Reflections of 2009

How do you summarize everything that took place in a year? When I was a child, the stretch from Christmas to Christmas seemed interminable, but now the time passes in mini-flashes. I try so hard to relish each day, knowing that I shall pass through another 24 hours only if the Lord sees fit.

The loss of so many family members and some dear friends exaggerate the emotions when looking back on this year. We lost Larry's mom, Laverne, in April--the last of our parents. I've always maintained that no matter the age of your parents at their passing, and no matter your age, you feel like an orphan. With the passing of each additional family member, it's as though another piece of your past is chiseled away, as though you are disappearing too. I once heard several centanarians interviewed. All concurred that the hardest part of reaching that milestone was losing your family and friends along the way. As we attended funeral after funeral this past year, I began to feel their plight, even at 61. I'm inspired, however, to live life more fully and with gratitude for all of its many blessings. Thank you, God, for each day, each opportunity, each experience, each person with whom I can share my joy in living!

We had two more grandchildren this year--Charlotte Abigail and Leah Hope--what little angels they are!! They were so precious at our Christmas celebration--just old enough ( 8 mo and 6 mo respectively) to enjoy the other children, the lights, and the excitement. They were the life of the party, being passed from one person to another and each enjoying the attention! Our eldest grandchild, Gabriel (11), is in middle school and is quickly becoming a handsome young man. Elise is 7 and is quite busy with her horseback riding and school. She recently jumped at the opportunity to entertain the whole school with maracas at their Christmas program! Caleb is 6 and loves kindergarten, super heroes, and computer games! Madelyn and Amelia are precious, energetic three-yr olds with imaginations that keep us entertained. Of course, they are dressed as princesses most of the time.

Larry and I enjoyed our long-planned land/cruise tour of Alaska with our dear friends this year. What a blessing our Christian friends are to our lives! I thank God for their friendship every day. They inspire me to be a better person. We look forward to planning new adventures with them in the future.

Our sons and their wives continue to earn our admiration as parents, spouses, and professionals.
Life is tough for young people now. There are so many demands on time for both the moms at home with children and the dads in the workplace. Moms have to spend so much of their time on the road and waiting in car lines, it's difficult to squeeze in all the other "stuff" that moms have to do! Tiffany and Jenny are amazing moms! Matt still loves his job as a doctor of clinical pharmacy at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga and Ethan loves his job as an attorney in Cumming, GA.

I pray God's blessings on family and friends in 2010. Whatever is ahead, be assured that God is in His heaven and is in control of our lives! It's all right for us to feel out of control! Good thing, huh?

Royal Purple: Remembering Jean

My first cousin, Jean Wright Bradford, went to a glorious homecoming in heaven this past week! She has been a prominent figure in my life and a tremendous inspiration. Her children were actually closer to my age, so I had the privilege of visiting often in her home as a child and in my early teens. As a young mom, Jean was never too busy to play board games with us; come down to the "fishing rock", which would later reside on her young son, Marshall's grave; play ball, go rabbit hunting on the jeep, or for target shooting. There were never too many people in Jean's home or at her table. They usually played games or sang while she made biscuits as big as a plate and a pot of gravy that could feed a multitude!

Once we were fishing on a sawdust pile in Mentone, AL, when snakes started coming out from under us on all sides! Jean calmly went to her truck, pulled out a pistil and started shooting. I'm not sure how many snakes she shot that day! We went right on with our fishing!

She and I made a trip to Florida a couple of years ago. We stayed up talking too late the night before leaving for home and, as a result, consumed more than our share of caffiene while driving north. Needless to say, we made MANY pit stops on our journey back. When I returned to the car after one such stop, she said, "Jeanette, I hope the Rapture doesn't happen while we're on this trip!" After hearing her talk with excitement about the return of Jesus, I was puzzled and asked, "Why is that, Jean?" She replied, "We might be on potty break and miss it!"

Jean, so like my mother, her mother, and our grandmother, taught me how to be a strong, Morris woman. We do what has to be done and we do it right! We can become emotional and examine our inner feelings after the situation has been resolved. I watched Jean on her death bed, sing praises to the Lord and plan her life celebration as a wonderful, worshipful concert dedicated to God. She told her daughters, Carolyn and Louise, " You will sing these songs and you will sing them well! You will not break down until the service is over!" Of course, they did just what their mom told them to do.

Jean visited with 57 people in her hospital room that last day of consciousness, telling each that she loved them and being assured of their salvation. When my son, Matt went in to see her and say "Goodbye," she asked, "Where is your brother, Ethan?" Matt said, "He's in Cumming, GA."

Jean asked in reply, "Is he a Christian?" When Matt assured her that Ethan is, indeed, a Christian, she stated matter-of-factly, "Well, all right then! I'll see him later."

My sisters, Janice and Virginia, were especially close to Jean as they were close in age. Janice had to accompany her husband to his brother's funeral in Florida on Jean's last day of consciousness. Janice told Jean on the phone that she would hurry back if possible. Jean told her that would NOT be necessary. She would SURELY see her on the "other side."

Jean laid out an amazing concert of worship and praise for her funeral. Having been a well known gospel singer and song writer for most of her life, she called in Lari Goss to play piano and members of all choirs she had ever directed joined to make a huge host of voices in one large choir! On the morning of her celebration memorial service, I wrote a poem in memory of Jean, one which I presented at that service on behalf of our mothers' side of our family. Many of us wore purple, in reference to Jean's favorite color, representing the royalty that she would one day enjoy as a member of God's heavenly choir.

AN ANTHEM OF FAITH: A CELEBRATION OF JEAN

Jean was my cousin, my precious friend,
She was a testimony to the end
Of Faith, of Family,
Of living the Life—
The life she sang about—
A life in Christ.

I watched her suffer through trials and pain,
But saw her triumph again and again,
As she closed her eyes and lifted her voice
To sing to the Lord
Her anthem of choice—
Praises and hymns, her way to rejoice.

Her laughter held a musical lilt, sparkling eyes,
A backward head tilt.
Her brow would furrow if ever she felt,
Something just wasn’t right or could be better.
For what she believed, the ultimate go-getter!

No matter the circumstance, no matter the pain,
Her faith, though shaken, never did wane,
So many losses she bravely survived—
Early loss of her dad, her childhood deprived.
The pain of viewing a charred new house,
And while so young, the loss of her spouse;
Her heart torn apart at the death of a son,
She cried out to heaven, “God’s will be done!”

Jean held on tight to what she knew—
Writing musical praises to the Lord so true.
Choirs followed her lead as she listened intently,
Perfect pitch turned her head as she (not always so gently)
Orchestrated tunes to reach the skies
While touching earthly hearts and tear-filled eyes.

What an inspiration, this cousin of mine!
A single mom to two girls,
A proud grandmother, kind.
Though death takes her body, her presence departs,
Her faithful spirit remains in our hearts.
Her music still rings through voices in churches;
Her message still sings in the hearts that it touches—
“Be strong, friends and family! Praise the Most High!
I’ll see you all on the other side!”

Jeanette Dysart Underwood

Dec. 15, 2009

Cinderella Syndrome

I suppose every little girl dreams of finding her prince charming and living in a castle happily ever after. I'm no exception; however, when my Cinderella Syndrome kicks in, I think of my mom, the person who made so many of my dreams come true, either directly or indirectly.

When I was four years of age, my sisters, Ginny and Janice, were 14 and 15, both members of a church organization called GA's, short for Girls' Auxiliary. It was all about Bible study and missions and required large amounts of scripture memorization. When both sisters achieved "queen" level and were to be members of a select group honored by a churchwide "coronation," they had to wear formal gowns for the big event. Each "queen" was to have a crown bearer, a little girl who would also wear a formal gown. My sister, Ginny, wanted me to be her crown bearer, but Mother sadly informed her that it would not be possible because she just could not afford fabric to make a third gown. I, too, was so disappointed.

About a week before the coronation, my sister still had no crown bearer. My dad was a Greyhound bus driver and was on the road alot. When he came home, it was always a joyous reunion. This particular week, he came home beaming, bearing a surprise for the family in hand--a new puppy given to us by one of his driver friends.
Not only was there a precious pup in the box, but some discarded dotted-swiss curtains for his bedding. To my mom, those were not old curtains; instead, they were a wonderful possibility! She quickly washed them and starched and ironed the fabric. In no time, she had stitched the most beautiful formal gown for a glowing four year old!

I've never felt so beautiful since! My mom instructed me to tell no one where the fabric came from, but it gave me such pleasure to see the looks on ladies' faces when I replied to their compliments with " It came from the dog box!!" I was truly Cinderella and my mom was the Fairy Godmother!