The year I turn 50

That's right,  this is the big year.  2013-1963=50.  I've been thinking about this year for a while now.  How will I feel about turning 50?  Will it make me feel old?  Will I feel like I should have accomplished more by this point in my life?  Will I have a lot of regrets?  A few regrets?  No regrets?Birthdays really don't bother me.  They are a reason to celebrate but really it's just another day that we get to live our lives.  Since mine is the end of September it has largely gone unnoticed by my husband because he's almost always in the field harvesting either soybeans or corn depending on the growing season and fall weather.  It mostly goes unnoticed by my children as well and that's ok.  My mom has always made our birthdays a big deal and I appreciate that from her.  She knows that our special day should be celebrated and since I became a mom I have a better understanding that my children's birthdays are days that I would like to celebrate as well.

So..... back to the 'Year I turn 50'......I got to thinking about my blog and how bad I am at updating it.  :-)  Sorry about that but I really don't think my life is that interesting on a daily basis.  I began to wonder if my 50th year shouldn't be noted in some way so I'm going to periodically do a 'Year I turn 50' blog post.  Most will be boring but I hope a few will be interesting to some people. 

The first post I'd like to do has to do with something that I did two weeks ago that was very frightening but something I have been wanting to do for quite some time.  I was asked by my pastor to do a Lenten homily and I felt the time was right.  I gave a sermon about my sister - someone very, very special to me. My sister is my hero.  I will publish the sermon I read in this post so you can read it for yourself if you are so inclined. 

 

Be the Bread

March 6, 2013

 

I would like to share my sister’s story with you.  My sister was married for 18 years.  It wasn’t an easy marriage and it wasn’t a good environment for my sister or their 14 year old daughter.  In 2004 my sister was face with a very tough decision – leave or stay?  Divorce seemed to be the next step but it was scary to leave what was familiar and face the future with uncertainty.  Each time I spoke with my sister over the phone I encouraged her to come home so we could help her and I prayed.  I prayed a lot for the next few weeks.  On February 14, my sister called our mom and asked her to pass on a message to me.  “Tell Shirley to come and get me.  I’m ready.”  The journey ahead of my sister was a frightening one for her, filled with worry and doubt, but it was also filled with GOD’S DAILY BREAD.  She constantly asked herself if she did the right thing by leaving but as events unfolded before us it became obvious that this was where she was supposed to be. 

 

That Monday my niece was transferred from Sleepy Eye to St. James schools, her attendance record was pretty poor.  I think she was absent 42 days the first semester.  Even I didn’t realize how bad the crisis was.  We found an affordable income based apartment for the two of them and set to work to furnish it.  I was chatting with a friend of mine, Becky Sandmeyer, and told her a bit of my sister and niece’s story.  Becky called a few days later and asked if she could put something in the bulletin about someone in town who was in need of donations and assistance.  God’s Daily Bread manifested itself to us in more ways than we could ever imagine.  As I told my sister’s story to my daycare person, another mom mentioned that she had bunk bed frames that she would love to get rid of.  Another friend of mine mentioned that she had two love seats that she wanted out of her house.  Yet another friend had recently lost her father and had a garage full of apartment furnishings to give us.  God’s Daily Bread was all around us.  And then Becky began calling telling us that donations of clothing and money for my sister were being dropped off at the greenhouse.  We were humbled by your generosity and in awe of your willingness to become God made flesh and walk this difficult road with us.  My sister continued to struggle with the loss of her marriage and the effect it had on my niece and continued to question her decision.  The emotional abuse that she endured during her marriage wasn’t something that she easily cast out of her life.  She told me on more than one occasion, “I can’t believe that they keep helping me when they don’t even know who I am.”  That spring First Lutheran held its rummage sale.  Again, Becky called us to say the ladies wanted to invite my sister to come before the sale began to see if there was something she could use.  As soon as we walked in, Betty put her arm around my sister and walked with her past every table and encouraged her to take what she could use.  Again, we were overwhelmed as God’s Daily Bread was offered to us.  And then my sister saw it, her golden fleece.  This was the moment that she knew she was right where she was supposed to be.  Someone had donated a Hoover Spirit canister vacuum….exactly like the one I gave her.  The twin to the one she had to leave behind.

 

You may or may not remember the request for help in the bulletin so long ago.  My sister and I will never forget how you responded with gifts that were exactly what she needed at the time.  When she needed to buy a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread a gift of $5.00 or $10.00 was there.  When she needed help paying the rent, a gift of $20.00 or more was there.  I can’t thank you enough for showing my sister and I that God truly does walk along side us.  I encourage you to  be an active part of someone’s daily walk.  What seems to be a small and insignificant act really does mean the world to the recipient.  Sometimes an unwanted vacuum is just the sign that someone needs.