Hello from “just over the hilltop” on this beautiful sunshiny afternoon. Dick and I just got back from the bookstore working and cleaning some more. His tools are now gone, the little projects are getting tweaked, I washed windows, counter tops, and chairs, and then sorted, marked and shelved the first of the used books. We are very pleased with the progress and the look of the bookstore.
Dick designed our logo and we are waiting for business cards, bookmarks, and postcards to be made. It will also be used on the website and the sign over the entrance of the bookstore. Things are coming together very nicely and we hope to open quietly in about two weeks. The grand opening will be April 12th.
Just a note that Dick’s arm is still not working right but he is using it a little. I have preferred that he not try to drive so I took him to his weekly book sale at the library and a friend, Lee, picked him up for the men’s breakfast Saturday morning. Sometimes it is difficult to be dependent on others for things we normally do without thinking. I’m honored to be able to serve him during this time of healing.
that message is still relevant today
It seems as though I don’t have much to write this week and that is okay. Actually we spent more time watching the television because of Billy Graham’s life’s story and funeral. Dick sang in a Billy Graham choir at the crusade in Boston in ‘82. He said the 3,000 voice choir was so amazing one almost felt transported to heaven with the angels singing, too. He was also a counselor at the crusade for those coming forward and wanting to be saved. What a testimony to Mr. Graham’s life that he was willing to preach wherever God opened a door. And that his message never changed and was the basic gospel of good news. The one we celebrate each Christmas…..”that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. That message is still relevant today. Such a fitting funeral for this humble man of God.
A first job
Ironing. I love ironing and have found it to be calming and satisfying when the pile gets tall and those pillow cases, napkins, tablecloths, and some sheets need to get wrinkle-free. I often think of my Aunt Nancy and Grandma Bills because they paid me a little to do their ironing when I was in high school. For some reason, it was a chore to them. A dreaded chore. I’d put my aunt’s records of Jim Reeves or Eddy Arnold going while starching and ironing my Uncle’s work shirts and pants. If Dick thought he was in heaven singing in that huge choir, I thought I was in heaven listening to that music (I was about fourteen or fifteen years old) and ironing at the same time with no one around to tell me to turn the music down. Wow, good memories.
Well, in signing off today and still thinking about Billy Graham, I thought of this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Know who you are, know what you are called to do, and know where you are going. Don’t let the world distract you or stop you. Billy Graham made it. Just maybe, I can, too.
Have a special week and hopefully, I’ll see some of you soon. Love, Sharon
P.S. The picture today is our mascot at the bookstore, Professor Theo C. Bear, and he is pretending to preach like Billy Graham.