mom . . . august to december . . . 2nd to 30th . . . 88 years

as i share with the congregations with whom i serve, "word has reached us...."  and so that word came to me last night about my mother having died.

in her time, she moved from arkansas to bakersfield to san francisco to daly city to walnut creek to south san francisco to millbrae . . . and now to the golden gate national cemetery, in earned with dad on that spiral hill, #13 .  good natured in these last years; everybody like her (really!); even with health issues up the ying-yang, she had a funny little chuckle, euva jean did; in school the gym teacher called her pease.  but she was mom.

we lived through challenging times, as many family systems do, but she kept going.  she retired from i magnin ... classy and knowledgeable in that sense; known to make mock enchiladas, red velvet cake, and 'garbage soup' from the wonderful left-overs in the refrigerator.  she'd hum tunes, read, and was always doing housework -- can a house get that dusty in just a week?!  she'd always want to know 'the reason' for everything . . . . and the reason could often displease her.  she shared and also withheld; probably not unlike the women in her family before her.
but, she was mom.  i'll never have another. 
      

mom and dad were married until his untimely death in 1982; but this picture of them is a favorite from one of those church pictorial directories that were done at temple united methodist church in san francisco in the 1960's, when dad had hair and mom wore her hair in a french twist.  she would wear this green dress on special occasions, with a jade pendent and matching earrings, and 'glass slippers' (so I called them); she'd paint her nails, apply ponds cold cream a touch of something around the eyes and lipstick, and away they'd go.

relatives would come to visit sf in it's hay-day, and i'm sure tell stories about going to height-ashbury; they'd cook together; rode the jitney to bart together, and made plans to retire together.  but those plans never materialized, and from that point on, mom seemed to exist, but never really live. . . .  at 88, mom was truly the 'older woman' by six months from dad.

so you do all the things you do at this time; alert the family, make arrangements for the graveside service....and then i realize, i'll probably be doing that service . . . . mom's service; i do it for others -- why not mom?!

honestly, i've grieved for mom in so many ways for so many years.  it is the complication of a family system that not always embraces diversity.  and so one learns to live with the reality and create a more welcoming place -- of self, and others.  john wesley would call this 'going onto perfection'.  we're confess to strive for perfection in this lifetime.  i do believe there are 'perfect moments'.  we even had some when i was growing up.

when mom got to a point where speech did not make sense to my listening ear, i'd simply listen to her story, knowing it must make sense -- probably to her!  but, none-the-less, she was happy and well cared for, and those are two elements in this world that are not always the care.  and then i'd be heading out the door and she'd say, clear as a bell, 'good-bye; i love you'.  and that's what you hold onto.  love in its vast forms. . . .

so, here's to mom; euva jean pease pierce august 2nd to december 30th . . . . 88 years; what a life!
   

now i see red . . . in advent!

 
 

one of the odd things that happened when we refreshed our sanctuary last year was the color scheme changed, and now the various purples that we have for advent are all wrong.  it's a terribly 'first world' problem to have . . . . what to do, what to do!

so, we discovered red!  and now i see RED in advent, not purple.  but, ya know, i think i'm growing fond of it.  we've decorated the sanctuary in a simple way; tree and wreaths, some banners, the nativity and the advent wreath.

our gift for ministry which arrives today is a new piano; and with that new piano, we have an idea in mind to extend our sanctuary into the community.  we're very excited about the possibilities!

so on this day of the celebration -- the festival of lights -- i've made sure to include the image in my home.  the parsonage, where 'the parson' lives, has a beautiful picture window, that is just perfect for either a tree (did that last year!) or candlelight (did that this year!)  the light provides a warm glow which reminds me each time i return home at night, that this is the season to extend hope, peace, joy and love into the world.  don't you just love flameless candles with timers?!  they are my new love!

as i sit in my office, another storm of the season is fast approaching.  after years of drought, we have had a goodly amount of rain, and i'm not tired of it yet!  and, a gentle reminder that we don't have enough water to be wasting any, so, be mindful of your care for water!

for those of you who know i've nearly always got my pedometer on me for virgin health (or is it FROM virgin health) . . . no matter, my point is, i participated in their 'turkey trim' event that lasted about 14 days over the thanksgiving holiday and into advent.  and for those sports fans keeping score, i placed 245th out of the 2,700 +/- participants.  our colleague judson placed as one of the 1st place participants; he and i are also participating in the 'daily challenge' for your health.  i have to say, this health stuff is gonna kill me!

i may not get back to my blog before year's end, so i want to share a couple of reflections from the advent/christmas letter is shared with the congregation.  feel free to substitute your spiritual understanding for the word/concept 'christian'.  this season has a focus, and it isn't on the shopping!!!  may these thoughts guide you on your journey as you help to share hope, peace, joy and love with everyone you meet -- and even those whom you do not know . . . .

"the coming of advent jolts us out of the ordinary with the invasive news that it's time to think about fresh possibilities for deliverance and human wholeness."  (patricia e. dejong).
"all of us, men and women, are included in mary's and eizabeth's time of expectancy, calling us together in partnership with god in god's plan for this world . . . .  we are all uniquely made in the image of god, meaning that we are to see god in one another and are called to say yes to justice for all." (trisha lyons senterfitt)
"if we are paying attention, we recognize too that god is in the ordinary moments of our life -- in the making of lunches and the folding of laundry, in daily kisses good-bye, in the moment when we look into the eyes of one whom the world considers unlovely at best and unworthy of notice at worst.  it is why we aim to live the christian life by not only talking about it or thinking about it, but by doing it -- why our prayers are not only those of the heart, but those of the hands and feet." (Kimberly bracken long)

for those looking for a christmas eve service, and for those who are curious about what christmas eve is all about, we welcome you to join us as we celebrate: wednesday evening, december 24th, at 7 pm.  www.umcsantacruz.org

the picture, below, depicts what happens after a storm here on the coast; this was the beautiful depiction of the sky from our parking lot.  how fortunate i am to share this time with you!  blessings to your celebrating and your sharing and your receiving . . . love!