I did manage to get a picture

Here is a picture of Gretchen posing with the Luther display at church. She was not tickled about it but I asked her soooo nicely.......Yesterday she came up to me in the church before the Reformation service and thanked me for the display, saying it turned out better than she expected. Today Gretchen described it as professional looking. Wow! I must tell Martie! Gretchen is donating the items to the church for our archives so we decided to keep the display up for a couple weeks and then pack it away safely. Thank God for Luther!!!

"Solo Christo"

I listened to the weather report last night before going to sleep, hearing we were in store for a couple cooler days again and possible rain during the week. Not necessarily all day rains, but at some point we may need the wipers if driving. The highs are getting into mid 80's so I think we can say good-bye to the near record setting temps which ended our week last week. It is pretty grey out there right now but I see a strip of pink over the trees which may indicate the potential for sunshine at some point.

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This morning I thought of a few things from yesterday's events which brought smiles to my heart. At one point I was being introduced to a couple people from Victory whom I did not know yet. Rachel told the one women, Julia, whom I actually had already met before but did not say anything, that I have a dual-citizenship between G.S. and Victory, and am a good-will ambassador for the churches. When I thanked her for that she said I help to keep the congregations connected with each other. Awww, shucks....

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Later, Stephanie came through when I was standing in the back at the podium taking attendance. She was wearing a lovely green shell with a bright flowery cardigan over the top. As I greeted her I told Stephanie how much I liked her sweater and she said, "I wanted to compete with your bright colors!" and I made one of my loud guffaws. Then I slapped my hand over my mouth for being so loud, although, thankfully, it was still plenty noisy in there. She said, "Oh, don't worry, they are probably used to you by now...." What does THAT mean? More than once people have said they hear me before they see me, when out somewhere. Huh.

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As we were leaving the church to head over for the dinner, Justin and I were among the last out because of the choir being in the back. When shaking hands with Pastor, he said, "You liked that last hymn, didn't you?", more statement than question since he knows VERY well how much I love "In Christ Alone". I gushed, "Yes, I did. I am still mopping up after that one!" and his dad, our guest preacher said, "I get all teared up, too!" See? Justin was correct, he was not alone in the eye-wiping, other men did it, too. John 3:16 is considered the Gospel in a nutshell, and I find the hymn, "In Christ Alone" to be the entire story of Christ and His saving work for us in a beautifully concise hymn. Perhaps someday at sporting events, people will be holding up signs that instead of having "John 3:16" printed on them, folks will hold signs with "In Christ Alone" written on them. Our Lutheran faith is founded on what Martin Luther discovered in the Holy Scriptures: by grace alone, God's saving grace through His son, Jesus Christ, who give His life for our sins. Sola gratia, sola fida, sola scriptura....and solo Christo, "In Christ Alone..."

Home again, worn out but thrilled

What a crying week it has been! The senseless murder of a small child, the reminders of my own loss and how much I miss him, and then culminating with singing, with the choirs, congregation, and especially, Justin, "In Christ Alone". We sang this closing hymn while standing, which makes for better expression, with Rachel, our guest pianist, playing softer and louder as the hymn called for it. Perfect! During the final stanza, though, the message hits home and my tears just let loose. Justin was sniffling, too, squeezing my arm, and then whispering that he saw some others wiping their eyes, too. Stephanie, my friend from Victory, said after church that she survived the hymn, knowing "my friend, Kim, was singing behind me and probably crying...." We are newer friends but already she knows. "No guilt in life, no fear in death....from life’s first cry to final breath....Jesus commands my destiny....No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand...‘til He returns or calls me home here in the power of Christ I’ll stand."

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Our choirs received compliments for the anthems in praise to the Lord, including the one which was kicking my butt. The extra rehearsal time plus the combined choirs alleviated my fears. Sadly, Rachel, the music director from Victory, was not pleased with the quality of the bells this a.m. so decided no bells at our afternoon worship. It would not be "excellent" so the decision was made to not have them. We had looked forward to having them play during the worship but she knew best.

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After the service we adjourned to the fellowship hall for our lovely dinner. We had more than enough food, plenty of desserts, and beautifully decorated tables. Justin coerced me into tasting a piece of zucchini, telling me I could wash it down my soda or macaroni and cheese from my plate. Really, I did not like it. Gretchen was pleased with the Luther display, saying it was better than she even anticipated. I will probably take it down tomorrow before Bible study and see what she wants done with it. Before I take it down, I want to get a picture of it for posterity purposes. I forgot the camera today so no photos for the newsletters, rats!

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The altar flowers were mine today so after the dinner, Justin and I took them out to take to the cemetery. I wanted to make sure to get there and out before sundown because of it being dark or getting locked in...If there are no funeral home visitations going on, they close the gates earlier. The other day my friend, John, my "boyfriend" at the cemetery told me that I could plant flowers around Timmy's tree if I want to. I said I thought that was not allowed and he said, "You know I let you do whatever you want...." Oh, great, now that I pulled all my stuff off the site! So, Cindy, what do think? What will grow nicely under the tree in the fall/winter? There are sprinklers now and new drainage pipes installed, quite conducive to good growing!

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A few moments ago Paul called to tell me that Sarah was quite upset because she did not get to hug Justin! When he tried to hug on her, she hid behind her daddy and refused to even say 'hi' to him, and Justin told her he would was going to get her later. Well, when we left, she came running out after him, wanting to hug him. It turned out it was not Justin she saw, we were already gone, and she was so upset. Sarah said, "but Justin said he was going to get me, and now I was going to hug him....." I told Paul that's what she gets for playing hard to get, which is exactly what he told her! She was crying, the whole shootin' match over missing her Justin. I told Paul I would get a hug from her tomorrow and promise to deliver it for her when I see him again. She could call him on the phone but Paul said she refused to do that. Sarah will have to listen to "I Hope You Dance" so does not miss her chance to hug her godfather next time!!!

Resting my bones....

.....before I head back to church for choir rehearsal and then the celebration of Reformation. I just settled down on my bed, legs up, after reheating some leftovers from Longhorn. This will tide me over until our feast at 5:00 pm when we enjoy our potluck. We are blessed to have a member/chef who is preparing the fatted calf (is Boston butt from a cow??) and the GS ladies are bringing the side dishes and desserts. I want to stop at Publix to get a cheesecake for dessert to share, plus my yummy baked beans which are presently in the oven. Love the smell of beans baking! I am also looking forward to seeing one of our former members, Dawn, as she joins us for the afternoon worship and dinner. And, our special guest, Justin Day!

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Bible study was great today, especially now that we meet in the Fellowship Hall. It works much better to have tables in front of us for making notes, folks can have their coffee or soda, as the case might be, and seems to be much more interactive and participatory in this format. Only a few don't like it, would prefer sitting in the church on the soft pews but also do not want to go against what the rest have indicated. Our topic is "Christ's Love, Our Calling" and was about the church family. We are all part of the body of Christ, with our different 'callings' in service to the Lord and His people, to build each other up and bear with one another. I am testimony to that as I would hate to have endured the things I have in my life, like losing my child and then my marriage, without the love and support of my families---church, biological, and heart! Thank you everybody! Go, now, and celebrate our Lutheran heritage with your families!!!

What does the weekend bring?

My fun began last night with the bracelet and earring-making craft night at Victory. Rachel brought her amazing collection of beads and tools and fun toys, plus completed pieces to show us. All this accumulation began only two months ago, when she made her first name tag lanyard for use at work. She had bought one from another co-worker, saw it was "easy" to make and launched her newest hobby of beading. Rachel told us that she finances this hobby by making and selling surgical caps for the docs to wear at work, making them unique and perhaps more "fun" than the basic green or blue. She said she does the calculations in her head, like, "How many more caps do I have to make in order to buy these blue beads.......?". It was so funny to see/hear her passion. She is an accomplished sewer, purse maker, baker, and musician. Add to that being a nurse, and now teacher, as she helped us make our breast cancer awareness jewelry, with the proceeds going to support research. Add to that great fellowship between us ladies, nothing better!

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Instead of going to sleep when I got home, I read on-line postings and comments on the news pages about the Somer Thompson case. One of the local news broadcasts showed a picture of a man being interviewed, a sex offender who worked on a damaged home nearly where the child disappeared. It seems that many years ago when this man was 19, he had an underage teen girlfriend which is where the charges came from. I guess he was never "judged" due to the circumstances but his name came up on a list somehow. Many in the area want to string up all the sex offenders and predators, tattoo them with a red letter on their foreheads, all that reactionary stuff. That is as frightening as having convicts living among us, now add vigilantism to the mix. In my mind, part of this reaction is that people are not entirely comfortable with how to express true sorrow or grief, choosing anger or hatred instead of simply laying into the genuine emotion these type of circumstances call for. Hopefully people will turn out to support the family in positive ways this weekend at the fund raiser event, or stand along the streets as the funeral procession goes by on the way to the cemetery next week.

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Yesterday I worked on the photos taken at the Precious Lambs Preschool and Kindergarten Open House Thursday night. Because I was meeting Twila for lunch, I printed off a couple for her which showed her granddaughter, Twila Jr., with her little ones who are students there. Mario is doing well in kindergarten, as Twila Sr. declared the teachers "unsung heroes". I will do my best to change that, and I know she will, too, now that she has seen them in action! Twila Sr. and I ate at Pengrees after her doctor appointment, where I had the country fried steak with mashed potatoes. Yummy! We each had a slice of peanut butter pie for dessert, my first time! It is good but think I would like just plain chocolate cream pie just as well. My friend, Christine, told me once to never start eating peanut butter pie, because "you will not stop"!! Thanks for the warning, but I think I am okay.

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In a few minutes I will be leaving to visit Tina in Palm Coast. We are meeting at Ruby Tuesday to have lunch after Maya's ballerina class. I can't tell you how perfect Maya is as a ballerina as she is quite the little princess. Bet she is just adorable, too. My friend, Janet, had to take her granddaughter to gymnastics Wednesday and was told by the leader that Jordyn is ready to move up to advanced class, meaning twice a week (twice the money), go to competitions and be on a team. This is a three-year-old child! What a racket that is, and Janet said her kids are well aware of that. While Jordyn can move up to a more advanced class, she will not go more than once a week nor will she compete. Janet said that kids just can't be kids anymore, everything has to be organized play or electronic. She has a hard time getting Zach to play outside or do any physical things, but as Grandma, will not take "no" for an answer.

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When Timmy died, a song was popular on the radio called "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. It talks about never sitting back and letting the world pass you by, always have a sense of wonder, not taking life for granted and to remember "heaven". The refrain encourages us, when given the choice to "sit it out or dance, I hope you dance..." This is a song about living in the world, seeking what you can, and so on, but also has words of encouragement about remembering God and living life to its fullest. Not to miss a chance to do something versus sitting and watching the world go by. On the way to the funeral home for the visitation, the song was on the radio. And, again, on the way home from the visitation. On the day of the funeral, as we drove to church, there it was again! Not a superstitious person, it still hit me that there was something special about this song for me, since I am not a country music person normally. From now on, when I hear this song, I will remember hearing it as we drove to these special events in our lives. I gave a little book to my friend, Cindy, which had the song on a CD included in the back, for her remembrance, too. These recent events flooded my memory, what can I say??

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Justin sent me a couple messages yesterday, one funny and one more sentimental in nature. "Confucius say, "Man who farts in church sits in own pew..." ." A bit later he sent the message that twice in the day his iPod played "Godspeed, Little Man". This is the title of the story I am writing about his little brother, Timmy. The name comes from a song by (gulp!) the Dixie Chicks, where the lyrics describe a little boy playing with his dragons and dinosaurs, sitting on the sofa in his Superman pajamas.....

A good night's sleep

It really makes a difference on how one feels in the morning. Knowing that the little girl is no longer missing and is safely in her Savior's arms allows one to rest more easily. Another thing that helps is attending the Open House at Precious Lambs Preschool and Kindergarten last night. And I was nearly late! Somehow the time got away on me, talking on the phone and then sort of thinking it started at 6:30 pm instead of at 6:00. Yikes! I made it in less than 20 minutes and in time to snap some photos of the rather sizable group of parents and kids. What amazing teachers and students we have been provided---through the grace of God!

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The stories are becoming fewer now that Somer's body has been identified but one story indicates police are focusing on an abandoned home on the route from school. They worked past midnight on this site and then are coming back this a.m. while other investigators search through the dirt and such at the dump in GA where the body was found. A fire three months ago left the home vacant and is now the focus of the investigation. Another vigil by candlelight was held at the child's home last night, and the radio reported that those attending prayed the Lord's Prayer. In case anyone wonders what "good" can possibly come from situations such as these, this is it. people are talking about praying to God and are singing "Amazing Grace", and hopefully they all realize what they are saying when doing this.

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Today will be spent mostly in the condo as I put some finishing touches on the church newsletter, working on the photos taken last night at Open House, and just taking care of some house cleaning in more ways than one! I thought I might carry the Luther display stuff down to my car in advance but then, on second thought, might not want to do that and compromise my glue used to afix the items to the board. Heat might not be the right thing in this case and we are expecting mid-80's today (sorry, Linda J. and M.!) Must make a note to take extra glue dots with me in case anything starts to move! Saturday I plan to go to Palm Coast to take my niece her poppyseed doughnuts and my great-niece her belated 3rd birthday present. Then, I will go to church to set up the display in advance of the big Reformation celebration on Sunday. There won't be time to catch our breath between morning worship and the joint choir rehearsal at 2:30 pm. What will I take for the pot luck? I am thinking of assorted cheesecake slices, always a hit, from Publix and possibly a ham if I can work that out. I want to use the leftovers, if there are any, to make a kettle of soup.

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Linda is going to be here in early November, in less than two weeks and I am so looking forward to her visit! I think we will go and see "Amelia" one afternoon, a good movie for two friends to see. Never again will we see a movie on par with "The Bucket List", where Martie, Linda, and I bawled our hearts out, or laughed so hard at "New In Town" where we made new friends with the ladies at the end of our row who had lived in New Ulm. Oh, the rich treasure of memories Linda and I have had in our friendship! Yesterday at Bible study, Justin sort of got the giggles, 22-year-old man-type giggles, when Pastor Hoyer read the passage about the rich man entering heaven. He could not help thinking of Tommy pulling the cooler through the sand at Jax Beach----"it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is to pull a cooler through the sand....." Lynn, are you chuckling???

The wait is over...

...and the sorrow sinks in. The sheriff announced this a.m. that a positive identification of the child's body in the landfill in GA, where our trash is hauled, has been made. It is over, the child is found. While our prayers were that the little girl would be found alive and safe, it seems she was already dead or dying before most even knew she was missing. In reading the news postings on-line there are many thoughts circulating about the who, what, when, where, and how of this tragic case. The sheriff has declared that there is going to be an all-out effort to find the killer and bring them to justice. It was impressive but terribly unfortunate how the community rallied to find this child, as I wish more of us would be actively involved and concerned with others all the time, not only in times of crisis.

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I know the man who led the search team at the dump, he actually came here with his family to watch the space shuttle launch one night when I was not home. I wrote about this just a week or so ago when I bought this new laptop, as I saw this man's wife, Lorrie, at Office Max. They have a young daughter, too, and I am sure he will hold her closer from now on, the way I hope many other parents are doing, too. In Pastor Prange's sermon at Timmy's funeral, he mentions how the entire congregation was affected by this loss, how people are even more cherishing of their children after this tragedy. Yes, that is the feeling people have, to appreciate what they have, and to appreciate how quickly things can change in our lives.

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Several weeks ago there was a young man, aged 20, who was killed in the student apartments where Justin resides. This totally freaked me out and I was so glad to hear his voice the next day to know he was okay. In fact, he was unaware of any troubles on the property as it is good-sized place with many units. Justin said he was more "concerned" about the place since the management, in order to fill the empty units, started renting to people not in school. Things changed, just as they did in Mom's apartment building from where she moved in September. To fill the empty apartments, the owner was taking in subsidized tenants, some whom required being checked on several times a day. Yes, that is pretty scary stuff. Anyway, three men have been arrested for the killing, which is the result of a drug buy gone bad. It was already bad to start with, but someone was killed during the committing of one crime. To read the on-line comments, everyone involved was good, pleasant, honor roll people...sure they were!

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In recent weeks someone evidently got hold of Lisa's bank card information and proceeded to spend all their checking account money. She is not sure where or when but guesses it might have been when they traveled up north in WI for a funeral. Or the medical office where they used the "old-fashioned" method of taking the credit card information, the machine that makes an imprint of the card face, perhaps leaving a carbon behind. Whatever or wherever it happened, she has been assured by the bank, where she froze her accounts so no more could be taken out, that the bank will replace the missing funds for them until the mystery is solved. Certainly the bank has methods for tracing backward when the unauthorized transactions took place and I hope somehow the criminal will be caught, and brought to justice.

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My eyes feel like pokers as much of the evening was spent in tears about this little one. It is so not about me, but yet the feelings come rushing back, knowing keenly how this mom is feeling. Justin mentioned how helpful it was for him to be with the Dohner's, our next door neighbors/friends from the previous neighborhood, the night his brother died. The distraction "really helped", he told me. I will be with him today at Bible study and probably lunch so we can talk some more, if we want to. Our subject matter, End Times, is going to be so right on given the news of recent days. Yesterday, I was so not interested in the health insurance debacle whereas Martie and I would have chewed that topic over and over until we could spit. But not yesterday, it was about Luther, and the search for Somer.