Happy Birthday, Big Dad

I love you SOOOO much! So glad to have spent these 20+ years with you. You certainly have made life interesting! And I believe you are one of the few in life who can do anything you put your mind to. Amazing.

You're loved!

Strong, Silent, and Oh So Funny

Exactly a week ago, I googled the address to a Baptist Church in Mesquite, and drove through downtown Dallas to make it to a funeral by 10. I wasn't sure I would be able to make the trip, and neither were a few other family members. But in the end, there was no way we would miss this funeral.

Uncle Bill was married to my dad's younger sister, Mary Jo. She was actually the first of the brothers and sisters to get married. My dad and Uncle Bill became good friends in their teens, and to hear dad tell it, he felt a little betrayed when he realized at some point the he wasn't the only reason Uncle Bill made frequent visits to their house.

I have scattered memories of him. All through childhood we made holiday visits to Uncle Bill and Aunt Jo's. I guess in situations like that, the strongest part of the person's character is what remains in memories. For me, it was that he was the strong silent type. He chose his words wisely, and measured them appropriately. Then came the zingers.

Uncle Bill's humor is the quality I remember most. He was the master of one liners. But he was quiet. So if you weren't listening, you'd miss them. Most people listened intently. Because he was quiet, he was extremely observant, and his humor reflected that. It was that observation that made him hilarious.

And he had a tell. I learned very quickly to listen closely when I saw it. He would lift his chin to straighten his collar. He wouldn't actually straighten his collar, just go through the initial motions. Then the zinger would fly, to be followed by peels of laughter. Every time.

Laughter is part of his family culture that he left behind. His family is always laughing. Even at the funeral, stories of Uncle Bill brought about a few belly laughs. While some people talked about his athleticism, and others talked about his lifelong commitment to the Lord and his hard work ethic, all reminisced about that smile of his after one of his one-liners.

Uncle Bill was and is part of our family fabric, and his color, though seemingly in the background, is the basis of the strength that makes the Ledbetters and the Houghs such a tight knit group. We will miss Uncle Bill. But because of him, we're strong enough to handle it.

Friend Time

I get to see my old roommate tomorrow. I started thinking about the last time I saw her, and I think it's somewhere around 18 years! That's far too long. Especially for a good, good friend.

Kim and I were inseparable in college. We lived together, worked at the same places (school cafeteria and Walmart) and shared our lives for three straight years. Those were crazy years, and we did strange and crazy things. Oreos were a particular fascination....for many reasons. We went through the same fads and fazes: (I admit) legwarmers, full length coats, generic wheat thins, Ferris Beuller's Day Off, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, the Gaither Vocal Band.... all bring up specific memories and events spent with Kim. And the VW. Can't forget the green bug.

We've lived completely different lives post college, but that hasn't kept us from staying in touch. My daughter started college this year. Hers is in pre-K. I've been married for 21 years. She's been married for 5. But there are similarities, too. We both are active in ministry. We both are dedicated moms. We have some similar problems in our lives as well.

So I get to see Kim tomorrow, and I'm sure it's going to be a gabfest. Lots of catching up, laughing, sharing, and getting to know our kids. It's going to be a blast!

Writing on hold. Just too much going on.

You know....

Life is good. It really is.

Tyranny

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C. S. Lewis

Encouragers

You know, over the past 10 years or so, I've been around a lot of negativity. I really didn't think I was a person who got swept up in my surroundings, but I'm finding now, with a little 20/20 hindsight, that I am. Not to the point of letting things ruin my days too much, but more along the lines of allowing negativity to steal some moments. I've been in a situation where there has been a ton of competitiveness, and people wanting to take my husband and my ministry down or see it fail...for various reasons. You would think it would be the opposite, since we were working to bring the Gospel to a place that had never heard it before, but opposition is strong, and Satan had plenty to work with in terms of natural man: ambition, jealousy, envy, strife.

But there have been a few who have been encouragers. People who knew that we, as a family, were doing a very tough thing, and were there for us with encouraging words and actions. I've looked back over some letters and emails over the past 10 years, and I have to say that the people who were encouraging then are still encouraging now. It's their spiritual gift, I think. When they see a good job, they say it. When they sense a down moment or time, they send their "atta boy's" our way. They just always had a sense of how we were doing, when we might have a particularly difficult time (holidays and such) and made sure we knew they were thinking of us.

I am extremely grateful for all of my/our encouragers....or Barnabases. :) We have been lucky to have so many in our lives, and I just want you all to know you've been used of God when you have let us know you care. He knew what we needed and when, and you listened.

Thank you!