Shortly Thereafter

 Way before I began teaching Sunday School when I was able to take sabbatical Sundays, I accidently came across a scene of a lone car in a church parking lot, with an older lady standing beside it dressed in the ubiquitous pencil skirt with a short matching jacket and a fashionable pill box hat. She stood there gazing at that medium to good sized church building. I don't have any idea how long she looked back but in that few seconds of seeing this, she got into her car and made her way to the exit. Several weeks later I read that the church where I had seen the lady had closed. The Sunday I saw her was the last Sunday with only a few there to worship. She told the story of that church in her interview, she had been there since childhood and had watched it grow, blossom, overflow, decrease and come into just a handful of members. They couldn't keep afloat cause that handful of members, now elderly didn't have the funds. Sometime after this, the church property was sold and another church meets there. I think of that woman, church and being a witness of that morning but not in a sense of church closure but in general life lived. We don't always get that opportunity to look, remember and then move on. Many times it is all happening so fast we don't get to make the proper goodbyes. 

We just celebrated the one week in with Millie Mazda. I am still learning and Roy as well where things are, what does what and that includes coming into the house and googling our questions. The print in the manual for the car, well, let's just say the print is small. Feeling limited many times to go anywhere past Weaverville with Mustang Sally, we took a little jaunt yesterday to Burnsville. First stop, breakfast at Pig and Grits. The highlight of that stop is, Christy of Christy's Crafts leaving with family and friends and our chance meeting in the parking lot. So good to see her. We got the invitation to their church's celebration tomorrow complete with dinner on the ground but we are unable to attend. So, this was a nice icing on the cake moment. We then headed over to The Find and I found a few things. We made a quick stop in the clothing store behind them and the name escapes me right now. By this time, with little to no AC in either store, the heat got to me. Once we headed toward home we both took advantage of Millie's cooled seats and dang, if that isn't the best cooled seats we've ever had in a vehicle. We are hoping to venture out a little farther on our next excursion. 

There continues to be reports of the bear I saw on Sunday morning. I am calling him the Tipton Hill Bear cause a whole lot of folks are seeing him and not in the usual places. People are saying this year more bears than ever are being seen due to their habitat being turned into homes and the like. We have not seen him since but I am always conscience of his maybe or might be presence. 

Saturday evening we watered plants so you can thank us for the rain yesterday. Ha! When church was over the rain poured down. We waited for it to let up a little before walking briskly to the car. Our pastor began our new study, the book of John. Looking forward to the coming weeks of John. 

Lions and Tigers, No, But A Bear, Oh My

It was a blissful Sunday morning. We were eating breakfast and I looked up to gaze upon the beauty of God's creation, another type of beauty of of God's creation with a bit of a jog pace moved along the gravel road of our neighbors and into their open wildflower pasture. A bear! Not Yogi. Not Boo Boo but hopefully a Baylor Bear. In the twelve years we have owned this home we have never, ever, nope not once, ever have seen a bear. Oh, there was that bobcat in 2015 that used the front yard as a cut through and there was a bull who wiggled his way out of an opening in the fence, came across the road and stood there until I recognized his existence. That happened when I heard a snorting sound very close to me. Turned to look and there he was moving toward me. I believe I almost ran to the front porch but it was probably more of a brisk walk. Several years ago a pair of deer passed through and one turkey. Other than these mentioned we've had racoons, chipmunks, squirrels and snakes. But, on the seventh day of June in the year of our Lord 2026, I saw a bear. He seemed to be moving along and looked back down the road and continued to make his way over toward our across the way neighbors, who has kiddos and dogs. I texted them and Roy texted our neighbors above us. I tried, really tried to take a picture but I was so rattled and so nervous, I couldn't think fast enough to get that phone ready. That moment of excitement over in those short seconds but the lingering of the "what if "started drifting into my thoughts. Not the what if we had been outside but the what if that bear is waiting for us to come outside. Is he lurking in the shadows? Roy still needed to get some food out to The Feral Fam and he postponed the usual time. They began to congregate around the backdoor. I felt the need to make an announcement to the Fam that Sunday breakfast might become Sunday brunch. Finally, cause he would have been out there sooner if it was up to him. He went out and got breakfast served. Meanwhile I was on bear patrol with the security cameras and going window to window checking out the situation. 

Because of the attention to detail in this reconnaissance mission, I began humming then breaking into full voice singing, The Bear Went Over the Mountain to help guide this wayward bear on his way. Then, I wondered if Baylor University had sent the bear to see where those Alumni By Choice donations were as well as noticing the car with the Baylor sticker was gone. Wow, if this bear was from Baylor, Sic 'em Bears, he did a good job getting my attention. 

I also asked Roy if he had recently made fun of any bald men? I knew I hadn't but in case he had, was this just like the Bible? The story of Elisha being made fun of by some guys and a bear comes to rip them all up into pieces. No, we did not do that. 

The Teen Girl Squad Camp Song? Did the bear know I needed a fresh laugh over old funnies?

And the chumbly wumbly bear came a tumblin' down!
Did he sell beans?
Lord no!
Did he sell eggs?
Lord no!
But he couldn't... so he stapled it down!"

I don't know, but only the fans of Teen Girl Squad will get the above reference. What I do know is this, it is difficult to get ready for church and be on bear patrol. It is comforting to know that all of The Feral Fam have been accounted for. 

Alas, after this visual bear encounter I cannot say if I know or not know the mystery of the universe...Does a bear poop in the woods? No definitive answer on our part. 

Hello Millie, Goodbye Sam

Lately my attention is turned to the tree tops that can be seen from the front upstairs bedroom window. They display quite a show and their daily dance is more classical ballet then modern interpretive dance. The trees take turns being the prima ballerina but their background contributions are stellar. One particular tree in the very back and a few feet taller than the rest almost moves like a mechanical prop. Maybe not to others but I can make out the outline of a dog or sometimes even a horse. When the wind blows that particular tree moves like a dog or horse running while the surrounding trees wave back and forth, to and fro cheering on that one tree moving contrary to the to and fro. 

 In our study yesterday at Circle Joy we looked briefly at Paul's fellow prisoner Epaharus. He brought the good news to the people of Colossae and he was a gentile as well as a fervent prayer. I remember a devotional thought thing I did one year at a retreat about him. Many biblical scholars believe he had himself thrown into prison to be able to take care of Paul. So, it wasn't a Roman Holiday...haha. 

This has been an extremely emotion packed week. So many time intensive concerns. We've been looking at cars because Mustang Sam needs to be enjoyed by someone else. Such a fun car but the last few years we didn't feel Sam to be day trip worthy. The rim noise over sixty miles an hour distracted me. Don't think we will want aluminum rims again. So back and forth to the grocery store and church. Mustang Sam with the top down brought nature up close and personal. Roy got some of the best photographs while driving through the tunnels on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yet, I was trailed a couple of times by cops and once a state trooper. Only ticket I have received in over forty years, Mustang Sam and me going through Woodfin, a place where one never speeds, but I was singing Christmas Carols and failed to notice that the speed of the car was going about as fast as I was singing. 

We had other appointments that took attention and I taught Bible study on Thursday morning. It has been a year since last teaching. Our teacher has a few health things going on. I kept on the subject of finishing well. We looked at Psalm 92 and some of the highlights of Samuel's life serving and how he dealt with the hurt of the people wanting a king. I didn't have a lot of study time but finishing well is a subject near and dear to my heart. 

Back to buying Millie Mazda, even with all the prep work Roy had done coming in with approval and having the paperwork we would ever need and more organized in a folder was time intensive. Things take time even with email and texts and all that stuff. We drove Mazda's back in the day and in fact, we drove them until there was nothing left to drive. Since our preferred brand of Toyota is kind of messed up right now and we didn't know enough for other brands, we researched the new improved business of Mazda. I was thinking back in the day, we bought and traded cars like baseball cards but now we drive our vehicles much longer. Part of that is immaturity on our part and better manufactured goods on the car makers part. Last year we thought about a Lexus but ruled that out due to no Lexus dealership in our area, so basically we would be getting the Toyota experience which chased us away from the local dealership. That sounds entitled but really, if you're spending that kind of money, the perks are nice to have. Millie Mazda handles like a sports car and even has a sports setting just like the Mustang. The ride is higher off the road and love all the storage capacity in the back. One thing that has changed, I haven't cranked up the music yet, but maybe that is still to come.