK". He said, "I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry." I was puzzled. "Sorry? For what?" (I never heard my father verbalize an apology to anyone before this.)
"Do you remember about twenty years ago when you told me about the day when you were young and had cleaned the TV room and I found fault with your attempt, and hurt you?"
I was in shock. Wow. He remembered that? "Um...yes, I remember that."
"Yes, well I'm sorry. That was wrong of me - I should not have done that."
My mother wanted to quickly add that my father grew up never knowing he was loved and that it was because of his own brokeness he responded the way he did when I was a child. (It's like my mom to want to "fix" things. :)
My dad responded to her, "Yes, that may be true. But - it's no excuse. A Papa should never respond like that."
Papa. Did he just say, "Papa?"
What happened during and after the moment I heard that apology is difficult to describe. Do you know that sensation which happens when you drink down Nyquil? The liquid medication goes down your esophogus and into your stomach slowly and you sense the warmth of it sliding down , helping you feel better even upon contact. That's how it was when I heard my father apologize. Tangible healing flowed warmly down into my soul, spreading all over and touching deep areas of broken relationship and suddenly this man that terrified me all my life, became my Papa - my hero. He wasn't overly emotional when he apologized eaither, which was good, since I viewed his emotional-ness as an awkward weakness. His apology came from a place of strength, and yet he was obviously making himself incredibly vulnerable. I can't tell you how much it means that at the age of 48, I was given a "Papa". God didn't have to do that - but He did.
I am continually astounded by the measure of My Father's grace to go beyond all expectation and to meet my deepest needs - even those I didn't know I had.
Thank you for my Papa, Father. I love you both so very much.
It's a true story of love and restoration.
I grew up as the middle child of two hard-working parents who likewise raised their five children to be workers. Life at home wasn't real easy as my dad struggled with his moods, often exploding in anger, even upset to the point of tears which frightened me as a young girl. I learned early to be as busy as possible, working around the house to deflect any possible outburst of rage.
One Saturday (which was our official chore day), I decided to clean the TV room from top to bottom just to surprise my father, hoping for approval or at the very least, hoping to avoid any potential for another episode of anger. I was about nine years old and he was out working that day which gave me plenty of time to give myself to the task. I dusted and organized, vacuumed and straightened working all day until I felt quite pleased with my accomplishment. I had never worked so hard on one cleaning project before and was sure that my father would take one look and smile. I think that's all I was looking for - a smile. The assurance that for one day at least, our home would have peace.
Later on, my dad walked through the door of the house after a hard day, quiet and sort of grumpy but I was still hopeful. Eventually he came to check out how we did on our chores. In my excitement, I wanted him to come see the TV room first and so he obliged. I stood in the middle of the room, a smile on my face and my heart pounding, confident that I would witness a shift of approval on his countenance. I searched his face for the smile that would mean I did well, but instead I watched in horror as he took his forefinger and ran it across the top of the seven foot door frame. Oh no. I'm not sure I remembered him ever checking the top ledge of the door frame before but here he was... finding my failure almost as soon as he walked in the room. Upon finding the dust on his finger he said something like, "This place is a dump!" and my heart sank. Worse than that, something in my soul broke. I point to that occasion as a time when I stopped trying so hard to please my father. I still worked hard to stay out of trouble, but I didn't try so hard to win his approval, fearing the disappointment would be too much for me to handle.
I didn't think much about it again for years and years. I did what so many adults do with childhood memories - we tell ourselves to "Grow up and get over it." As adults we understand that our parents are imperfect and that everyone has issues. We dismiss the pains from memories, because it makes no sense to dredge up the past. It's better to forgive and forget - if possible. But somewhere around the age of thirty or so, this memory came back to me and strangely enough, it still stung.
I'm not really sure why I chose to bring it up to my father one day shortly after my thirtieth birthday. Our family was in the midst of a crisis and somehow I decided it was a good time to let him know that this was a difficult memory for me. We had a short, quiet conversation about it at their dinner table - just me, my mother and father. I warned my dad ahead of time that it might be difficult for him to hear and he said he felt a little scared about what I would say. When I told him my story (an event he hadn't remembered), he hung his head but didn't respond to me. Instead, my mother suddenly burst from her chair, rushed over to me in tears, and sobbed as she hugged me, apologizing for the pain. It sort of startled me, because I hadn't expected her to respond that way. I sort of expected my dad to respond that way, not that I wanted him to, it was just more typical for him to be the emotional one. Any way, there isn't any more to this part of the story. My father never really responded but I believed he generally felt badly about it and regretted the pain that experience caused me. And that was the end of that...
***
In the 18 years since that time (and almost 40 years since the day I cleaned that room), I have found a great deal of healing from all sorts of past painful memories, including this particular one. The Holy Spirit has graciously restored my heart and revealed the love of my Heavenly Father. He has walked me through forgiveness and releasing people who have hurt me. I look back to that day in the TV room, and I'm glad to say that my heart doesn't sink any more. I know my Heavenly Father smiles when He sees me. He's pleased, not because of my performance, but simply because I'm His little girl and because of that, I can know peace in my heart no matter what the circumstance. As a young girl, I wanted peace in my home - my Father brought peace to my heart. I will forever be grateful for His love that opened my eyes and healed my heart.
***
God is Good. So much better than we think.
My father is 78 years old. A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to my parents' home for a visit. While we were sitting in their living room and out of the blue, my father said to me, "Oh by the way, I've wanted to tell you something." I respond, "OK". He said, "I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry." I was puzzled. "Sorry? For what?" (I never heard my father verbalize an apology to anyone before this.)
"Do you remember about twenty years ago when you told me about the day when you were young and had cleaned the TV room and I found fault with your attempt, and hurt you?"
I was in shock. Wow. He remembered that? "Um...yes, I remember that."
"Yes, well I'm sorry. That was wrong of me - I should not have done that."
My mother wanted to quickly add that my father grew up never knowing he was loved and that it was because of his own brokeness he responded the way he did when I was a child. (It's like my mom to want to "fix" things. :)
My dad responded to her, "Yes, that may be true. But - it's no excuse. A Papa should never respond like that."
Papa. Did he just say, "Papa?"
What happened during and after the moment I heard that apology is difficult to describe. Do you know that sensation which happens when you drink down Nyquil? The liquid medication goes down your esophogus and into your stomach slowly and you sense the warmth of it sliding down , helping you feel better even upon contact. That's how it was when I heard my father apologize. Tangible healing flowed warmly down into my soul, spreading all over and touching deep areas of broken relationship and suddenly this man that terrified me all my life, became my Papa - my hero. He wasn't overly emotional when he apologized eaither, which was good, since I viewed his emotional-ness as an awkward weakness. His apology came from a place of strength, and yet he was obviously making himself incredibly vulnerable. I can't tell you how much it means that at the age of 48, I was given a "Papa". God didn't have to do that - but He did.
I am continually astounded by the measure of My Father's grace to go beyond all expectation and to meet my deepest needs - even those I didn't know I had.
Thank you for my Papa, Father. I love you both so very much.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Goodness
I was thinking about the day when we all stand before the Lord. You know - when all of our heart motives, thoughts and intents are laid bare in the light of truth. It made me shudder.
Like most believing Christians, I live my life trying to do right and be good, giving honor to Jesus, yet sometimes I stumble and sometimes my heart convicts me of selfish sin. If I, being imperfect, am painfully aware that there yet remains lurking darkness in my heart, then what dreadful awfulness might be revealed when God's perfect, pure light exposes it all on that Day? It would seem as though such a revelation would be too much for those of us who are at risk of thinking better of ourselves than we truly are.
This is where I found my thoughts the other day. "Oh God, will that revelation be just too hard for me on that Day?"
That's when I saw Him smile and heard Him say, "Ha. Child, you will not be overwhelmed by what you perceive to be your lack of "goodness", but I will say that you will most certainly be undone and overcome by mind-blowing revelation on that Day. ALL of heaven will fall to their knees in shock as blinding truth explodes in the hearts of My children - yourself included! You will discover and know in a way you have never known before, that the measure of MY GOODNESS is beyond all human comprehension and that I am far, far better than you ever thought or imagined!"
...
His goodness is more than enough to cover me in my weakness. My lack will not be on display on that Day, and friend, neither will yours. No, but rather the radiance of His glorious goodness will shine brightly - center stage - and we, His children, in awestruck wonder, catching our collective breath, wiping the tears from our astonished eyes, yes all of us will fall to our knees at the feet of Jesus - our Hero, reveling in the greatness of our Lord and King! Oh, what a Day of rejoicing that will be!
The focus of eternity was, is, and always will be Jesus Christ.
I just wonder how we might live our lives differently now, if we really saw and believed He was as good as He really is.
...
Like most believing Christians, I live my life trying to do right and be good, giving honor to Jesus, yet sometimes I stumble and sometimes my heart convicts me of selfish sin. If I, being imperfect, am painfully aware that there yet remains lurking darkness in my heart, then what dreadful awfulness might be revealed when God's perfect, pure light exposes it all on that Day? It would seem as though such a revelation would be too much for those of us who are at risk of thinking better of ourselves than we truly are.
This is where I found my thoughts the other day. "Oh God, will that revelation be just too hard for me on that Day?"
That's when I saw Him smile and heard Him say, "Ha. Child, you will not be overwhelmed by what you perceive to be your lack of "goodness", but I will say that you will most certainly be undone and overcome by mind-blowing revelation on that Day. ALL of heaven will fall to their knees in shock as blinding truth explodes in the hearts of My children - yourself included! You will discover and know in a way you have never known before, that the measure of MY GOODNESS is beyond all human comprehension and that I am far, far better than you ever thought or imagined!"
...
His goodness is more than enough to cover me in my weakness. My lack will not be on display on that Day, and friend, neither will yours. No, but rather the radiance of His glorious goodness will shine brightly - center stage - and we, His children, in awestruck wonder, catching our collective breath, wiping the tears from our astonished eyes, yes all of us will fall to our knees at the feet of Jesus - our Hero, reveling in the greatness of our Lord and King! Oh, what a Day of rejoicing that will be!
The focus of eternity was, is, and always will be Jesus Christ.
I just wonder how we might live our lives differently now, if we really saw and believed He was as good as He really is.
...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Connections - PostScript
The challenge of meeting a stranger every day from July 9th until July 31st is over. What an experience! God used it to teach me some things about human nature, relationships, my own personal fears and selfishness. He taught me a little bit about words that work with strangers, and approaches that won't. He revealed to me, some of His awesome artistry by letting me peek into some amazing lives. It was like He was a proud Papa saying, "Come over here and meet my son, Jake. He's so great and I love him so much. Talk to him and you'll see!" OR "Kathy, I am pleased to introduce you to My amazing daughter, Sylvia! Ta da!!" What a privilege it has been to meet so many wonders!
Part of the motivation for this challenge was a longing I share among our church leadership to get beyond ourselves, break out of our comfort zones, and get in the habit of connecting with those outside of our sphere. I was getting a little frustrated by our seeming inability to break outside ourselves when the Lord said to me, "Uh huh. So what are YOU going to do about it?"
I've thought about reasons we DON'T connect. What keeps us from doing what we know we're called to do? I basically had just two reasons that were true of myself:
Too busy. Connecting isn't a high enough priority for me because it interupts my plans for the day. Ack. What an awful revelation. I learned in very specific and miraculous ways, that as I laid down my own time agenda, and intentionally pursued others, the Lord was busily meeting my needs "behind my back"- even healing deep unhealed wounds in wonderous ways. (More on this in a later blog post.)
Too fearful. No one likes rejection. What if they don't want to connect or worse, what if they think I'm weird for being some sort of abnormal friendly person? It happens, but I remind myself that God loves me, and called me to this. People rejected His love; surely there are those who will reject my "Hello." Thankfully - that is not always true.
Beyond teaching me these things, the Lord helped me break out of an old pattern of relating to strangers, and set me on a life-long course of seeing beyond my own world, reaching out, and beginning a conversation with people I've never met before. (I hope it's life-long!)
Yesterday, the Lord reminded me of myself as a little 5 year old girl in kindergarten. I was a painfully timid child, who was terrified of my own shadow and couldn't bear to speak outloud in class. The picture I saw of myself yesterday, was of me sitting against a wall, with my head down, hoping to go unnoticed. The Lord spoke to me, "If you were in that classroom right now, what would you do?" "Well, I would walk over to that little girl, sit down next to her, and ask her her name. Eventually I would hope to tell her how very special she is because God made her, and He loves her." I sensed the Lord smile at me at my response, agreeing. "You're right. I loved her then and I love you now. Feed my lambs." (What a great Dad, we have!)
Here are several things I've learned in these past three weeks about connecting with strangers. I'm sharing them with anyone who might be interested in going for it as well:
Pray and ask the Lord to introduce you to His pick and trust Him for the words to intiate a conversation.
People long for relationship. They were created for it.
I learned that people like to talk about themselves - so let them. They're fascinating! I do sense a "disconnect" if the conversation focuses on me - except for those people who are natural connectors and really seem interested in what I have to say.
Make it a priority to remember their name. I would say it back to myself in my mind several times, even while they were talking to me so that I could remember it. Then I would actually USE it in conversation. People really like to be remembered. "I'll see ya later Glenn. Have a nice trip!" At the beginning of this challenge, remembering names was difficult for me so I would write them down somewhere after our conversation was done. It has become easier over the course of 3 weeks. If an individual has a name tag, it makes it monumentally easier - so take notice of any name tags!
If you're looking for a good "pond to fish in", go to a market or fair. You have a better chance of running into people who have a little time on their hands. They tend to be more willing to stop and chat. People who are selling stuff are easy connections, but the conversation can't get too far because they're busy at their 'jobs'. People who are sitting at tables representing an organization or other service are easy connections since they aren't really selling anything - just manning a booth.
If you're able, begin the connection with something that you can assume is of interest to them:
A person with a puppy, a grandma pushing a stroller, a young person (about their future plans), etc.
Keep your eye on the ball: the goal is not that you get a connection (and therefore you fulfill your agenda) - the goal is to be Jesus to people. It may not start by raising the dead - it might start by saying, "Hi". I found if I felt satisfied that I completed my "assignment", I would force myself to make another connection because I didn't want it to be an assigment to meet my personal daily goal. I wouldn't want to disrespect my new unmet friends by using them to meet my ends.
The Lord has introduced me to a new way of relating to people I don't know and although the month is over, I intend on continuing to look for opportunities to connect, letting Jesus teach me how to do this thing. My new goal is to allow the Spirit to guide me towards discussion about eternal things. People are worth the time and effort it takes to connect and every one of them has a specific need that is always and only met in Jesus. God, give me grace and words to share Your love, more and more.
It's August 1st...and I met Donna. A single woman who lives near York and works for a small electrical company in Rochester...
Part of the motivation for this challenge was a longing I share among our church leadership to get beyond ourselves, break out of our comfort zones, and get in the habit of connecting with those outside of our sphere. I was getting a little frustrated by our seeming inability to break outside ourselves when the Lord said to me, "Uh huh. So what are YOU going to do about it?"
I've thought about reasons we DON'T connect. What keeps us from doing what we know we're called to do? I basically had just two reasons that were true of myself:
Too busy. Connecting isn't a high enough priority for me because it interupts my plans for the day. Ack. What an awful revelation. I learned in very specific and miraculous ways, that as I laid down my own time agenda, and intentionally pursued others, the Lord was busily meeting my needs "behind my back"- even healing deep unhealed wounds in wonderous ways. (More on this in a later blog post.)
Too fearful. No one likes rejection. What if they don't want to connect or worse, what if they think I'm weird for being some sort of abnormal friendly person? It happens, but I remind myself that God loves me, and called me to this. People rejected His love; surely there are those who will reject my "Hello." Thankfully - that is not always true.
Beyond teaching me these things, the Lord helped me break out of an old pattern of relating to strangers, and set me on a life-long course of seeing beyond my own world, reaching out, and beginning a conversation with people I've never met before. (I hope it's life-long!)
Yesterday, the Lord reminded me of myself as a little 5 year old girl in kindergarten. I was a painfully timid child, who was terrified of my own shadow and couldn't bear to speak outloud in class. The picture I saw of myself yesterday, was of me sitting against a wall, with my head down, hoping to go unnoticed. The Lord spoke to me, "If you were in that classroom right now, what would you do?" "Well, I would walk over to that little girl, sit down next to her, and ask her her name. Eventually I would hope to tell her how very special she is because God made her, and He loves her." I sensed the Lord smile at me at my response, agreeing. "You're right. I loved her then and I love you now. Feed my lambs." (What a great Dad, we have!)
Here are several things I've learned in these past three weeks about connecting with strangers. I'm sharing them with anyone who might be interested in going for it as well:
Pray and ask the Lord to introduce you to His pick and trust Him for the words to intiate a conversation.
People long for relationship. They were created for it.
I learned that people like to talk about themselves - so let them. They're fascinating! I do sense a "disconnect" if the conversation focuses on me - except for those people who are natural connectors and really seem interested in what I have to say.
Make it a priority to remember their name. I would say it back to myself in my mind several times, even while they were talking to me so that I could remember it. Then I would actually USE it in conversation. People really like to be remembered. "I'll see ya later Glenn. Have a nice trip!" At the beginning of this challenge, remembering names was difficult for me so I would write them down somewhere after our conversation was done. It has become easier over the course of 3 weeks. If an individual has a name tag, it makes it monumentally easier - so take notice of any name tags!
If you're looking for a good "pond to fish in", go to a market or fair. You have a better chance of running into people who have a little time on their hands. They tend to be more willing to stop and chat. People who are selling stuff are easy connections, but the conversation can't get too far because they're busy at their 'jobs'. People who are sitting at tables representing an organization or other service are easy connections since they aren't really selling anything - just manning a booth.
If you're able, begin the connection with something that you can assume is of interest to them:
A person with a puppy, a grandma pushing a stroller, a young person (about their future plans), etc.
Keep your eye on the ball: the goal is not that you get a connection (and therefore you fulfill your agenda) - the goal is to be Jesus to people. It may not start by raising the dead - it might start by saying, "Hi". I found if I felt satisfied that I completed my "assignment", I would force myself to make another connection because I didn't want it to be an assigment to meet my personal daily goal. I wouldn't want to disrespect my new unmet friends by using them to meet my ends.
The Lord has introduced me to a new way of relating to people I don't know and although the month is over, I intend on continuing to look for opportunities to connect, letting Jesus teach me how to do this thing. My new goal is to allow the Spirit to guide me towards discussion about eternal things. People are worth the time and effort it takes to connect and every one of them has a specific need that is always and only met in Jesus. God, give me grace and words to share Your love, more and more.
It's August 1st...and I met Donna. A single woman who lives near York and works for a small electrical company in Rochester...
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Connections - Day 23 - Bethany...
July 31st - the final day of the daily stranger connection challenge.
On July 9th, and at the prompting of the Lord, I began a journey of meeting at least one stranger a day for the remainder of the month of July. Here I am at the end of the month, and I've learned so much and had so much fun with this challenge. I've met more new friends than I can count and discovered there are truly fascinating folks all around us.
Today, I would like to introduce "Bethany" (not her real name). She is a beautiful young woman who is facing some significant life challenges right now. She has a sweet 11 month old baby girl and wonders if she's pregnant again. Her boyfriend and mother are pressuring her to abort the child if she's pregnant. The weight of the situation is almost more than she can bear. She listened intently as I shared with her the love of God and the peace He offers. Then she quietly cried as I prayed for her. She needs your prayers - and that's why I share her story with you in this blog post. She didn't surrender her life to the Lord today, but she confessed that her life is a mess and she needs something. Please pray that she find real LIFE in Jesus and that she shares that real LIFE with her baby.
I also met Anna and Glenn at a wedding today. They are both disabled and live in upstate New York 10 minutes away from the Canadian border. (near Messina) They live in a quiet, safe neighborhood and rarely get away...but this weekend is different. They got up at 4:30 this morning to begin their drive down state in order to get to this special occasion. They'll stay overnight tonight in Rochester and then tomorrow, they'll drive to Pavilion to visit with one of Glenn's daughters until Monday. THEN they'll drive back home and 'normal' life will begin again on Tuesday - that's when Anna's nurse aids come to their home to help care for Anna. I'm glad Glenn and Anna made the choice to come to the wedding today in spite of the fact that this trip required a great deal of planning and attention to detail. Lord - give them strength and health for this journey!! Thanks!
So that's that. There are no more days left in July, still there are SO MANY more stangers yet to be met! It is not my plan to blog on any more interactions unless I just can't help myself because. :) I do plan to blog tomorrow on this whole adventure - but it will serve more as postscript and include specific things I've learned throughout the past month. My hope is that others will also be encouraged to break down their own barriers, get out there, and connect. It's not nearly as difficult as it may seem - I am truly grateful for the grace and leading of the Holy Spirit! He makes connecting, so much easier and defiitely exciting!
On July 9th, and at the prompting of the Lord, I began a journey of meeting at least one stranger a day for the remainder of the month of July. Here I am at the end of the month, and I've learned so much and had so much fun with this challenge. I've met more new friends than I can count and discovered there are truly fascinating folks all around us.
Today, I would like to introduce "Bethany" (not her real name). She is a beautiful young woman who is facing some significant life challenges right now. She has a sweet 11 month old baby girl and wonders if she's pregnant again. Her boyfriend and mother are pressuring her to abort the child if she's pregnant. The weight of the situation is almost more than she can bear. She listened intently as I shared with her the love of God and the peace He offers. Then she quietly cried as I prayed for her. She needs your prayers - and that's why I share her story with you in this blog post. She didn't surrender her life to the Lord today, but she confessed that her life is a mess and she needs something. Please pray that she find real LIFE in Jesus and that she shares that real LIFE with her baby.
I also met Anna and Glenn at a wedding today. They are both disabled and live in upstate New York 10 minutes away from the Canadian border. (near Messina) They live in a quiet, safe neighborhood and rarely get away...but this weekend is different. They got up at 4:30 this morning to begin their drive down state in order to get to this special occasion. They'll stay overnight tonight in Rochester and then tomorrow, they'll drive to Pavilion to visit with one of Glenn's daughters until Monday. THEN they'll drive back home and 'normal' life will begin again on Tuesday - that's when Anna's nurse aids come to their home to help care for Anna. I'm glad Glenn and Anna made the choice to come to the wedding today in spite of the fact that this trip required a great deal of planning and attention to detail. Lord - give them strength and health for this journey!! Thanks!
So that's that. There are no more days left in July, still there are SO MANY more stangers yet to be met! It is not my plan to blog on any more interactions unless I just can't help myself because. :) I do plan to blog tomorrow on this whole adventure - but it will serve more as postscript and include specific things I've learned throughout the past month. My hope is that others will also be encouraged to break down their own barriers, get out there, and connect. It's not nearly as difficult as it may seem - I am truly grateful for the grace and leading of the Holy Spirit! He makes connecting, so much easier and defiitely exciting!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Connections - Day 22 - Jessica
This interaction amused me.
I was on my way out to get the mail this morning, when I saw that there was a small garage sale being set up across the street. I typically don't have a lot of time for garage sales these days, but this particular sale had a cute bassinet, a matching swing and a little baby seat for sale and since I am eagerly anticipating the birth of a granddaughter any day now, I wanted to check it out. I walked to the sale and asked the woman there if she was the one selling those three particular items, but she told me she had just purchased them...for $1 each! Wow - what a sale! Then I noticed that the woman who bought them was great with child, AND had a toddler in tow. Because of her "condition" I found it a little bit easier to release the fact that I had just missed an amazing deal!
Jessica, the purchaser of these three items is two weeks past her due date. She's having a baby boy and planning to be induced in two days at Wyoming County Community Hospital. Her first son (the toddler with her) was born after an extremely short labor so I was surprised her doctor would let her go two whole weeks past her due date without inducing her earlier.
Jessica works at the McDonald's in Batavia, so the plan, as she described it to me, is to have her mother watch her two children while Jessica's working. That's why she was purchasing these particular items from the garage sale - so her mom would have a few necessary baby items that could be kept at her house. I told Jessica I was happy to have met her, and told her I'd be praying for a soon and safe delivery.
Later this afternoon, I drove to Varysburg to pick up my boys from working at summer camp when I saw a very small yard sale of baby items. In fact, there was a cute bassinet, a matching baby swing and a little baby seat. So I pulled over to check out these items but couldn't locate any prices so I looked up to see if I could find the seller and there she was: Jessica! Then I recalled she told me she was from Varysburg earlier, but I never expected to run into her later on the same day. She seemed to act like she was "caught" reselling items she had purchased earlier today. She felt the need to explain to me that she was rethinking her plan to go back to work and have grandma watch the kids - and was thinking perhaps she should be a stay-at-home mom. She also seemed to want me to believe that the items she was selling at her sale, were not the very same items she purchased earlier today. She said she kept those newly acquired items, and was now selling very similar baby furniture at her sale. When I asked her how much she was selling her baby furniture for I was surprised to hear her answer in light of the fact that I knew she'd spent $1 on each item. Her prices were $30 for the bassinet, $20 for the baby swing and I believe $20 for the little baby seat. Wow - that's quite a profit!
Throughout this experience of connecting with strangers, I have found that sometimes it has been worth a few dollars investment to purchase someone's fruits, vegetables or yard sale items in order to facilitate a stranger interaction, however I draw the limit at spending $70 for items that were valued at $3 just hours earlier! :) It was definitely an interesting, slightly awkward but completely amusing stranger interaction!
Lord Jesus, bless Jessica and her little baby waiting to be born this weekend. Please keep them safe, but more than that, reveal Your love to Jessica so that she might be drawn into relationship with YOU!
I was on my way out to get the mail this morning, when I saw that there was a small garage sale being set up across the street. I typically don't have a lot of time for garage sales these days, but this particular sale had a cute bassinet, a matching swing and a little baby seat for sale and since I am eagerly anticipating the birth of a granddaughter any day now, I wanted to check it out. I walked to the sale and asked the woman there if she was the one selling those three particular items, but she told me she had just purchased them...for $1 each! Wow - what a sale! Then I noticed that the woman who bought them was great with child, AND had a toddler in tow. Because of her "condition" I found it a little bit easier to release the fact that I had just missed an amazing deal!
Jessica, the purchaser of these three items is two weeks past her due date. She's having a baby boy and planning to be induced in two days at Wyoming County Community Hospital. Her first son (the toddler with her) was born after an extremely short labor so I was surprised her doctor would let her go two whole weeks past her due date without inducing her earlier.
Jessica works at the McDonald's in Batavia, so the plan, as she described it to me, is to have her mother watch her two children while Jessica's working. That's why she was purchasing these particular items from the garage sale - so her mom would have a few necessary baby items that could be kept at her house. I told Jessica I was happy to have met her, and told her I'd be praying for a soon and safe delivery.
Later this afternoon, I drove to Varysburg to pick up my boys from working at summer camp when I saw a very small yard sale of baby items. In fact, there was a cute bassinet, a matching baby swing and a little baby seat. So I pulled over to check out these items but couldn't locate any prices so I looked up to see if I could find the seller and there she was: Jessica! Then I recalled she told me she was from Varysburg earlier, but I never expected to run into her later on the same day. She seemed to act like she was "caught" reselling items she had purchased earlier today. She felt the need to explain to me that she was rethinking her plan to go back to work and have grandma watch the kids - and was thinking perhaps she should be a stay-at-home mom. She also seemed to want me to believe that the items she was selling at her sale, were not the very same items she purchased earlier today. She said she kept those newly acquired items, and was now selling very similar baby furniture at her sale. When I asked her how much she was selling her baby furniture for I was surprised to hear her answer in light of the fact that I knew she'd spent $1 on each item. Her prices were $30 for the bassinet, $20 for the baby swing and I believe $20 for the little baby seat. Wow - that's quite a profit!
Throughout this experience of connecting with strangers, I have found that sometimes it has been worth a few dollars investment to purchase someone's fruits, vegetables or yard sale items in order to facilitate a stranger interaction, however I draw the limit at spending $70 for items that were valued at $3 just hours earlier! :) It was definitely an interesting, slightly awkward but completely amusing stranger interaction!
Lord Jesus, bless Jessica and her little baby waiting to be born this weekend. Please keep them safe, but more than that, reveal Your love to Jessica so that she might be drawn into relationship with YOU!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Connections - Day 21 - Jessie
They say it takes 21 days to make a new habit. This is my day 21 of attempting to meet a new stranger each day and initiate conversation, remember their name and have a somewhat meaningful conversation with them. (Beyond the "Hi, how are yous we're so used to.") I'm not sure I've made a new habit yet, but I can say it feels easier to meet and greet a stranger than it was before I began this adventure. I'm not so concerned that people will think I'm weird - I go in assuming they'll think I'm weird. :)
Today I met another nurse - this one is young, around 25 years old. Her name is Jessie and I learned she graduated from the same college as I did, but she graduated last May. She took a job right out of college at Strong Memorial Hospital and has since worked in the Observation Unit there. She likes it because of the variety of patients she sees and cares for. She has no interest in leaving any time soon.
Jessie grew up in Bath, NY before going to school at Roberts Wesleyan College. After graduation and once she obtained her job at Strong, she moved to Elmwood Avenue near the hospital. She actually will be moving from her apartment on Elmwood this weekend, but she's just moving a few miles away, across from MCC. She misses the quietness of the country, but is able to go back to Bath and visit since her brother still lives there and her parents own 80 acres of property in the Southern Tier. Her sister, Jennifer, lives on Keuka Lake which is also a nice place for Jessie to get away and relax.
For now, Jessie has plans to stay in the city and keep her hospital job, but she confesses her heart is still in the country and I suppose someday she may choose to return to the quiet countryside and raise a family. God, bless Jessie. Keep her close to You.
Today I met another nurse - this one is young, around 25 years old. Her name is Jessie and I learned she graduated from the same college as I did, but she graduated last May. She took a job right out of college at Strong Memorial Hospital and has since worked in the Observation Unit there. She likes it because of the variety of patients she sees and cares for. She has no interest in leaving any time soon.
Jessie grew up in Bath, NY before going to school at Roberts Wesleyan College. After graduation and once she obtained her job at Strong, she moved to Elmwood Avenue near the hospital. She actually will be moving from her apartment on Elmwood this weekend, but she's just moving a few miles away, across from MCC. She misses the quietness of the country, but is able to go back to Bath and visit since her brother still lives there and her parents own 80 acres of property in the Southern Tier. Her sister, Jennifer, lives on Keuka Lake which is also a nice place for Jessie to get away and relax.
For now, Jessie has plans to stay in the city and keep her hospital job, but she confesses her heart is still in the country and I suppose someday she may choose to return to the quiet countryside and raise a family. God, bless Jessie. Keep her close to You.
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