1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-7
The above Christmas Story passage is something many of us can recite from memory and is generally cited in most Christmas Eve services. It has become so ingrained in our Christmas traditions that we tend not examine the sheer mechanics involved with the story. We focus on the birth of Christ, which is the reason for the season, but there is a deeper untold story of faith and obedience by Mary and Joseph.
Mary’s obedience began when the angel of the Lord told her that she would have a child even though she had not known a man (Luke 1:26-35) The females of this family must have an inkling of what would have gone through Mary’s mind and what she would have to say to Joseph. We have many daughters in the family and I can assure you that I would have a hard time hearing what Mary said about an angel telling her that she would be giving birth to the Messiah. It is intriguing to me that there is little or no mention of Mary’s parents and extended family and their collective response to the news. By this omission, is God telling us that we shouldn’t concern ourselves with what others think and that only obedience to Him is what is the most important?
Joseph’s obedience begins when he responds to a dream commanding him to take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:18-24) even though she was pregnant and he was not the father. He looked at the larger picture and sacrificed himself and his pride in order to obey the Lord. It was within his prerogative (during those times) to put Mary away and disgrace her but he chose to obey and marry her as the angel in his dream instructed. Up until recently I have taken that passage and the obedience of Joseph for granted. Think about what The Lord was asking Joseph to do. The men reading this posting must have an inkling of what ran through Joseph’s mind not to mention the pressure he had to feel from his family; and yet he obeyed! Again, throughout the story there is no mention of Joseph’s family’s response to the news either. Is there a pattern here?
With trust in the Lord complete between Mary and Joseph we must examine the mechanics of their 90 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Travel in those days was difficult at best and people generally did not migrate very far from the place they were born. Recognizing this, the idea of travel for Mary and Joseph was compounded by the fact that she was 8-9 months pregnant. How many of us would consider a 90 mile hike or donkey back ride for ourselves or our extremely pregnant wives. The emotional and physical stress on Mary had to be beyond what we would be willing to endure. But they were obeying the law of Caesar so they could be counted in the census. But why? How would anyone know that they didn’t go? There were no computers to compare lists of non-compliance people. So why did Joseph take his pregnant wife on a grueling 90 mile ordeal just to be counted in a census? Again the answer lies with obedience.
The response of obedience comes from the fear of penalty for not obeying. However, Joseph obeyed the census edict because he wanted to be counted. He took Mary as his wife because he wanted to do what the Lord asked. Nowhere in the dreams or visits by angels was penalty or punishment mentioned for not obeying. So can there be obedience without the promise of punishment for non-compliance?
When we are within the will of God and, knowing that He wants nothing but good for us, seeking His direction and obedience to His guidance becomes second nature and our own selfish ambitions become less important. Obedience becomes easy.
With Christmas over and we begin a new year, I hope we can recognize the hand of God in our lives and embrace those tasks He asks us to perform. Some will be easy but I guarantee many will be out of our comfort zones and will require complete obedience without complete understanding. The more we step out, the more we will acknowledge the prompting of the Spirit.
The more we see the promptings bear fruit, the more we will be eager to Stand up and Be Counted as a great and faithful servant.
Peace to All and Happy New Year.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Our New World Odor
Tuesday, the President that we thought would usher in a conservative, faith based Presidency, will be selling Israel down the river Styx from whence he, himself, came. To say I feel betrayed is an understatement and is overshadowed only by the 50% devalued dollar, $100 oil, a credit crisis that we have no clue of how far it will go, a nuclear Iran, an angry Russia and a surging China. Yet most Americans are only concerned about the latest scandal, romance or sale price. The pabulum produced by the 5th column is running in the streets and the American public is sitting along the curbs with straws sucking in every ounce they can consume.
I am nauseated every time I remember that I voted for this “false prophet” twice and arrogantly snubbed friends who stated this guy is not quite right. As a natural political animal I felt that “W” was everything we needed to right a ship scuttled by a narcissistic womanizer whose only goal was power and his daily nut. However, my choices were limited on purpose. Whether I voted for Al Gore, John Kerry or George W. Bush, the outcome for Israel would be the same.
The antigen, better known as Israel, has to be dealt with and who better to do it than a self proclaimed, recovering, Christian whose father is the most publicized Globalist of them all. Is it me or is 41 always around when 43 is entertaining world leaders these days regardless of the venue. Think about it and look at the video.
Playing both sides in arms sales within the Middle East has profited many an American corporation over the last 60 years. Only now are we seeing true parity being provided to Israel’s enemies because time is short and they are an impediment to Globalization. Remember how the unpopular kids are always pushed out of the party.
Isn’t it quite the coincidence that Tuesday is sixty (60) years to the day that Israel was created in the UN and now “W” is dismantling it? Are we witnessing prophetic moments here? I think we are.
What are we, a God fearing extended family, to do? We need a plan and need to execute it now!
Tuesday, the President that we thought would usher in a conservative, faith based Presidency, will be selling Israel down the river Styx from whence he, himself, came. To say I feel betrayed is an understatement and is overshadowed only by the 50% devalued dollar, $100 oil, a credit crisis that we have no clue of how far it will go, a nuclear Iran, an angry Russia and a surging China. Yet most Americans are only concerned about the latest scandal, romance or sale price. The pabulum produced by the 5th column is running in the streets and the American public is sitting along the curbs with straws sucking in every ounce they can consume.
I am nauseated every time I remember that I voted for this “false prophet” twice and arrogantly snubbed friends who stated this guy is not quite right. As a natural political animal I felt that “W” was everything we needed to right a ship scuttled by a narcissistic womanizer whose only goal was power and his daily nut. However, my choices were limited on purpose. Whether I voted for Al Gore, John Kerry or George W. Bush, the outcome for Israel would be the same.
The antigen, better known as Israel, has to be dealt with and who better to do it than a self proclaimed, recovering, Christian whose father is the most publicized Globalist of them all. Is it me or is 41 always around when 43 is entertaining world leaders these days regardless of the venue. Think about it and look at the video.
Playing both sides in arms sales within the Middle East has profited many an American corporation over the last 60 years. Only now are we seeing true parity being provided to Israel’s enemies because time is short and they are an impediment to Globalization. Remember how the unpopular kids are always pushed out of the party.
Isn’t it quite the coincidence that Tuesday is sixty (60) years to the day that Israel was created in the UN and now “W” is dismantling it? Are we witnessing prophetic moments here? I think we are.
What are we, a God fearing extended family, to do? We need a plan and need to execute it now!
So what are all these ramblings doing on a family blog dedicated to Tita you ask?
Well mostly because she and I talked about these same things quite often before her death. She was sorely disappointed by George and said to me, on the same porch where Manda found her: "I have never been so disappointed in my life by anyone more than I have been by "W".
Well mostly because she and I talked about these same things quite often before her death. She was sorely disappointed by George and said to me, on the same porch where Manda found her: "I have never been so disappointed in my life by anyone more than I have been by "W".
Strong words coming from a woman who had many a disappointment over the course of her life. We all know that if Tita were still here, she would be mad as hell about what is happening this week! I can only imagine the daily calls raving about how we are all doomed if we abandon Israel.
Pray, my brothers and sisters, pray! Pray for our own deliverance for we know not what we have done. Amen, and Amen.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Normalcy
I still remember the call as if it happened last night. The phone rang and the voice on the other end said "How are you doing baby boy?". Mom wanted to know how Elena and the kids were doing and remind us to hunker down as we were in the midst of a series of thunderstorms. We laughed together as Mom made a few wisecracks, and as always, said that we would talk to each other later. We didn't say "Luv Ya" because we both knew that there would be time for that during one of our next phone calls. Not to be. Four months later, I am still asking myself "How are you doing?" How are we all doing? The Summer of Discontent has now set and Fall is upon us. As have most of us, I think about Mom on a daily basis, especially now as the cooler weather begins to move in. Fall and Winter were Mom's favorite times of the year. She would love to call each of the kids (Ross and Didi included) and quiz us about our plans for the cooler evenings. The conversations always included two questions: "What are you having for dinner?" and "Are you having a fire tonight?". It is hard getting used to not having to answer those questions on a daily basis. It has been four months since Mom's passing and I ask myself everyday "how are you doing?". We have all gotten back to our lives, but with me, life is still lacking normalcy. Everyday, something reminds me of mom and how much I miss her. Nate's first day of school or my first day of work, there was no phone call from her to see how it went. Jasmine and Emily's birthdays, there was no phone call from her proclaiming that "your mommy feels better today than she did so many years ago". Texas' comeback against Oklahoma State would have brought a bevy of calls from her. We go on with our day to day routine but with the expectation that those days will be lacking in some way. In these past four months we have all had to lean on someone, be it family or a friend to find some level of comfort and normalcy. For Elena, it has been her best friend Lisa, but for me personally, if it had not been for Ross and his daily phone calls, I would have been carted off to the rubber room factory for sure and for that I am eternally grateful.
In the grand scheme of things, Life goes on. It will. It is our job to go on with our lives but with the understanding that the memory of Mom will never dim. That she will always be there, cigarette in one hand, glass of wine in the other, laughing as we laugh, and saying to herself: "You done good Toni, you done good".
In the grand scheme of things, Life goes on. It will. It is our job to go on with our lives but with the understanding that the memory of Mom will never dim. That she will always be there, cigarette in one hand, glass of wine in the other, laughing as we laugh, and saying to herself: "You done good Toni, you done good".
Monday, August 20, 2007
Tita Moments
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20
Those of us reading this blog have all recently endured 4 sequential deaths since May and yesterday we found out that Bob’s father has gone to join Rosalie in Heaven only after 30 plus days of her passing. This makes 5 deaths in 4 months within our extended family. Tough summer to say the least!
It would be easy to be angry at G-d and question his existence because of all the tough stuff we have had to endure. James warns of that in the passage above. We need to listen to the voice of G-d calling us to be his servants! Time is too short to be angry.
As each of us ponder the meaning of each death, I can’t get over the number of times I want to call Tita and tell her how I feel about all of this. Unfortunately she was one of the casualties of this dreadful summer. This is a hard time!
I want to call her and tell her about Philip’s new dorm and school, Sarah’s goal of hitting 4.0 this semester and Lizzy’s future driving ( even in her car). As hard as this is, I have found that we have circled the wagons and depend on each other more than we ever have before. Whether it is by phone or email we are communicating better as a family than we ever have before!
What a huge breakthrough this is for us. It sucks that so many people have had to go be with the Lord for us to do this but G-d works in very mysterious ways to say the least. His Will is what we need to seek regardless of the impact to us.
My heart goes out to Bob as he faces another parent being gone but I hope he knows how much we care about him and that we are here for him.
I know each of you have your “Tita Moments” as I do and in some instances breakdown while openly sobbing in grief and I hope you do because that is the cleanest part of recovery. If we didn’t mourn and openly cry then I would question what we are about!
Wednesday brings another, and I hope the last, death for us for a long time. Regardless, we must acknowledge that G-d is in control and loves us beyond all measure!
Come Father and envelope us in your Grace and hold us close to Your bosom as we mourn our loved ones who have gone ahead of us to your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen
Peace be to all.
Those of us reading this blog have all recently endured 4 sequential deaths since May and yesterday we found out that Bob’s father has gone to join Rosalie in Heaven only after 30 plus days of her passing. This makes 5 deaths in 4 months within our extended family. Tough summer to say the least!
It would be easy to be angry at G-d and question his existence because of all the tough stuff we have had to endure. James warns of that in the passage above. We need to listen to the voice of G-d calling us to be his servants! Time is too short to be angry.
As each of us ponder the meaning of each death, I can’t get over the number of times I want to call Tita and tell her how I feel about all of this. Unfortunately she was one of the casualties of this dreadful summer. This is a hard time!
I want to call her and tell her about Philip’s new dorm and school, Sarah’s goal of hitting 4.0 this semester and Lizzy’s future driving ( even in her car). As hard as this is, I have found that we have circled the wagons and depend on each other more than we ever have before. Whether it is by phone or email we are communicating better as a family than we ever have before!
What a huge breakthrough this is for us. It sucks that so many people have had to go be with the Lord for us to do this but G-d works in very mysterious ways to say the least. His Will is what we need to seek regardless of the impact to us.
My heart goes out to Bob as he faces another parent being gone but I hope he knows how much we care about him and that we are here for him.
I know each of you have your “Tita Moments” as I do and in some instances breakdown while openly sobbing in grief and I hope you do because that is the cleanest part of recovery. If we didn’t mourn and openly cry then I would question what we are about!
Wednesday brings another, and I hope the last, death for us for a long time. Regardless, we must acknowledge that G-d is in control and loves us beyond all measure!
Come Father and envelope us in your Grace and hold us close to Your bosom as we mourn our loved ones who have gone ahead of us to your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen
Peace be to all.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Time is Short
35"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Luke 12:35-40
The passage above directs us to expect our LORD at any time! He directs us to prepare for his return. What does being watchful entail? What, as believers, should we do as we wait? What does the job description of watchman include?
These are normal questions that we ask ourselves everyday. Knowing expectations of any task makes it easier to excel if we are willing to do the work to “get’ur done.” Being American workers we expect evaluations of our job performance at least once a year and we hope for a raise based on our contribution to the success of the organization.
But how do we do this in the Spiritual realm? How do we “stand-ready” for the coming of the LORD? I think the passage above is very clear on what we are supposed to do and I believe it stares modern “don’t worry, be happy” theology in the face.
There is a distinct pabulum being preached that we do not need to prepare either spiritually or physically for the coming trouble ahead. Our primary media outlets minimize bad spots and endlessly spew the need for us to spend our earnings on things that our fellow citizens are OCDing about. We are bombarded by messages that intimate that “if you don’t have the latest, you are the latest!”
So what does waiting really cause us to do? I think the answer is being prepared for most eventualities. Whether we are able to withstand a hurricane, electrical outage or a full blown terrorist act that changes the way we look at freedom, economics and our own futures; regardless of the situation we need to be prepared to care for our immediate and extended families.
Most readers of this simple blog know that I have embraced the preparedness movement with vigor. The stigma of this is the fact that most outsiders think that I believe in the soon end of world as depicted as Armageddon in the Bible. WRONG. I believe that we are approaching the end of the world as we now know it in America. This is not a loss of hope or belief in an omnipotent G-D who loves us, but simply a cause and effect response to our own sinfulness. I, as you, am one of the perpetrators of this sin.
Recognizing that G-D forgives us for all of our past, present and future sins through the Blood of Jesus Christ, we must move ahead as children of a loving G-d to prepare.
Time is short! We must accomplish the following in short order collectively to be steadfast watchmen:
1. Reaffirm our Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives and families.
2. Submit to baptism and affirm our faith in Him if we haven’t done so already.
3. Help each other to grow in the Lord.
4 .Develop a plan to utilize our individual skills in a “Worst Case” scenario that changes the way we view our country .
5. Develop a family retreat to flee to in the event of catastrophe.
6..Build charity into our preparations to help our brothers and sisters that haven’t been able to prepare.
This blog entry has been a long time coming and there is much to do in a quick period of time.
We must work together to accomplish heavy goals because time is very short!
Peace to All.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Please Pray for Kim
I am asking for everybody to pray for my friend Kim Banner Storm. She had a baby on
July 4, 2007 and has been hospitalized with a major breast infection that has been antibiotic resistent the last 3 days. She has been very sick with 104 degree fevers and they are trying to get the infection under control. I thought this would be a good way to get a prayer circle going. Thanks for your help, Manda
July 4, 2007 and has been hospitalized with a major breast infection that has been antibiotic resistent the last 3 days. She has been very sick with 104 degree fevers and they are trying to get the infection under control. I thought this would be a good way to get a prayer circle going. Thanks for your help, Manda
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Contentment in All Things
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
Anxiety is rampant in America. Worries about the stock market, terrorism, the devaluing dollar and a litany of other unnerving issues make headlines on 24/7 cable news networks. It is difficult to avoid but how should we react to it when we do.
Me, I prepare for ways to overcome these potential crises. I do this in three ways:
· Solid storehouse of foods and water to withstand a sustained interruption of normal services.
· Keep some cash around in case the ATM and credit card machines don’t work.
· Most importantly, I build on my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Relying on Him to guide me in the other two efforts above.
The writer of Philippians has it right. We must be ready to be content in any circumstances. Regardless of any preparation, life has a way of throwing a curve ball at you. It is our responses to these curves that separate the believer from those who rely on Man to sustain them.
As we fondly mull over our memories of Tita, we all should recognize that she always knew that everything would work out okay. I know that there was plenty of anxiety over money, bills and enough time for everything. But in the end she let go and let God help her through it all. Most times that I saw her, she appeared to be content in her situation.
She had a strong prayer life, was thankful for what she did have and was able to find peace. In the end, God granted her eternal peace starting at the place she loved most – outside on her back porch.
We should each find our own “back porch” and go there often to pray and praise God regardless of our situation!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Hello Everyone
I found this picture and thought I'd share it with everyone.
My mom left it to me to figure out how to contribute to the blog.
My mom that previously checked her email maybe twice a day has now become an obsessive compulsive blog-checking monster.
i have you guys to blame for that!
just kidding---I think this is a great idea.
Love you guys!
-SAM-
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The Coming Days
Ephesians 4:1-6
1. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6.one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Time is very short and there is so much to do! We have a lot of baptisms to complete, forgiveness to ask and time to spend with each other before the coming days are fulfilled.
This all sounds so difficult to complete but one Saturday & Sunday will do it. During the ceremony for Rosalie it dawned on me that we have just begun our journey of renewed Faith.
Tita and I discussed (as most of you did) the need to draw close to The Lord because the times are changing. Didi and I talked about it while languishing in the sun between the death and burial of Tita. The answer is always the same: Jesus is Lord and we need to acknowledge that!
Collectively we have endured four deaths within the last 60 days. That is a lot of death for one family regardless of your unit of measure. But what do all these deaths mean? What can we gain from the experience?
The key lesson that continues to permeate my Spirit is that we must live in the present. We must embrace every day as our last and love strongly the folks that we hold dear. But what does “Love Strongly” mean?
It means “loving completely without complete understanding!” Tita had many faults as we all do but she did understand the value of unconditional love. We each found ways to disagree with her but through it all she always found a way to love us. It took some growth on her part and some of our own but we always managed to meet in the middle.
I think that is what Love becomes: the ability to forget self and recognize the face of God in others without sacrificing our beliefs and morals.
Each day I want to pick up the phone and call Tita to rave about a particular topic but I now spread the burden across many folks instead. The wheel and spokes that we embraced in the past with Tita has now become a wide area network of love and understanding previously not realized. Let us all embrace the change and see the fruit of our efforts.
The pictures in the previous post are only the beginning of a family renewed by tragedy.
Peace to All.
1. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6.one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Time is very short and there is so much to do! We have a lot of baptisms to complete, forgiveness to ask and time to spend with each other before the coming days are fulfilled.
This all sounds so difficult to complete but one Saturday & Sunday will do it. During the ceremony for Rosalie it dawned on me that we have just begun our journey of renewed Faith.
Tita and I discussed (as most of you did) the need to draw close to The Lord because the times are changing. Didi and I talked about it while languishing in the sun between the death and burial of Tita. The answer is always the same: Jesus is Lord and we need to acknowledge that!
Collectively we have endured four deaths within the last 60 days. That is a lot of death for one family regardless of your unit of measure. But what do all these deaths mean? What can we gain from the experience?
The key lesson that continues to permeate my Spirit is that we must live in the present. We must embrace every day as our last and love strongly the folks that we hold dear. But what does “Love Strongly” mean?
It means “loving completely without complete understanding!” Tita had many faults as we all do but she did understand the value of unconditional love. We each found ways to disagree with her but through it all she always found a way to love us. It took some growth on her part and some of our own but we always managed to meet in the middle.
I think that is what Love becomes: the ability to forget self and recognize the face of God in others without sacrificing our beliefs and morals.
Each day I want to pick up the phone and call Tita to rave about a particular topic but I now spread the burden across many folks instead. The wheel and spokes that we embraced in the past with Tita has now become a wide area network of love and understanding previously not realized. Let us all embrace the change and see the fruit of our efforts.
The pictures in the previous post are only the beginning of a family renewed by tragedy.
Peace to All.
The Tita Tailgate
Here are the photos from the "Tita Tailgate" in Navasota, Texas. As you can see, the Powell and Baylor Plots were awash in a Sea of Burnt Orange. I truly believe that Mom, Daddy Rufe, Mimi and the rest of the family were right there with us enjoying the celebration and we in turn were letting them know that everything is going to be alright.
Monday, July 16, 2007
We Put The "Fun" In Funeral
“Ya’ll did what?” was the response of numerous co-workers when I explained the graveside tailgate on Friday. As I described the scene of 26 people above ground and 7 below ground toasting and celebrating Tita’s trip to Heaven, people were in awe. “I have never heard of anyone doing that“ would be the same response. However, at the same time you could see the smiles on their faces and fascination of what kind of faith you have to have to do such a thing!
I further elaborated on the UT chairs, sandwiches and beer under the “pecan” trees. Wow was the response. The sudden breeze that brought some relief to the humidity, the young cousins “cruising the graveyard” and the atmosphere of celebration brought great closure to me and made me know that everything will be okay.
My friend Jon said exactly what Manda coined on Sunday “Ya’ll definitely put the “Fun” in Funeral.” I think we all can wear that badge of courage starting on Monday at Porting-Loring. Think about it…we have been laughing for a solid week and crying in between.
Those who went to the service on Thursday intimated that they had never been to a fun and celebratory funeral before and were truly touched by it. That is a testament to a family that is solid in its collective skin (co-dependency included) and faith. These are moments that change lives.
Tita would be proud of all of us!
Peace to all.
Ross
I further elaborated on the UT chairs, sandwiches and beer under the “pecan” trees. Wow was the response. The sudden breeze that brought some relief to the humidity, the young cousins “cruising the graveyard” and the atmosphere of celebration brought great closure to me and made me know that everything will be okay.
My friend Jon said exactly what Manda coined on Sunday “Ya’ll definitely put the “Fun” in Funeral.” I think we all can wear that badge of courage starting on Monday at Porting-Loring. Think about it…we have been laughing for a solid week and crying in between.
Those who went to the service on Thursday intimated that they had never been to a fun and celebratory funeral before and were truly touched by it. That is a testament to a family that is solid in its collective skin (co-dependency included) and faith. These are moments that change lives.
Tita would be proud of all of us!
Peace to all.
Ross
Saturday, July 14, 2007
One Week Today
Fellow Drummers, tomorrow makes one week that Tita has gone to be with The Lord and we still are wondering why?
This is not an easy question to answer but it is one that we must accept: God is in control and we must choose to abide in his love and his timing for all things.
Tita loved us all completely and without reservation. I knew that no matter what my circumstance she would listen and try to help if she could but I knew that there was always unconditional love on the other end of the conversation (unless I said I loved Hillary C.). I didn't always take the advice she gave but I always appreciated that she took the time to give it.
Tita went through a lot of trials and many hardships but through it all she gained a strength of faith and relationship with the Lord that always seemed to comfort her. I wanted to call her several times today to rave about politics, discuss cream peas and tell her how much I miss my children while they are gone to Deleware. Each time I found myself wondering WTF?
And then I remembered "There are so many of us" and I reached out to several of you. The key is to reach out to those who love you and share in the love that we all hold dear!
My hope is that we continue to abide in love of The Lord and celebrate the "Ten thangs I loved about Tita"
Peace be to All.
Ross
This is not an easy question to answer but it is one that we must accept: God is in control and we must choose to abide in his love and his timing for all things.
Tita loved us all completely and without reservation. I knew that no matter what my circumstance she would listen and try to help if she could but I knew that there was always unconditional love on the other end of the conversation (unless I said I loved Hillary C.). I didn't always take the advice she gave but I always appreciated that she took the time to give it.
Tita went through a lot of trials and many hardships but through it all she gained a strength of faith and relationship with the Lord that always seemed to comfort her. I wanted to call her several times today to rave about politics, discuss cream peas and tell her how much I miss my children while they are gone to Deleware. Each time I found myself wondering WTF?
And then I remembered "There are so many of us" and I reached out to several of you. The key is to reach out to those who love you and share in the love that we all hold dear!
My hope is that we continue to abide in love of The Lord and celebrate the "Ten thangs I loved about Tita"
Peace be to All.
Ross
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
A Tribute to Tita - Our Journey Now Begins
Thank all of you coming to celebrate the life of Toni Berkes. I know everyone in this room is as shocked as we are in her sudden departure but everyone knows that Toni wasn’t known for her planning abilities. It was her sense of spontaneity, humor and blind trust that everything will always work itself out if you let go and let God handle it.
Toni, “Tita”, as she was known within the family and out, overcame some very difficult times in her life but regardless of the circumstances put her children and other’s needs in front of her own! She had a sense of humor that could melt almost any stressful situation and she would put things into perspective in relation to the “big scheme of things” as she would aptly put it.
In some of the darkest times of our lives I can remember her saying to me “Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” You couldn’t help but laugh when she said that and at that point the world didn’t seem to be collapsing around you.
As most of you know, Tita was 15 years my senior, in years and mileage by the way. She always managed to work into conversations, the story of when she was 14 and found out that our mother was pregnant with me. She said the horror of the idea that her parents were still “active” so to speak scarred her for life.
Again, Tita had a way of bringing humor to life regardless of the situation. She had strong opinions about many topics and wasn’t afraid to share them. Her honesty and frankness made her a valuable friend and mentor. If she thought you were out of your mind about something, she had no problem telling you it was a load of organic fertilizer – a rare quality in these days of intense political correctness.
However, when it came to her 4 children, Amy, Barbara, Kurt and Amanda she couldn’t have been more serious about her love for them. She was completely dedicated to their well being regardless of the impact to her. Twelve hour Saturdays at tennis matches and soccer tournaments, some with snow, were the norm for quite a while since her kids are only two years apart.
That same dedication and sense of pride passed through to her 8 grandchildren, Morgan, Sam, Sophie, Jasmine, Emily, Nathan, Grace and Corby. She always glowed when she discussed how proud she was of all her kids, their spouses and their children.
Right after our cousin Tucker died about a month ago, she grasped her own sense of mortality as we all did. She told me that regardless of the things that she endured over the course of her life, her greatest legacy was what wonderful adults her children had become. She knew that she could take the credit for that but instead she gave the glory to God for their success. She further added that despite her own shortcomings, God managed to give her so many people in her life that brought her so much joy everyday.
As we have been told so many times by less enthusiastic folks “there are just so many of you”. Anyone that has joined the family for holidays or any other occasion to eat and drink as a group knows the decibel level that we brought to the party. And despite being related, you have to break us up with a stick to end the parties.
Toni’s sudden departure leaves a gaping hole in all of our lives and makes it clear to me that we cannot take one moment for granted on this earth. What is important is making the effort to be around the ones you love, putting aside the cares of the world and not letting the stresses of everyday life steal your joy or diminish the love we have for our friends and family.
We must live intentional lives! That means taking the time to call an old friend, spend more time at home with your families and friends and less time at work. I know that the companies we work for aren’t going to put on our gravestones, what a great worker we were. Living intentionally means setting priorities, living our values without fear of what others think and most importantly living in the present.
The past is just that and Jesus compelled us to live each day as if it is our last by saying:
“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life” “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Mathew 6:27, 34
Friends, leave here today knowing that Toni loved you and would want each of you to tell someone a funny story about her. Go from here and live Intentional lives!
Toni, “Tita”, as she was known within the family and out, overcame some very difficult times in her life but regardless of the circumstances put her children and other’s needs in front of her own! She had a sense of humor that could melt almost any stressful situation and she would put things into perspective in relation to the “big scheme of things” as she would aptly put it.
In some of the darkest times of our lives I can remember her saying to me “Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” You couldn’t help but laugh when she said that and at that point the world didn’t seem to be collapsing around you.
As most of you know, Tita was 15 years my senior, in years and mileage by the way. She always managed to work into conversations, the story of when she was 14 and found out that our mother was pregnant with me. She said the horror of the idea that her parents were still “active” so to speak scarred her for life.
Again, Tita had a way of bringing humor to life regardless of the situation. She had strong opinions about many topics and wasn’t afraid to share them. Her honesty and frankness made her a valuable friend and mentor. If she thought you were out of your mind about something, she had no problem telling you it was a load of organic fertilizer – a rare quality in these days of intense political correctness.
However, when it came to her 4 children, Amy, Barbara, Kurt and Amanda she couldn’t have been more serious about her love for them. She was completely dedicated to their well being regardless of the impact to her. Twelve hour Saturdays at tennis matches and soccer tournaments, some with snow, were the norm for quite a while since her kids are only two years apart.
That same dedication and sense of pride passed through to her 8 grandchildren, Morgan, Sam, Sophie, Jasmine, Emily, Nathan, Grace and Corby. She always glowed when she discussed how proud she was of all her kids, their spouses and their children.
Right after our cousin Tucker died about a month ago, she grasped her own sense of mortality as we all did. She told me that regardless of the things that she endured over the course of her life, her greatest legacy was what wonderful adults her children had become. She knew that she could take the credit for that but instead she gave the glory to God for their success. She further added that despite her own shortcomings, God managed to give her so many people in her life that brought her so much joy everyday.
As we have been told so many times by less enthusiastic folks “there are just so many of you”. Anyone that has joined the family for holidays or any other occasion to eat and drink as a group knows the decibel level that we brought to the party. And despite being related, you have to break us up with a stick to end the parties.
Toni’s sudden departure leaves a gaping hole in all of our lives and makes it clear to me that we cannot take one moment for granted on this earth. What is important is making the effort to be around the ones you love, putting aside the cares of the world and not letting the stresses of everyday life steal your joy or diminish the love we have for our friends and family.
We must live intentional lives! That means taking the time to call an old friend, spend more time at home with your families and friends and less time at work. I know that the companies we work for aren’t going to put on our gravestones, what a great worker we were. Living intentionally means setting priorities, living our values without fear of what others think and most importantly living in the present.
The past is just that and Jesus compelled us to live each day as if it is our last by saying:
“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life” “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Mathew 6:27, 34
Friends, leave here today knowing that Toni loved you and would want each of you to tell someone a funny story about her. Go from here and live Intentional lives!
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