Clark Girls

and you have no idea what you are going to say? That's me right now. And that is usually a recipe for complete and utter wierdness. Or sometimes complete and utter nonsense or boringness or emptiness. Emptiness is the worst. nothing, nothing, blah,blah blah. I will tell you a story, a true story, how will that be? Gather round my wonderlings, gather round.

On Saturday there was a memorial service for a beautiful young woman who passed away after a year and a half of living with cancer. Her name was Michelle. She attended my church but I didn't know her very well. She was pretty, tall, thin, around fifty years old. She loved riding horses and she loved being outside. Se had a beautiful smile and a gentle nature. She and her husband who is a sweet, quiet spoken man named Tom had just built a beautiful home in the country. They moved in on a Monday and then on that Thursday she was diagnosed with cancer. There is a creek that runs through their property and they have a potbellied pig named Daisy. I know I said I didn't know her very well, but it's a small church and I've heard about the creek and the pig. I know that the pig will gently eat watermelon rinds from your hand and that Michelle has a little place down by the creek where she would go to meditate.

Tom asked Mike to play a couple of songs at the memorial and Mike was of coarse, honored and said yes. He sang In the Garden and Little Country Church. So, that is why I was there and because, eventhough  I didn't really know Michelle I wanted to be there that day because, somehow I felt like I knew her. Or maybe wished that I did. I am always in the classroom with the Children during Sunday worship so I never got to know her. But I knew who she was. And I prayed for her.

Quaker memorial services are kind of like one of our worship services. Anyone can stand up and speak. On Saturday, I lost count of all the people that stood up and spoke that day, but that part of the memorial lasted for probably an hour. Her brother in law, a surgeon from Pennsylvania spoke first and he was very well spoken. Many people from many walks of life stood and said the most beautiful things about her. Then, a young, petite, hispanic woman began to speak. She said she was Michelle's housekeeper. She said her english wasn't very good and people say she sounds funny but she thinks that we sound funny when we try to speak english so felt that we were all even. She said how nice Tom and Michelle are to work for. And she said that Mr. Tom always tells her that she does a good job and she doesn't know why he says that because she doesn't think she really does that good of a job. She was full of energy and she smiled the entire time. Then she said that when she first met Michelle she knew that she didn't know God and would pray for her while she cleaned her house. And when she found out that she was sick she got out a Bible and showed her in the Bible where it tells her how much God loves her. And then she told her she should not be afraid because as beautiful as her country home was it could never compare to the mansion God has prepared for her in heaven.  It was the most amazing thing. And so unexpected that this young woman from Mexico would be the one that day to really speak her heart so openly and honestly. It was so beautiful.

And so, Michelle did come to our church and talked to our Pastor and started coming to church every Sunday. One Sunday her older sister from Pennsylvania was in town and stood up and told everyone in the church that she really wanted us to take care of her sister for her because she lived so far away. It was really sweet. And then one other Sunday Michelle stood up and told everyone about what a blessing her illness had been in her life. She said it changed her life for the better and she knew things about living and loving, a richness and a truth that she otherwise would have never known.

Michelle's story and life has impacted our little church in a big way. And now that I know that her housekeeper was praying for her the whole time too, I'm even more inspired.

So, that's what I wanted to tell you about. Also, at church that Sunday, the next morning I was downstairs and I could hear everyone singing upstairs and usually you can hardly hear them singing but for some reason everyone was singing their hearts out. When they sang How Great Thou Art our classrom came to a standstill because it was so loud. And that is not an easy song to sing, it's very long. I remember Grandpa Jim Sweney's Pastor told us that was his favoritse song and how he would sing it with all his heart and in his own way. That's what it reminded me of. Conner loves that song and always requests it. James Jobe loved In the Garden. I love all the old timey Hymns. The Gaither's wrote a song called Something Beautiful that I like very much. Abby came to church with us on Sunday and I was so excited to have her there. That's all, I'm done showing you stories for now. (That's what Conner used to say.) Conner and Abby sure do get along well. They make mighty fine cousins. 
I'll talk to ya'll later~
Quaker Woman