Skip to main content

life and death

This last month I've been to three funerals - my coworker whose child came perfectly formed and stillborn at only 7.5 months; Bobby's Uncle Henry who had fought a long and courageous battle with cancer; and a friend from church whose father passed away. From the casket the size of my toolbox, to the bagpipes and flag-draped coffin, I'm coming to appreciate more and more how each and every day is truly a gift from God.

Along those same lines, this morning's sermon was an "Ouch! Ow! Ouch!" one. From I Kings 19 we looked at a victorious servant of God who became discouraged and saw God's loving response to his pity-party. God kept bringing to mind thoughts and emotions from this past month where I've tried to handle things on my own instead of giving it to Him and looking at the many blessings and opportunities I have. The opportunity to grab each day and fill it to the fullest...an opportunity that for so many has now ended.

Comments

Jennifer said…
so glad you joine the blogging world. I need to learn to not write when I am upset or mad!!
sara said…
Monica! I am so glad you started a blog- it is a good way to get to know you better- and I learned something already--you are a quilter!!! I did not know that. You will have to post pictures of your quilts for us to see :)
Unknown said…
This is so exciting - your blog is stunningly beautiful and you are a wonderful writer. I can't wait to learn more about you, dear!

Popular posts from this blog

things we do for love

Saturday we had a baby shower for Bobby's niece. As I was making the mints, Bobby asked what else was on the menu. After I recited off the litany of items, he responded with "No peanut butter?! This shower is for Hannah! What's she going to eat?" (Hannah has had stomach problems over the years and has been unable to tolerate many foods, but peanut butter has been her staple.) Despite my assurances that she would enjoy the foods we were having, he was adamant that I needed to make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the shower. Even though I protested that NOBODY took that to a shower, he persisted, and informed me I could make them dainty with my little cutter. And so I did. To my surprise all but 3 were eaten. Who'd a thunk it?

perspectives

A few years ago after a Bible study a lot of the group continued to sit and talk and simply relax. One of the ladies felt like she was being mistreated by her boss. She was always given extra tasks or asked to assume responsibilities that no one else was asked to do. She felt it was unfair. As she was listing off some of the extras (she worked in a cafe for a plant), I was in flashback mode. My last year of college I was a shift manager at a fast food place. One of my many duties was to ensure that certain cleaning jobs (extra duties) was assigned and done properly. We were inspected by company headquarters once a quarter, and 3 of their 4 visits was ALWAYS a surprise visit. When I handed out those extra assignments, I had three things in mind: Who will do this job without making a bigger mess? Who can quickly do this job so we don't impede serving customers? Who will do this without the most drama? In essence, I wanted the best person for the job. Use the teenager who griped and c...

fun...funny houses

 We saw the above house in Pittsboro while on our way to the mountains. It was the strangest house I've ever seen. Evidently this isn't a modification, for Bobby remembers thinking it funny as a child. Evidently a governor lived here at one point. I think the sign said it's now a Masonic lodge. And if seeing one funny house wasn't enough, the latest issue of This Old House had a link to their website that had several galleries of funny (or strange houses). Here's my favorites from their collection:   Szymbark , Poland  This just makes me laugh, and I would love to visit this house in person. Created by a designer who wanted to demonstrate "wrong-doings against humanity".  Visitors have stood in line for as long as 6 hours to tour the house, and many come out feeling "sea-sick".     Kalambaka, Greece... This 1,000 foot cliff drop has housed monastaries since the 11th century. Six of them are open to the public, " assuming, of course, th...