I may have told you this before. So? If you’ve seen it before, skip it.
It was Sunday evening in February 1955, I was sitting near the front of FBC Columbia with my friends from USC. A young woman joined the church.
When Dr Archie Ellis introduced Elvera Collins, I wrote her name in my Bible.
Because of circumstances to detailed to discuss here, I did not get a chance to meet her until something happened in October, 1955.
I don’t know what happened,i.e. Why I did not go to Margaret’s church with the rest of my crew. That is, a bunch ran around together, and everybody had gone to Margaret’s church for some reason.
For the first, and only, time ever, I sat in the balcony. At the end of the service, I found myself beside Elvera Collins. I Invited her to lunch. After lunch, she went with me to Margaret’s church. where a colleague, Everett Dalton was minister. Everett was a friend, studying some at Carolina.
The next Saturday, I took her to the only football game she has ever attended.
But she agreed to another date the next Saturday.
She was going steady with another guy who went home to Atlanta on weekends. She suspected, wisely, that he had another girl in Atlanta. Columbia to Atlanta was not an easy trip in those days.
But we dated weekends until the Christmas and end-of-session break came and she made a choice.
It was me.
When I first saw her, I wrote her name in my Bible.
I was holding her hand when she died.
😊 Chas and Elvera’s love story
😢 having to say so longs to our beloveds…never an easy thing to do
😊 ah but the hope of tomorrow and dwelling with our Saviour in eternity!
Always a beautiful story. And we see the Hand of God. That should answer the “I don’t know why”s. Because He had a plan and He would not be thwarted. And before you were able to properly hear, you listened.
🙂 Vaccines, better treatments — God’s provision of advanced medicine in our day — and the glimmers of hope and even some optimism that brings in this long pandemic that has affected to many
🙂 I was sent out on a ‘live’ assignment this week (now that I’m among the vaccinated) and it was good (if a little too early in the morning for me); I’m grateful that our company proactively protected its higher-risk reporters throughout this past year
🙂 During our daily staff phone call yesterday, one of our reporters, angry about something an editor (not on the call) suggested, went off on a screed-type tangent, using all kinds of colorful language in a long string. Afterward, the editor of one of our weeklies who was on the call spoke up saying because there were women on the call (and himself, for that matter), he really didn’t appreciate “the language,” he personally really found it offensive. Our photo editor chimed in saying he agreed. Wow. Kind of surprised but delighted me to hear anyone in this day and age take a stand like that
😦 The political and overall state of our nation. it’s a mess right now, all the way around. What is God doing? Stay tuned, I guess
🙂 Remembering he is still Lord of all the rulers of nations, he is sovereign in what comes to pass — whether we can ever understand the “why’s” of it or not
🙂 My dogs had a long-overdue grooming session yesterday. I also bought a couple new orthopedic dog beds for them, their old ones were pretty beaten down
We did our annual bicycle-ride vacation in Florida the past week. The weather was perfect and my cousin and his wife joined us from south Florida. I did about 94 miles; hubby did 180!
Karen @ 11:52
It gives you a sort of anchor. Something you can remember.
I think I told you this before:
I was praying and asked the Lord to tell her that I really did love her.
The answer came back in my head, almost audible:
“She already knows that”.
And I think it’s natural when someone dies that we suddenly worry that they didn’t “really” know how much they meant to us (but they do). I had that happen after my mom’s death. In fact, Of course she knew I loved her, but I was in my 30s and busy-busy with my own life (though we saw each other pretty much every Sunday for dinner still).
I was telling one of my cousins about my worries as we were starting to go through things in the house right after her death — that same night she found tucked away in a drawer a birthday card I’d given to my mom, maybe a few years earlier but interesting that she’d kept it — that had a very heartfelt message I’d written inside. My cousin said, “See? She knew.”
And of course she did.
Still, always a good reminder to let folks know that, and often.
😦 It’s one thing I worry about with my only sister, that we’re probably in the last third of our lives and we are certainly in the last third of her children’s childhood, and they’re being wasted without the ability to be connected.
🙂 We have had pretty snow and frost, with some nice chances for photographs,
🙂 but now it’s supposed to reach 60 tomorrow.
🙂 Birds are singing, and yesterday we saw thousands of snow geese in flight and several other species of waterfowl. Glorious signs of God’s creation.
🙂 I’ve been enjoying another romp through Narnia and also getting to know Anne of Green Gables.
😦 My camera hardly works now, they’ve stopped making this model, I want a working camera by spring (in a month or less, most likely), and I don’t really know the next step. It would be easier if I could go to a camera shop and actually talk with someone about it . . .
😦 I’ve had WAY too many late, late nights in the last two weeks (I’ve been awake till 3:00 or later about every other night, and till 5:00 or 6:00 or later perhaps four times).
😦 This weekend marks one year since the last time we attended church “in person” (the following week we both had the flu–it wasn’t Covid, as my husband had a test for the flu), and with half a dozen cases in our church in the last week, we won’t be going back in the next few weeks either.
😦 With relational stress, isolation, winter, and who knows what all, I have found “motivation” difficult and am behind on a big writing project and on some household projects.
🙂 I have made some “steps” in the right direction this week.
Or, if you’re looking for something different, google “digital camera for nature photography” or whatever generally you’re looking for in terms of the category
Maybe some of your Flicker contacts have advice?
I used to ask one of our work photographers whenever I was buying something like that, they were such a good resource and were always up on the latest camera markets
No, DJ, they aren’t making the next model anymore either, or I’d look that route. They’re still making the earlier one (I think) but I already had that one and didn’t like it as well. (Not as long a zoom and not as clear.)
Everything is a camera noways. Even your phone can take pictures. Nothing is safe anymore.
Pictures are too easy. Therefore, not likely to be permanent.
I am supposed to be in a zoom meeting with the grown kids but I seem to be out of the loop. That is good. They can talk about interesting thirties and forties people stuff.
Well, since I was upstairs and had no child tending to do, I grabbed husband’s shoes and got on the bike for another quick workout. Then they texted me and I got better directions to the zoom. Good to see them all and hear how they are doing.
Wandering Views 
I may have told you this before. So? If you’ve seen it before, skip it.
It was Sunday evening in February 1955, I was sitting near the front of FBC Columbia with my friends from USC. A young woman joined the church.
When Dr Archie Ellis introduced Elvera Collins, I wrote her name in my Bible.
Because of circumstances to detailed to discuss here, I did not get a chance to meet her until something happened in October, 1955.
I don’t know what happened,i.e. Why I did not go to Margaret’s church with the rest of my crew. That is, a bunch ran around together, and everybody had gone to Margaret’s church for some reason.
For the first, and only, time ever, I sat in the balcony. At the end of the service, I found myself beside Elvera Collins. I Invited her to lunch. After lunch, she went with me to Margaret’s church. where a colleague, Everett Dalton was minister. Everett was a friend, studying some at Carolina.
The next Saturday, I took her to the only football game she has ever attended.
But she agreed to another date the next Saturday.
She was going steady with another guy who went home to Atlanta on weekends. She suspected, wisely, that he had another girl in Atlanta. Columbia to Atlanta was not an easy trip in those days.
But we dated weekends until the Christmas and end-of-session break came and she made a choice.
It was me.
When I first saw her, I wrote her name in my Bible.
I was holding her hand when she died.
LikeLiked by 6 people
😊 Chas and Elvera’s love story
😢 having to say so longs to our beloveds…never an easy thing to do
😊 ah but the hope of tomorrow and dwelling with our Saviour in eternity!
😡 Biden
LikeLiked by 2 people
Always a beautiful story. And we see the Hand of God. That should answer the “I don’t know why”s. Because He had a plan and He would not be thwarted. And before you were able to properly hear, you listened.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Like Chas with Elvera, I was holding Hubby’s hand when he died. I am grateful for that.
LikeLiked by 4 people
🙂 Saturday
🙂 Vaccines, better treatments — God’s provision of advanced medicine in our day — and the glimmers of hope and even some optimism that brings in this long pandemic that has affected to many
🙂 I was sent out on a ‘live’ assignment this week (now that I’m among the vaccinated) and it was good (if a little too early in the morning for me); I’m grateful that our company proactively protected its higher-risk reporters throughout this past year
🙂 During our daily staff phone call yesterday, one of our reporters, angry about something an editor (not on the call) suggested, went off on a screed-type tangent, using all kinds of colorful language in a long string. Afterward, the editor of one of our weeklies who was on the call spoke up saying because there were women on the call (and himself, for that matter), he really didn’t appreciate “the language,” he personally really found it offensive. Our photo editor chimed in saying he agreed. Wow. Kind of surprised but delighted me to hear anyone in this day and age take a stand like that
😦 The political and overall state of our nation. it’s a mess right now, all the way around. What is God doing? Stay tuned, I guess
🙂 Remembering he is still Lord of all the rulers of nations, he is sovereign in what comes to pass — whether we can ever understand the “why’s” of it or not
🙂 My dogs had a long-overdue grooming session yesterday. I also bought a couple new orthopedic dog beds for them, their old ones were pretty beaten down
🙂 We all slept well
LikeLiked by 3 people
😦 The dogs now have better beds than I do, I really need to replace my very-old mattress one of these days soon
LikeLiked by 1 person
My dogs shredded their beds. Now they just sleep in hay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We did our annual bicycle-ride vacation in Florida the past week. The weather was perfect and my cousin and his wife joined us from south Florida. I did about 94 miles; hubby did 180!
LikeLiked by 5 people
Karen @ 11:52
It gives you a sort of anchor. Something you can remember.
I think I told you this before:
I was praying and asked the Lord to tell her that I really did love her.
The answer came back in my head, almost audible:
“She already knows that”.
LikeLiked by 3 people
And I think it’s natural when someone dies that we suddenly worry that they didn’t “really” know how much they meant to us (but they do). I had that happen after my mom’s death. In fact, Of course she knew I loved her, but I was in my 30s and busy-busy with my own life (though we saw each other pretty much every Sunday for dinner still).
I was telling one of my cousins about my worries as we were starting to go through things in the house right after her death — that same night she found tucked away in a drawer a birthday card I’d given to my mom, maybe a few years earlier but interesting that she’d kept it — that had a very heartfelt message I’d written inside. My cousin said, “See? She knew.”
And of course she did.
Still, always a good reminder to let folks know that, and often.
LikeLiked by 4 people
You all know that woman I thought was so fine?
Well
She went up to Heaven and left me behind.
-)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Chas is a poet,
his feet show it.
They’re Longfellows.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hey, Chas! She isn’t looking for home anymore.
LikeLiked by 3 people
😦 It’s one thing I worry about with my only sister, that we’re probably in the last third of our lives and we are certainly in the last third of her children’s childhood, and they’re being wasted without the ability to be connected.
🙂 We have had pretty snow and frost, with some nice chances for photographs,
🙂 but now it’s supposed to reach 60 tomorrow.
🙂 Birds are singing, and yesterday we saw thousands of snow geese in flight and several other species of waterfowl. Glorious signs of God’s creation.
🙂 I’ve been enjoying another romp through Narnia and also getting to know Anne of Green Gables.
😦 My camera hardly works now, they’ve stopped making this model, I want a working camera by spring (in a month or less, most likely), and I don’t really know the next step. It would be easier if I could go to a camera shop and actually talk with someone about it . . .
😦 I’ve had WAY too many late, late nights in the last two weeks (I’ve been awake till 3:00 or later about every other night, and till 5:00 or 6:00 or later perhaps four times).
😦 This weekend marks one year since the last time we attended church “in person” (the following week we both had the flu–it wasn’t Covid, as my husband had a test for the flu), and with half a dozen cases in our church in the last week, we won’t be going back in the next few weeks either.
😦 With relational stress, isolation, winter, and who knows what all, I have found “motivation” difficult and am behind on a big writing project and on some household projects.
🙂 I have made some “steps” in the right direction this week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did they replace your camera with just a newer model? Maybe that’s a place to start
LikeLiked by 1 person
Or, if you’re looking for something different, google “digital camera for nature photography” or whatever generally you’re looking for in terms of the category
Maybe some of your Flicker contacts have advice?
I used to ask one of our work photographers whenever I was buying something like that, they were such a good resource and were always up on the latest camera markets
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, DJ, they aren’t making the next model anymore either, or I’d look that route. They’re still making the earlier one (I think) but I already had that one and didn’t like it as well. (Not as long a zoom and not as clear.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Everything is a camera noways. Even your phone can take pictures. Nothing is safe anymore.
Pictures are too easy. Therefore, not likely to be permanent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am supposed to be in a zoom meeting with the grown kids but I seem to be out of the loop. That is good. They can talk about interesting thirties and forties people stuff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, since I was upstairs and had no child tending to do, I grabbed husband’s shoes and got on the bike for another quick workout. Then they texted me and I got better directions to the zoom. Good to see them all and hear how they are doing.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’m glad you didn’t totally miss it, Mumsee.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😦 Chickadee still incommunicado.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chas you made me 😢. It was the good kind because it is such a beautiful love story.
LikeLiked by 2 people