Pleasant Memories and Other Things

I tried to watch Beth today, but it was one of my full Grandma days. It's almost impossible to accomplish anything on the computer with Fiesty in my lap, which is where she wants to be when I'm at the computer! I did watch the first few minutes and will attempt to finish yet tonight after choir practice.

The words she spoke in the short time I was with her were right on target with our many discussions about prodigals. She said that agape love caused his father to let the prodigal go, and agape love let him come back into his heart, not just his home. So true!

My new cyberspace acquaintance with Diane from Arkansas has sent me back there in my mind in a big way. I spent 6 very formative years there in the small town of Heber Springs. As I mentioned before, Mom and Dad were involved in Child Evangelism and that meant going out into the countryside to schools full of very poor children, helping them earn their way to camp by learning scripture. They then took a pastorate, where we spent 5 years. We had no money, but we had lots of fun and lots of love.

My mom was in charge of the "junior society" every Sunday night at church. She spent lots of time reading to us from a series of books called The Sugar Creek Gang. Many of you are way too young to remember these books, but we thought we were them - we had a "crick" down the way and we were down there a lot of the time pretending we were the gang.

We had neighbors down the hill from us who had a passle of kids in a very tiny little shack. Shelby Dean was my friend and she desperately wanted to take piano lessons. She'd come to my house and I'd teach her a lesson (I was in about 4th or 5th grade). Then she'd go home and try to practice on her kitchen table. I wonder what ever happened to Shelby Dean Hackworth.

I was always starting a club and was the self-appointed president of each. I did actually get elected as president of the 4th grade club, however. I used to think I was going to be in congress when I grew up. Just think, I'd be in the same peer group with that other famous Arkansas female politician (and I'll refrain from any political comments)! We moved back to Minnesota in the middle of 5th grade - just before the Christmas program that I was so looking forward to. That was quite a shock. Even though I had been a Minnesotan prior to Arkansas, we went to the farthest northern city of International Falls and the culture shock was tremendous for this little Arkie.

I mentioned singing with my dad last Sunday on Father's Day. We have sung together quite a few times in the last two years since he and mom retired in my town (he pastored here years ago and in fact built the sanctuary we have worshiped in for 33 years). This time when I made copies big enough for our mature eyes to see, I didn't notice that I had cut off the top notes (mine), until we got up to sing! This was a new song to me, so it wasn't like I had the notes down pat without seeing them. God really helped me - I was able to pull it off. That was a horrible feeling - something akin to The Emperor's New Clothes!