Good morning,
I hope each of your holidays were as blessed as mine. Tracy, Bob and I spent a very quiet Christmas day. It was really the first day I didn't feel I needed to accomplish something. We had a simple dinner of chicken and dumplings (comfort food) and watched White Christmas. A very nice day.
People just keep sharing wonderful useful things with us. Sue who is our neighbor, our very special heart-warming neighbor, said it looked like Christmas over here. People coming and bringing stuff, us carting in stuff, a very busy place. She is right. We have occasional chairs, tables, food, gift cards, ornaments, freshly cleaned items from the house, and I'm sure I am missing something important. It is beginning to look and feel like a home. That is mostly due to the people who have come over for the open house, just to hang out, after services, or just to chat. I love having people here and I love having folks sitting around our table eating, laughing and just being together. So come see us.
This week my insurance adjuster should be in the office, so we will be working on our next steps. We have the first rough estimate of what it will take to rebuild and will move forward from there.
Just got word we have four dining chairs coming. Yea! Open to more storage in the form of drawers of some sort. Will need to clean up thr front yard at 222. And we are in the process of planning a taking down the tree party.
At the Christmas Eve service, which was great, I heard myself say, "I think in the future I will remember the Christmas of 2009 as a time when I was surrounded with love-beyond-measure, and I knew it." When the words came out of my mouth I knew how true they really are. Thank you!
Love and joy,
Rev. Carolyn
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
December 23 - Alleluias
Good morning everyone,
Wow what a couple of days! Alleluia, alleluia alleluia!!! For those of you who can sing, Let it be heard from the rooftops.
Alleluia 1 - Tracy came in on Monday night. I felt an immediate sense of comfort.
Alleluia 2 - After we had a wonderful dinner, we got back to the house and she said I have a few things for you. That day from Canada I had received a precious Christmas ornament from a friend of Tracy's. It seems Tracy told Emma, her friend and co-worker, of the fire and mentioned when she and I were standing on the porch looking at what was left of our Christmas tree and all the ornaments we have collected over the years, at least those we could see the parts of. Well Emma said, "I'm on it!" She talked to her husband about buying some ornaments to send and they did do that, but he said, "we have to send some from our own tree." And they did. Ornaments with stories. Tracy brought some of hers, which included some from my Mom's tree. I have them all gathered on the dining room table so I can look at them as I walk by. We have the beginnings of our Christmas decorations for next year. How sweet is that?
Alleluia 3 - On Tuesday morning, I am downstairs on the phone. I spend a lot of time on the phone. Tracy comes in doing the happy dance. It seems that putting a new cord on our Passport (She gave me this last year for Christmas, it is a portable harddrive you use to backup your data.) was all it needed to work. I have almost all my information as of last May. Wow, all my school stuff, the collection of stories and quotes and ministerial services, etc are all there. The last 6 months were lost, but I can recapture what is important there. All together now, alleluia.
Alleluia 4 - Tracy was able to transfer my iTunes library to her old I-pod, I have music to share.
Alleluia 5 - People are coming to pump the cellar and tarp the house.
Alleluia 6 - Gifts keep coming my way. People who drop by and leave things and my son who sent a box that contains 31 tiny little packages. I have no idea what they are, but on Christmas morning all of us will have things to unwrap. Oh we now have a rug and end table in the living room. Looks really nice and is much warmer. A window blind in the bathroom that makes me feel less conspicuous. We were also blessed with two boxes of books from other Centers around the country, one of which is filled with books by Ernest Holmes, and wow doesn't that feel wonderful!
And today, we are borrowing a truck and going to pick up other stuff. The blessings just keep rolling in. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Bob comes home today and my plans for our service tomorrow night are coming together.
Have a wonderful day! May your day be filled with things that constantly say to you, "You are loved. Your are supported. You are the Light of the World!
Rev. Carolyn
Wow what a couple of days! Alleluia, alleluia alleluia!!! For those of you who can sing, Let it be heard from the rooftops.
Alleluia 1 - Tracy came in on Monday night. I felt an immediate sense of comfort.
Alleluia 2 - After we had a wonderful dinner, we got back to the house and she said I have a few things for you. That day from Canada I had received a precious Christmas ornament from a friend of Tracy's. It seems Tracy told Emma, her friend and co-worker, of the fire and mentioned when she and I were standing on the porch looking at what was left of our Christmas tree and all the ornaments we have collected over the years, at least those we could see the parts of. Well Emma said, "I'm on it!" She talked to her husband about buying some ornaments to send and they did do that, but he said, "we have to send some from our own tree." And they did. Ornaments with stories. Tracy brought some of hers, which included some from my Mom's tree. I have them all gathered on the dining room table so I can look at them as I walk by. We have the beginnings of our Christmas decorations for next year. How sweet is that?
Alleluia 3 - On Tuesday morning, I am downstairs on the phone. I spend a lot of time on the phone. Tracy comes in doing the happy dance. It seems that putting a new cord on our Passport (She gave me this last year for Christmas, it is a portable harddrive you use to backup your data.) was all it needed to work. I have almost all my information as of last May. Wow, all my school stuff, the collection of stories and quotes and ministerial services, etc are all there. The last 6 months were lost, but I can recapture what is important there. All together now, alleluia.
Alleluia 4 - Tracy was able to transfer my iTunes library to her old I-pod, I have music to share.
Alleluia 5 - People are coming to pump the cellar and tarp the house.
Alleluia 6 - Gifts keep coming my way. People who drop by and leave things and my son who sent a box that contains 31 tiny little packages. I have no idea what they are, but on Christmas morning all of us will have things to unwrap. Oh we now have a rug and end table in the living room. Looks really nice and is much warmer. A window blind in the bathroom that makes me feel less conspicuous. We were also blessed with two boxes of books from other Centers around the country, one of which is filled with books by Ernest Holmes, and wow doesn't that feel wonderful!
And today, we are borrowing a truck and going to pick up other stuff. The blessings just keep rolling in. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Bob comes home today and my plans for our service tomorrow night are coming together.
Have a wonderful day! May your day be filled with things that constantly say to you, "You are loved. Your are supported. You are the Light of the World!
Rev. Carolyn
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday December 21
Good morning Everyone,
More like me everyday. With help from some friends, I looked and hopefully sounded more like me yesterday. We had a wonderful celebration of the Winter solstice with incredible music by Cole, Dana, ky, Rick and Low. What a blessing that everyone is so flexible and committed.
The work party on Satuday was absolutely awesome. They went through stuff pulling out what might be salvagable and then took it home with them to clean up. I have already gotten stuff back from two people. How wonderful is that! We also moved some furniture to the garage to see if it can be saved. Some real encouragment.
Part of what we retreived were the files from my file cabinet. Smoky but readable. Part of that was my insurance policy. I could not remember the details. I feel better now knowing that the coverage will be more than sufficient to restore the home and the contents. I will be speaking to my adjuster later today to see what our next steps are.
Yesterday some folks stayed and had lunch with me. What a blessing that is! The house is warmed by the presence, the conversation, the love expressed over a cup of white chili. The chili came from Paula and what fun I have had sharing it with others.
Christmas week is off and running. Enjoy!
Rev. Carolyn
More like me everyday. With help from some friends, I looked and hopefully sounded more like me yesterday. We had a wonderful celebration of the Winter solstice with incredible music by Cole, Dana, ky, Rick and Low. What a blessing that everyone is so flexible and committed.
The work party on Satuday was absolutely awesome. They went through stuff pulling out what might be salvagable and then took it home with them to clean up. I have already gotten stuff back from two people. How wonderful is that! We also moved some furniture to the garage to see if it can be saved. Some real encouragment.
Part of what we retreived were the files from my file cabinet. Smoky but readable. Part of that was my insurance policy. I could not remember the details. I feel better now knowing that the coverage will be more than sufficient to restore the home and the contents. I will be speaking to my adjuster later today to see what our next steps are.
Yesterday some folks stayed and had lunch with me. What a blessing that is! The house is warmed by the presence, the conversation, the love expressed over a cup of white chili. The chili came from Paula and what fun I have had sharing it with others.
Christmas week is off and running. Enjoy!
Rev. Carolyn
Saturday, December 19, 2009
December 19 Update by Rev. Carolyn
Good morning,
I was wondering yesterday how to give my updates a title, and today I find the right spot.
Yesterday was a day of gifts. Tracey came and cleaned. For those who come to help this morning we have lunch (White chili) provided by Paula. We have boxes provided by Laura and the prosperity keeps rolling in.
In addition, Dinah gave me several gifts. The one I didn't know I needed was the remembrance that higher on my list is being friend and minister. Person dealing with house fire is low on the list of what I am. Her partner Deloris had surgery yesterday and I got the opportunity to go be with Dinah as she waited for the news that all was well. Do keep both of them in your treatments. Deloris will spend the next 4 to 5 days in the hospital and Dinah will not be far away.
She also gave me several items for my meditation area. She is so right and so intuitive, I need to create this space for myself. I will create the physical space, but more important I will be aware of that space within myself that I simply need to focus on to feel the connection and the support.
I was also reminded of something James said he learned at AA. You run the risk of loosing control when you are tired, hungry or angry. My learning - don't go to Wal-Mart late on Friday before Christmas when you are tired and hungry because when the young man cuts in line, you will loose your cool. Not fatal, but also not in my image of myself. Oh well.
We will meet at 201 west Park Place at 10, get assignments and then go to cold cold 222. Dress warmly.
If not today, I hope to see you tomorrow at the Howard Steam Boat Museum and we celebrate the Winter Solstice.
Love and deep appreciation,
Rev. Carolyn
I was wondering yesterday how to give my updates a title, and today I find the right spot.
Yesterday was a day of gifts. Tracey came and cleaned. For those who come to help this morning we have lunch (White chili) provided by Paula. We have boxes provided by Laura and the prosperity keeps rolling in.
In addition, Dinah gave me several gifts. The one I didn't know I needed was the remembrance that higher on my list is being friend and minister. Person dealing with house fire is low on the list of what I am. Her partner Deloris had surgery yesterday and I got the opportunity to go be with Dinah as she waited for the news that all was well. Do keep both of them in your treatments. Deloris will spend the next 4 to 5 days in the hospital and Dinah will not be far away.
She also gave me several items for my meditation area. She is so right and so intuitive, I need to create this space for myself. I will create the physical space, but more important I will be aware of that space within myself that I simply need to focus on to feel the connection and the support.
I was also reminded of something James said he learned at AA. You run the risk of loosing control when you are tired, hungry or angry. My learning - don't go to Wal-Mart late on Friday before Christmas when you are tired and hungry because when the young man cuts in line, you will loose your cool. Not fatal, but also not in my image of myself. Oh well.
We will meet at 201 west Park Place at 10, get assignments and then go to cold cold 222. Dress warmly.
If not today, I hope to see you tomorrow at the Howard Steam Boat Museum and we celebrate the Winter Solstice.
Love and deep appreciation,
Rev. Carolyn
Thursday, December 17, 2009
December 17, 2009
OK, I am on the blog. The things I am looking for help with are in purple.
Yesterday almost the entire day was involved with the man taking the inventory. He has been freezing while pullng out everything and counting each item and looking for manufacturer or other information for identification. Not a job I would like to do, but am so grateful there is someone who knows what he is doing and is willing to do it.
The adjuster is working on getting me a proposal for repairing the home. I thought they were going to take it down and start over, but they have since decided it is repairable. The contractor they recommend came by to meet me and work on his estimate. I am looking for recommendations for other contractors. I have one I have contacted, but want at least two more to do proposals. Now is the time to ensure we are getting as accurate as possible bids.
Last night we had six for meditation. Wow that felt good. We didn't meditate a lot but we talked and shared and were together. How wonderful is that? Trust me it was incredibly wonderful for me. Jan was in the house on Sunday and picked up the bar chimes and took them home and cleaned them. I used them to ring us in. What a gift that was!
The inventory guy will be finished today. Then we can get into the house and take out what we are willing to try to clean. After talking about this last night, I am inviting anyone who has an hour or so on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM to come and help remove some items. This is not easy stuff. So please don't feel you need to do this. I don't want anyone to spend too much time in the house, but if we have several people and divide it by room, it should go quickly. They also thought it would be a great idea for people to take home and clean some of the items, so they don't all end up at the rental home. I thought that was a great idea
Bob is in Angleton, Texas, visiting his brother and cousin and others. He has a little surgery on Friday and I expect him home on Monday. It was hard for him to leave, but he really had things he needed to do. He is cutting his trip short but we both know he is doing what he needs to do right now. Tracy, my daughter comes on Monday evening. Yea!
Still working on where we will be on Sunday.
I continue to receive incredible-wonderful-generous-out-of-sight gifts. Yesterday one of them was cash to start my new dress fund. The person said they liked to see me be dressed special on Sunday mornings. Wow! Oh the shopping I will do in the after Christmas sales.
Blessings and joy,
Rev. Carolyn
Yesterday almost the entire day was involved with the man taking the inventory. He has been freezing while pullng out everything and counting each item and looking for manufacturer or other information for identification. Not a job I would like to do, but am so grateful there is someone who knows what he is doing and is willing to do it.
The adjuster is working on getting me a proposal for repairing the home. I thought they were going to take it down and start over, but they have since decided it is repairable. The contractor they recommend came by to meet me and work on his estimate. I am looking for recommendations for other contractors. I have one I have contacted, but want at least two more to do proposals. Now is the time to ensure we are getting as accurate as possible bids.
Last night we had six for meditation. Wow that felt good. We didn't meditate a lot but we talked and shared and were together. How wonderful is that? Trust me it was incredibly wonderful for me. Jan was in the house on Sunday and picked up the bar chimes and took them home and cleaned them. I used them to ring us in. What a gift that was!
The inventory guy will be finished today. Then we can get into the house and take out what we are willing to try to clean. After talking about this last night, I am inviting anyone who has an hour or so on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM to come and help remove some items. This is not easy stuff. So please don't feel you need to do this. I don't want anyone to spend too much time in the house, but if we have several people and divide it by room, it should go quickly. They also thought it would be a great idea for people to take home and clean some of the items, so they don't all end up at the rental home. I thought that was a great idea
Bob is in Angleton, Texas, visiting his brother and cousin and others. He has a little surgery on Friday and I expect him home on Monday. It was hard for him to leave, but he really had things he needed to do. He is cutting his trip short but we both know he is doing what he needs to do right now. Tracy, my daughter comes on Monday evening. Yea!
Still working on where we will be on Sunday.
I continue to receive incredible-wonderful-generous-out-of-sight gifts. Yesterday one of them was cash to start my new dress fund. The person said they liked to see me be dressed special on Sunday mornings. Wow! Oh the shopping I will do in the after Christmas sales.
Blessings and joy,
Rev. Carolyn
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Vicky's Experience The Night of the Fire, Dec. 8, 2009
TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS Click COMMENT ON THIS POST.
Vicky Here: That night will remain in memory as one of the most unfathomable, sad and intensely frustrating experiences of my life. I was returning home to Louisville from Arizona on the first of a double connection when I got a message on my cell from Vernon that our Center home, we lovingly call Ester, was on fire. He was headed over to try to help. As I tried to take in the words, my cell beeped at me "low battery." Oh, God! I needed to be able to Talk to Vernon to confirm -- could he possibly be saying what I thought he said? I needed to talk to Carolyn! Was she alright??? I got Vernon just long enough to confirm that he and Carolyn and Rick and others were now out front of the house With Carolyn--Thank God! . . . "Beep - low batt . . ." Oh, good lord! I said to my good friend, Cindy, who picked me up, "I have to use your phone to talk to Carolyn." She said, "Uh-oh, I don't know what's wrong but it's not holding a charge. You're kidding! It took me an hour and a half to move through the masses of delayed passengers and get to a plug to charge long enough to at least speak to Carolyn without my phone cutting off. All night trying to get home I was filled with that sense of not being able to get here fast enough, even though I knew everything possible was being done to save the house. Once in a lifetime is more than enough. AND, Praise to the Process -- Today is a new day, with opportunities to heal and grow and love each other. Know that I Love You!
PLEASE CLICK COMMENT ON THIS POST TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.
Vicky Jeter, RSc.P
Vicky Here: That night will remain in memory as one of the most unfathomable, sad and intensely frustrating experiences of my life. I was returning home to Louisville from Arizona on the first of a double connection when I got a message on my cell from Vernon that our Center home, we lovingly call Ester, was on fire. He was headed over to try to help. As I tried to take in the words, my cell beeped at me "low battery." Oh, God! I needed to be able to Talk to Vernon to confirm -- could he possibly be saying what I thought he said? I needed to talk to Carolyn! Was she alright??? I got Vernon just long enough to confirm that he and Carolyn and Rick and others were now out front of the house With Carolyn--Thank God! . . . "Beep - low batt . . ." Oh, good lord! I said to my good friend, Cindy, who picked me up, "I have to use your phone to talk to Carolyn." She said, "Uh-oh, I don't know what's wrong but it's not holding a charge. You're kidding! It took me an hour and a half to move through the masses of delayed passengers and get to a plug to charge long enough to at least speak to Carolyn without my phone cutting off. All night trying to get home I was filled with that sense of not being able to get here fast enough, even though I knew everything possible was being done to save the house. Once in a lifetime is more than enough. AND, Praise to the Process -- Today is a new day, with opportunities to heal and grow and love each other. Know that I Love You!
PLEASE CLICK COMMENT ON THIS POST TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.
Vicky Jeter, RSc.P
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