This post will be long. I can see that from the beginning. I want to be able to remember these wonderful times again when reading my blog in the future.
This past week has been a really bad brain mush week. My thinking is not clear, my balance is worse and my memory of what things are called is worse. Gosh, I wish I could describe this correctly.
Last week was very rough and I am so thankful that this week is starting off as a great week! Here’s what I want to share about the amazing Sunday and Monday.
This post started out being named “What an Amazing Sunday” but Monday was amazing as well so the title changed.
Sunday morning at church, Trinity’s Adult Choir sang “Living Hope, A Musical for Easter” and our Children’s Choirs sang 10,000 Reasons.
Those kids were so so cute and sang their hearts out. Our new Children’s Minister Courtney Jones does an amazing job with the kids. First below are some photos from the children’s song. I had to include one of the real “kiddo” reactions and faces.
In this one, Sadie and Brady, the two with their hands over their mouths, started singing too early. Sweet Silas was looking at one of them like “What are you doing?”
The adult choir presented “Living Hope, A Musical for Easter” lead by our dear friend Teddy Forrest and narrated by Philip Bankston
Our pastor Avery Dixon said when he started that he was only given 15 minutes to preach. While that didn’t seem possible for him I think that 15 sermon was as full of teaching and Praise of God as his and other preacher’s much longer sermons. Madelyn Miley shared this short segment of that sermon and It speaks such truth about Jesus that I hope you will click on that link and listen to it. The second video is the whole Worship Service that Sunday. Chip and I were not ready for it to be over when it was over. What a blessing God bestowed on all of us.
I said this was going to be a long one and I was right. So far I only covered Sunday morning!
After church Chip and I took a ride around to see some of the places around our home. One thing I realized early on in our
drive was why I am so crazy and animated when riding around with Chip and when Roy was alive, with him. I might be the same with my friend Cindy Vernon but I am not sure. Do I do that when I’m with you, Cindy?
Okay, here it is. My life now is spent mostly at home, not just mostly but almost all the time. At home, things are pretty much the same all the time. However, when I am riding around I get to see new things, people doing things, animals like cows of all colors, donkeys, and horses. To someone who stays home almost all the time these are exciting and I do get excited about it and I talk, and I talk, and I talk
When I was talking so much Roy used to pull down my visor and open the flap to the mirror and tell me to entertain myself. When I realized Sunday why I do this I talked to Roy in Heaven and told him we figured it out! That poor man, what he put up with being my husband, my honey Roy!
So if you ride me around be aware that I change drastically when I am a passenger. I don’t do this when I am the driver.
During our ride around we saw dozens of beautiful azalea bushes blooming. One group of azaleas was especially beautiful with pinks, fuchsia, purple, white, and salmon-colored all in a row. Azaleas are all blooming so pretty this year.
One place had an abandoned house in front of the property where two beautiful and bright colored metal structures are in the middle of a big field. Be sure to click on the picture below or you won’t be able to see the cultures!
The house next to the abandoned house is currently being renovated. Just yesterday a big dumpster was parked in the first abandoned house’s yard so it must be preparing to be renovated also! I love to see old abandoned houses being renovated. There are so many in the country around where we live that really need renovating.
We got out of Chip’s truck and did some checking out some of the old abandoned structures on that road. This is so up my alley since I used to climb in windows of houses up for Sheriff’s Sale when we use to flip houses. Roy didn’t participate in going that far to see the inside of a structure but I seemed to have no problem with entering however I could. And I loved it!
We had so much fun during that drive. I laughed so much my stomach hurt! Chip is not used to his mom being crazy and willing to get up close to abandoned structures. He would have had a stroke if I tried to climb in one of them like I use to do with the house flipping! That kid is learning so much about his mom, I am sorry for him but happy at the same time!
Sunday evening my four top front teeth crown came out while eating milk softened raisin bran. Not a good thing to happen so I need to go to the dentist on Monday. It didn’t stop us from enjoying the day.
Buddy’s next-door friend Bennie (white Maltese) came to visit Sunday evening. He peeked his head around the vegetable garden tub to see what was happening! He is white with a blue (dyed) tail that is so cute when he’s running or prancing around. Here he and Buddy are beginning a visit by checking each other out before they go running and running around the yards with Bennie’s blue tail flying around. It is too cute!
That evening I wrote on Facebook; “I am in my happy place. Sitting on the patio, looking at my plants and enjoying our pond that Chip just raked pine needles out of.”
Those two sentences described a whole late afternoon of work Chip and I did. I repotted several plants, killed lots of ants living in the pots, and did some much needed clean-up on the patio plus a lot of weed pulling. Chip racked up on the shore all of the pine needles in the water from one end of our property line to the other. Then he raked them in big piles and into the wheelbarrow for distribution to the ground around plants on our property. That is a lot of work. Chip, at 39, is able to do more than Roy, at 69, could do and I am appreciating all of the work he does around here. A lot of appreciation!
Monday morning Chip took me to my dentist where they reinstalled or reglued my front four teeth that are attached together as one. I was giddy with happiness when we left there. I knew then that Monday was going to be a great day!
As the back story of why this next part of Monday was great, Chip spent all day Saturday at several car dealership lots looking for a car that met my needs and this Accura is perfect for me. The main thing I needed was a seat that I didn’t have to fall into and pull to get out of. This one fits that need perfectly. He found it when he called his good friend C. J. Adams to see what they had. Chip told me about the Accura
On Monday Chip drove me to Ross Downing in Hammond to pick up my “new for me” used Accura RDX crossover SUV with 4 Wheel Drive. I got to meet C.J. on Monday and had a wonderful visit with this strong Christian man. That’s C.J. on the left and my son Chip on the right.
Even though it is a 2008 vehicle it has all the bells and whistles as the Nissan Maxima plus or minus a couple of things. It has a Turbo engine which means I can get up to fast speed quickly and really smoothly. The interior is kinda rough but I got it for such a great price I can afford to have the torn and worn down leather parts replaced. The exterior is pretty perfect for being a 2008 vehicle.
I drove it home from the dealership and did pretty good. When we went to Hammond later in the evening for the Bible study I share about below I drove there with the understanding that if I did that okay I could drive us home later when it was dark for us to see how I do driving in the dark. I think I did good so driving home was going to happen!
Our ride home went through more of the backroads around here. We stopped on the road where a river (not sure which river it is) runs under the bridge and pulled over to check it out. There was a path that we walked along where it looked like people probably pitched a tent or a very small camper in various places along the path. They had a path from the camping places down to the river. Something about the way the river ran next to the camping path reminded me of the RV park we stayed in a couple of times in Arkansas and I liked that memory!
Monday evening was our final Bible study meeting where we’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 to 7. Johnnie Whisenhunt has been our group leader. I’ve been able to do this particular study because we did it mostly online. For our last night’s study, a bunch of us gathered in person at our church. Others in the group joined us online. It was really nice being together in person.
What was wild was that the meeting was held in the room my Sunday School class meets in. Since I have only gone to Sunday School online I’ve never been in that room. It was so very different looking in person than how it looks online. So so very different looking. I was very disoriented the first few minutes in the room that I couldn’t stop talking about it. It looks like a long rectangular looking room but it’s not, it’s an almost square room.
These Bible Study meetings were great and I really look forward to the next one which is a study of the Old Testament starting at Genesis 15.
I’m pretty sure that after this in-person meeting our other group members can understand why I am a quiet participant online. When I open my mouth to speak in person my brain starts to freeze up and just flat turns to mush. What I speak about may have nothing to do with what’s being discussed. But they were all kind to me and I really enjoyed getting to meet in person a couple of the ladies I’ve only known online, Cherrie and Erika. After our meeting we went downstairs for a strawberry cake that Johnnie made for us. That was delicious by the way. Thanks, Johnnie!
Our pastor, Bro. Avery Dixon stuck his head in to check on us in the first picture below.
This is me, Johnnie, Devon, Erika, Cherri, Elaine, and Laurie in the front! Our little Bible Study family, plus more online! Thanks Bro. Avery for taking the picture!
Chip went to visit with friends while I was at church. He came back to pick me up and I drove home. I did okay with that until I had to move from lane to lane and kinda panicked about that. We’ve decided that I can drive to Amite from home and back home but not any farther than that. Chip is willing to take me on any of those farther distance trips so for now I am happy to just drive to Amite and back. In case anyone is wondering, we do not live within the City of Amite but are 12 miles east of the city limits in the country part of Amite.
I spent 7 hours Wednesday writing this, gathering the pictures (which isn’t as easy to do without Roy’s help.) Remembering what all happened just two days later is very difficult for me. The best thing about that is that I didn’t do any work around here and the muscle pulled in my back, which I haven’t even mentioned, got some much needed rest!
I don’t plan to post anything before Easter so Happy Resurrection Day to you and your family! Remember what this special day is really about. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most special day for Christians. I pray for everyone who reads my blog to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If you don’t please reach out to me at rosalyn@selu.edu or text me at 985 320 8640 and let’s talk about what He’s done in my life and what He wants to do in your life.
Rosalyn
BECAUSE HE LIVES 