A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build, 

a time to weep and a time to laugh

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

a time to tear and a time to mend, 

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil- this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. 

Over the last week and a half we have learned that there really is a season for everything as we commemorated life, death, marriage, and Thanksgiving. Last Thursday I got a call that my Uncle David had died unexpectedly. It seemed impossible at the time and the fact that he's gone still hasn't become a reality for me. As the word spread and people began to share their memories of and condolences for David, it quickly became obvious that he meant so much to not only his family, but his church and community as well. David was full of life and love and spread that joy with everyone around him. He always let you know that he loved you and that he was proud of you- in word and deed. He was always there, with an abundance of hugs, to support you in your accomplishments. As a matter of fact, I was still paying off a debt of several hundred thousand hugs for his help chopping BBQ at my high school graduation party. As with all deaths, there was a time to weep, mourn, love, and embrace. But because of David's fun-loving spirit, there was also a time to laugh. You just couldn't help it as you looked through pictures of him in silly poses and goofy costumes and think about all the good memories. His Earthly absence has certainly left holes in our hearts and family, but through Christ we have hope and assurance of being reunited with him again. 

On Saturday we traveled to Flat Rock, NC to celebrate the marriage of our friends Philip and Lindsay. They are great individuals and a wonderful couple and we're so glad they found each other. Their wedding was certainly a time to laugh, dance, love, and embrace! The wedding was held at the Bonclarken Conference Center. Lindsay's father is a Presbyterian minister and her family has spent a lot of time there. Everything was beautiful; the chapel, the bride, her dress, her father's words, and Philip's smile were all very lovely. The message even included the passage this post is based off of. It was the perfect timing for me to hear those words.  The wedding was at 5 so we planned ahead to stay the night. Our little Rowan Country Crew stayed at the Mill House Lodge which was basically just across the street from the Bonclarken campus. We each got a room in the Dogwood Lodge. It was perfect and so much fun to walk out onto the porch and right next door be your friends. Everyone agreed that we should come back when it's warm to enjoy all the amenities. We really enjoyed catching up and hanging out with everyone. We wish Philip and Lindsay a lifetime of love and happiness!

                          

The services for David were Sunday. Monday was spent catching up with friends. That morning we went over to West Rowan High School and were able to see many friends and students that we miss. After a couple hours there, we headed to Kannapolis to have lunch with Daniel,Tabatha, and MaryLynn at our old standby- El Amigo. We used to eat Mexican with them almost weekly so it was great to fit in our old tradition. MaryLynn is growing up so fast! I'm so proud that she already loves chips, queso, and quesadillas! I can't wait to help teach her little sister (coming next year) to love it too! That afternoon I went to handout with my friend Devon and her son Miller. He's such a cutie and at that wonderful age of discovery and amazement. Monday night was the first WR home basketball game. We grabbed dinner with Bob, Deona, and Marion at Mario's Diner then headed over to the game. It was great seeing our friends and living our old life but also bittersweet knowing it would be Christmas before we could see any of these folks again. We'll never have regrets about moving to Staunton, but we sure left a lot of good people behind in Rowan County.

Tuesday we headed to my folks in Hiddenite to hang out and prepare for Thanksgiving. I helped by making a few desserts. The first was a recipe my Dad found- Elvis Presley Pie. Basically all you need to know is it involves peanut butter, chocolate, cream cheese, bananas, and bacon. Yes, you read correctly- bacon. There are many variations out there, but this is the one we used. It is so rich and delicious! There were a lot of steps in the recipe but it was so good that I'll likely be making it again. One thing to be aware of- you definitely need a deep pie dish. We used the deepest one we had and still couldn't get all the filling in. It was still delicious though! The other dessert I made was the Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars that I made for the potluck at work last week. This time I used a metal pan (instead of glass) and did not put aluminum foil in the bottom. Overall the crust did better but I think I overcooked it. The dessert was still pretty good, but slightly overshadowed by the Elvis Presley pie and other delicious desserts.

We got to spend time Thursday with both Clark and my families before hitting the road back to Staunton. Fortunately, traffic was light and we made it home in good time. Work went well on Friday and that night we bundled up to go support the Riverheads Gladiators at their last home playoff football game. It was cold, but we stuck it out and it was worth it! Riverheads pulled out the win in the last few minutes of the game. Next week they will play away at Giles High School in hopes of winning and advancing to the State Championship Game.

The weekend has been full of rest and recuperation from our travels. I am so thankful for all that God has blessed me with: a wonderful husband, loving and supportive family, an awesome job, and amazing friends. I was starkly reminded not to take these this for granted because things can change so fast. Regardless of what happens, it has all been appointed by God and part of an ultimate plan that we don't always understand.

This week brings some changes- I go onto the large animal on-call schedule this week so I'm excited/petrified of what might drag me out of bed into frigid temperatures. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and has a wonderful week to come.