Meet Our Family

    I’ve been writing for awhile but have not introduced you to our family.  I’d like to do that today.  I’ve told you already that Jim and I have been married for 33 years.  Jim is five years older than I am.  We met in a small Bible college in Alabama .  Jim is from Iowa and came south to be in the Air Force.  After he left the Air Force, he went to Bible college.  We married in l974 and had our four children right away.

    Ben is our first child and only son.  He is 32 years old now.  Since he was two years old he has been taking things apart and putting them back again.  Today , he can fix almost anything.  He is self employed and can’t keep up with all the phone calls he gets for work.  He has helped his mom and dad countless times around this old house.  Ben is newly married to Linda.  They have been next door neighbors for many years.  Around the time that Jim got sick, Ben started being interested in his neighbor, Linda.  She was a widow for 12 years.  They were married in October 2006.  We are so thankful for Linda.  I always enjoy her company.  She works with kindergarten children as a teacher’s aid.

     Sandy is our oldest daughter.  She told me when she was five that she was going to grow up and have an important job.  Sandy married after just one year of college but managed to work herself through college with a degree in business.  She got a job with a CPA firm and started as a book keeper.  That was painful for her because she had a college degree.  Her boss gradually kept promoting her and encouraged  Sandy to sit for the CPA exam.  She studied so hard for the exam but didn’t make it the first time.  Finally, she passed.  After several years of being a CPA with this company she was offered partnership.  Rob and Sandy waited seven years to have children.  Their two little charges  are now five and three.  Little John and Alex.  What blessings they are.  Even though Sandy works, she can take off for field trips and special events with her children.  Rob has worked in the heating and air conditioning field most of their married life.  He has his company van  as their second car.  John and Alex love to ride in their daddy’s van.

     Maria has a degree in social work and her master’s degree in gerontology.  She married Kirk in 2003.  Kirk is an independent truck driver.  Maria is presently working as a post master relief person and is qualified to relieve post masters in about five small towns surrounding her home.  Maria has helped us countless times with her self less care.  Most recently , she scouted out all kinds of pretty things for my home.  I spent about seven weeks painting the main floor of our home.  She found me all kinds of nice things using my color scheme of purple, green and yellow. 

    Vera is our youngest.  She  has an undergraduate degree in creative writing and her master’s degree in ESL.  She has taught in a major university and is now currently teaching at a private ESL school in Murfreesboro, Tn.  Vera ,through sorrow in her personal life, sought out the Orthodox Christian faith and we joined her in her journey. 

So here is a snapshot of our family.  In 2001 I wrote a booklet on our family and all the adventures we had while they were growing up.  Soon, I will be posting chapters of that booklet .  Be on the look out for these new postings.

My Journey to the Orthodox faith, part 5

     I had mentioned that I drove on the interstate to Nashville.  Even that was a new step to me.  I just had never had the guts to do much driving other than in my own little town.  When I went to the University in another town, I chose going the very slow way versus the interstate.  I knew God wasn’t going to let me hide away with my fear any longer.  Each week I got a little more adept at my driving.  Jim had to verbally help me with merging.  At some points , he still helps me.  However, we were getting to our church and that was a miracle.  We began getting to know the families of this small parish.  We even had the opportunity to hear  Fr. Peter Gillquist speak on a Friday night.  He told us the story of his life and the six other men from Campus Crusade who began feeling like  there had to be a deeper and more concrete way to reach people for Christ.  These seven men met for more than ten years to study the ancient church.  They didn’t know about the Orthodox church but they knew about some of the early writings of church history. Their search has helped countless people find the Orthodox faith.

     When they did find out about the Orthodox faith, they journeyed to Constantinople to talk to the Patriarch.  The Patriarch wouldn’t give them an audience.  Gordon Walker cried.  They had traveled so far to be rejected.  Later , Metroplitan Philip of the Anticochian Orthodox Christian Archidiocese of North America heard their story.  Metropolitan Philip had always wanted the Orthodox Church to have more converts.  He had already pressed very hard for churches to have their services in English.  It was timely that these seven men from Campus Crusade for Christ and Metropolitan Philip finally met.

     Starting in February of l987, Metropolitan Philip chrismated 2,000 people around the country.  Most of these seven men were ordained as priests.  St. Igatius,  was one of these many churches that became Orthodox.  Our new friend, Myrna and her husband Deacon Edward had been part of the huge chrismation service of l987. 

     Fr. Stephen Rogers was traveling from St. Ignatius each Wednesday evening to teach classes about the Orthodox faith.  Vera was able to attend these classes.  Some of them were made available to us on cd.  Mostly, we continued our own studies.  In early December, we asked Fr. John Gunn if we could become Catechumens.  After talking it over with Fr. Stephen, they agreed that the three of us could become Catechumens on Christmas Eve.

   The afternoon of Christmas Eve, Jim and I listen to a couple of programs on the subject of Catechumens on our life in Christ.com.  Around 5:00 p.m. we left to make the trip to Murfreesboro.  At 9:00 p.m. that evening we were participating in a little service that officially made us catechumens.  Fr. Gordon Walker had come to chrismate another family.  So he particpated in our catechumen service.  What an honor to have him pray for us and hug us as we began the final leg of our journey.  At midnight, we all feasted after the service.  We learned that a five week fasting of certain foods had ended.  There was much laughter and plenty of good food.  Families exchanged small gifts.  What a beautiful time we enjoyed.

     Vera had decided to come home with us for a few days. Our daughter Maria had come with us to see us become catechumens.  She was surprised to see a couple she had gone to college with near Lexington, Ky.  We drove home in the wee hours of Christmas day.  Maria lives in a little country town.  I crept slow on that country road on the look out for deer.  A huge Buck hit one of my front lights and knocked it out.  I was thankful that I had been going so very slow.  At last ,we arrived back at our home.  We knew there was so much more we had to learn before we could be chrismated.  However, that night we  had peace that the journey would procede.  Join me the next time for a look at our six months of being Catechumens.

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Water lines, Jobs and Mammograms

 November 7, 2207

     I’ve been writing about our broken line which we thought was a spring.  On Monday, I called a special type of plumber who repairs water lines.  He couldn’t believe the water company told us that we had a spring.  Our water bill never got higher so we just excepted all summer and into early fall that the constant drip into our basement was a spring.  It was controlled by a pump.  Then all of a sudden the water started being more than a drip.  The pump was delivering the water back into the other side of our basement.  It appears we need a whole, complete new water line.  I was mistaken when I wrote earlier that we had a new one put in ten years ago.  Jim told me it was only repaired.

     When this plumber told me all that he had to do, I thought that we might just as well move into the poor house.  When he gave me a figure of $1,000, I was greatly relieved.  That we could manage.  So the work will begin the end of this week or early next week.

     Now about jobs, Jim was presented late last week with three choices of job changes.  Neither of them was appealing to a 60 year old man.  One was to learn computer programs to register what he would be doing with 22 lb parts.  The other was the broach he ran years ago but he would have 12 hour shifts and work every other Sunday.  The third option was to have his salary frozen and be kind of runner for whatever is needed in the plant.  Jim chose the computer option but then his supervisor discouraged that.  He is now back on the broach and will have to miss church two Sundays a month.  It is either this or lose his job.  By the way his job for the past 14 years has been making parts for hydrolic motors. The runner job was discouraged also.  They really made the choice for Jim after all.  They will only put him in the runner position if he can’t manage the broach.  We’ve never faced employment that interferes with our  worship.  At almost 61 years of age, we feel that Jim needs to stay with his job.  We have good wages and good health insurance.  I know our faith will see us through this new change.  I’ll be keeping my readers posted on how he is doing.

     Now for mammograms.  I’ve been seeing a doctor who specializes in wellness instead of sickness.  She wanted me to have a digital mammogram since my mother died of breast cancer.  The only place close to offer such a state of the art x-ray is Vanderbilt Breast Center.  So Jim and I made a trip there two week ago.  I’ve been called back for more pictures of my right side.  It would be easy to write a script but I’m trying not to do that.  We have an appointment at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning.  Hopefully everything will be fine. 

     Father Stephen Rogers told me during my confession before my chrismation into the Orthodox church to always have a thankful heart.  I am thankful for my husband, my children, my grandchildren , for the fact that our home is almost paid for and that our car is paid for.  I’m thankful for friends, my church , the sunshine today, for my dogs and cats who provide comic relief in my everyday life.  Tell me what you are thankful for.  I would love to know.  Have a great Day!