Memories, New and Old

I took a quick trip to Fresno last week.  My purpose was two-fold - I met my new great nephew and attended the funeral of Irene Wilkinson.

 

New Memories

My niece, Lauren, gave birth to Robert Michael "Bo" Bane on February 12th.  He is named for both his great grandfathers (Lauren and Jordan's grandpas are both Robert) and for his maternal grandfather (Lauren's dad, Mike.)  This event made my sister a grandmother!  

 

I have enjoyed receiving almost daily pictures, but I really wanted to meet this little guy in person.  I drove up to Fresno on Thursday and spent all afternoon with Kim.  Krysten, Lauren and Bo came over for dinner and we enjoyed a few hours of catching up... and oohing and aahing!  Bo is a handsome little sweetheart!  (I won't be posting any pictures of him here without his mama's permission.)

I couldn't help but think how much my Mom and Dad would have loved Bo.  They loved their grandkids so much.  In fact, one of my earliest posts was called "When Mom Became Grandma."  

Kim and I enjoyed a walk around her neighborhood on Friday morning.  It is so flat there!  I'm use to hills from the moment I leave our house.  But the weather was perfect and we just enjoyed some sister time.

Old Memories

I have written about our dear friend, Irene Wilkinson, many times.  She was my Mom's best friend.  Their friendship lasted for decades.  Irene was a constant in my life growing up.  I even spent my first Christmas with her because Rod was in the hospital!  She was a true, true friend.

 

I probably knew this, but had forgotten.  Irene was the cousin of my uncle Ken Gilstrap (their mothers were sisters.)  Ken is married to my mom's sister, Joyce.  It was good to see them along with their daughter, Marcia, and granddaughter, Jessica.  So while we weren't related by blood, Irene has always felt like family to us.

The memorial service was beautiful - it was the celebration of a life well lived.  Stories of Irene as the ladies leader of Truth Tabernacle - making peanut brittle that helped pay for the new church building.  She was a Sunday school teacher (mine when I was about 3 or 4) and worked for over 20 years at Truth Tabernacle Christian School.  Sharon Killian read remarks from many of the students that Irene taught through the years.  Many talked about her wonderful hugs and how she taught them to read.

My drive home was filled with reflection.  I'm so thankful for so many.  Those who have known me the longest and the little guy I just met!

Repost: When Satan Runs Amok in the Streets

I received an email yesterday from a modest clothing company called Kosher Casual.  According to their website: "The Kosher Casual mission is to make high-quality clothing basics that are modest, affordable and comfortable - to not only look good, but to live in."  The email said, "Happy Purim!"  This reminded me of a Sunday school lesson that Les taught.  I blogged about it in 2015, but wanted to re-post it today as Purim begins at sundown.

 

Our adult Sunday school class has been studying Feasts and Celebrations this quarter.  This past Sunday, Les taught a fabulous lesson about the Festival of Purim.  This is the celebration that was instituted after the Jews were delivered from Haman's wicked plot in the book of Esther.

This feast is still celebrated each year in March. It covers two days, the first being the Fast of Esther, followed by the Festival of Purim. This particular fast has one purpose - to remember God’s deliverance of the Jews from Haman’s attempt at extermination.  We don't usually fast to remember, but to ask God for something.  I know I have never fasted in remembrance of what God has done for me.  The next day, during the Festival of Purim, is a time of joyful celebration.

Les concluded the lesson by sharing a story of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.  400,000 Jews were rounded up and 300,000 were eventually killed.  It was a dark time.  There was nothing to celebrate, but Rabbi Kalonymos Kalman said:

"In the Zohar it is written that Yom Kippurim means Yom ke Purim, ‘a day just like Purim’. That is to say, just as on yom Kippur – whether you like it or not – you must fast on orders of the Holy One, blessed be He; so you must rejoice on Purim. Even if Satan runs amok in the streets, you have to be happy, it is the will of God."

If anyone had a reason not to celebrate, it was these Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.  It is said that young Gerer Hasidim courageously emerged from their bunkers in the Warsaw Ghetto on the festival of Purim in 1943 and danced in the spirit of this joyous festival.

It often seems like Satan runs amok in the streets of America, but we must rejoice, it is the will of God.  We serve the God of deliverance and He will come through for us!