Flowers and Birds
Posted April 5, 2012

by Becky Watkins

When Tom was sick and we were traveling between doctors and hospitals, I would watch the seasons of flowers in the fields and the different birds that came through. Even in the drought flowers were able to bloom. I clung to the promise of God's love in Matthew 6:25 -34, the assurance that God cared more for me than those beautiful flowers and birds that he provided for throughout the seasons.

God took Tom home. Tom's home-going left an angry, ragged hole in my heart and life. For a while I wallowed in that hole.

Then I noticed the birds singing and flitting from tree to tree and the wild flowers blooming, and I was reminded again of God's Promise. He loves me! He cares for me enough to provide salvation and a home in heaven. His love is not just a future promise but a right-now promise of loving care.

There is still a hole in my heart and life, but it is not so ragged and angry. God has soothed it with the balm of His loving care and mercy. Will the hole ever fill and not hurt? I don't know, but I can trust God to soothe and care for me more than the flowers and the birds.

The Amaryllis is Blooming!
Posted March 15, 2012

by Ann McAlpin, written on April 14, 2011

In the fall of 2007 a friend brought a bag of bulbs to Bible study.  “I’ve divided my bulbs and have plenty to share,” she said.  “Anyone who wants some may take them.”  I took three of the Amaryllis bulbs and planted them that fall.  Since then each spring I have watched the green shoots appear and waited expectantly for the bloom.  But there was never a bloom!  Then only two days ago as I looked at the green foliage, there it was – a bud and today a beautiful red bloom!  All this time the plant was alive, but just not ready to burst forth in bloom.

Is this a picture of my last two and a half years?  When John was diagnosed with cancer did my faith stop blooming?  I know the bulb was alive within me.  It was only the power of the Holy Spirit that enabled us to make the doctors’ appointments, to face the rigors of chemo and to continue to live during the hard days.  Following John’s death the only thing that kept me going was my faith in a loving powerful God.  The bulb was there and the green shoots appeared, but where was the bloom?  It has taken God’s gentle hand of nurturing to bring the bloom back into my life. 

Yes, the Amaryllis is blooming today and so am I!  Thank you, Lord.

Our Journey with Ole Al
Posted March 1, 2012

by Kay German

It has often been referred to as the creeping disease and the long good-bye disease, but My Dave and I referred to it as Ole Al, short for Alzheimer’s.

Ole Al did creep upon us and he was not a welcome visitor, but we lived, laughed, cried, and loved with him for many years.  Dave suggested that we get rid of him but we knew he was here to stay.  There were many stages and we would think that life would be good if we could stay at this one, but of course, we didn’t and moved on to the next one. 

I have felt that we were among the lucky ones as there were few instances when Dave was not his usual sweet self.  He did have this thing about pushing his chair away from the table while eating and got a little testy one evening when we were eating at a Cleburne restaurant with Marcia and Patrick Kane.  I also remember that he decided that he liked a friend’s food better than his own at Bob’s Steak House in Dallas.  Fortunately, she was very good friend and we can now laugh about it.

I substituted in a bridge club at the Livelys one evening as Dave watched his Westerns while we played.  He received so much attention that he thought he was the guest of honor.  He had a bad habit of cussing before I met him.  We worked on that and he had gotten much better except for an occasional slip.  We were having an argument one night and I committed the unpardonable sin of saying, “Shut up.”  He got very serious and said, “I’ll tell you one thing, we’ll not have any more of that cussing.”

We had stopped at a barbeque place on our way to San Angelo and as we were leaving, he went over to a group of men and shook their hands and told them how good it was to see them again and how much he enjoyed the visit.  I told them that we had Alzheimer’s and they understood.

Many will remember the first Christmas Eve Service after he went into the nursing home, when Amy and Tommy Edgar helped us come to the service.  We sat on the back row and as everyone was leaving after the service, he got many handshakes and hugs.  It was a precious time for us.

One of my saddest moments was as I was hugging and kissing him, he looked up at me and said, “What’s your name?”    

One of my sweetest moments was shortly before he went into the nursing home, we had parked in the Chapel parking lot and he reached over and patted my hand and said, “I love you.  Now let’s go praise the Lord.”  I know that he is now free of Ole Al.

Valentine's Day Without You
Posted February 9, 2012

by Becky Watkins

Valentine’s Day!! Another commercial about Valentine’s Day! My heart breaks a little more. There won’t be a sweet card this year. No brown eyes looking into mine to tell me of his love. No goofie smile as he tries to be romantic! No gift to give, no gift to receive.

GOD I know YOU have healed my sweet Tom; I know he is home with YOU. But LORD, I miss him so. I hurt so with longing for him. I curl up at the foot of the cross. “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, Rejoice.” REJOICE! REJOICE? Yes...Rejoice.

We had made a mess of our lives, yet YOU blessed us as we repented and stood together and vowed to serve YOU through our marriage. YOU brought our three families together and made us one. We worked together in YOUR church and YOU allowed us to see Your Mighty Work. YOU allowed us to build a company together.

Oh, and we had so much fun together! YOU allowed us to play and enjoy life together. Lord, YOU gave me a man who loved and worshiped YOU. He put me before himself. Every decision he made, he thought of how it would affect me first. A man who held me the night before YOU took him home and apologized to me because he had promised to take care of me and he knew he wasn't going to be able to do it anymore.

Yes, LORD, this Valentine’s Day I will rejoice. YOU gave me a wonderful sweetheart and I will rejoice in the blessing you gave us in our time together.

Lord, most of all I rejoice because YOU hold my heart and my soul in YOUR merciful hands. YOUR Will was perfect for me then, and it is perfect now. Through the tears I will rejoice in YOU, my LORD.