The Silver Lining

Another year winds to a close, a new one awaits. I can’t say I’m sorry that 2008 is ending. For me, it’s been a bittersweet year, full of emotional ups and downs. I had the chance to return to Ghana this summer, for the first time in 3 years. And I was able to share Ghana with someone who loved me enough to go with me, my husband David. That was a wonderful “high spot” in the year for me. At the other end of the spectrum, I lost my grandmother Eula Belle. She was a guiding force in my whole life, one who always encouraged and supported me, one who always managed to make me laugh. I’ll miss her for the rest of my life. There have been other events of the year. Some have made me laugh, some have encouraged me. Some have left deep gashes, wounding the soul, leaving rough scars. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the gashes and scars, that I don’t pray for the situations and people. But as I grow older, I realize that sometimes God uses the worst pains in our...

I went inside a jail for the first time in my life this week. No, I wasn’t arrested! I went with a group from the Fairfield Ministerial Association to the Fairfield County Detention Center in Winnsboro, SC, to help with their annual Christmas party for the inmates. I’ve read stories about people in jail, and they always make a reference to the clanging noise made by the doors as they slam shut. I guess that’s why I seemed to hear every door as it slammed shut. Only it really wasn’t a “clang” as much as it was a slam. And there was always a “click” prior to the door opening or shutting, because it had to be opened from the central office, by computer. We were led to a small room, where the party would take place. The building was constructed of cinderblock, with hard tile floors. Everything was painted a bland off-white. A couple of other ladies were busy setting up the food tables with big trays of fried chicken, devilled eggs, fresh veggies with dip, little smokies, and cheese. There ...

Sometimes I get a blessing from the most unexpected conversation, or at a most unconventional time. We bought a new Christmas tree. I’ve decorated a teensy 4-ft. tall prelit tree for several years, but this year it just wouldn’t light up, and the needles fell off if you looked at it hard. So David & I went to town to get a new tree. After shopping around, we chose one that would fit in his house, since I’ll be moving there soon. The one we selected is 9 feet tall and slim – just right for the living room. So I hauled out a boxful of decorations that I’ve collected over the past 5 years or so. Some are gifts I’ve received from former students – like a set of six sparkly red apples. There are the dozen or so sand dollars I found when I went to the Bahamas; I coated them with crystal sparkles and strung a blue ribbon on them. Silver & gold balls, a couple of peacocks, a ceramic plumeria flower from our wedding trip to Hawaii, a South Carolina ornament with the palmetto & moon ...