When God Hits You Right Over The Head

God sightings. 

That is what Lory and I have made our focus

this season.

He pops up in the most unexpected places.

Like my aunts closet.

We walked my grandma, Big and mom's mom,

home at home.

Big hadn't left her side but finally on 

New Years day we convinced her to go

to a movie with me. 

I still remember what movie it was,

Fried Green Tomatoes.

I remember because grandma died

while we were at the movie.

I felt really guilty that I had pulled Big away

just on the day grandma breathed her last.

When we first started down this road with Big 

I felt like I wanted to be with her when she breathed her last.

I know that is statistically not likely, 

but one lives in hope.

I like to spend some time each day 

(that I can)

at mom and Big's place.

I also like to keep busy.

I tasked myself with organizing the black hole

that is my aunts closet.

I came across MANY papers, 

but one caught my eye.

It was written in Big's distinctive print.

I stopped and read it. 

It was a testimonial about the time she was

most thankful for her church.

It was the day I took her to a movie 

and her mother died.

Big tells of how we couldn't get her to leave 

grandma's side and that eventually

she agreed to go to a movie with me.

And grandma died.

But her take away from the day was

that my mother and sister were able to call

their pastor and he was there at grandma's side

waiting to pray with us all
when Big and I returned.

At the exact moment Big needed her church, 

God arranged for it to be there to meet her.

At the exact moment I need to know God has this,

He's got His own timing,

There's a reason for every twist in Big's road home,

He has me clean a closet and meets me right there on the floor.

Little Big Update

See what I did there?

Still trying to keep the chuckles but it's a little tougher.

I am at a loss for words when I consider all you,

her friends, have done to be there for her.

So many of you have come to visit.

You never quite know what you're going to get with her these days.

She really does seem to rally when visitors come by.

And it just warms my heart, the genuine thank you

she gives in parting.

You know, I've heard a term before,

a Living Wake.

I feel like that's what is happening here.

It's the coolest thing I've ever been witness to.

A couple of visitors ( with voices for it)

have sung Amazing Grace to her.

The one thing she has been VERY clear on is that

it is to be sung at her memorial service.

All 7 verses.

Mike Popplewell, we laughed last night that she let you 

get away with just two verses. 

She said you are a very busy man. LOL

Big feels the love, 

Mom feels the love, 

Gaye and I feel the love.

Love and prayers to you all. 

Supporting Cast

Unwitting participant?

I've spent a few days pondering the 

Inn Keeper.

I wonder what his take on all this was.

He was most likely making money 

hand over fist given the crowds

in the city passing through for the census.

So many people that when this 

sweet little forlorn couple

stop and ask for a room, 

he had nothing to offer them.

Was he looking to make every inch

of his property be revenue generating,

or was he just trying to find some way to help them?

I don't think the bible gives us a clear

take on that and I think this is where

we choose how we want to view him.

Grace or cynicism?

Have you heard the term

"Chreasters"?

(not sure how you spell that)

It's a mash up of Christmas and Easter.

It's not really meant in a positive light.

It refers to people who show up at church on

Christmas and Easter.

At least they know those are two very important days.

Grace or cynicism?

Red Kettle Stories

I have a red kettle story too. 

I think I've told it before.

It goes something like this:

My grandfather made a deal with my oldest brother

that had to do with him not smoking (my brother, that is).

If my brother didn't hold up his end of the bargain then 

he was to make some kind of donation to

the Salvation Army.

LOL, how's that for vague?

I wasn't part of that arrangement (obviously) but what stuck

with me was that my grandpa, whom I loved a lot,

had a heart for the Salvation Army.

One year for Christmas my family gave my mother 

the gift of us ringing that little bell on a number of occasions.

We were so good at our job that I believe 

we went through at least two bells.

We gave her one of them, in pieces, as

representation of our hard work. 

We pass things on to the generations that come after us,

sometimes without even knowing we are doing it.

I am deliberate in wiggling a dollar bill into each kettle I pass.

I'm passing it on.

Who Knew?

I wrote a post about these boxes 7 years ago. 

I made one for Mom and one for Big.

Full disclosure, 

I'm not sure which one of them this one belongs to.

They are boxes full of memories. Mostly just one liners meant 

to spark a memory.

When Big first started slipping away we noticed that

she really liked us to talk to her.

But one sided conversations get a little difficult.

We tried reading hymns.

She liked those.

I pulled out scrap books Shanna had made her over the years.

She enjoyed those.

And then I spied the wooden box 

I had made for her so many years ago.

It was meant to bring her a smile from time to time.

I started reading those one liners and every now and then 

she would finish the story.

It warmed my heart like nothing else could have.

Look at God using the things we do 

for purposes we never dreamed of.

Plans....

...we make 'em and God laughs.

In the course of three months 

I will have two new grandbabies.

They had a birth plan in place 

for number one.

They had a c-section all scheduled.

Then Melody, or more accurately, 

God,

had another plan. 

I like to say Melody wanted to choose her own 

birthdate.

We have a plan in place for number two.

Mike and I will go to Indy to take 

care of our grand daughter

while our daughter has her baby.

I know enough to know that all I can do is

hope that our plan works out.

But I also know enough to know that God's plan 

is perfect and to try to rest in that.

I don't know if Mary had a "birth plan"

but I can pretty well bet you a dirty

manger would not have been part of it.

And yet, that dirty manger was perfect. 

Another Advent

Here we go again!

We flirted with skipping this year, but,

we did that once.

Didn't work out so well for me.

We've decided to be rather broad in our theme this year. 

We want to write about seeing God at work.

I think all evidence of that circles right back to the 

christ child in the manger.

Let's go and see where it leads us.

Sharing

Shanna and I were talking the other day about

all the lives Big Mary has touched.

We commented that we shared her with a lot of people.

And we both sat on that a moment.

Then said, each in our own way,
we never felt like we were sharing her.

We never felt that we didn't have her all to ourselves.

I think that speaks volumes that I can't put words to.

Humble

That word about sums up this whole experience.

I am humbled by the prayers lifted up for my aunt.

I am humbled by the time taken out of busy schedules 

to come by and visit, not knowing what they may face.

I am humbled by medical professionals who sit and 

and listen and explain and teach.

I am humbled by words of encouragement.

I am humbled at the sight of sister caring for sister.

I am humbled by my 6 year old grand daughter who will bound into

what might be a scary room to other children, but to Maddie, 

she just sees the MeMe who has loved her all her life. 

I am humbled to have the privilege to 

walk with my aunt as she goes home.

It's a Journey

I think I want to document some of Big's journey home.

This has been such a roller coaster for Mom, Gaye and me.

Our whole family, actually, 

but the three of us have boots on the ground.

Big hasn't been well for years, really, and we have thought

we were headed for this road more than once.

I think we still give her a little side-eye

cause you can never count this one out.

You wouldn't have guessed that this sweet little old lady 

had such a prize fighter hidden down in there.

Well, except for the few of us who could tell 

you she liked her martinis and could 

swear like a truck driver when pushed to her limit.

Big is in and out of it but I can still get an

"I love you too"

out of her and I am treasuring

each and every one of them.

We are muddling our way through changing her drawers.

(there is just no dignity in calling them diapers 

at this stage in my humble opinion)

Trust me, we know and Big knows, we 

ain't professionals here!

Each time I get through rockin' and rollin' 

her from side to side trying to 

tug out the old and slip in the new, 

I say to her, "whew! We did it!"

And, she chuckles at me.

I told mom and Gaye, we can get through this if 

we can just keep laughing.

Isn't it God's mercy that He is allowing 

Big to show us the way and keep us smiling?