Grandma

I could start off with some sort of cliche like "I thought of you today".  But somehow it doesn't seem to fit.  I was thinking of when I first learned to french braid hair, sitting in my grandmother's living room, with my cousin as the training ground for which I would practice.  I was thinking of the smell of her house, the dust from the red clay dirt settling on the furniture, picking blackberries in the summer and bread and butter pickles sitting on the table.  I remember all the "gifts" of food I was given that would come out of a freezer in the garage or the well house out back, or the back of the cabinets in the kitchen.  Most of the time you didn't know how old it was, or how long it had been there, but Grandma always said it was fine.  I remember her giving me a can of shortening one time, with an obviously dated label on it, and telling me about how it was the only kind of shortening my Grandpa liked.  At that time I was around 27 or 28 years old, and my grandfather passed away before I was one.  But mostly I was thinking about my birthday.  I can remember Grandma telling me after I had moved out on my own, that I really needed to make it home for my birthday.  She would tell me almost every year, or write it in a card she sent me.  She would tell me that the changing leaves in the mountains were the prettiest around my birthday and that I really needed to make a trip "home".  Isn't it odd how we use the word "home"?  How is that word really defined.  Isn't home where you spent all your time growing up?  Its where your parents are, your siblings, your friends, right?  But somehow, my "home" no matter how many years have gone by, has remained the mountains in which the Locke Community of Arkansas reside.  The red clay roads that twist and turn through mountain (although many now have been paved), seeing the house my father and his father built as you come around the bend, and then my Grandmother's house lay below, a home that my grandfather built on land he bought an paid for himself.  So, I have been sitting here thinking about fall.  About the leaves changing, the wind that whistles through the trees.  I can remember go home for visits and walking from my Grandmother's house, to her mother's house, winding down the road, skipping and laughing.  I would carry my camera with me and I have photo album after photo album of pictures.  None of which are very exciting, pictures of the road, a cat walking by, my cousins playing.  But it was a world that I loved.  As a child, before we left, my mind is full of joyful memories of playing on the side of the mountain that our house was built into.  Looking down to see grandma's house below us.  Christmas Eve celebrations in her living room and going to my great grandmother's house to play.  I remember that when we moved, I felt Kansas was evil.  I was devastated, heartbroken and scared.  I didn't want to leave my home, my family, my life.  I was 7 years old at the time.  Now, today, I turn 38 and I still call that home.  Home is what seeds have been planted in us and how those roots grow.  I have lived in Kansas, albeit throughout the entire state, for 31 years of my life.  There is such a small portion of my memories that come from that place, yet I remember them the most.  But somehow, I never made it.  So, back to the changing of the leaves in the fall.  Life got busy, children and work took over, and I just didn't have the time to watch the changing of the leaves with my grandma.  The older you get, the more you realize what you have missed because you were too busy.  All the things that happen and you think, there's plenty more time.  I didn't go see my grandma nearly enough towards the end of her life.  I was pregnant, I had babies, I was tired, I was busy.  My love for her had never changed, but somehow, I suppose, I thought there would be more time.  Last fall, at the age of 93 years old, my grandmother passed away.  I realized, "How much more time did I think there was".  She had lived a very long life and somehow, I guess, I thought it would just keep going, giving me the time I needed to go see the leaves change with her.  That time is now passed, and although I will never be able to watch the leaves pass with her by my side again, I will still be able to go "home".  Yes grandma, the leaves are changing.  I can only imagine how beautiful they are.

Good Friday and Easter Weekend

On this Good Friday morning, as we prepare for Easter weekend and the guarentee of the Easter bunny arriving and Easter egg hunts to attend, I would like to take just a moment to reflect on what this really means.  I believe most Christians spend time during this season to reflect of the meaning of Easter.  I know for my family, we typically try on Good Friday to sit and watch a movie about Jesus, his life and the crucifixion.  My go to movie for the last several years has been "Passion of the Christ" but there are many that depict the story very well.  I try to discuss with my family what this all means and talk about the Bible passages that tell the story.  For me, as many others, Good Friday is a day of sorrow and heart break.  A time to reflect on what our Lord went through in order to give us the promise of Heaven and eternal life.  But then when Sunday comes, it is a time for rejoicing.  A time to lift our hearts and voices in song, because we know that, although it was a path filled with pain and strife, our Lord Jesus Christ paved our way to enter Heaven!  All we have to do is ask for forgiveness!  He has taken care of the rest!  Praise be to Jesus!  The least I can do for all that he gave and gave up for us, is have no fear in helping proclaim his name. 

With that being said, I would like to share a few of my favorite passages about Good Friday and Easter. 

Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mark 15:17-39

They dressed him up in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him.  And they began saluting him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"  They struck his head with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him homage.  and when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own clothes.  They led him out to crucify him.  They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross.  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.  They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it.  Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get.  It was the third hour when they crucified him.  The inscription giving the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews".  And they cricifed two bandits with him, one on his right and one on his left.  The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said, "Aha! So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days!  Then save yourself; come down from the cross!"  The chief priest and the scribes mocked him amoung themselves in the same way with the words, "He saved others, he cannot save himself.  Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe."  Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.  When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My god, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, "Listen, he is calling on Elijah."  Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink saying, "Wait! And see if Elijah will come take him down."  But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.  And the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.  The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, "In truth this man was Son of God"



John 19:31-36

Now since it was preperation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down.  so the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did no break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.  An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that yo also may believe.  For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fullfilled.

Mark 16:9-18

Having risen in the morning on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast out seven devils.  She then went to those who had been his companionsk and who were mouning and in tears, and told them.  But they did not believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen him.  After this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their way into the country.  These went back and told the others, who did not beleive them either.  Lastly, he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table.  He reporached them for their incrdulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.  And he said to them, "Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation.  Whoever believes and is batpised will be saved; whoever does not believe wil be condemned.  These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out the devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover." 

Acts 1:9-12

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their site.  And while they looked steadfastly towrd heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven:  This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.

With that may you all have a happy and wondrous Easter!  Good luck to all of those who will be having Easter egg hunts and family dinners.  May the Lord bless each of you and hold you close to his heart.