I sat yesterday in my home office for 5 hours straight working on the audit (yes, it continues) and while I was working away I had the Whitney Houston 'Going Home" service on HLN. It was amazing and I wanted to be sitting in those hard wood pews sharing in that moment....whoever made the decision to share that on tv - Thank You. It definitely made me me reflect on my own personal gospel journey....my early introduction to church was by my Grandmother 'MaMa Auten'....my parents were not church goers until later in life. I think they were so overwhelmed with both working and raising kids that Sunday mornings were just too precious of time for laundry, shopping, etc. So my dad would take me to my MaMa Autens on Saturday night and I would spend the night and we would get up Sunday morning and dress up and usually my Aunt Elsie would come and get us and we would head down to Eastside Church of Christ in Phoenix. It was a wonderful congregation and as close to a church in the South as you could get (my dad's side of the family were all from Tennessee). After the fire and brimstone and great standards like 'The Old Rugged Cross' and 'Go Tell it on the Mountain' the service would be over and all the ladies would stand out front and visit for about 20 minutes. Those were the days when you got all dressed up to go to church....full skirts, my little white gloves, crinoline slips, little purse....the whole deal. I continued with this church all my young life and even when I started driving I would take my MaMa Auten and we would attend together. Sadly, my MaMa Auten 'went home' in 1976 and after her service the pastor gave me a Hymnal that means so much to me....I can just see my young hand and her wrinkled hand holding this hymnal and signing together. My next different experience was when I started dating a Catholic guy. So I would go to mass with him and cover my head with a scarf and was amazed by that ritualistic manner of the mass and I think that is why I am fascinated with Italian Religious Art today. Then I moved to Simi Valley, CA (outside LA) and married a Methodist! That was another great group of people and I was very active in that church and even led the Women's Group and did many fundraisers for that church. We moved to San Diego and did some church shopping and are still searching (however one is looking very promising). In our travels a priority has always been to engage in the religious aspects of where we visit....we have been to Jewish ghettos and cemeteries, synagogues, temples, sites of miracles, the Vatican, Trinity church in Ireland - each and everyone spiritual in its respective nature....but yesterday for 5 hours I found my home church as a member of The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark and that felt good! Can I hear an Amen! :)
Picture of the day challenge - week 2 (and most likely final - this is more than I can commit to!)
Sunday we took the adults out to dinner to celebrate Valentines Day - it was fun to be able to have adult conversations and chatter....but we missed our little ones too!
Monday we said goodbye to Steve's step dad in a moving ceremony in Ft. Rosecrans....
Tuesday (Valentines Day) when I woke up early my tulip bulb had bloomed! Later that day Steve made us dinner and gave me this beautiful orchid and we exchanged sweet gifts....
Wednesday I had a visit from my Lucky Charm and he had some of his Lucky Charms....later that night it was more audit review....
Thursday I decided to put away Valentines Day and encourage the Luck of the Irish to pay us a visit - I hear you saying it is not even March yet - don't be a hater - I need all the luck I can get!
TGIF - outside play and snuggle time with these sweet boys....this week for Gramps Popcorn Feature the choice was Ice Age...Brody had 5 bowls of popcorn and was moving so fast I could not capture his picture fast enough!!!
....sigh....back to the audit.....when/if it is ever over I will write a post on that!
No comments:
Post a Comment