The Mother of the Bride's Dress

Here is the picture that I promised of the dress that I wore to Megan and Jeremy's wedding. It wasn't anything special but I felt good in it so that was important. I should have specifically gotten someone to take a picture of me but of course I had other things on my mind that day and didn't think to ask someone. As I looked through the pictures, there were very few that really showed the entire dress. This one with Alexis was the best one.

 

This Sunday will be six weeks removed from the wedding. Megan and Jeremy are doing well and seem to be adjusting to and loving married life. I have a standing invitation for them to join us for supper on Wednesday evenings and they seem glad to accept and enjoy a meal that they don't have to prepare. It is always nice to spend time with them and catch up with things that are going on in each other's lives. Steve and I are enjoying the empty nest and I am slowly working on cleaning out the upstairs that Megan vacated. It will be nice to have extra rooms up there for the grandchildren to sleep in when they spend the night. That way we won't have to chase Grandpa down to sleep on the sofa in the basement when they come over. Until they get older, I will probably have to sleep upstairs with them, but at least it allows Grandpa the comfort of his own bed :)

 

It is nice to have the wedding in the past. It was a fun, happy, and joyous day and one we can all look back on with pleasant memories, but now we move on and settle into a new routine and I can honestly say that I am glad to begin this phase of our lives.

The Secret Is Out

A couple of months ago something started in our family that we kept secret. The few of us that knew about it, talked about it privately but always made sure that no one was around to hear us. It wasn't that we didn't want to share the secret because we were really excited about it, however, we weren't sure that the persons involved were ready for it to be shared. So, we just watched and waited to see if it would ever evolve into something that could be made public.

 

On Thursday, this picture was posted on Facebook along with the announcement that they are in a relationship. You can't get more public than Facebook, right?

 

The story of how Josh and Julissa met is a very interesting one but I'm not sure it should be detailed on this blog. Let's just suffice it to say, that it had something to do with a church directory and Josh's grandparents. If you ever want to get the whole story, you will have to ask them. (I'm not even sure if they know the complete story and what all went on behind the scenes.) 

 

The bottom line is that this couple is spending a lot of time together. Julissa is a lovely woman and of course we think Josh is a pretty awesome guy. We couldn't be happier for them and are enjoying watching their story unfold. Only God knows their future and I am not going to try and guess what it is, but right now I am thankful for these two people and so appreciative of the way God and people worked things out to bring them together.

A New Venture

I am not at all adventurous. The fact is, I like things calm and low key. I do not like to take risks and I like to feel safe and secure. Of course I married a man who is just the opposite. Throughout our 35 years of marriage he has often come up with ideas and visions that in my brain just seem like a good way to waste money. Over the years I have learned not to panic when another brainstorm pops into his head. More often then not, it doesn't get any further than his dream and it doesn't do me any good to stew and worry about what might happen. I have had many talks with Jesus about letting things go and not being the constant bubble buster for all of Steve's grand plans. As I look back over my life, I realize that in the end, everything has worked out for the good and this helps me relax and not get so uptight about what might possibly go wrong in the future.

One of Steve's ventures was the composting business. I have mentioned before that I certainly had my doubts about the success of Green 'N Grow Compost, LLC. However, this business has succeeded even beyond Steve's wildest imagination and we are very grateful. Steve has always felt that it was a gift that God gave to him that enabled him to figure out how to take food and its packaging and compost it to dirt. He believed that he should not bury his "talent" but use it to benefit the community. After seeing the huge quantities of perfectly good food that was sent to us to compost, Steve wondered if there was some way he could start up a local food bank for those in the area that were struggling to make ends meet. We are not allowed to give away any of the food that is sent to us to compost, because it is specifically marked to be destroyed, but he began to research how he could get this food before it is designated for a landfill or to be composted. He also began to work with the Pennsylvania Food Bank and some doors have opened up there to receive food through them.

The Mount Nebo General Store has been for sale in our neighborhood for the last two years. At one time it had been a big fixture in our community. In the last half of the twentieth century it was a small corner store that was kept well stocked with basic groceries and a few small household items. I loved to use it for those last minute things that I had forgotten to pick up at the larger grocery store where I normally shopped. Around the turn of the century, it changed ownership and along with groceries it sold pizza and subs. About three years ago, it closed up and has been empty ever since. Like any place that sits vacant for a long time, it was rapidly falling into a bad case of neglect and disrepair. Besides the area that was used for the store, it also has a four bedroom apartment in the back and upstairs of the building as well as a large basement underneath. The apartment was also vacated around the same time as the store, and has been uninhabited for at least two years.

 

Last summer Steve began to seriously think about buying the store to use for a food bank. At first I was adamantly opposed. Why in the world did we want to have another property to maintain and worry about? Even though I am sensitive to those around us who find it challenging to have enough food on their table, I personally did not have a big desire to help to physically feed them. I would rather just write a check out to some other organization so they could take care of them. Did he have any idea how time consuming and difficult a task it would be to actually start up a food bank? And where in the world was he going to get enough volunteers to help operate it?

Gradually what I had to realize is that Steve feels strongly that God is leading him in this mission and I probably should not stand in the way of it. We began to talk to some close friends who have agreed to help us organize it and get it off the ground. This has been a huge relief and blessing. Having some other people work with us on this journey is reassuring to me.

So last Friday the store was purchased and we now begin the cleanup process. Our first job is to get the apartment ready to rent and then we will focus on the food bank. People from church are already offering to help us get things fixed up and we are so grateful.

There is a lot of work to be done--broken water pipes, broken heating system, holes in floors and walls, dirt and grime everywhere! I am trusting God in this venture. It would be a lie to say that I am excited about this, but I think I can truthfully say that I am okay with it. Those that we have spoken to in the community seem to be genuinely happy that the store has been purchased and will be fixed up and used for a good purpose. God works in mysterious ways sometimes and maybe this store that was once the hub of the neighborhood will once again be a place where neighbors can meet neighbors and work together to help each other.