A Community Mourns

I woke today, just another day. Tuesday. I headed to Bible study, the chiropractor, took my mom to an appointment and went to the grocery store.  Everything pretty typical.  Just another day.  Yet, it wasn’t just another day.  It was a day that I was super aware of the gift of this day, of this time.

A family in our community lost their son/brother/grandson/nephew. A real tragedy.  A family of 6 became 5 overnight. In an instant, their world changed.  My world didn’t change…or did it? Today I mourned along with my entire hometown.  Everyone I know knows someone in this family & we would like to help, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. We are at a loss, but we long to find something we can do. The town can think of little else and as we go about our “normal” day, we know that inside the walls of that home there are tears, hugs, and folks poring over photos of happier times. This family is surrounded by love and I have no doubt that they will survive, but right now they are in pain and the community wishes we could take the pain away.

Not having a better idea, I decided to buy some paper products and drop them off at their home. When I pulled into their driveway, I noticed their garage doors were open. I got out of my car with my packages and walked up to a garage full of drinks, cases of water, paper plates, jugs of juice, etc. I was struck by the overwhelming amount of items that people had been dropping off. I didn’t see a family member and I didn’t need to.  They know that people are heartbroken on their behalf because they would be hurting if it happened to any other family.  They would be the first ones there with gifts and prayers. No words can express our deepest sympathy and paper plates and cases of water can’t either, but maybe the love behind all of them will be felt and ease the burden a tiny bit.

Today was just another day, but as I went through my normal routine, I was aware that there is nothing normal for them.  They will need to figure out their new normal and it will take a long time, but from the looks of it, they will have enough paper plates and love to get them until that time.  Until then we will keep on praying.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”        2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”         Matthew 5:4

 

 

Lenten Blessings

I have had the privilege of hosting Wednesday evening suppers throughout Lent. Our community is pretty unique in that we celebrate Lent together among denominations.  So, on one Wednesday,  the Presbyterian pastor preaches at the Lutheran church, another one the Reformed Pastor will preach at the Methodist church, etc.  We all worship together and grow and learn with different congregations.  It was truly a blessing and as we head into Holy Week, we will have a few more opportunities to worship together.

This year, my husband and I decided to host supper before each service.  It has been a fun time to get together and socialize a bit before church.  It was a huge blessing for me.  And, speaking of blessings, I printed out a couple and made table tents of them so that they could be on display so if someone arrived late, they could say their own prayer before eating.  As the season progressed though, we started just holding up the printed cards and everyone prayed together. We used two different blessings.

The first one was handed down to me from my mother’s father. John Dunlap Wise.

Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the many blessings that are conferring us from day to day. Bless this food now to us. Watch over us and guide us through life, and at death, accept us. Amen.   I can hear his voice and his cadence as I pray it.

The second one I found online:

For food that stays our hunger, For rest that brings us ease, for homes where memories linger, we give our thanks for these. Amen.

They are great blessings to share. Happy Easter!

A Funk Buster!

Yesterday I was in a funk.  No doubt about it.  Today I looked up the word “funk” and found out its’ synonym is depression.  Woah, that’s heavy.  But, yesterday I was in a funk and it just felt heavy for no real reason.  Plenty on my mind, but nothing terribly pressing.  I just sat and went deeper and deeper into my funk.  I played games on my phone, watched junk TV and ate an entire bag of potato chips.  At an event last night (an eating event where we sampled foods from different countries,) I shared with some Moms that I had eaten an entire bag of chips.  Then I did the math.  170 calories per serving, 7 servings per container equals 1190 calories!  I quickly admitted that I was growing sick towards the end of the bag and didn’t finish about 1/2 serving so they allowed me to deduct some calories.  OK, so I will have to sit with the fact that I consumed 1105 calories worth of Baked Sweet Potato Chips. (A healthier alternative to regular potato chips if you eat less than the entire bag!)

Regardless, the chips didn’t cheer me up. Being entertained by mindless television didn’t lift my spirits and playing Sodoku on my phone did not make me a genius. I went to bed discouraged and dissatisfied. However, I also went to bed with the resolve that today was going to be a much better day.  Before going to bed early to get adequate sleep, I deleted the games on my phone, I laid out my clothes for the day, I sat out a lemon to start my day with a cup of hot lemon water and I changed my attitude.

I woke early after a good nights’ sleep and began my morning routine.  Cup of Lemon Water (I prefer tea, but started the day off healthy!) & headed to my Bible.  Maybe that’s where the funk came from.  Maybe I haven’t been spending as much time in the Word. Where should I begin? I decided to employ a technique I learned a while ago to just read a chapter in Proverbs based on the date.  There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, so you can just pick one and start reading.  (Yes, I know it’s like that old joke where you randomly open the Bible and put your finger on a passage and do what it says with sometimes scary results.)  But, this method would give me a place to begin.

Proverbs 23:1,2

When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.

Are you kidding me?! I can’t make this stuff up.  Seriously?! After sharing my eaten bag of chips story with the Moms at the event, with my daughter on the phone, with my Mom during a visit, with a friend in a text the first scripture I read for the day is “..and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony?”

Needless to say, I read the entire chapter, wrote in my journal and then made myself a smoothie with almond milk, spinach, avocado, protein powder & banana. I had a nice salad for lunch and I sincerely have had a much more productive day. (I haven’t even turned the TV on.) All is well, but if I thought I might unwind with a glass of wine this evening, I shouldn’t have read on:

Proverbs 32:29-35

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?”

I can’t even believe that’s in there…but it is, and obviously “SOMEONE” thought I needed to hear it this morning.