And another...

A dear friend's father passed away yesterday; he was a contemporary of Geneva's, and one she knew well. I will take her to the viewing late this afternoon, then go again this evening with Ted. Tomorrow morning will be the funeral, and I will attend that as well.

So many funerals, so little time.

•••

I'm not obsessed with death, but I am very mindful of it. Always have been--even I though I didn't experience it firsthand until I was a young adult--probably because one of my childhood memories: I was playing outside, when a pickup truck drove by (I remember it vividly) and the driver yelled, "Your daddy's gonna die!" As an undercover narc, Dad had a lot of enemies, and it seemed that the specter of death was always in the background. For good reason, because it always is, even if your job is an innocuous desk job.

I read the obituaries. I find it interesting to see how people are remembered. With the advent of the new cemeteries that don't allow much individualization of headstones, the obituary is often the last mark a person might leave on this earth. I'm amazed that some obits are full of life while others are full of death. Some are sorrowful while others are joyous in the midst of sorrow.

•••

The difference is the Lord. Isn't that true of virtually everything? LITERALLY everything!

•••

Precious In His Sight

In our sorrow there is comfort,
Tears of anguish bring release;
Though we grieve, our hopes are strengthened;
In our loss, Lord we find this peace.

From our birth, our days are numbered;
Though we flourish, soon we die
But with this, our hope, to waken
Face to face with the risen Christ!

Another race is finished,
A burden is laid down,
The gate of heaven opens to the Sun!
How precious in Your sight, O Lord,
Is the death of a godly one.
  • aleta
    Amen.
    How frightening the visual that was placed in your mind as a child! Didn't know that about your dad's career.
    by aleta at 05/16/13 8:09AM
  • sirtarin
    I love that hymn. 'Tis so powerful.
    by sirtarin at 05/16/13 11:07AM
  • shannonwk
    So many is correct. Since the 2nd day of April when we arrived back in Lou. we have been to 5 visitations or funerals. And another we could not make. I heard a few years back that it is not really the dates on the tombstone that matter it is the dash in between that counts (the life we lived between the day of birth and death). But I think it matters to the ones left behind. We want our loved ones as long as possible unless they are suffering.
    One of our members works in the narc division but not undercover, though I think he did at one time, but here at the UPS hub checking packages for drugs.
    by shannonwk at 05/16/13 12:28PM
  • kamille
    My hubby's cousin was a state trooper but is now a U.S. Marshall or something. He works undercover sometimes.
    by kamille at 05/16/13 1:10PM
  • holly_ann
    Thank you for the birthday wishes :) I'm looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks, though I know you'll be so busy we won't have much time to talk!

    I'm sorry for the loss of your friend's father, and for that scary childhood memory.
    by holly_ann at 05/16/13 1:25PM
  • marmee
    When I was in grade school we used to walk home for lunch each day (close to a mile). My younger brother normally walked with me and one day a car pulled up near us (like you, I can still vividly see the blue car) and the driver pointed a long gun (rifle or shotgun, I do not know ... I was a child!) at us and asked "You wanna die, kids?" We were so frightened ... we began to run ... into our neighbors back yards and all the way home that way. Apparently this had happened to some other children in another part of town, as well. At the time, the principal of our school and my father (who was a no nonsense man) took some steps toward stopping this kind of behavior. My dad found that car in an adjoining town at the ag school (a technical college) with a warm engine and some other evidence of misdeeds. Somehow he got the address of the culprits and he went and had a "talk" ... that event never happened again.

    Years later when my husband was a cop in the same town, my life was threatened a time or two. We took precautions and nothing ever happened. I can also remember walking down the street (this was our hometown, mind you) and having people make pig calls out their windows at me. I don't miss those days at all!
    by marmee at 05/16/13 2:55PM
  • justg
    He is the difference.
    Amen.
    by justg at 05/16/13 3:06PM
  • kailua
    What amazes me is when the obituary contains a photo of the decedent taken 50 years earlier.
    by kailua at 05/16/13 6:21PM
  • ceoltoir
    A little boy who lived down the street from us was abducted and murdered when I was a child. I remember his mother sitting at our dining table and weeping with my mom while the search was going on for the child (everyone always came to my mom for comfort). It was bewildering to me and, partly as a result of that, I never experienced the invincibility of youth/teenagehood like others usually do.
    by ceoltoir at 05/16/13 6:29PM
  • misssonja
    Haha, spoken like someone under 40! Speaking as one whose bloom is off the rose, I'm all for the OLD photo... :)
    by misssonja at 05/16/13 9:31PM
  • mjintexas
    I'm wide-eyed about your childhood experience. How scary! Reading some of these stories, it seems I had a pretty boring childhood!
    by mjintexas at 05/17/13 10:04AM
  • kamille
    ^^^^I, too, wonder about the old photos in the obits. But I guess putting 2 photos would be too much.
    by kamille at 05/17/13 12:53PM
  • tryphena
    Re old photos: I think some of it has to do with the fact that some elderly folks really can't see themselves as an 88-year-old, and they don't see *each other* that way, either. On several occasions, when Geneva has met people she knew when she was younger, she simply could not reconcile this "old lady" with her young and beautiful friend she remembered. It could be simple pride, or it could be that everyone feels that the old photo does more justice to the person and that others will remember them that way.
    by tryphena at 05/17/13 2:19PM
  • kailua
    Well, thank you for giving me my youth back. LOL - I am a ways past 40 :-)
    by kailua at 05/18/13 1:17PM

Paranoia and Privacy

I always feel like
Somebody’s watching me…


Interestingly and sadly, I know for sure the somebody I used to be concerned about is longer watching me. I prayed for a resolution in that situation, and God answered my prayer in His way…not as I had hoped or even expected, but He responded as He saw fit.

However, my opinions seem to be of great interest to others who use them against me as well. I find it disconcerting that some people find my little corner of Pleo, which honestly does not have a great many readers, so fascinating. By that, I don’t mean those who regularly read and comment openly, but those whose purpose is not purely friendship, sharing of opinion, and thoughtful consideration.

You see, I don’t always color inside the lines. I don’t always play well with others. I don’t always conform to groupthink. And…sometimes, that puts me in danger of being labeled as a citizen-in-poor-standing. I must be silenced in order to preserve the union. Free speech? Not really.

I’m being a bit sarcastic here…but you know, there is a time coming when righteous people will be silenced. When their pleas for godliness and true religion will be punished on a larger scale than it already is. I always wonder if I will be a stalwart believer or will capitulate to powers-that-be. I have a feeling I will be somewhere in the middle, too optimistic (hard-headed?) to give up on anyone or anything. I would probably try to reason with the lion as he is eating me. I just don’t know my limits…until I’m reminded of them.

You may notice that my blog has been wiped out and there are no prior entries. I have archived all 700+ entries and downloaded them to my computer. Many of my posts are personal history, some are essays on various topics, mostly political or religious. (Yes, there’s where the trouble begins, and no, I will never learn.) All are my opinions, which are not always right or even righteous. If you are interested in my thoughts on a subject and recall that I wrote about it at some point, I’ll be able to find the writing and share it with you.

I will continue to post light entries publicly for the entertainment of the lurkers, but I will no longer share my heart with the world-at-large; therefore, many of my entries will be private. If you wish to read my private entries, please comment, message me or, if you prefer, e-mail me at a_sewall at comcast dot net.
  • justpeachy
    I started to comment and realized just how hard it is when you feel you are being censored. I am sorry about that. Ouch. I tried again and it didn't flow at all. So it seems we must somehow go into a private room to prevent those who are unable to comprehend differences of opinion, wisdom, doctine, and scripture whether they are 16 or 61. Sigh
    by justpeachy at 04/30/13 8:29AM
  • cyber_space_cadet
    Count me in, Sister! And "Amen" to all of the other comments. ;)
    by cyber_space_cadet at 04/30/13 8:43AM
  • ceoltoir
    Kennon has asked for suggestions to improve Pleonast. Maybe there is some sort of solution to the Big Brother problem. Hmmm...
    by ceoltoir at 04/30/13 8:59AM
  • sarahmarcelle
    So sorry. It's sad that some people have nothing better to do than lurk in not-good-faith. You'd think there would be better ways to spend time.

    Glad that I will continue to see your posts--they are encouraging and always make me think!
    by sarahmarcelle at 04/30/13 9:19AM
  • 23_bravo_7
    Your thoughts and opinions have always been worth a listen and I agree with most. I am well of your difficulties of the past. As my high school chemistry used to tell us, "whenever you stand up for what you believe it, you are going to lose something". Didn't learn much chemistry but got a lot of philosophy.
    by 23_bravo_7 at 04/30/13 9:53AM
  • mjintexas
    I moved to this system sometime back, and I hope I can stay on your list-of-allowed-readers. :)
    by mjintexas at 04/30/13 10:10AM
  • sirtarin
    Well said. I appreciate your sharing your views. It can be quite good to be different, not for the sake of being different, but because one is seeking the truth, not conformity.
    by sirtarin at 04/30/13 10:46AM
  • cyber_space_cadet
    Well stated, Tony!
    by cyber_space_cadet at 04/30/13 10:53AM
  • ncreaves
    Keep me please and I ditto Leah Simon. Aren't we suppose to lean on and encourage each other. And can't we question different subjects in the spirit of love? Remember the rest of us ! :)
    by ncreaves at 04/30/13 12:25PM
  • kamille
    I hope I stay on the list.
    by kamille at 04/30/13 12:56PM
  • onelittlecandle
    I always appreciate your thoughts and have profited from them. :)
    by onelittlecandle at 04/30/13 12:57PM
  • justg
    Keep me on the list....please. There is good reason that I continually play in the shallow end of the pool.
    My coloring doesn't always stay in the lines, and I am not willing to stand toe to toe with those whose minds will rarely change.
    I'm a bit boring, however, I hear stress will kill you, and it's not worth the turmoil.
    So sorry to see your free thinking, spirited discussions and outside the lines opinions be squelched. You have expressed your opinions eloquently and without the sarcasm and name-calling that permeates differing opinion. You have encouraged me many times over. Ministry comes in many different forms.
    *sigh*
    by justg at 04/30/13 3:36PM
  • this_old_man
    “Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you”
    ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22 :)
    I try to keep my posts light. Not because I think I'm being spied but because I have very few deep thoughts to post about.
    by this_old_man at 04/30/13 4:37PM
  • sylvanhistorian
    I'm in, right? :)
    by sylvanhistorian at 04/30/13 7:21PM
  • kevin
    I certainly enjoy your perspective on things and am always stopping by... :)
    by kevin at 04/30/13 7:46PM
  • truckerswife
    Good to know, I will keep that in mind for our next outing. Walking the canal is great but one of my favorite things is riding those 2 or more dearer bikes on the canal. It wasn't warm enough or I would have talked him into it.
    by truckerswife at 04/30/13 8:49PM
  • truckerswife
    O good grief seated not dearer. On my smart phone and that's too hard to change. :p
    by truckerswife at 04/30/13 8:50PM
  • truckerswife
    Great when do we go? :)
    by truckerswife at 04/30/13 10:47PM
  • cyber_space_cadet
    A young friend of ours had this as her FB status the other day and I thought you'd appreciate it:

    "Sometimes I feel we do not look at certain scriptures and topics as accurately as we should simply because we are afraid of looking like "Pentecostals" or something else. Satan does not feed most people total lies. He mixes small lies in with big truths. Lets be sure we can still see the big truths for what they are and just avoid the lies. Lets not try so hard to be different for the sake of not looking a certain way that we go off the deep end in the other direction. That's not any better. Don't throw the baby out with the wash."
    ~BW
    by cyber_space_cadet at 05/02/13 10:03AM
  • shannonwk
    I just recently found you so I hope I don't lose you this quickly.
    by shannonwk at 05/02/13 1:28PM