Thursday, October 21, 2004
THE END OF SUMMER....1981
John spent the bulk of his summer being a volunteer Youth Director in our church. He could see the need and there wasn’t a position in our church for one. It is often his way of dealing with needs. If he can do it, if he has time and if he is qualified, he steps up to the plate. One of his summer projects was to take them to our church camp for a week.
When they came back he asked to have a Sunday night fellowship with volunteers making ice-cream and desserts….the Youth would have a skit and he would give a brief run-down on the week at camp. The skit was hilarious….the kids enjoyed it and the church enjoyed it…but I doubt if any of us enjoyed it as much as John. He is a born ham and part clown….
He often took over the lesson for me on Monday evenings for my Bible Class. I enjoyed that immensely….it was nice to ‘not know’ how the subject matter would be dealt with. Teaching is something I love to do but the one problem with that is, you always know “what’s coming” and where the punch is to the lesson. As a listener I am treated to a totally different perspective of the material. Therefore, I am learning…….to learn something new is not only stimulating but inspiring.
Warren was finding ways to accomplish the chores he needed to do. Whereas he used to hate lawn work he became obsessed with it. He mowed by putting his stomach against the lawnmower handle and then walking across the yard with his crutches. When he got to the end of the row he would put the right crutch over in his left hand and taking the mower handle he made jabbing motions at the grass until it was to his liking……then back for another row. He was elated to know he could actually mow the whole lawn this way.
He devised ways to “carry” things by using two buckets. He had forearm crutches so his hand grips were where he placed the bails….then his hands went over the grips and he could carry things back and forth to do his jobs. He carried trash to the “burn barrel,” brought things in from the garage ….and took things TO the garage. He could wash the car, he painted the garage, he ran the vacuum and grocery shopped. He attacked anything to prove to himself he could overcome his handicap. Gravelle would have been proud of him if he knew how well he adapted to the crutches.
Becky’s family lived close by so we saw them a lot and enjoyed the grandchildren. George came to visit when he could. In mid-August, uncle Tom and aunt Inabelle came to visit mom for their annual visit before taking mom with them to the Stricklett reunion in Blair. Mom had us all over for a chicken supper…which was delicious. The next day Warren’s cousins came from Nebraska and stayed with us over night. I had to work the next day so Warren took them all to breakfast after I left.
On John’s last Sunday we all went to church early in the evening as John was to speak to the group that Becky taught on Sunday nights. They were GA’s and the program was Christmas in August. It was a yearly program to gather school materials for oppressed regions and to mail them out. John talked of the missions work in New Orleans, telling them he had been to the center and how their articles would be used. It was a church effort, headed up by the Girls In Action. He later preached the evening church service and didn’t know beforehand that there was to be a fellowship held in his honor afterwards…. and a check presented to him for the hours he had volunteered over the summer.
The next day we left for New Orleans with him in a packed car. Once we got to John’s dorm we helped unload his things and hurried to meet his friends for supper. We spent the night at the Guest House on campus and met John the next morning to take him to breakfast. We had to hurry getting him back to the seminary as he had a 9:00am class. We hugged him quick and he was gone. We headed north on the long highway home………..
Mom left with the Powell’s two days after we came home…….with John and mom both gone our life soon turned to other activities. It became apparent that summer was over and we would soon be gathering leaves. What we didn’t know….another crisis was eminent.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
When they came back he asked to have a Sunday night fellowship with volunteers making ice-cream and desserts….the Youth would have a skit and he would give a brief run-down on the week at camp. The skit was hilarious….the kids enjoyed it and the church enjoyed it…but I doubt if any of us enjoyed it as much as John. He is a born ham and part clown….
He often took over the lesson for me on Monday evenings for my Bible Class. I enjoyed that immensely….it was nice to ‘not know’ how the subject matter would be dealt with. Teaching is something I love to do but the one problem with that is, you always know “what’s coming” and where the punch is to the lesson. As a listener I am treated to a totally different perspective of the material. Therefore, I am learning…….to learn something new is not only stimulating but inspiring.
Warren was finding ways to accomplish the chores he needed to do. Whereas he used to hate lawn work he became obsessed with it. He mowed by putting his stomach against the lawnmower handle and then walking across the yard with his crutches. When he got to the end of the row he would put the right crutch over in his left hand and taking the mower handle he made jabbing motions at the grass until it was to his liking……then back for another row. He was elated to know he could actually mow the whole lawn this way.
He devised ways to “carry” things by using two buckets. He had forearm crutches so his hand grips were where he placed the bails….then his hands went over the grips and he could carry things back and forth to do his jobs. He carried trash to the “burn barrel,” brought things in from the garage ….and took things TO the garage. He could wash the car, he painted the garage, he ran the vacuum and grocery shopped. He attacked anything to prove to himself he could overcome his handicap. Gravelle would have been proud of him if he knew how well he adapted to the crutches.
Becky’s family lived close by so we saw them a lot and enjoyed the grandchildren. George came to visit when he could. In mid-August, uncle Tom and aunt Inabelle came to visit mom for their annual visit before taking mom with them to the Stricklett reunion in Blair. Mom had us all over for a chicken supper…which was delicious. The next day Warren’s cousins came from Nebraska and stayed with us over night. I had to work the next day so Warren took them all to breakfast after I left.
On John’s last Sunday we all went to church early in the evening as John was to speak to the group that Becky taught on Sunday nights. They were GA’s and the program was Christmas in August. It was a yearly program to gather school materials for oppressed regions and to mail them out. John talked of the missions work in New Orleans, telling them he had been to the center and how their articles would be used. It was a church effort, headed up by the Girls In Action. He later preached the evening church service and didn’t know beforehand that there was to be a fellowship held in his honor afterwards…. and a check presented to him for the hours he had volunteered over the summer.
The next day we left for New Orleans with him in a packed car. Once we got to John’s dorm we helped unload his things and hurried to meet his friends for supper. We spent the night at the Guest House on campus and met John the next morning to take him to breakfast. We had to hurry getting him back to the seminary as he had a 9:00am class. We hugged him quick and he was gone. We headed north on the long highway home………..
Mom left with the Powell’s two days after we came home…….with John and mom both gone our life soon turned to other activities. It became apparent that summer was over and we would soon be gathering leaves. What we didn’t know….another crisis was eminent.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
