HOW DO YOU LIVE YOUR DASH?

I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth,

And spoke the following date with tears.

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years (1922-2009)

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth...

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;

The cars...the house...the cash,

What matters is how we live and love,

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...

Are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what's true and real,

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile...

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read

With your life's actions to rehash...

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash

Unknown source

HOW TO EAT AN ELEPHANT!

We have the daunting task of sorting through Evelyn's 86 year collection of "Stuff" in the next two weeks. It is like eating an elephant, you just have to take one bite at a time. We were getting close to getting our income tax finalized and were going over to help Evelyn do her income tax, but now it will be a blind attempt at doing her tax.

For a few days we will be quite busy, so if I don't have any stories, you know what I am doing.

Wisdom for the day--Get rid of as much "STUFF" ahead of time so someone else isn't faced with what to do with it. I'm speaking to myself as much as anyone. There was a e-mail sent to me from someone about "STUFF". If I can find it among my "STUFF", I might send it to you and you can file it among your "STUFF".

A TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE!

Fall always makes me think of dying leaves and landscape, but yesterday at the grave site I could smell the fresh earth and "New Life" in the trees, flowers, and grass. It was such a beautiful day for a celebration of Evelyn's life here on earth. She touched many people's life even when she was older and had to walk with a walker. It was a tribute to the faithful saints of God in the church that came to visit and lift up her spirit, that she was able to stay out of a nursing home. By their visits we found out that they came away with uplifted spirits, also. Evelyn, just as spring gives new life, is enjoying her new life in Heaven today.

Our daughters wrote this and laid it on the memory table for the service--

AUNT EVY

THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS LOVING US AND THE MEMORIES YOU GAVE US

ALONG THE WAY:

* Coke and popcorn for TV night

* Playing LP's on the oldHi Fi

* Unlimited candy out of your candy jar

* Helping us act out the Nativity Story

* Game night: Fun with Flinch, Mille Bornes, Rack-O, Cooties

* Money donations from your coin purse

* Holiday fun

* Lots of Chocolate!

* Piano Duets

------and more fun than two girls could hope to have!!!

We love you and miss you, Aunt Evy!

One of Evelyn's favorite hymns was sang at the memorial service.

In memory of Evelyn--These are the words--

JESUS PAID IT ALL

I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness,

watch and pray, Find in me thine all in all".

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy power, and Thine alone, Can change the

Leper's spots, and melt the heart of stone.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I Where-by Thy grace to claim---

I'll wash my garments white In the blood of Calvary's Lamb.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

And when, be-fore the throne, I stand in Him complete,

"Jesus died my soul to save," My lips shall still re-peat.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

Thought for today--Never under-estimate the smallest deed you do for others. In the "body of Christ" a toe is just as important as another more prominent part of the body. Continue to be faithful in your service for the Lord.

Footnote: Evelyn was a very generous person and would donate to so many causes that she heard about. We counted about 61 organizations she donated to and many of these were repeated every 2 or 3 times during the year. She would do this even when she herself would be of need for something.

ONE STORMY AFTERNOON!

I want to tell you about one STORMY afternoon in more ways than one! My husband was working a lot of overtime due to his line of work. This particular evening he was home for supper and was going back to work. The telephone rang and it was my husband's mother on the phone. She said that my husband's sister had an accident and that we should go directly to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital Evelyn was in the Emergency room. She had just left work in her car and was proceeding to cross a railroad crossing in the stormy afternoon rain. She had to get on the tracks before she could see if a train was coming, due to some railroad box cars too close to the intersection. Indeed there was a train coming and hit her car broadside.

When we got there we found out that she was in CRITICAL condition. She had head injury, broken ribs, broken collarbone, crushed pelvis, unconscious, many lacerations on her legs, etc. Not too promising report from the hospital personnel.

At the scene of the accident the undertaker was called. At that time the undertaker was also an ambulance service. When he arrived the police told him that the train hit the car, she flew out of the car onto the tracks. This was before seat belts.The car flew in the air and landed on top of her. The undertaker was told the girl was dead and the police had laid a tarp over her body because of the fierce storm. They proceeded to tell about how the accident happened to the undertaker. He was about to leave, but he thought he would check under the tarp if he happened to know the victim. After checking, he proceeded to put Evelyn in the ambulance. The police said, "You can't remove the body from the scene of the accident". The undertaker said, "This girl is not dead and I will be responsible for her". This part of the story was told to us at my husband's mother's funeral by the one who took her to the hospital that night. The years was 1952.

The nurse that was taking Evelyn's vitals knew her but was so focused on trying to get a pulse from her that she wasn't aware of who she was. This played out all night long. The next day I had an eighteen month old, so I went home to care for her, while my husband and mother stayed vigil at the hospital. Four days had gone by with Evelyn's life, hanging on by a thread. My husband needed rest and an aunt and I went to relieve them at the hospital. My husband and mother thought she was getting better, but when I and the aunt arrived, I could see that she was not getting better, but worse. They went on home and about 8 o'clock in the evening, I asked the nurse if she thought we ought to call them back to the hospital since it appeared to me that she was rapidly getting worse. She said, "yes, and also call your pastor." I went to the phone to call and the nurse said that she wanted to talk to the pastor herself. I heard her say to him, "Please come out right away, as Evelyn was not going to live through the night". Pneumonia had set in and it was a matter of hours. When we got back to the room the head nurse said to the private nurse, "Clean her up". They didn't want her being sent to the undertaker with straw and blood in her hair. The nurse asked again, to make sure, since head injury patients you don't move around much. "Yes" was the answer.

She pulled through the night and seemed to be stabilized, so the family went home to get a bite to eat. We had no more gotten home, the telephone was ringing, and they told us to hurry back as she was taking a turn for the worse and was taking her final breath. This was noon the next day.

We hurried back and the doctor asked my husband to sign permission to cut her throat to place a tube in so they could drain the fluid from the lungs. The doctor informed him that this was not going to get her well, but help her die more easily. This procedure took place. Every day was the same, she had private nurses around the clock and each shift they would take their starched cap home, because they knew she would die before their next shift. Normally, they would leave their cap for another days work.

Weeks went by and she still was no better, but at least she hadn't died. She was still unconscious and the nurses was draining fluid out of her lungs regularly. The doctor was telling us that if she lived, she would be a vegetable and would never be able to walk again. This was not news you want to hear and a HEAP OF A LOT OF PRAYERS WENT UP FROM EVERYONE regarding this trauma that she was in. You get to the point where you do not know how to pray, all you can do is pray--"YOUR WILL BE DONE".

Weeks went by and she still was unconscious. Evelyn's mother went down to get a bite to eat at the hospital. After she came back from eating, Evelyn had aroused and said, "Where am I?"
This was a MILESTONE. She was cognizant of her whereabouts and was able to talk. Her accident was at the end of September just before her 30Th birthday. Her birthday was on September 25 a few days after the accident. She was brought home with nurses around the clock and a hospital bed brought to the home by Thanksgiving, yet that year. By Christmas, she was walking a little with a walker and it was evident that GOD TRULY HAD PERFORMED A MIRACLE!! This was 56 years ago.

Tomorrow we will be attending her funeral, 56 years later. She returned to work and was able to live a fairly normal life. Her mind was clear up to the day of her death. She had many problems due to the accident injuries, but was able to walk (with a walker) up til the time of her death. GOD IS IN THE MIRACLE PERFORMING BUSINESS!!!! GOD EXISTS AND IS STILL IN CONTROL OF OUR LIVES! PTL

"HORSE SENSE TEST"

During my high school years I was just an average student, I got good grades in the subjects I liked, but just average in those I didn't care much for.

One day the entire students in the school congregated and the teachers gave us all a test collectively. The purpose of the test was unknown and never revealed. Every person from Seniors to Freshmen took the same test.

In a few days they passed the test papers back to us with a grade on top. They announced the highest grade and the lowest grade. The highest grade was about 96 and I can't remember what the lowest grade was. Only one person received the highest grade. I looked at my test paper and couldn't believe that I was the one that was highest. There surely was a mistake! No--it was my handwriting, etc on it. I since called it the "HORSE SENSE TEST"! The test that they gave was just plain unadulterated "Horse Sense", no more nor no less. It was so easy I couldn't believe that anybody didn't get really high grade on it.

I guess, I inherited my dad's "Horse Sense", or I had a very good day that day!

Wisdom--Please be patient with me, God isn't through with me yet!

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST!!

Yesterday we went to a shower at our Grandson (VIYM) & his wife's home. They are quite the team!! When we got there, our Grandson was stirring the soup, while his wife was doing other jobs for the family shower to be given for our other Special Grandson and his wife's new little one to be born in May. What a joy to see all of them and enjoying the fruits of their hospitality! The hostess had such unique ways to make the shower special for the new arrival. She made a wreath out of diapers, served punch in a baby tub (purchased new and to be given to the honored guest). Had cupcakes served on a little doll bed. She was the "HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST!" Thanks for the luncheon and the "fun" time we had at your home. We love you both!

At the shower was a girl that I didn't remember, but she said that her husband to be was a College roommate of our "Special" Grandson. They were the ones that introduced Steve and Nicole during the Christmas Season after that Thanksgiving session in Tennessee I will mention below.

Here is the story a few years back (about 5 years ago). It went like this---

We (husband and I and family) went to Tennessee at a time-share condo that our oldest daughter and husband owned. It was the Thanksgiving when Steve was a Junior in College. He was majoring in a music career. I was compelled to pray specifically for him while we were enjoying our vacation. I felt that there was a fork in the road ahead and he could follow God's plan for his life or go the way of the world (which usually goes the opposite way of God's plan). I prayed that the right girl would come into his life at the right time, so together they could plan their future and to honor God.

It was about late January or early February (about 2-3 months later), I got an e-mail from him. He stated that he had met a girl and I could ask him anything I wanted to ask about her. He stated her name and just a tad about her. I swiftly e-mailed him back with tons of questions. (Now imagine that!!!) I wasn't very good on the computer and before I could send the message, I lost everything I wrote to him. My screen went blank. Before I could write it again, he e-mailed me all the answers to what I wanted to know. Then a few nights later he called me on the phone. I told him that she sounded like a very nice person and would like to meet her sometime. Well, he said, "How about this week-end?" Whoa!! This was really going pretty fast! Of course, I said, "yes".

They came up and we got to meet our "Nicole" for the first time. She was everything he said she was and more!!! Steve and Nicole is a great team and compliment each other in their field of endeavor. She is an Associate Pastor at a church, he teaches guitar, works part time as a music director and has a music studio in the home. He has done some landscaping this past year.

God answers our prayers, sometimes quite rapidly, sometimes it seems slow, but He always answers!!! Nicole had Divinity School yet ahead of her and so they planned their lives around this for a few years. Now we are going to be blessed with a little sweet great-granddaughter.

Wisdom--God so wants to send the RIGHT person in your life, but He wants us to be WILLING to His choice for our lives. How many times must we GO AROUND THE BARN before we learn God's way is always BEST!!!