Blessing Others - A story of pearls and pumps

My Sara grew up surrounded by people.  Not sure she ever realized how miniature our family really was.  Almost every holiday and special occasion, that was spent in our home, was filled with those who had no where else to be.  There were young couples who couldn't travel "home" for Thanksgiving or Christmas because they were required to work the day before and after the holiday.  There were students financially unable to purchase a ticket overseas to where "home" was.  There were families that didn't have the means or time to get across the country to spend a few days at "home."  There were the older couples, without children of their own, who had no one else to share a special holiday with and didn't want to be "home" alone.  There were elderly friends whose children and grandchildren lived other places and couldn't OR wouldn't see that they had a place to be on special days and "home" seemed at times like a prison.  How painless it was to set a few extra plates to accommodate those who would be by themselves otherwise.  I have incredible memories of Bettye, a widowed lady in her early 80's, who arrived at our house one Christmas noon (picked up and brought by another guest) dressed in her finest, wearing her pearls and pumps.  You would have thought she was attending a State Dinner or High Tea with the Queen of England.  It is impossible, all these years later, to remember how many times Bettye stated that it was the best Christmas she had ever had.  It IS possible to remember how we cried to think that the simple time we spent around the table could have conceivably been her BEST Christmas.  Sara grew up putting puzzles together by the roaring fire Dennis had blazing in the fireplace with people she had never met before that day.  She listened as we took turns around the circle recalling our favorite memories of one holiday or another.  We joined voices with strangers on Christmas Eve's as we walked through nursing homes proclaiming "Joy To the World",  our tears mingling with those residents who were "stuck" in that place all alone.

Any of you who have ever been in our home know how "casual" I entertain.  Dennis was a "people magnet" and couldn't bear the thought of anyone not having somewhere to be.  I always serve buffet style and it is every person for themselves.  Here is the food, GO FOR IT!  You might possibly see the pots and pans piled up near the sink (depending on if there was time to get everything cleared away before the guests started arriving) and me in my apron with spatters of gravy and who knows what else on my face and in my hair.  It concerned me at first that people would be "put off" by my causal ways.  Dennis always assured me that no one cared about that, they were just grateful to be there and have people to share the day with.  You know, he was absolutely right.  No one ever commented about the pots and pans and my spattered hair.  

After so many years of being the one who invited others to my home, I find myself being the one invited by others.  I realize that we tend to be comfortable with our inner circle of family and friends and just don't think to venture out, to enlarge our circle.  Suddenly, it hits me that if other precious friends didn't ask me over on these special occasions, I would be sitting in an empty house by myself.  That is something I can't even fathom - how discouraging and distressing that would be.  A friend on Facebook responded to a post on my wall this week.  I commented on how incredibly blessed by friends who take such care to minister to me and told then that their friendship is priceless.  A friend commented back and said these words:  "You have blessed so many...Reaping time!"  It struck me - the principle of sowing and reaping is true.  WE DO REAP WHAT WE SOW.  Let me make something abundantly clear here, Dennis and I did nothing special.  We are instructed by God to be salt and light, to take care of widows and orphans and "whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them..."  Not a big deal at all UNTIL I am the one in need of being brought into someones circle.

There are precious friends out there who are "doing unto others" with open arms.  Thank you David & Susan who have invited me countless times for every celebration that one can think of and many times for dinner at home.  Thank you Glenn & Fay for planning a birthday dinner, complete with cake and candles, for my Sara two days after her daddy went home to heaven and for my birthday a few weeks later (including my brother and sister-in-law) and for inviting me for every special occasion you can come up with.  Thank you Linda & Mike for your "open door policy" to me and anyone with me and for your prayers and encouragement.  Thank you Chuck & Jo for having me in your home to celebrate Thanksgiving (along with my friend Sherli who was visiting), your dad's birthday and countless other special events including Mother's Day.  Thank you Paul & Kay for including me with "couples" for dinner (it means the world to stay a part of my "old" friend group).  Thank you Bruce & Marsha for having me over so many times I have lost count since our re-acquaintance on President's Day (the first being to celebrate your precious Bethany's birthday).  Thank you Lamar & Jimmie (who have just met me recently) for having me over twice in less than 2 weeks time including Memorial Day and treating me like "one of the kids."  Thank you Rita & Paula for implementing the plan to meet every week for dinner since Dennis died.  Thank you Sandi for making time to meet with me often and to minister to my hurting soul.  Thank you Lois & Jan for always inquiring, if you see me on Sunday, if I have someone to go eat with.  Thank you Sara B. for inviting me numerous times to see a movie or to go eat and for checking on me every single morning at school to make sure I arrived and am okay.  Thank you Peggy for including me in so many special events and keeping in close contact.  Thank you Brenda,  Harold & Kristen for the times you have invited me to special events, picked me up and provided the ticket.  Thank you Lauren, Julianna, Meredith, Desiree, Darrell, Jenna, Zach, JT, Kari, Shawna for being great "kids" to me.  You have cooked, brought flowers, served Mother's Day brunch, cleaned my house and stayed with me during bad weather.  Thank you Bob & Sheryl for how you blessed me when my basement took on water - what would I have done without your hand extended?  I am sure there are others who have been overlooked here but know this:  I love and appreciate you all more than you will ever know.  You have ministered to me through your kindness.

I encourage you to "reach out" to others.  The principle of "sowing and reaping" will bless your life and the lives of your children.

I love you!
Teena  

Water, Worry & Wonder

The past two weeks have been intensive, to say the least.  Springfield weather is usually so unpredictable and this year has proven to be filled with too much of a good thing.  You can't prepare for it and you certainly never get used to it:)  The area experienced major snowfall in February and record rainfall in April and May.  Over a period of 3 days, we racked up greater than 10 inches of rain that had the ground saturated and people ready to build an ark.  During that period of excess rain, some pesky rivulets decided to make their way into my walk-out basement.  Never have we had any moisture or water so it came as a shock.  It was only in one room but it was just one more "something" in a year filled with excess "somethings!"  Thankfully I had the presence of mind to call a wonderful friend, Bob, who had helped Dennis and I get through our 2007 ice storm ordeal.  He agreed to meet me at the house after school.  In the mean time, I called a company to come to see if there was enough water to require it being extracted and the room dried out.  The company arrived before Bob and determined that there wasn't enough water to require extraction but the pad and carpet did need to be dried out to the tune of almost $500.00 a day.  Thankfully Bob arrived and had the equipment necessary to handle the problem.  My downstairs den resembled a scene out of the movie "ET" with plastic taped up to help in the dry out, furniture here and there and the carpet pulled up and draped.  They could have filmed a video for the song "Redneck Woman" down there as well since I had to empty part of my Christmas closet and there were two Christmas trees, stockings, decorative tins and other "out of season" decor all around.  Bob checked the outside wall to the house to find the culprit that created this mess and found a gutter issue.  Let me tell you, IMMEDIATELY I recognized that the Lord had blessed my life with Bob's help and expertise AND with the verdict.  He brought in a load of dirt, some grass seed and a referral for a gutter man.  The gutter company has repaired the gutters, put up a leaf guard and added a few down spouts.  
There was another MIRACLE that was experienced in these past two weeks that I won't go in to but just let me tell you that it was a MAJOR issue. Someone I have never met and might possibly never meet intervened on my behalf and saved me worry, stress and ultimately money.  This wonderful person may never realize how he was used by God to minister to my life. 

Evangel's graduation week was painful as I watched some of my "kids" pack up and move for good.  It was a privilege to be thanked by countless parents who told me that Dennis and I had such an impact on their children and how grateful they would always be.  Well, it was mutual.  Those precious "kids" of ours poured into us, loved us and allowed us to speak into their lives.  What cherished and treasured memories I have to keep me warm in my old age.  Godspeed Bryan, Brian, J.T., Jonathan, Ben & Joshua.  To cap off my miracles, four precious young ladies invited me to "Mother's Day Brunch" at their house, gave me a card they each wrote in that made me cry and a vase with beautiful flowers.  I was missing my Sara and Jason so much and this was a perfect gesture.  Thank you Lauren, Julianna, Meredith and Desiree.  Love you girls!

It is important for me to share these stories because in the midst of this difficult road, God is showing me that He really does care about my "now" and my future, and that He has everything in my life under control.  Oh how I miss Dennis and his calm, always positive approach to everything.  There isn't a decision made that I don't worry about whether it was the correct one and ask myself what Dennis would do in this situation.  The burdens that we shared for 36 years are now squarely on my shoulders alone and it is unnerving.  I find that even watching the news creates dismay and consternation.  Today on Meet the Press, they were talking about how Medicare is predicted to run out 5 years sooner than they thought, around 2024.  That will be just a couple of years after I am eligible for it.  Oh great!  Then what?  That was my first response and then just as clearly as I thought it, felt the Lord speak to me.  "I AM YOUR SOURCE."  YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON YOUR OWN WAYS OR THE WAYS OF THIS WORLD"  I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!"  I turned the TV off and thanked Him while making my way to Sunday School and church, knowing that HE IS FAITHFUL! 

Dear family and friends, thank you for continuing to pray for me.  Never could I have imagined that grief would almost cripple and debilitate me.  Never would have thought that this journey would be such a desolate, bleak, solitary walk.  BUT, Jesus has walked with me through the valley of the shadow of death.  He has cradled, sustained and undergirded me every step of the way.  He has reinforced me and shored me up when I would have collapsed and He is MY FOUNDATION!

"Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  --2 Corinthians 4:17-18 

Love you!
Teena