Good morning…
At ages eight and eighty-one, my mom and dad diligently dismantled their home this fall to leave Berea, Ohio on November 1st. Having thrived in our hometown for fifty-something years, this morning they wake up in an unfamiliar two bedroom, two bath villa about twenty-five minutes away. I sensed the imminent move last spring when my parents took me to visit a retirement community they were considering, a community which offers a comprehensive continuum of care. Watching my parents come alive as they showed me around the place and knowing that many of their friends have already made the move, I sensed as we drove away last May: “This community will become their next neighborhood.”
Today our friend Brooke LeBow, from our Friday morning Bible study, wakes in Emory University Hospital at the bedside of her sixty-one year old husband, James, on the morning of his open heart surgery. As we meet for class at 10:30 am, we will pray aloud for Brooke, for James, for a miraculously successful LVAD surgery and a healthy process of recovery. We join them in their mantra: “With God everything is possible.”
Also this morning, loving memories linger from last night’s late night. It was my first “Day of the Dead” party, an annual November 1st, “All Souls Day” tradition. About twelve of us, strangers-turned-friends, gathered together in Ginna McFarling’s living room. We each brought cherished pictures, special items, and favorite foods to honor loved ones who have returned to heaven before us. On my candlelit altar, I placed sacred symbols, remembering Abby Smith. Dan Dalke. Chris Deisley. Julie Harlan. Tommy Lanier. Nan Currie. Paul Hackett. And all those who have lost their lives to addiction or suicide in our community. I made salt and vinegar chickpeas in honor of healthy food fanatic Beth Jordan. Sharing stories of our loved ones bonded us from different cultures, different backgrounds, different walks of life. This morning, loving memories linger from last night’s late night.
“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time,” James Taylor’s voice now sings in my brain. Admiring my parents, praying for the LeBows, and feeling the ever-presence of loved ones in heaven, I begin this day enjoying the passage of time.
And so I heartily recommended that you pursue joy, for the best a person can do under the sun is to enjoy life. Eat, drink, and be happy. If this is your attitude, joy will carry you through the toil, every day that God gives you under the sun (Ecclesiastes 8:15, VOICE).
…Sue…
