Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Saying goodbye
Saying goodbye
Saying goodbye to family was so hard. We had said goodbye to Alec, Layne, and Jessa earlier. We had said goodbye to Madalynne and Morgan (and their mom and dad) when we left them in Michigan the first of July. And that meant that we still had Gracie & Noah, with their parents to bid farewell. The Sunday before we left, the church had a potluck after church in order to fellowship and say goodbye. Actually the women of my Bible study organized it, and it was wonderful, right down to the tables with linen and lovely centerpieces. There was a short time for remembrances after the meal and it was a lot of fun. We love the people at First Church; they have been our spiritual family for many years and we have grown & served & lived out our faith together in the uniqueness that only comes with being part of a church. Elaine sang a song for us: Make My Life an Alleluia--and I cried through most of it. And this was the day that our dearest friends would lay their hands on us and pray us into our future; “laying on of hands,” as we call it, always has a powerful effect on me.
But our last day at church was the day we were leaving. I’d not slept, we had a long drive ahead of us, & I was dreading the goodbyes. Then, too, I’d planned to speak & sing in a quartet, & knew that Rachelle had planned a special song. The speaking went well, singing the offertory went well, but then Rachelle & Brian sang a goodbye--one of my favorites: “Be At Rest.” Taken from the songs of David, this wonderful Steve Green version of Psalm 116: 7-8 says this: “Be at rest, be at rest once more, oh my soul, for the Lord has been good. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and You, O Lord have delivered my feet from stumbling. Be at rest, be at rest once more. O my soul, for the Lord has been good to You.” And then Rachelle went out the back door of the sanctuary and I heard her sobbing out loud. I remember standing up when it wasn’t the time to stand, and just stumbled out after her. It was so very hard to hug her and Jeremie and little Gracie and Noah goodbye. I miss our children and grandchildren terribly. This is the borne cross. But the words are true and my soul is at rest; Rachelle knew it was just the right song to sing.
Saying goodbye to family was so hard. We had said goodbye to Alec, Layne, and Jessa earlier. We had said goodbye to Madalynne and Morgan (and their mom and dad) when we left them in Michigan the first of July. And that meant that we still had Gracie & Noah, with their parents to bid farewell. The Sunday before we left, the church had a potluck after church in order to fellowship and say goodbye. Actually the women of my Bible study organized it, and it was wonderful, right down to the tables with linen and lovely centerpieces. There was a short time for remembrances after the meal and it was a lot of fun. We love the people at First Church; they have been our spiritual family for many years and we have grown & served & lived out our faith together in the uniqueness that only comes with being part of a church. Elaine sang a song for us: Make My Life an Alleluia--and I cried through most of it. And this was the day that our dearest friends would lay their hands on us and pray us into our future; “laying on of hands,” as we call it, always has a powerful effect on me.
But our last day at church was the day we were leaving. I’d not slept, we had a long drive ahead of us, & I was dreading the goodbyes. Then, too, I’d planned to speak & sing in a quartet, & knew that Rachelle had planned a special song. The speaking went well, singing the offertory went well, but then Rachelle & Brian sang a goodbye--one of my favorites: “Be At Rest.” Taken from the songs of David, this wonderful Steve Green version of Psalm 116: 7-8 says this: “Be at rest, be at rest once more, oh my soul, for the Lord has been good. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and You, O Lord have delivered my feet from stumbling. Be at rest, be at rest once more. O my soul, for the Lord has been good to You.” And then Rachelle went out the back door of the sanctuary and I heard her sobbing out loud. I remember standing up when it wasn’t the time to stand, and just stumbled out after her. It was so very hard to hug her and Jeremie and little Gracie and Noah goodbye. I miss our children and grandchildren terribly. This is the borne cross. But the words are true and my soul is at rest; Rachelle knew it was just the right song to sing.
Moving Day
Moving Day
Wow. We had so much help it was like a large human vacuum cleaner sucking the stuff out of the house. We hired two professional movers to direct the packing of the 26’ U-Haul truck, and then Nick (Indiana UM camps’ director) & his sons and friend showed up at 8 a.m., and Dave, Don, Joe, Ron, & Marge came from church, and family Ryan & Jeremie came to help move. They were all absolutely awesome. The two professional movers were so impressed by the help; they said they’d never in their years of moving seen so much and such good help. By noon the house was empty and a 26’ truck and a 12’ trailer were all packed and ready to go. We were loaded and heavy. And I was a nervous wreck. My exhausting weeks caught up with me on those last days and I went a couple nights with no sleep. Fatigue is not my friend. I was almost overwhelmed by what we were doing and what was ahead of us; fatigue also makes me become more emotional and the stress causes diarrhea. So my last day at home left me a bit of a basket case! I was not in good shape for our last day at church and our farewell to family and friends.
Wow. We had so much help it was like a large human vacuum cleaner sucking the stuff out of the house. We hired two professional movers to direct the packing of the 26’ U-Haul truck, and then Nick (Indiana UM camps’ director) & his sons and friend showed up at 8 a.m., and Dave, Don, Joe, Ron, & Marge came from church, and family Ryan & Jeremie came to help move. They were all absolutely awesome. The two professional movers were so impressed by the help; they said they’d never in their years of moving seen so much and such good help. By noon the house was empty and a 26’ truck and a 12’ trailer were all packed and ready to go. We were loaded and heavy. And I was a nervous wreck. My exhausting weeks caught up with me on those last days and I went a couple nights with no sleep. Fatigue is not my friend. I was almost overwhelmed by what we were doing and what was ahead of us; fatigue also makes me become more emotional and the stress causes diarrhea. So my last day at home left me a bit of a basket case! I was not in good shape for our last day at church and our farewell to family and friends.
The Move
The Move
The summer of 2009 was a blur. I was finishing a job and carefully preparing it for somebody else. It was an emotional farewell, saying goodbye to my work with the wonderful people of the Indiana Conference of United Methodist Churches. I had poured my heart into it for 8 ½ years. Our final Annual Conference was a mix of joy & sadness, followed by an accident that totaled our car. Through this we had to help our daughter, Rae Lynne’s, family get their house ready to sell, packed, loaded and moved to Michigan. It was exhausting. We returned to Indiana with four days to ready for a sale in which we would sell about 2/3 of our household goods. And after the sale we would have 5 days to pack and leave for Kentucky.
Somehow one’s belongings don’t look so good splayed out on tables and the drive and the yard. It’s really a pathetic looking site, looking at one’s life laid out for sale. It was sometimes painful, but we were probably too tired to appreciate the immensity of what we were doing. We gave the kids what they wanted & could fit in their homes & sold the rest. It was just stuff, but it was ‘our stuff’ and our life being dickered over and carted away in other people’s trunks. I thank God for my friend, Paula, who helped sort, haul, stack, price, & sell our stuff. And John & Nancy who brought food and then bought some things, & Marge & Dave who helped through it all. The sale was very successful , what was left went to the local homeless shelter, and the remaining goods were just about right for our much smaller home in Kentucky. In the end, downsizing this much had a rather freeing effect. And if we ever move back to our Logansport home we’ll have to buy new furniture….not all that bad of an idea!
After the sale, we had five days to pack all the goods we were moving to Kentucky. It was a marathon and ran late on several nights. We found french fry boxes from Mc Donalds were just the perfect size. Thanks to Karen, Marge, Rachelle, & Bonnie we got the household packing done. If I never hear the sound of ripping packing tape again in my life I’ll be happy.
The summer of 2009 was a blur. I was finishing a job and carefully preparing it for somebody else. It was an emotional farewell, saying goodbye to my work with the wonderful people of the Indiana Conference of United Methodist Churches. I had poured my heart into it for 8 ½ years. Our final Annual Conference was a mix of joy & sadness, followed by an accident that totaled our car. Through this we had to help our daughter, Rae Lynne’s, family get their house ready to sell, packed, loaded and moved to Michigan. It was exhausting. We returned to Indiana with four days to ready for a sale in which we would sell about 2/3 of our household goods. And after the sale we would have 5 days to pack and leave for Kentucky.
Somehow one’s belongings don’t look so good splayed out on tables and the drive and the yard. It’s really a pathetic looking site, looking at one’s life laid out for sale. It was sometimes painful, but we were probably too tired to appreciate the immensity of what we were doing. We gave the kids what they wanted & could fit in their homes & sold the rest. It was just stuff, but it was ‘our stuff’ and our life being dickered over and carted away in other people’s trunks. I thank God for my friend, Paula, who helped sort, haul, stack, price, & sell our stuff. And John & Nancy who brought food and then bought some things, & Marge & Dave who helped through it all. The sale was very successful , what was left went to the local homeless shelter, and the remaining goods were just about right for our much smaller home in Kentucky. In the end, downsizing this much had a rather freeing effect. And if we ever move back to our Logansport home we’ll have to buy new furniture….not all that bad of an idea!
After the sale, we had five days to pack all the goods we were moving to Kentucky. It was a marathon and ran late on several nights. We found french fry boxes from Mc Donalds were just the perfect size. Thanks to Karen, Marge, Rachelle, & Bonnie we got the household packing done. If I never hear the sound of ripping packing tape again in my life I’ll be happy.
Gut Check
Gut Check
From the time we decided to move to Red Bird Mission a number of odd and adverse circumstances hit us. Some would say we were being tested. Some said it was the Devil trying to discourage us. Some thought we should rethink our decision and stay in Indiana. I think a series of natural events took place, one after another, but in such a way that they tested our resolve. I can honestly say, when the chips were down and the pressure built up, we never wavered….not from sheer resolve, but because we just felt/knew this was the direction to go and we wanted to do it! We couldn’t wait to get started. Perhaps the incidents provided a simple gut check. We still believe it was right and are confident in our choice to move. It was not easy, but it was right and good. An old gospel song says this: “God never makes you go against your will, he just makes you willing to go.” I would say not only willing, but ready and anxious to go. Anticipating and looking forward to going. One goes because staying put just isn’t an option anymore.
From the time we decided to move to Red Bird Mission a number of odd and adverse circumstances hit us. Some would say we were being tested. Some said it was the Devil trying to discourage us. Some thought we should rethink our decision and stay in Indiana. I think a series of natural events took place, one after another, but in such a way that they tested our resolve. I can honestly say, when the chips were down and the pressure built up, we never wavered….not from sheer resolve, but because we just felt/knew this was the direction to go and we wanted to do it! We couldn’t wait to get started. Perhaps the incidents provided a simple gut check. We still believe it was right and are confident in our choice to move. It was not easy, but it was right and good. An old gospel song says this: “God never makes you go against your will, he just makes you willing to go.” I would say not only willing, but ready and anxious to go. Anticipating and looking forward to going. One goes because staying put just isn’t an option anymore.
The Call
The Call
I now find others asking us: “What made you move to Kentucky?” And implicit in that question—from United Methodists anyway—is the understanding that the underlying question is “How is that you were called to Red Bird?” I’ve asked many people, myself, to explain their “call” to me, and was never satisfied that I knew just what they meant by an understood call.
So now the shoe is on the other foot and others wonder about us. Surely some sense of call motivated us to leave family, our friends and church, our home and possessions, and move to a very remote place in Southeast Kentucky. Our story won’t make any more sense to you than others’ stories made to us. We simply couldn’t not do it. It would have hounded us. As believers in the Christ, we say our lives are not our own, they are lived by and for a much larger purpose than that of simple human existence. So short of getting philosophical, theological, or weird, I can only say that our faith has been like stepping into a stream and it has carried us along our entire lives. (And water has so much spiritual significance that this seems an apt analogy.) It is the only life worth living and it is wholly satisfying.
And so we said yes to an opportunity to live and serve in the heart of the mountains and forest of Southeast Kentucky. We don’t know that it is for the rest of our lives. We say it’s not so much a destination as a direction. And that is enough for us.
I now find others asking us: “What made you move to Kentucky?” And implicit in that question—from United Methodists anyway—is the understanding that the underlying question is “How is that you were called to Red Bird?” I’ve asked many people, myself, to explain their “call” to me, and was never satisfied that I knew just what they meant by an understood call.
So now the shoe is on the other foot and others wonder about us. Surely some sense of call motivated us to leave family, our friends and church, our home and possessions, and move to a very remote place in Southeast Kentucky. Our story won’t make any more sense to you than others’ stories made to us. We simply couldn’t not do it. It would have hounded us. As believers in the Christ, we say our lives are not our own, they are lived by and for a much larger purpose than that of simple human existence. So short of getting philosophical, theological, or weird, I can only say that our faith has been like stepping into a stream and it has carried us along our entire lives. (And water has so much spiritual significance that this seems an apt analogy.) It is the only life worth living and it is wholly satisfying.
And so we said yes to an opportunity to live and serve in the heart of the mountains and forest of Southeast Kentucky. We don’t know that it is for the rest of our lives. We say it’s not so much a destination as a direction. And that is enough for us.
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