Heroes

Definition of a HERO
a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities : one that shows great courage: an object of extreme admiration and devotion

Our heroes today are young men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line for what they believe in, for our country and its people, to protect our freedom and even the freedom of those on foreign soil. One of these heroes is my son-in-law, a marine pilot. He will be leaving this week for a 7 month stay in Iraq. Please pray with us every single day for his safety and the safety of those serving with him. Gracious God, We pray for our soldiers. Let your grace be a protective shield, guarding them from harm and keeping them close to your love and compassion. May we always remember that they are the ones who face the horrors and dangers of war first-hand. Help us honor them for their courage and care for them when there is damage to their bodies or spirit. When they are lonely and afraid, and long to be with those whom they love, fill their hearts with the sure knowledge of your presence at all times, in war and peace. Let them feel, O God, deep in their hearts, that your love is always there—boundlessly, unconditionally, and eternally. Amen.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Easter Sunday

Resurrection Sunday!!!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday...

I LOVE THIS PHOTO!!

This deserves a big spot on the blog!!

Class of 2030?????

Holy Week

Holy Week - This is the most meaningful time of the year spiritually to me. I grew up in the Methodist church. Observing the liturgical calendar and developing an understanding and knowledge of this has always been so important in my life. I remember the first time way, way back in my memory as a little girl, really hearing the Easter story and crying through church, internalizing for the first time that there was a man - Jesus - who suffered like that for me. I grew up observing the season of Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and finally, the celebration of Easter. When Kaiti was beginning school, we made the decision to enroll her in Summerville Catholic. Before long, I joined as a member of the faculty. It was there that Lent and Holy Week took on even greater meaning to me. It was here that I learned about the Stations of the Cross , and taught students as young as 2nd graders what this meant in their lives. In my faith journey Easter is so much bigger than Christmas. Easter IS what being a Christian is all about. Easter is about accepting the true story and the gift that God has given us. It began with his entry into Jerusalem. A journey on a donkey when He knew what was ahead of Him. He went on in spite of what it held, and rode in "triumphantly"!! I read a meditation yesterday that put that donkey ride into a different perspective for me. Am I willing to "get on the donkey and ride with faith" when I know what lies ahead. Do I ride into a storm, bad times, possibly even death triumphantly with my head held high because I am certain of who is in charge? Is my faith that strong? Something to think about....

The Triumphal Entry

1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

Matthew 21

Hats!!!

Last night our little group of YaYas went to see the musical, Hats, at the Performing Art Center in Tampa. What a hoot!! What a great way to spend an evening together. We had seen Menopause the Musical together last year, and that was definitely a great evening, too. We have all been "mysteriously" brought together from different walks in life and areas of Tampa Bay to work in several ministries. We are the remnants of the local Chrysalis charter board, have worked Emmaus and Via de Cristo weekends together. We are bonded together through Christ and are fellow prayer warriors. All of us are 50+ except for dear Sally who is counting the days until she reaches that milestone in life. The whole hat thing was getting to me. When I was young I absolutely LOVED hats. Easter hats and gloves were just the norm for a little girl growing up in the south. I even wore a big hat when I got married - can you believe that!?! I loved it - had a long veil attached to the back. And it was different...so last night looking at the red hats - I am thinking that I could do this, but not the hat - and our group is not the froo-froo hat type. So I was thinking of an alternative and found the perfect one!! Maybe we will wear the hats after all!!

Today is a better day...

Today is a better day. Kaiti called early, early this morning to say that going back to work was hard, and it is more difficult every day instead of easier to leave Collin. Wow, the memories of being a young mom and needing to head back to work...
Today is the day we finish getting every last piece of paperwork off to Charleston Southern. We got behind due to everything that has been going on in our lives the past 10 days, but overnight mail is wonderful!!
I would ask all of my friends that are reading this to please keep Robert, Kaiti and Collin in your prayers as Robert prepares to deploy for Iraq in the next two weeks. Remember "we are the home of the free, because of the brave".

Thinking

Today has been a day of doctors and too much thinking...Kelly saw the neurologist this morning for another round of botox treatments for migraines. As afraid of this treatment as we were - I thank God that this is working for her, and that she is finally at a point like most people her age - to go on with her life. I saw the liver specialist at LifeLink today - another MRI and monitor everything for 6 months - YEA!!! I felt so blessed as I sat there with so many others who were waiting for a transplant. Thinking - thinking about the losses of a younger generation. Thinking about all of the past students that I have worked with, all of the young people that we have been in ministry with through our church and Chrysalis. Where do we lose them? How do they lose themselves? Where do we go wrong? How do we save their lives....

LowCountry Visit

What a weekend!! By Wednesday, we knew that the best thing for Kelly was to get out of town for a few days. We had plans to be in Charleston for the Water Missions Gala on Thursday evening. This is their major fundraiser and takes places at Charleston Place. It was a beautiful evening - silent auction, live auction - dinner. We were able to have dinner with 4 couples who are longtime Emmaus and church friends. It was such a blessing to be able to share this ministry with them. Water Missions is providing clean water purification systems to countries without all over the world. David is going to Uganda for two weeks in June with a medical/dental team and Kelly Green They will minister to the physical needs of the Ugandans, and set up two water systems in two different villages. Kaiti, Robert and Collin met us in Charleston for the weekend. What a whirlwind weekend!! Friday, my sister, niece and nephew came down to meet us for lunch. Afterwards, we were off to introduce Collin to the Citadel. Just had to find a t-shirt in a tiny, tiny size!! Lots of photos later, and we were off to the mall for a quick shopping venture, and then back in the car. We headed down the road to Beaufort - close to Hilton Head - for dinner with Robert's cousin. It was wonderful for the two of them to be able to spend some time together before Robert heads to Iraq. Long drive back - but so worth it - great company, best seafood anywhere around!! Saturday - was lunch at Tommy Condons with our great, great friends John and Cheryl. Soon - too soon, we were headed to the waterfront for family pictures taken by the same young man who did Kaiti and Robert's wedding photos. What a special time for all of us!! From there we headed to the market for more shopping - can you beleive that we ran smack into one of the gals from my Monday night Beth Moore group visiting Charleston with her husband for a quick vacation!?! What a surprise!! After finding the hand-smocked Easter outfits for Collin that we were looking for, we headed into a cafe for hot coffee. Within minutes a couple walked in that were great friends of Kaiti and Robert - friends they hadn't seen in a long time. What a crazy small world we live in!! Dinnertime and we were off to Mt. Pleasant for a dinner with very special friends - Emmaus, Citadel and football games. This was just an awesome time of hugging, laughing, baby-holding, one old college story after another, and the best food of the weekend!! Thank you Nancy!! Time passed too quickly, and we were up on Sunday morning packing and heading home in two different directions. Letting go of Robert was difficult - I won't see him again before he leaves. I am so proud of the parents that he and Kaiti have become. They are the best!! Check out the top slide show from Collins' first weekend in Charleston.

Hurting Hearts

It was last Saturday, March 1, when I received a phone call that would change our lives and the lives of friends that we love forever. The message just said to come over - something awful and tragic had happened. Their son, Trey, had been found dead that morning by his mom - my friend - when she went to wake him up to go off with the family for a day of fun at the boat show. The sadness that has grabbed hold of our community is almost more than anyone can bear. The unexpected grief that has overtaken the spirits of Trey's friends is so difficult to witness. Kelly and Trey have been friends for years. He spent almost as much time at our house as his during his school years - tutoring every evening. When there was no homework or projects to do - he was often still here just hanging out. How and why does a sweet life that is so full of promise come to an end? How do you explain this to your child? How do I explain this to myself? The loss and emptiness that everyone who loved Trey is dealing with is like learning a language that we have never spoken. We are supposed to support his family, yet we are all feeling this huge loss. All that any of us can do is to pray that God will bring glory to Trey's death - that goodness is going to come from this - that in time, our grief and mourning will turn to joy as we see The Trey Curry Foundation help those who Trey would have helped in his own time here on earth. I thank God for the gift of having Trey in my life and having the privilege of teaching him for 10 years. I thank God for the friend that Trey was to me, David and especially Kelly. I pray that God will help Kelly through this time of grieving. I pray for Trey's family as they make it from day to day right now. God please help us all.