The End of An Era

Today was the end of an era for Ted’s mom, Virginia Mangum Smith.  She retired today from the U.S. Postal Service after having worked 42 years.  She served as the Postmaster of the post office in Star, Mississippi, the community where she has lived most of her life.  The amazing thing is that someone in the Mangum family has served as Postmaster since 1915, when the post office moved into the Mangum Store building.  It truly is the end of an era.


I don’t know if the folks in this little town will be able to put a stamp on an envelope without her.  The post office is more than just a mailing facility, it’s a place where community happens.  Ms. Ginger did more than just hand out the mail, she gave suckers to the kiddos, treats to the puppies, and bread to the ducks across the street.  I’ve watched her help folks fill out their money orders, address their envelopes, and wrap their packages not because it was her job, but because she cares for and loves helping people.  This is the kind of service that would make Uncle Sam proud!

My dear mother-in-law is now moving into another era.  Retirement.  She may not be standing behind the counter in the post office any more, but I have a sneaky suspicion she’ll still be seen around Star offering a helping hand, feeding the ducks, and even passing out a few suckers to the children who are smart enough to take the time to get to know the woman who probably put stamps on their grandparent’s mail.

As Usual

I returned last night from a PMC (Pregnancy Medical Clinic) Summit in Memphis, TN.  I am on the Board of Directors for the Center for Pregnancy Choices so that means I get to attend wonderful conferences and workshops and hang out with the coolest people.  The Summit was kicked off with a devotional led by the pastor of the church hosting our conference.  He was encouraging us to not get so busy with life and the work of the ministry that we fail to spend time alone with God in prayer.  He read Luke 22:39, "Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him."  Why did Jesus go to the Mount of Olives?  It was His usual place to go to pray and meet with His Father.  The pastor noted that Judas was not among the disciples, but later led the crowd to him in order to betray him.  How did Judas know where to find Jesus?  Because Jesus was in his AS USUAL place.

This has caused me to reflect upon my own AS USUAL places.  If someone were to look for me, where would they go?
Would they say...
"She's working, AS USUAL."
"She's on Facebook, AS USUAL."
"She's on the phone, AS USUAL."
"She's watching TV, AS USUAL."
"She's sleeping, AS USUAL."

Where are my AS USUAL places?  Do I pray, AS USUAL?  Do I worship, AS USUAL?  Do I further the Kingdom, AS USUAL?  Do I study the Word, AS USUAL?  Do I serve others, AS USUAL?  Are these my USUAL places or are they UNUSUAL places that I occasionally visit?

In my 2010 visit to the Holy Land, I stood on the Mount of Olives.  From there you can see a breathtaking panoramic view of  Jerusalem.  Maybe this is why Jesus chose this spot to pray.  His burden was before Him.  His passion was in full view.

Could it be that my AS USUAL places reveal the objects of my passion?  Oh, Father, have mercy on me.  "Jesus went out AS USUAL to the Mount of Olives, AND HIS DISCIPLES FOLLOWED HIM."  May I leave my AS USUAL places and follow Him to His AS USUAL place, which is sitting right next to His Father.

The Soul Dare

This is the first Saturday since April that neither Ted nor I had anything planned.  It was just a free day to do NOTHING!  Ted took advantage of this day of nothingness and surprised me by taking me on an adventure.  All I asked was that it did not include 4-wheelers or woods (I'm still itching from the last adventure).   He assured me it didn't, but I still wore a skirt and flip flops just to be safe.  We grabbed a cup of coffee, shared an apple cinnamon scone and down the road to went to an unknown destination, unknown to me, that is.  He knew exactly where he was heading.

We arrived at a place that I had seen advertised in a newspaper many months ago and had mentioned that I would like to go to one day.  Fulmer's Farmstead and General Store in Richton, Mississippi.  We walked into the General Store and were welcomed with the words, "Lunch will be served in 15 minutes." How's that for a greeting?  There we so many things to look at - homemade breads & pastries, colorful jars of preserved fruits and vegetables, fresh tomatoes, watermelons, onions and peppers, bulk food items and much, much more.  Lunch was a meat and choice of veggies grown right there on the farm - lima beans, squash, greens, peas, and sweet potato pie for dessert.  It was delish!

After lunch we walked through the farmstead and were accompanied by a host of chickens, goats, horses, cats and turkeys.  The neighbors dog escorted us through the grounds and snuggled up close to Ted when we stopped by one of the old farm houses and tried out the rocking chairs on the porch.

I wandered into the farm house and found many things that I've heard my daddy talk about from his growing up days on his granddaddy's farm.   It felt like I had walked right into Laura Ingall's little house.  Then I spotted a hand stitched sampler sitting on top of the ice box.  It's words were simple, it's meaning deep and rich.  "Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see...".  The soul - the mind, the will and the emotions.  Faith is daring the mind, daring the will, daring the emotions to go beyond what the eyes can see.  I love this!  I need this!  There are things that I see with my eyes and believe that that is all it will ever be.  Faith dares my soul to see more.

Who would have thought that a simple little sampler in a simple little house would dare my simple little soul to go beyond what I can see and believe that things can be better.          


"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

A Birthday Gift From The Sheep

Today I celebrated my 43rd birthday.  I declared it a holiday and took the day off of work.  The festivities actually started last night when Mason and Ted cooked my favorite meal for me, Chicken Parmesan, and Cassie made me a Bops Ice Cream birthday cake.  Yummo!  This morning I slept in a little late and then surrounded myself with my bible, a stack of books and a hot cup of coffee.  I received many emails, texts, phone calls and facebook birthday wishes.  I am amazed by the number of people in my life who took the time to think of me today.  I am blessed!

My mom treated me to a day of lunch and shopping.  On my birthday wish list was a new tube of my favorite lipstick, new makeup brushes, and books.  I will end my day just like I started it - sitting in my bed surrounded by a pile of books!  Except this time I will have my lipstick on.

When I walked in my house tonight I was hit in the nose by the smell of pine-sol. Ahhh!  My wonderful husband swept and mopped the floors and cleaned my bathroom while I was out.  The next best thing to presents are acts of service!  Today I received both!  Can you guess what my Love Languages might be? :)

But perhaps the best gift I received was an example set by my parents.  A few nights ago my mom received a phone call around 9:30 pm from a friend of hers.  Her friend stated that she had just received a phone call from a friend of hers from another state.  That friend had a friend who was traveling and had developed some serious medical problems that prevented her from continuing her trip.  She wound up in a Jackson hospital.  She was alone with her three children several hours from home, sitting in the emergency room in a strange city.  She knew no one, only the name of a friend of a friend.  My mom’s friend asked if this lady’s children could come and stay with her.  Without hesitation my mother went to pick them up and opened her home to them.  In the wee hours of the morning the mother was discharged from the ER and my dad went to meet her and brought her to their home.  My parents offered this lady a comfortable bed to sleep in, food, and care for her children while she waited for someone in her family to drive several hours to come get them.

This is not the first time my parents have opened their home and extended hospitality to people.  Over the last 43 years of my life, Mama has fed and hosted many traveling missionaries and pastors.  More than once, my daddy has offered a spare room to friends and family members who were down and out and needed to make a fresh start.  Some for a night, some for several months.  

I can’t begin to express my gratitude for the gift of this example.  This is the stuff that legacy’s are made of.  This is the kind of gift that I long to pass down to my children.  The gift of living beyond yourself.  The gift of serving others.  The gift of hospitality.  The gift of kindness and self-sacrifice.  

Long after my lipstick has faded away and the pages of my books have yellowed, this gift of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ will still be alive.  And if, by God’s grace, I can live up to the standard set before me, I will be living this gift to others.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,  I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:31-40

This is What Love Looks Like

Our family spent Wednesday at our deer camp celebrating the Fourth of July.  Ted & I went up the day before to prepare the way for the Quick clan’s arrival.  Ted also had some deer scouting he wanted to do like putting out trail cameras, looking for sign, and finding new places to hunt.  I willing joined him on this journey deep into the woods.  Riding the 4-wheeler on cleared trails was no problem, I would even classify it as fun, but forging through the woods while dodging branches and briars, ditches and fallen trees was a little less than fun for me.   

You see, I don’t really like being in the woods and I don’t really like riding ATVs, but I do really, really like my Man.  So for that reason alone I acted like a big girl (well, I did whine a little when he drove down this steep bank into a creek) and went along for the RIDE.  At least I thought it was going to be a RIDE.  I didn’t know it was going to be a RIDE and then a HIKE.  To my surprise we stopped the 4-wheeler and hiked into the woods for what seemed like miles.  Ted assures me it was only yards.  Okay so maybe I did whine more than once.  But all in all I think I was a pretty good sport.  We did our scouting and headed back to the camp house.

I was feeling pretty good and proud of myself for my accomplished joint adventure with my husband.   It was in that moment of pride that the red bumps began popping up all over my ankles and legs.  Red bumps that itch and ooze!  In the South we call those red bumps chigger bites and those oozing bumps poison ivy.  I have carried a can of Calamine spray in my purse all day and have shown my red bumps to anybody that will stand still, like a soldier displaying his Purple Heart.  Last night I put my bug bitten ankle in Ted’s face and said, “This is what love looks like!”  We had a nice little chuckle and he gave me lots of sympathy.  

My own words have resonated in my spirit today.  As I spoke those words to Ted, “This is what love looks like”, God whispered to me, “No, THIS is what love looks like”, and He flashed an image of His Son hanging on the cross.  Our cultural definition of love is so messed up.  I tend to think of love as sweet things like cards, candy, flowers and acts of service.  Those things are loving and we should show our love in those ways.  But love, real love, isn’t sweet at all.  It hurts.  It scars.  It itches!  Real love says, “I am willing to be uncomfortable for you.”  Jesus was way more than uncomfortable that day on Golgotha’s hill.  He died.  Why?  Because THAT is what love looks like.

A Record Breaking Day in Hotlanta!

We spent an action packed weekend in Atlanta with Matt and the Grand-Princess.  We rallied behind our favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, Friday night at Turner Field.  Despite our loudest Braves Chant and our most fierce Tomahawk chop, we couldn't bring home a win.  Oh, well.  We had a great time and enjoyed a spectacular fireworks show after the game.  And, I got to see Chipper Jones play!  Not a bad night!

Saturday we headed out for Six Flags over Georgia.  We sweltered in the record breaking temperature of 106 degrees!  I'd like to do a short commercial for the Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad.  "When wet, the towel begins to evaporate and cool, providing cool, soft comfort to the user."  It really works and I will love my dear friend, Terri Pate, forever for giving me the heads up about it.  Between my Chilly Pad and my $10 refillable Six Flags souvenir cup, this magnolia blossom survived the heat.  Mylee was well prepared for the day with her hat, shades and a "pak-pak" full of necessary supplies.  She figured out things pretty quickly in Bugs Bunny World and pointed us in the right direction all day!

The last time we were at Six Flags, which was about 12 years ago, I had to ride all of the roller coaster rides with the boys.  Ted had this thing about heights and being more than 5 feet off the ground.  So being more than 5 feet off the ground, upside down, going 50 miles per hour was just not going to happen.  Matt announced his intent to ride the coasters and stated he needed a partner.  Ted volunteered, and this weekend my man overcame some fears and broke a few personal records of his own.  They started the day off by tackling the Acrophobia, a 20-story tower that takes you to the top and then free-falls while tilting you at a 15 degree angle, forcing you to look straight down.

This was the highlight of the trip for me.  I really could not believe Ted did this.  I've barely been able to get him on the Tilt-A-Whirl at the state fair for crying out loud!  And now he's free-falling 20 stories and riding roller coasters doing vertical loops at 88 feet in the air?  What a man!  There's just something about a man doing death defying, heroic things that makes a girl get all giddy inside.  But there's also something about a man who washes my clothes, waters my flowers and makes a trip to the grocery store just so I can rest that makes a girl's heart melt.  So whether he's doing death defying stunts or simply serving me in the mundane things of life, he breaks his own best record every day and captures my heart again and again.