Wonderful Words

9/25/10 Pleasant temperatures. Grapevine arch. Attendants in chocolate colored dresses with bronzish cowboy boots. Guests transported to outdoor ceremony via a tractor drawn hay wagon. Pews created from hay bales covered with quilts. “Here Comes the Bride” played by a Bluegrass band. All the trappings of a wedding outdoors in the country just outside “Music City.”

Happily Ever After. Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it. But is it a “ring of truth”---from a magic wish. I think not.

Gratefully, the pastor at nephew, Cody & Sara’s wedding explained to them that love began with commitment and continued with unconditional requirements. You love when your partner is grumpy, if you just don’t feel like loving and you love especially when times are hard times. (As hard as it was for the flower girls to climb the hill with out losing their rose petals.)

I listened carefully for the vows, which they had written themselves and though they didn’t say “til death do us part,” they did say they would love only each other through all of their days.

As the preacher read Ephesians 4:26 “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,” they nodded in agreement as the sun began to set, the kiss was given and they set off in their hay wagon to begin a marriage as one.

WEDDING WEEKEND

9/24/10 More details to follow----but I do know that I will be listening to the vows taken as two become one----Sara and Cody will become Mr. & Mrs. Cody Liles.
As yesterday's blog indicated, I have been pondering wedding vows a lot this past week. Having seen my parents for 60 years as a unit and then to see Daddy become a 1st person singular has been bittersweet. Sorry for loss but glad for what they had. Our entire family seemed to take on a new verb tense with Mother's death--- like living in the past tense. Yet there was comfort in remembering all the years they had together. That's what my parents marriage looked like----togetherness, "til death do us part."

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3:19)

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: (Proverbs 31:28)

"In sickness...."

Mother & Daddy at Bobby & Louise's wedding---Dec. 1971



9/23/10 “In sickness” is just one phrase from most marriage vows but it is a BIG one to honor. I have seen it honored well these last several years. Personally I have experienced it as hubby nursed me through a year of cancer procedures and surgeries. Yet, with us, there was always a hope for a better tomorrow. Not so, for some folks----at least not physically. It’s those folks, honoring those vows, some taken long ago, who impress me. Sickness or debilitation can linger. There can be many days between onset and the end. Then, as the end approaches, time together becomes a sharing of the mechanics of dying.

As Mother was in her final chapter of life, I got a glimpse of 60th year wedding vows “fleshed out.” Sometimes I felt like Mother’s life “ride” was being steered toward the edge of a cliff. As she got closer and closer to the edge, I struggled. I didn’t want to let go of her. I had dreams---not being able to bear it, that soon she would ride in her earthly “life car” over that edge, fall off and crash into the abyss. In reality, I knew that she would really just enter into the Lord’s arms.

I went into denial. Brother Bobby stayed very much in the day-to- day happenings and tended to all her medical and financial affairs. Daddy, on the other hand, lived moment by moment with her in the midst of her sickness. They had moments. Hard moments of tending to bodily functions. Good moments of sharing a nap. I can still see them stretched out side-by-side on their old double bed---Mother under the covers, Daddy atop the covers, but holding hands.

The end is inevitable (for all of us) but as her end became more imminent, Daddy was the one who “did right by her.” He kept those vows and was there “in sickness” to help her entrance into heaven be as gentle as possible.

May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18)

Molly's wedding, 2001------7 months before her death

A Veritable Feast

9/20/10 The passage for "Meditation Monday" is Isaiah 55:1-3. Choose the version that fits your taste.

. (New International Version) Invitation to the Thirsty

1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

2 Why spend money on what is not bread, 


and your labor on what does not satisfy? 


Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, 


and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

3 Give ear and come to me; 
hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 
my faithful love promised to David

(The Message) Buy Without Money

1-5 "Hey there! All who are thirsty,

come to the water!

Are you penniless?

Come anyway—buy and eat!

Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.

Buy without money—everything's free!

Why do you spend your money on junk food,

your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?

Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,

fill yourself with only the finest.

Pay attention, come close now,

listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.

I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you,

the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.

I set him up as a witness to the nations,

made him a prince and leader of the nations,

And now I'm doing it to you:

You'll summon nations you've never heard of,

and nations who've never heard of you

will come running to you

Because of me, your God,

because The Holy of Israel has honored you."

(English Standard Version) The Compassion of the LORD

1"Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

3Incline your ear, and come to me;

hear, that your soul may live;

and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.

(King James Version) My Grandmother’s Choice

1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Let me know which version feeds your soul the best.

P.R.A.Y.E.R

9/19/10 Yellowed. Tattered. Torn. Taped. Still relevant. “Religion in Life” section of a 1953 Clarksville Leaf Chronicle was wedged in my grandmother's

Bible. I knew it was old before I saw the date, not because of it’s outward condition but because of the grocery advertisement. Libbys potted meet 2 cans 17¢. (only old people eat that, according to my kids) Heinz Soups 2 cans 35¢. (Do they even make soups anymore?) Ad is outdated but info is still viable.

The article in brief: Consider each letter of prayer as an acrostic.

P raise---saying thanks and acknowledging God’s blessings first.

R eunion---coming together of God’s Spirit with man’s spirit, conscious contact or communion with God. That union is vital.

A sking---making known your requests without making God a glorified Santa Claus.

Y ield---yourself to God for His direction/answers that His name will be glorified through you.

E ntreaty---plead on behalf of others.

R elief—when you pray forgiveness comes, burdens are lifted and loads are lighter to bear.

Prayer is not artful monologue

Of voice uplifted from the sod.

It is Love’s tender dialogue

Between the soul and God. John Moreland.

PURSUIT OF THE SUIT

9/17/10 How can one lose a swimsuit between home and work? It was dark at 5:10 a.m. when I left for work having thrown it in the trunk. (I thought it went in the trunk.) It was dark when I arrived because the parking lot lights are out. Swimsuit should have still been in the trunk when I retrieved other items to take in to school----including a sack of food for an injured teacher. So why wasn’t it there when I went to swim.

Backtracking at home---no swimsuit. Backtracking through dark lot this morning---no swimsuit. How do I approach “lost and found” and ask if anyone has turned in a size 34, black speedo? Angie suggested that I might have accidentally put it in with the food and it had been delivered to the ailing teacher. Lisa G. thought maybe she saw it on the construction barrel in  front of L.R.'s house on Houston Levee. Lisa D assumes the ailing friend, who has a pool, will just see it as a gift. Others laughed---a lot! I was mortified.

Ecclesiastes 3 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:……………….

4 a time to weep (I was mortified) and a time to laugh, 
(others were laughing) a time to mourn (the loss of my mind along with my swimsuit) and a time to dance, (and celebrate friendships of people who accept you as you are and laugh with you, not at you)

After all, it’s Friday and there are more important things to pursue than a lost swimsuit.

ATTENTION WAL-MART CUSTOMERS…..

9/15/10 ……or was it K-MART customers. Regardless, we’ve all heard those blaring announcements. “Clean-up on aisle 3.” There is a difference in a store that keeps current with clean-ups---much like AA Step # 4 ---where you take a daily inventory of “oops” in your life. That way the AA messy/dirty parts are kept in check lending to the overall “clean” presentation.

The Hopkinsville Wal-Mart makes that “clean-up” announcement almost every time I’m in the store. It is reflected in the overall tidiness of the store----unlike a Wal-Mart we visited in southeast Memphis one Sunday night. That Wal-Mart had merchandise strewn on shelves & some had fallen off bottom shelves into the aisles. Customers just stepped over stuff, even cracked eggs. I felt dirty and somewhat fearful just being in the store. I never found what I came for either because I was so distracted by the mess. I had trouble staying focused on what I needed.

We need to keep our “dirt” in check as well and be willing to clean–up as we go through-out our day----it’s called confession. If you don’t do it daily, join me weekly on “Weeping Wednesdays” and own up to your sins. Coming clean (true repentance) feels so good. Others will see it in our demeanor. That will get everyone’s attention in a good way----just like a “clean up on aisle 3.”

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:8-9)

We all have an “aisle” that needs cleaning up today. I know that I do. I’ve already made prayerful plans to clean it up.

POWER FAILURE

9/13/10 Have you ever lost your power? Better yet, has a male member of your household ever lost power to “cable TV” on a Saturday when college football games are back to back and the Fed Ex Cup is in phase 2? This past Saturday while trying to help a neighbor, hubby was attempting to retrieve his own S video cord (those red, white and yellow audio visual thingies) to share with said neighbor. He no longer needed that cord for his Comcast connection. Oops, something went wrong. Everything on hubby's BIG screen TV went blank. He was not happy.

#1 rule of thumb is to always “check your connections!” You have to determine your power source. Are you plugged in?

I thought of that this morning when I was struggling for strength to get out of bed. Was I plugged in to my Source? I felt disconnected. I blamed fatigue and weakness from ongoing sinus infection. I needed His strength, His power and yet I felt guilty asking. Last weeks Psalm 71 said to “declare His strength to this generation and His power to all who come.” Why is it easier to ask for His power when battling cancer than when battling fatigue from sinusitis, which this morning felt equally debilitating? He gives power in all areas----just check out your concordance.

HHS Student Impact’s sign for club week, Roman 1:16, speaks of His all important power. Today, I plan to think on that power---the one for today, tomorrow and always.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Happiness: a viewpoint or just an illusion

9/11/10 This morning’s Commercial Appeal “M” section featured the upcoming Central Gardens home tour. It brought back one of my all time top memories---taking the tour with Josh the weekend before my 50th birthday. On the gorgeous mahogany table in one of the homes was a collection of hinged, porcelain/enamel limoges-type boxes. One was encircled with books and had a Wordsworth quote on it. Larry and I had just been to Wordsworth’s home in the Lake District of England the summer before. Josh must have registered my fascination from afar---I certainly never touched the box. Just days later it was my birthday gift from Larry and one of my most unforgettable. He really had to do some searching (Babcocks, probably) to find the exact one and then dig deep in his pockets to purchase it, I’m sure.

I continue to love those home tours---it’s like a sneak peek at the kind of houses I once assumed I would live in when I grew up. Not sure where I got that false assumption. Maybe all little girls have it. A 2 story home with the nice yard, big windows, hardwood floors, fireplaces and comfy dens----with a wrap around porch and a swing thrown in for good measure.
Even now as an adult when I walk around my neighborhood at dusk, I love to see the “glowing” rooms of others’ homes through their nice clean windows. It feels like a peek at happiness. And often my pleasure turns to something similar to regret because I’m ashamed that if someone could even see through my less than squeaky clean windows, they would see dishes piled in my sink. I just don’t seem to have it as all together as those who live in the “big houses.”

Shakespeare phrases it well. “But oh, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes.” (As You Like It Act 5, scene 2)

Even I have “taught” others an important truth----never compare your insides with someone else’s outsides. It seems I need some re-teaching in this area myself.

And you do as well if you peek at the “squeaky clean windows” of my blog and assume I have something which you don’t have. If we all have the Lord, we’re on level ground----make that holy ground. There’s no place else I’d rather be.

150 flavors addendum

9/8/10 An ice cream blog entry isn’t exactly spiritual though I do have friends who deem eating ice cream as an experience pretty close to a spiritual encounter. Believe it or not, ice cream is not one of my weaknesses. However, as I’ve said before, pursuing those “must” lists or “best” lists are an exciting challenge for me. The most recent one included USA Today’s top ice cream parlors in the “150 flavors” blog entry.

Larry and I stopped this past weekend to verify the Tennessee winner, the Casey Jones Ice Cream Parlor in Jackson, TN. In my opinion, it wasn’t worth the drive.
(Even though they do serve bottles of Bubble Up and Nu-Grape.)



Save gas money and go to Jerry’s Snow Cones and Car Wash on Wells Station in Memphis.













Order a wedding cake “Supreme”---soft serve ice cream mixed into a snow cone. This ice cream treat is definitely worth the drive though your flavor choice might differ. (Hubby likes the coconut.)
Go early if you go on a weekend. The lines are long and it closes at 9 p.m.

For years, Jerry's was owned by an older couple, introduced to us by our son Josh. I loved the sign that Mrs. Clifton, in her pink and white striped apron, placed in the window--- “Closed on Sunday so that you may attend the church of your choice.” Mrs. Clifton has gone on to glory but the new owner has abided by her stipulations and they remain closed on Sundays.

The Cliftons were a couple who made ice cream a spiritual experience----they served God’s love with each order. That kind of life should top God’s list!

order.