Christmas 2013

Dear Friends,

Wow!  What a year!  At the risk of sounding cliché, I must say, ‘My, how this year has flown!’  And it really does seem that way!  I’m really not sure if it is my age, or if it is the ‘Times’.  I can’t believe that it’s only an age thing.  The world seems to be rushing toward a destination and sweeping all of us along with it.  I know what that destination…. Or destiny…. Is.  And I’m ready for it.  More than ever before.  Ever.  *Sigh*  *Pause*     Oh.  I didn’t see you there.  Hello.  My name is Leslie Tritsch.  And this is my Christmas Letter.  I forgot, for a moment, that I’ve got a lot of new readers this year who are not aware of what this is.  I’ve been doing this since 1996:  the year I moved to Mississippi.  I’ve got a lot of friends and family who live all over the country that I don’t get to see very often and who want to know what’s been going on in my life.  I take a little time each year to sit down and ‘visit’ with them and sort of ‘catch up.’  I’m going to try and keep my new readers in mind, however, and not bore them with too much useless information.  My letters are more than just newsy, though.  They seem to always take on a theme….. or, more like a feeling…. An emotion that is what my year has been.  And I’m trying not to assume too much.  I do hope you will read it.

I have a box that I put things in all year that I call my “Memory Box.”  As I sit down to write, I pull out this box and take a walk down ‘memory lane’ and re-live my year with you.  I’ve got a new box this year.  My other one finally wore out!  17 years!  My bff, Barbara, gave me a box last Christmas filled with Christmas goodies that she made and I immediately thought, “what a wonderful new box for my memories!”  It’s an elegant Victorian/vintage looking box with a flap-type lid and a Velcro closure (the only modern part of it).  It’s beautiful!  And it’s bigger.  I was always over-loading the other box as my years got fuller and fuller.  Don’t worry, I, very reverently, laid Memory Box 1 to rest:  thankful for it’s years of service.  It went on to it’s reward in the Pontotoc County Solid Waste Landfill….. *smile*   Anyway, when I sit down and start to try and remember my year, thinking that it has passed in such a flash that not much could have happened, my box of memories reminds me that, indeed, my year has been full.  Full of love, full of family, full of you, full of Life!  And, as you know, full of my grandbabies!  So…. Let’s turn this ‘pile’ of memories over so we can start at the beginning of the year……

We always begin with Christmas.  Last Christmas.  It was our first Christmas in our new Church home.  We were just beginning to become acquainted with people who have become very dear to us over this year’s passing.  We experienced our first Cedar Grove Children’s Musical and it was awesome.  We just witnessed this year’s musical and, I must say, they get better and better.  I’m thrilled to see children, growing up in the House of God, excited to worship!  And I see it in other Church settings as well, through FaceBook.  That gives me hope for the future.  I will say more about Cedar Grove later.  I am thankful for the new relationships that were begun and have grown this year.  And others that are beginning…..   Christmas with family was…. Well… eventful!  We always spend Christmas with all of our family that live around us.  That includes our grandbabies’ Nana and Papa:  trading off where we get together.  Their place…. Our place….  Last year we were set to celebrate at Nana and Papa’s but calamity hit!  Their home was flooded right before Christmas!  It was very stressful for them and took several months for things to get back to normal.  (I’m not sure, even now, if everything is taken care of.)  It was a reminder, at least to me, and I’m sure to them as well, that ‘things’ are just that:  things.  I know that we have precious things to us that are irreplaceable, but furniture, walls, floors… they can be repaired.  Family is what is important.  God is what is important.  We just moved the celebration to our place and tried to be a comfort and support.  That’s what families do.

Then January hit!  Full to the brim!  The Wedding of the Year was first on the agenda!  I got to try and repay just a little of my debt to my bff for her help with my son’s wedding as her one and only son, J.J. Winter was wed to his lovely bride Janae.  It was absolutely breathtaking and a lot of fun ….but a lot of work!  I even got the privilege of playing a little keyboard at the Reception.  Right after the wedding, Terry and I started our Daniel’s Fast that we do at least once a year.  We were put on the platform rotation at Cedar Grove, playing keyboard and singing in the Praise Team.  New little piano students began with me.  And the month ended with a weekend in Greenville with our children as our precious middle granddaughter, Jordan, was baptized in the precious name of Jesus Christ! 

Turned out to be my birthday celebration as well.  It just occurred to me that you can see pictures of my year, for the most part, on my facebook page…… (for those of you on facebook.)   My brother, Perry, was put in the ICU in Oxford for bleeding complications.  He’s a heart patient and on blood thinners so it was a concern.  Not a pleasant thing to end the month with, but he ‘recovered’ and seems to be doing fine, thank the Lord!  In February I took my mother and her sister to Arkansas to the funeral of their first cousin, Virginia Christmas.  I got to meet some extended family for the first time.  My babies spent Valentine’s with me and I took them to Doodlebugs Paint Party where they each painted a picture and decorated cupcakes!  We had a blast!  Barbara went with us, thankfully…. Three are quite a handful! 

Speaking of my grandbabies, my box is full of their artwork.  I think Rachel has really got a gift for it!  She can really portray ideas on paper.  She could use training, of course, but I don’t have any trouble recognizing what she is drawing!  I have to smile.  Some are pretty funny.  But sweet.  And her little notes….. I tell her, “we gotta work on your spelling!” and she says, “I know, I know!”  I really think she is just in a hurry because she does well on her spelling in her schoolwork.  Who knows?  She might be a writer one day, though.  She loves to make ‘books’!  I have several in my possession.  All three of them came and spent more time with me in March as their parents took a trip to celebrate their anniversary!  The bff and I went to our second Scrapbooking retreat in Arkansas and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!  Terry, I, my brother and my mother went to Arkansas to the funeral of a dear old friend, Rev John “Jay” Fuller.  It was sad but joyful at the same time.  It was so good to see friends I hadn’t seen in a very, very long time.   Easter at Cedar Grove was wonderful, although I missed being with my babies.  Pictures from Nana helped soothe my heart. 

My brother took, and passed, his GED.  He had taken classes here, which he did not need (and they told him that) but he wanted to get in all he could.  Very proud of him.   All of this is just the first quarter of my year!  And I didn’t nearly put everything! 

The second quarter was no less full but I don’t want to bore you.  I do definitely want to mention a few things, though.  I attended a Ladies Day in Greenville at our son’s church, which was very special.  I love all of those ladies at Greater Faith Tabernacle and count them as dear friends!  Then we had our Ladies Tea at Cedar Grove.  Be sure and check out my pictures on facebook of all the decorations: hats and all! 

May was graduations:  my brother graduated at ICC with his GED and my Jordan graduated kindergarten! 

I spent Mother’s Day with my children in Greenville and then my babies came and we went camping (RV) for our anniversary weekend (Memorial Day)!  We had so much fun!  Again.  Be sure and check out the pictures on facebook:  Rachel baiting her own hook for fishing, Jordan fishing, new friends, the campfire, Ellie’s marshmallow face!  Memories! 

April and May was the beginning of our garden.  Uncle Perry did most of the work in the garden and, as the harvest began to come in, I tried to keep up with the preserving of its fruits.  We spent Father’s Day in Greenville, where Papaw (Terry) and Papa (Glenn) preached at GFT.  Then my girls came home with me for two whole weeks plus!  Our pool certainly got a lot of use this summer!  Del and Jen came for the Fourth of July along with Nana and Papa.  We had a big cookout and then went to see the fireworks at the Park.  Memories!

August was life changing.  Terry and I attended the Mississippi Dental Lab Association weekend conference in Biloxi, Mississippi where he began the process of reinstating his certification.  He received a lot of valuable training and information.  We went deep sea fishing and I caught a big one!  It was so much fun!  (See my picture…..!) 

I also caught the smallest fish on our boat and won a prize for that!  The professionals we met helped convince Terry that facebook was a good thing, so…… the rest is history.  I don’t think they were talking about Candy Crush.  He completed the second portion of testing in September in Heber Springs, Arkansas and received his certification in late October.  Also in August, I was privileged to participate and help in the celebration of my bff’s 60^th birthday with her new daughter-in-law.  I must say, we actually surprised her!  Then Terry had the awesome privilege to participate in the annual Parchman Prison Crusade with Christian Prison Fellowship.  This is a two day event where several churches work together and flood this maximum security facility with preaching, witnessing, worshipping and basically transforming the lives of those men incarcerated there.  I was supposed to go as well but got sick and was unable to.  There is no doubt that I will not miss it next year!  I wish I had time and room to tell of the miracles and conversions that occurred!  I am so thankful for the out-reach focus of our Pastor and our Church.  We are all about touching lives.  From jail and prison ministry, to ACTS classes (alcohol, drug, etc.), to daughter works and preaching points:  it’s all about souls!  Terry began to feel early on this year that he should pursue re-obtaining his ministerial license with the United Pentecostal Church, which was accomplished in September.  I am looking forward to all that God has in store for us in His Kingdom!  One of the more surprising joys that has come into my life began in August as well.  I began teaching music (piano and theory) at Oxford Christian Academy one day a week.  I love these kids!  Hopefully I am impacting their lives in at least a small way.  In September we had the joy to take part in the wedding of Brittany and Brad (now Cates).  Terry performed the ceremony and I played the piano.  Precious memories.  And remember, these are just the highlights of my year!  In October I created “Leslie’s Kitchen” as I began to get back in to making homemade whole wheat bread.  Our Ladies had a bazaar.  Now, I’ve never been to a bazaar, much less took part in one but it was an experience.  I baked and I baked and I baked!  And I sold out!  My machine broke a couple of times so I added a new one to my kitchen.  I’ve been baking pretty regularly ever since.  My family sure loves it….. and so do those who have partaken of my labors (or so they say).  I grind my own wheat.  It is awesome! 

Then I was asked by one of our Assistants to head up our Pastor Appreciation Reception which was a lot of fun… and a lot of work.  I think it turned out pretty good.  I couldn’t have done it without the help of Sis Ashley and all the Ladies.  Terry made what, I’m sure, is to become his famous Sausage, Chicken, and Shrimp Gumbo.  Maybe one quart of a 22 quart pot left! 

The next week I went to the Pumpkin Patch with my babies and the school….. busy making memories!  (See pictures!)  I attended a Mark Condon Power Worship Conference with our Music Director and really enjoyed myself.  We celebrated Rachel and Jordan’s birthdays in Oxford at the school with all the usual fanfare plus!  Even had a bouncy house!  Then Terry and I flew off to Sarasota, Florida for almost an entire week.  No.  We weren’t vacationing.  Well, I guess I was, kind of.  Terry was taking some training on a new system that we are adding to the Lab.  We’re very excited about the growth potential that it will bring.  And, speaking of the Lab, we have experienced some major growth in our business for which we are very thankful.  God has truly blessed us and we are trying to be a blessing to the Kingdom and to others through it.

I purposely left out something in October because I wanted to give it a little more attention.  As most of you know, our son has been pastoring Greater Faith Tabernacle in Greenville, Mississippi for the last two years.  They have worked hard and loved the people and really thought that they would be there for many years to come.  God had other plans.  God began dealing with their hearts months ago about leading them in a different direction.  In the beginning, I’m sure they were not even aware of exactly what they were feeling.  Finally in late September they made the decision to resign their Pastorate in Greenville and move to Oxford.  God had already prepared a door without their knowledge.  He was working on both ends of the situation.  It was very hard for them to leave the people.  They loved them.  They still do.  Their lives are forever meshed together.  And, just as God had another plan for my children, He has another plan for those precious people!  Delbert and Jennifer have taken the position of Youth Pastor and Assistant to the Pastor at Christ The Rock Apostolic Church in Oxford.  That’s a whole lot closer to Mamoo!  And the icing on the cake is that Jennifer has come to work for us in the Lab and she seems to be really enjoying herself!  The girls are in school at OCA and Ellie comes to Mamoo’s house every day and runs around with me!

And that brings us to the present.  I am overwhelmed at the blessings that God has poured out on us.  I am thankful for His pull in our lives for greater service for Him.  This Christmas I am more keenly aware that this Season is all about Him.  We have made the decision to scale back somewhat this Christmas on the gift buying because we want our focus to be on Him.  Now don’t worry, my babies will be taken of, trust me!  But I want to teach them what it really is all about.  We have determined to make a sizeable contribution to a program called Christmas For Christ

that helps fund new Churches in North America and helps them get on their feet until they are self-sustaining.  It also helps fund Christian Prison Fellowship and the ACTS program.  All of these programs are designed to change lives.  If we have bought you a gift in the past and we don’t this year, and for all of those that we would want to give a gift, know that we are giving to this cause in your names.  I truly believe that our time here is extremely short.  Things just cannot go on the way they are headed.  I want to make my time here matter.  Who knows what the future holds?  Only God.  And I put my trust in Him.  My wish for each of you is that you would know, experience and rejoice in the spirit of Christmas, which is peace, the miracle of Christmas, which is hope, and the heart of Christmas, which is love.

With all our love,                                                               

The Tritsch Family

Leslie, Terry, & Sarah                

                                                                                                           

Stepping Heavenward

When I was just a young girl, I read the book titled "Stepping Heavenward" by Elizabeth Prentiss.  Mrs. Prentiss lived from 1818 to 1878.  I can't seem to locate my book at this time:  I have a rather large library for a home library and I have books everywhere so it could be anywhere; so I'm not sure what printing my particular copy is.  It is quite old, however.  The book has been reprinted numerous times and, in my estimation, it is a classic.  I see in looking on the internet that you can even buy it as an e-book.  I'm not sure if my copy had the subtitle that is on the reprinted ones or not, but I like it and I think it sums up the book quite well:  One Woman's Journey to Godliness.  The way I have always described it is: it is about the struggles of a young woman as she strives to become what she should be in Christ and...step Heavenward.  I love the description that Amazon gives, and I quote it here:  ""How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen!"" So begins 'Stepping Heavenward' by Elizabeth Prentiss, the journal-like account of a nineteenth century girl who learns, on the path to womanhood, that true happiness can be found in giving oneself for others. ""This book is a treasure of both Godly and womanly wisdom told with disarming candor and humility, yet revealing a deep heart's desire to know God,"" says noted Christian speaker Elisabeth Elliot. ""I do not hesitate to recommend it to men, who need to understand the wives they live with, and to any woman who wants to walk with God.""      Stepping Heavenward: One Woman's Journey to Godliness by Elizabeth Prentiss

This book made quite an impression on me as a young girl and I have thought about it and it's concepts many times down through my life.  Stepping Heavenward is a process.  Paul talked about it a lot.  He had to "die daily."  He talked about the struggles of the spiritual man against the flesh and how he would end up doing the things he didn't want to do and the things he wanted to do, he didn't.  He vowed to bring his body under the control of the Spirit.  I could relate to Katherine, the "Woman" in the book, as she endeavored to pray and all kinds of distractions bombarded her.  Her thoughts would wander and she struggled with what words to say.  Stepping Heavenward is, indeed, a journey.  I speak as to what we are trying to do, not the title of the book.

That brings me to the particular point in "the journey" where I find myself today.  As some may know, we began yet another Daniel's Fast just over a week ago.  I have been blogging about our experience on a physical level in my health and wellness blog: Take Charge of Your Life.  I promised to blog on here about the other side of things.  Fasting is one of those spiritual disciplines that nobody likes to do.  It is easy to find an excuse to not do it.  But I am afraid that it is a necessary and vital part of our journey to Godliness.  Jesus said, in Matthew 6:16, "When ye fast...."  not "If".  This is right after He taught them how to pray and gave them the example of what we call "The Lord's Prayer."   Fasting definitely should be something that one does under the leadership of the Spirit and is coupled with much prayer.  In fact, as I have heard it said and read it several times:  Fasting without prayer is just a diet.  While it is physically extremely healthy and good for you, even that part has, or should have, a spiritual end or purpose.  When I start to think about what it does for the body, I always end up with spiritual results.  Fasting is physical.  Our bodies are the temples of God and we are to take care of our temples.  We are to deny our flesh; to "keep it under", to practice self-control, to diminish the physical so the spiritual can flourish.   Fasting effects a physical change that makes way for a spiritual change.  How?  The detoxification that occurs when you fast brings a clearing of the mind, improved health, more energy, keener senses, greater understanding, and a heightened spiritual sensitivity.  It helps us develop the fruit of the Spirit of Self-Control.  Of course, you must be searching for those things in order for you to find them.

Some things, as Jesus told His disciples, "come only through prayer and fasting."  This proves to me that Fasting should have a purpose.  That purpose could be simply to draw closer to God.  Daniel fasted in order to stay away from defiled things but also to stay true (come closer) to His God.  To separate himself from one thing and to cling to another.  To define a line over which he refused to cross.  A quote from the book I am using in this particular fasting time says:  "Sometimes you are so hungry, the only way to be fed it to fast."  I am seeing God move in our lives, my husband's and mine, in this Fast and before, as we contemplated beginning the Fast.  I am sure we have varying differences on what we feel as our individual purposes for Fasting, but we are unified in many of those goals.  We have joined with our family across miles as our Son and his family and church participate in a corporate, Called Fast.  Even though I am not there in the flesh, I can sense, through our phone conversations, a unity and a oneness in purpose in them as a family unit and I see God's Hand hovering over them and blessing them and drawing them to Himself.  An evidence of that very thing came in our phone conversation last night:  during their dinner conversation, our granddaughter's began to ask about Fasting and why Mommy and Daddy were fasting.  As a result of that questioning, our 8 year old declared that she wanted to fast with Mommy and Daddy and, when asked why, it was that her younger sister, 6-year-old Jordan, would receive the Holy Ghost.  Jordan agreed on both accounts and even included that she wanted to be baptized!  So they are Fasting today, at least for breakfast, and their purpose, and ours, as we continue our Fast, is for Jordan!  Fasting is a powerful tool in our Spiritual Arsenal if we will just use it and allow God to use us in it!  Our God is amazing!

My favorite scripture about Fasting is found in Isaiah 58:8, and I quoted it in my posts on Take Charge of Your Life:  "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily...."  That's where I stopped in my quoting, but I love the rest of it:  "And thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.  Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer, thou shalt cry, and He shall say, 'Here I Am.'"  Such an awesome promise.  And, no, I didn't miss-spell that word.  It is "rereward."  I've wondered about that word and, in attempting to understand it in the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, my understanding is that it means that the Lord is going to gather together everything that we need and He will destroy totally everything that is against us!  Wow!  I stand on that Promise and the knowledge that, when I call, He will answer and say "Here I Am!"  What else do we need as we continue to 'Step Heavenward'?

What Do I Want From 2013?

"You can't change your past, but you can learn from it to make your future brighter!"  I shared this status post from one of my FaceBook friends just now because it so concisely says what I have been thinking today about this past year (2012) and the up-coming year of 2013.  We can't undo our past, but, we are not wise if we do not realize that our past is what brought us to our present.  

There is a mathematical concept that has fascinated me ever since I learned about it:  the Fibonacci number.  To quote Wikipedia, "  By definition, the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 0 and 1 (alternatively, 1 and 1), and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two.  In mathematical terms, the sequence F_n of Fibonacci numbers is defined by the recurrence relation. In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers or Fibonacci series or Fibonacci sequence are the numbers in the following integer sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...    A number is added to the previous number to make the next number.  This concept is used in computer algorithms and biological settings, to name just two.

The relation of this series to what I am talking about is, that it would not be possible, without using the past, to direct the future.  It was said, "Those who cannot remember their past are doomed to repeat it."  At the very least, by looking at our past, we can learn what NOT to do and, hopefully, we should have learned what TO do.  With that being said, we should not dwell on the past but we should use it as a springboard to propel us into our future.  Paul said, "Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus".  It's like using the side of the swimming pool to push yourself forward and give yourself a head-start, so to speak.
So what do I want from 2013 because of 2012?  What do I want to do with 2013?  Who do I want to see in the mirror in 2013?  I lost some things in 2012 but then I gained some things.  I learned some things in 2012.  I learned I could survive losses.  In 2013 I want to have a greater appreciation for what God has given me.  I want to show that appreciation through my life, actions and words.  I want to honor God in every way, especially by taking care of what He has given me:  my life, my body, and my gifts.  I want a greater understanding of the fact that everything I have belongs to Him and everything I am is because of Him.  I want a greater impact on the lives of others, through actions, lifestyle, and words.  I don't want to take anything or anybody for granted.  Life is precious and I want to nurture it in every way.  I want to be a Voice.  I want to speak Truth.  I want to know when to speak and when to keep silent.  I want to stand up with confidence and, knowing that my God is Faithful, take back what the enemy stole from me, with full reassurance that I will recover it all!  God is Faithful!

Don't Listen For the Imperfections

My oldest granddaughter has a voice that carries....loudly.  And she knows how to use it. She has to be reminded to use her "inside voice" quite often.  I know she gets on a lot of people's nerves, including her mother's.  That's not surprising since her mother has a lot of voices pulling at her with three little ones and her many needy patients in her work, just to name a few.  I have to admit there are times when I even get a little frustrated with Rachel but overall, her voice is music to me.  From the time I first heard her cry outside that hospital delivery suite when she made her loud entrance into this world to the time I first heard her coin the name Mamoo at 1 year of age, to the present, the sound of her voice always captures my heart.  Now, understand, my other two grandchildren mean as much to me as Rachel, but they are all unique in their own special ways.  I love them dearly.  They are the light of my life without a doubt.  But a thought that occurred to me from a recent comment made to me prompted this post.

Rachel is much like her daddy.  She is musical.  She is always singing.  I remember her daddy, when he was little, would sing to the top of his lungs while sitting on the potty!  It was funny.....but precious.  He was always making noises or singing or drumming on his chest....or whatever was handy at the time.  I'm afraid not much of that has changed, though, thankfully, most of his has been channeled constructively into beautiful original songs and melodies, both vocal and instrumentally.  Rachel is extremely independent and very extroverted.  She's going to be a song writer as well, I'm sure.  She makes up her own songs and melodies.  Some of them need work.  She already has a beautiful voice and can carry a tune very well.  But, also like her daddy, she likes to make up silly songs and this is where the rub is.

The family was sitting in our living room relaxing recently after a delicious meal prepared by my daughter-in-law and Rachel, along with Jordan and Ellie, were in the other room playing.  I'm so accustomed to their sounds of playing that a lot of things that might give pause to someone else doesn't even register with me.  Rachel was making up another one of her silly melodies and her mother, who was very tired after a long day of traveling prior to making dinner, commented on the chalkboard scratching effect it had on her tired ears and asked me if it didn't bother me.  And, truthfully, I hadn't even noticed.  I thought about it later and this thought occurred to me.  I think there comes a softening with age to a lot of things.  Grandparents, especially, have had the "edges" rubbed off to where irritations don't "catch" as much.  We don't notice the imperfections.  I think love plays a part in it, too.  Not that we love any more than our younger children, but we definitely love differently.  And then another thought occurred to me.  I'm so thankful that when my Heavenly Father listens to my pitiful cries and the messed up melody of my life that He doesn't hear the imperfections.  I am music to His hears! 

Sing on, my little one, just use your "inside voice" when it's appropriate! 

Life Happens

When I first began this blog, I explained my theme thus: 

"And then, the theme. What is the point? What is the common thread that ties all my letters together? It hit me about a year ago. They're about becoming. Life really does have meaning. Even in the little, ordinary, sometimes dreary details. It's all a process. And the verses in Jeremiah 29 came to me (vs 11-14): "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive." No, I don't think Mississippi is captivity! (Is it apropo to say "LOL" in blogging?) It's all about His Plan For Me. It is a journey, and I love it!"

My next letter is from Christmas 1999.  The one reference I want to take from that letter is one of those instances where an almost tragedy in the present time can be viewed from the future with more wisdom and hindsight to realize that it is a part of His Plan as well.  It certainly taught me about trust.  Trust in God and His response to that trust.   Desperation can affect our posture towards God and indeed increase our faith.  God, you have to do this for me.  I cannot do anything about it but You can and I need You to take care of it!  I do not minimize it to the point of it being the "rain" that showers on the just and the unjust alike, but, many times, it is a part of life. . . and life happens.  And I quote:

"Delbert finished his first year of college this year.  He did very well - especially in the bands, of course.  We did a lot of traveling to hear him play and he and several of his friends from Bruce High School were featured a lot as soloists in the Jazz Band - especially Jeremy Freelon, who plays the drums really well.  (Jeremy came to our family reunion with us in September and played with Delbert and I as part of the entertainment.  We also performed for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Oxford.)  Even though he did well at Northwest Mississippi Community College, Delbert was not really happy and was very confused as to what to do with his life - at least as far as his education was concerned.  One thing he was and is very sure about is his main purpose in life - serving God.  He accepted his call into the ministry this year - a fact about which we are extremely pleased.  He considered going to Bible College but knew that he would have to work a year to be able to afford to do so.  He worked a short while at Office Max in Tupelo and then went to work at Southern Quality Meats in Pontotoc.  On July 29th he was on his way home from work and apparently fell asleep at the wheel.  He lost control of the car and had a "run-in" with two big trees.  The lady who got to him first felt sure he was dying.  His car was totally demolished and he was trapped in it.  It took the EMT's almost an hour to extricate him from the car with the "jaws of life" tool.  They felt sure his legs were all broken up and his shoes are still "buried" in the car.  They said that he had several broken vertebrae in his neck.  X-rays at the Pontotoc Hospital confirmed the fractured vertebrae.  He was very disoriented and could only get his last name out at first.  It seems a tiny bubble of air had gotten into the lining of his brain through a deep laceration above his left eye and was causing the disorientation.  Needless to say, I was very distraught when they finally located me and I got to the hospital.  Delbert looked a mess!  There is no way I can describe how I felt, but you mothers probably have a good idea.  They transported him to the North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo and I rode in the ambulance with Him and prayed all the way.  I told the Lord I needed Him to touch Delbert - especially his neck.  I was so very scared.  God is truly a miracle worker!  When we got to Tupelo, they x-rayed him from one end to the other!  They did a Cat Scan and all kinds of tests.  Their x-rays showed NO FRACTURED VERTEBRAE, NO CONCUSSION OR BRAIN DAMAGE, and only a tiny piece of bone pulled away with a ligament under his left knee.  He has a plate and a screw in the orbital socket above his left eye, two plates in his left hand and a screw under his left knee.  The small scar above his left eye only adds "character" to his already handsome face!  The bubble of air dissipated and Delbert finally realized where he was.  (At first, every time someone asked him if he knew where he was, he replied, "At Church." - I believe he was.  In his spirit - resting in the arms of his Lord.  I wished that I could read minds!  Nevertheless, Delbert is a changed person!  His speech, his preaching, his whole outlook on life is transformed!  He now has a new job with Presley Publications and Fax of the Day as their Web Administrator.  He does their e-mail and Internet work, designing and maintaining their Web Page, etc.  He loves it and finally feels that he may have found his niche vocationally.  He's taking Web design and other computer and Internet classes and takes his work quite seriously."

I can still recall those same intense feelings of desperation I had back then when I think about it.  I'm so very thankful when I look at him now . . . at the fine man he has become . . . and the beautiful grandchildren he has given me!  Which thought requires me to give you the next little paragraph of my Christmas 1999 letter:

"Do you recall in my letter last year the "female" friend that I hoped I would be able to write more about this year?  Well, I got my wish!  Her name is Jennifer Ervin and she is a sweetheart!  I could not wish for anyone more perfect for Delbert to have in his life.  She's beautiful, talented (sings like an angel and plays the piano wonderfully), very good natured and gracious, and, best of all, she adores Delbert.  (She even likes me, too.  :o)  )  Needless to say, the feeling is very mutual!  Jennifer begins her last semester of nursing school in January after which she will be an RN.  I can't say enough good about this subject and, I'm sorry, but I can't hide how I feel about it, either.  Jennifer's parents are really super people and they have done an excellent job in raising the daughter!"  And, as they say, the rest is history!

Just another example of how Life Happens in this wonderful journey of His Plan For Me!

 

Leaders Have Leaders

 Confused?    Don't be.

I have been conducting a discussion with a group that I created on a social networking site about John Maxwell's book, "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect" for quite some time now.  I have mentioned this book in my blog to you previously as well.  This, my latest message to the group, was something that I feel very strongly about and thought you might find it interesting as well.  I began my message as follows:

Confused?  Don't be.  I want to take a little break from my discussion of John Maxwell's book to talk a little bit about a very important aspect of leadership. The book we've been discussing is about leaders connecting with their "audience" (whatever shape that term takes). And this is a good place in our discussion to detour somewhat because we have covered the five principles of connecting and part 2 is about connecting practices - putting those principles into action. In other words, we know what and why, we now need to know how. So, here in the middle, I want to give you a little insight of my own.

I've had some experiences this week that have really brought what I'm about to discuss to the forefront on my mind. I don't want my title to confuse you, but maybe you'll understand if I say it a different way.

Leaders are followers. Plain and simple. You cannot lead if you do not know how to follow. For one thing, you will not be able to relate to your followers because you will have never been in their shoes, so to speak. How can you teach if you've not been taught? You first had to learn. And some may say, "Yes, I had a leader, a teacher, but now I'm the leader and teacher." The thing is, if you quit learning you become stagnant. If you quit receiving, you begin to dry up. If you quit growing, you begin to die.

And so, it is extremely important that you, as a leader, have a leader. Or you could use the term Mentor. I'm very thankful for the leaders in my life. I believe they have taught me well. I lead in many different arenas. I've managed employees. I've raised children, for sure. I've run several offices. I am a musician and I lead in that area, as well, as a teacher, a director, and a department head. I could never do any of these things if I was not willing to be taught and to learn from others.

I know that some of you probably have different opinions from myself where spiritual matters are concerned, but I am thankful for my spiritual leader. I actually have two of those. Biblically speaking (contrary to popular belief) my husband is a spiritual leader in my life, and then I have an awesome Pastor. I am not afraid, ashamed, or threatened to submit to good leadership. In fact, that leadership gives me the confidence to aspire to and achieve greater things in life than I could have ever imagined.

Some leaders in my life, don't even know me. I have submitted myself to their teachings of my own accord because I believe that what they have to teach me is of great value. I will readily admit that I don't know it all. I follow these individuals' writings and attempt to assimilate the principles they teach into my own life because I want to be as successful as they are. You can probably guess that one of these individuals is John Maxwell. And Darren Hardy is another, along with the late Jim Rohn and others.

It's all about submission, really. And I know that that word is not a popular word in this society. I'm sure that when some think of the word submission they put it in a wrong context. It's not about slavery. It's about taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise of that leader and being willing to learn from them and glean all that you can. You must have a hunger for knowledge. And then, what you receive, you can turn around and let it flow out of you to someone else and the circle will be complete.

I concluded my message in a different way than I want to conclude it here, although, you may be interested in checking out one particular site that I encourage the group to check out.  There is great value to be had in learning how to be successful and the pitfalls to look for when searching out money making opportunities:
http://mytritschcareers.com/

But, to conclude my message here. . . .

The last point I want to make about following in order to lead is that one must be willing to put aside preconceived ideas and notions of self-promotion and take instruction, which could (and probably would) include constructive criticism, before learning could ever occur.  You've probably heard the term, "Man up!"  We have to swallow our pride, admit that we need instruction, and "take it like a man!"  We have to remember that others are following us and they learn from our actions.  Let's teach them to be great leaders and give them the knowledge that Leaders have Leaders.

Get the Picture?

Back to Christmas 1998 . . .

Well, history repeated itself and I was able to obtain a copy of the lost page in my 1998 annual Christmas letter, thanks to my mother.   That's the way mothers are . . . . they never throw away anything their kids do!  So my collection is complete . . . again.

When I originally thought about putting my letters into book form, I envisioned just inserting each year "as is."  But, I soon began to realize that I needed to revisit each letter and sort of flesh them out and, as I said before, omit some of the mundane (to others, not me) things about personal happenings of the years and get to the essence of each letter.  This became even more important when I decided to put it in blog form.  Another factor was, is, that my earlier writings were a bit more elementary in form even to my untrained eye.  I think I've gotten better as the years have gone by.

I started on my 1998 letter a couple of posts ago talking about the value of time and, having found the lost page, I have one more thing I want to say about that.  In addition to my letters being evidence of how very busy my life is and how my time is filled to the brim, I talked about my son in the last paragraph of that lost page:

"What about (my son)?  He finished his senior year at Bruce High School with honors.  He has said it was the best year of his life (he'll probably say that about some other years, too.)" [And he most definitely has.]  "He lived with a dear friend [name omitted] while he finished after we moved and she can never know just how much her hospitality meant to him and to us.  He received a lot of recognition for his musical abilities and in fact started at Northwest Mississippi Community College on full music scholarship, instrumental and vocal.  It just amazes us the ministry God has given him in music.  He even got to audition for Ace Cannon!  Speaking of ministry, he accepted his call into the ministry this past summer, and this may change the direction he goes as far as college is concerned.  He will still have a major focus on music, especially as a vehicle to further his preaching ministry.  Pray for him as he decides what he and God wants to do with his life.  He became a published author this year for his poem "Precious Time".  He continues to write music, songs, and poetry prolifically.  We are so very proud of him. . . ."  I could not possibly talk about time without sharing this poem with you. . ..

Precious Time
By T. Delbert Tritsch, Jr.

I try not to consider
What will become of you and me
When our time here is over
And we both have to leave.


I can try to deny or ignore it,
Whichever be the case,
But no matter how hard I try,
This question stares me in the face.


Sometimes I think that maybe
It would've been best if we
Had never even met;
Then I would be free,


But to be prisoner to this love,
Even with uncertainty,
Makes me less a captive
Than if I were free.


I only know the past,
And the future's yet unseen,
So while we're here together,
Spend the present with me.


The other thing that strikes me about this letter is my redundant use of the phrase, "You get the picture?"  When I write, I try to pay attention to words and phrases that are repeated and, when I find them, I change them to other words and phrases.  Apparently, back then, I wasn't paying that much attention!  I talked about turning 40 and feeling like I was fading into the background (I grayed early), accentuated by having my driver's license picture taken against a light blue background.  Sort of like wearing camo in the woods.  But that physical evidence only amplified what I was feeling emotionally.  And I said,  "you get the picture?".  I also talked about the marvelous opportunity that was afforded my husband when he went on a medical missionary trip to Mexico and made false teeth for poor people there.  I did not get to go and that disappointment was compounded by the fact that we moved into a new house (to us) and one or two days later he left on the trip.  I was left to pick up the pieces, so to speak, with unpacking and everything that goes along with a move.  Again, I said,  "you get the picture?". 

The whole idea behind that phrase is that I know you, my readers, can relate.  You can probably think of examples and experiences in your life that are very similar to mine.  And that fact gives me comfort.  I'm not alone in this world.  You really do "get the picture!"  So why should I ever have a pity party?  And I think that's what the writer of Ecclesiastes was pointing out when he said, in chapter 1, verse 9, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."  Somebody, somewhere, has already experienced what I am experiencing right now.  Isn't that neat?  If we need help, we've just got to find the right person. 

And . . . in light of that fact also, we need to offer the benefit of our experiences to others so they won't feel alone and out-numbered in their life either. 

You get the picture?