Here I sit on my birthday writing a letter for The Messenger. I’m preparing our worship on Sunday to honor Memorial Day so I’m just remembering times and things gone by. So on birthdays – especially big ones – we may tend reminisce about our childhood. So here I go.
I don’t remember the day but my birth certificate says I was born at 1am on Sunday morning. I was told that my daddy thought he could go ahead and preach that morning but got in the pulpit and was unable to deliver his sermon. One of the lay women of the church got up and delivered the sermon for him.
My mom and dad were wonderful people – really serving others in dad’s role as pastor. I would help him print his bulletins on the old mimeograph machine. Back in the day I thought that was fun! Then I would get ten cents for folding bulletins. Mom made a good pastor’s wife – singing in the choir, teaching Sunday school and doing all the things that pastor’s wives used to be expected to do around the church. She also did substitute teaching. Mom and Dad were always around for my brother and me and my mom was the best cook ever! Daddy died when I was 22 and Mom died in 1993.
My childhood was great. I have one older brother, John, and we got along as any brother and sister do – great with a few spats. We even still love each other today but he lives far away in Louisiana (and he’s a Baptist now and sings in his church choir) so we don’t get to visit too often. I even got my birthday card on time this year! (His being a Baptist doesn’t have anything to do with not visiting.)
I started taking piano lessons when I was six and took until I was in tenth grade then I went to organ lessons. I never became too accomplished since we moved around and I changed teachers each time we moved. I started playing in church when I was in high school. I got $5 each time I played.
When I go back to Holland, VA to visit I always get together with my high school buddies. It’s almost like a family reunion. There were only 43 in my graduating class but we were all pretty close. Now many – should I say most – of them are retired and some have died but very few have moved very far away from home. My high school now has a facebook page but I haven’t gotten there yet.
Enough down memory lane for today. I have had a blessed life. GOD IS GOOD!
I did want to thank all of you for being generous with aid for the victims of all the disasters that have been happening around the country. The buckets are full. Our kids are making hygiene kits and your cash donations are going to relieve these victims of floods and tornadoes. And many thanks to those who gave time, effort, and love to our brothers in VISION.
GOD IS GOOD – ALL THE TIME!
AND MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS US IN OUR SERVICE.
