Love Prepares a Place

From the thin set of her lips, you might think she was very stern. But, she also had a playful side. Mary Cordelia Watson-Jackson was my mother's paternal grandmother, and very dear to her. As a girl, she lived with her family just a couple miles from the Jackson farm, which is in a little place called Borie, near Coudersport, PA. At the time, the farm was in its second generation, having been settled by Joshua Jackson. It was now being run by his son, Merrick. Merrick had a son named Orlando, who was fond of Mary. I don't know the details of their courtship, but Orlando eventually proposed marriage. Orlando did not have a home of his own, and Mary was unwilling to live with his parents, so she refused his proposal. She told my mother that she went home, threw herself on the bed, and cried. I'm not sure when Orlando began building the house, or how long it took, but Great-Grandma told my mom that for the next three years, she and Orlando simply tipped their hats to each other and that was it. Eventually, the house was finished, and Orlando and Mary were married. Sometime later, a post office and general store were added on to the building. Mary and Orlando lived in that house for the rest of their lives, while their son, Merrick Victor, inherited the larger farmhouse from his grandparents. The store was eventually moved to the backyard of my grandparents' house, and was used to house the hunters who would come each year during deer season. However, it was always called the "store". This story always reminded me of the words Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Jesus loves us so much that he left the glory of Heaven to come and live on this earth and die for our sins so that we may spend an eternity with Him. The house that Orlando built for Mary was small, but adequate. It has been lived in first by my uncle Daryl and aunt Judy and their family, then was moved up the road, added onto, and is currently the home of my uncle Buck and aunt From the thin set of her lips, you might think she was very stern. But, she also had a playful side. Mary Cordelia Watson-Jackson was my mother's paternal grandmother, and very dear to her. As a girl, she lived with her family just a couple miles from the Jackson farm, which is in a little place called Borie, near Coudersport, PA. At the time, the farm was in its second generation, having been settled by Joshua Jackson. It was now being run by his son, Merrick. Merrick had a son named Orlando, who was fond of Mary. I don't know the details of their courtship, but Orlando eventually proposed marriage. Orlando did not have a home of his own, and Mary was unwilling to live with his parents, so she refused his proposal. She told my mother that she went home, threw herself on the bed, and cried. I'm not sure when Orlando began building the house, or how long it took, but Great-Grandma told my mom that for the next three years, she and Orlando simply tipped their hats to each other and that was it. Eventually, the house was finished, and Orlando and Mary were married. Sometime later, a post office and general store were added on to the building. Mary and Orlando lived in that house for the rest of their lives, while their son, Merrick Victor, inherited the larger farmhouse from his grandparents. The store was eventually moved to the backyard of my grandparents' house, and was used to house the hunters who would come each year during deer season. However, it was always called the "store". This story always reminded me of the words Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Jesus loves us so much that he left the glory of Heaven to come and live on this earth and die for our sins so that we may spend an eternity with Him. The house that Orlando built for Mary was small, but adequate. It has since been moved up the road, renovated, and is currently the home of my uncle and aunt. However, our earthly homes cannot compare to the place that Jesus is lovingly preparing for us.

A Girl and her Papa

I woke up writing a story this morning, and I wanted to share it with you. Once there was a little girl whose legs were badly burned in a fire. The smoke had also dimmed her vision. Her father, the town doctor, rescued her from the fire. He immediately put her into a cool bath. "It hurts, papa! How badly it hurts!" "I know, my dear child, but we must cool the burning." he said, as he held her. Gently he raised her from the bath, and laid her in her little bed. He assessed her wounds, which were severe, but curable with the proper care. He gently rubbed to remove the damaged skin. "Papa!" She exclaimed, "why must you hurt me so?!" "My darling, I would never hurt you without reason, but we must remove the old and the dead so that the new can grow." He gently applied a salve to her wounds, which gave her some relief. He also applied a sort of salve to her heart by letting her know God would never leave her or forsake her, as well as other encouragement from the Bible. "Papa, what about my eyes?" "My sweet daughter, right now you only see dimly, but in time, I believe you will see clearly again. For now, listen intently, and I believe you will hear more beautiful sounds than you have ever heard before." Day after day, the painful treatments continued, but the salve was bringing its healing both to her legs and her heart. One day, the little girl could hear sawing and hammering. She asked her papa what was happening. "I'm fashioning you a little chair with which we may go out walking." "Oh, Papa, how delightful, but I'm still unable to see clearly." "You will be able to see in other ways, with your ears, your nose, and your heart." The first time, they ventured forth, and she found this to be true. She could envision the roses in the hedge by their beautiful scent, she learned to identify birds by their songs, and many of the neighbors began, as her father had, to put healing salve on her heart. Each evening, as her dressings were removed, she would cry out in pain, asking again why it had to be. With tears in his eyes, her papa explained, "Pain is a part of healing. If you did not feel the pain, you would probably lose your legs." Gradually, new skin began to grow. The salve that was being applied to her heart was also growing in her a deep love for her papa, and a deep compassion for others. Eventually, her papa made for her a little pair of crutches, with which, she could walk on her own, and her eyes became clearer. If she heard of a child in the village who was sick or in pain, she would go to them with the healing salve from her papa, and from her Father in heaven. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5.

Trying to Refocus

Proverbs 17:17, " A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." I've been avoiding writing lately because I've felt depressed. It's been four months and five days, with lots of ups and downs, since we got the hospital bed. When I started getting some sensation in my legs a couple months ago, I really thought I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm still having sensation, but I haven't been able to move my legs. I've also had an increase in pain. I have allowed these to make me rather depressed. I also felt like it would be hypocritical to write when I wasn't following the advice I already posted. I realize now that if I had to wait to be perfect in order to write, it would never happen. This is not about me being perfect, but about God being perfect. Even Paul did not claim to have attained the goal of complete Christ-likeness this side of heaven. Philippians 3:12-14, "12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Hopefully my focus is back in the right direction, off of me and on God. I love the verse from Proverbs 17:17 mentioned above, and I've seen it borne out so beautifully in these last few months. Family and friends have been so faithful to write, visit, provide meals and other needs, pray, give advice when I ask for it, run kids around, and lots of other things that I may have forgotten to list. Some friends visit several times a week and help with my personal care. Some come and read with me. My Dad is here daily to do wound care, with other family members coming regularly to either help with my care or help with other needs, and visit. My Mom cooks for us several times a week. And, of course, Sean and Tanner handle the bulk of my care, with my other children providing lots of encouragement. I need to remember to be thankful for these things. I'm still hoping and praying for movement in my legs and the ability to walk again. There are three main things that I would love to do when that happens. First would be to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter in New Hampshire. Second would be to walk through the doors of our new church. And third would be to help pastor Vilmer Paul to raise funds for his school in Haiti, and visit to see the fulfillment of the vision God gave him.