Star Struck

Being the little Iowa hay seed that I am, I haven't had the opportunity to meet too many 'celebrities' in my life, but today I had that chance....well, sorta.

Ok, to any other person on the street, he wouldn't be considered well known, but in the Christian music circuit, he's kind of a big deal. His name is Lincoln Brewster and turn your radio to any Christian station and you're sure to hear a few of his songs being played.

Lincoln heads up the worship ministry at Bayside Church in Granite Bay where I attend services and this afternoon they held a Halloween based theme called 'Trunk or Treat'. Basically, a bunch of people donated a half a million pieces of candy (sucks to be that person counting) and then others volunteered to decorate their cars and put candy in the trunk so kids could have a safe place to collect the goods. They had all sorts of games and jumpy houses for entertainment and a ton of food, which reminded me a bit of a midway at the fair... it was a good time!

Anyway, we were walking through the crowd and I spotted Lincoln and asked for a picture (sorry Todd, no autographs), which he kindly said yes to... deep down inside I was squealing like I did when I saw the New Kids On The Block in concert back in the day, but I think I played it off pretty well.

Here's me and my new BFF, Lincoln...

Memory Walk for Kate

Yesterday was a beautiful fall morning in Sacramento - cool, crisp, and sunny! Leaves are starting to turn colors and fall from the trees and it was a great day for reflection....as my friend, John V. quotes, "Another leaf has fallen" (i.e., another day has passed by!)

My friend/coworker, Kim, and I have been planning to walk in the Alzheimer's Memory Walk in memory of Kim's late grandmother, Concetta, and in honor of my neighbor grandmother, Kate. I was so excited to have the opportunity to participate 'in honor' of somebody. I think Kate would think it was pretty cool that I did something for her since she is the one who has done so much for everybody in her many years here. What a surreal thing - seeing ALL of these people who have been effected in one way or another by Alzheimer's.

Marcie & Kim at the finish line

Walking up to the finish line

Kate and Lyle have been our next door neighbors for many, many years and they have taken me in as one of their own 'granddaughters' since I was a little girl. I would get so excited to see Lyle's green pickup turn the corner around supper time so I could hollar at him through the kitchen window or give a little wave if it was too cold to open it up. I loved the days when mom would have off from work and Kate would invite us over to their house for coffee and cookies.

This couple has showered me with love, hugs, kisses, and attention throughout my life and I am forever grateful for each of them. When I would lay out in the backyard, Lyle would sneak around the side of the house with his water hose and spray me down when I least expected it. Well, little did he know that I was ready one day when he thought he was being a Sneaky Pete - I soaked him and his bib overalls with our own hose and once he took off, I ran around the other way and got him with the water bottle (this is obviously before Super Soakers or he would have really gotten it!)

Lyle & Marcie

Now Kate was all about work ethic - Lyle is too, don't get me wrong, but Kate would put me to work if I told her that I was 'bored'. (Yeah, you would think that I would learn my lesson and stop saying it around her, but I'm not that smart.)

Anyway, I can remember sitting on their back step snapping green beans (and hating life) wishing my mom would tell me to come home. Never happened - I think it was a ploy on both parts - mom wanted me out of the house and her hair and Kate didn't want to snap the five gallon bucket by herself. We would have great conversations about her life when she was young and she would always make me feel important by asking questions about me, school, and whatever else I wanted to talk about. I would get in trouble for eating too many peas out of the pod when helping her (again), she would have me water her flowers, pick raspberries off of the bush, and help her pick up sticks in the yard. Seriously, worst job ever...

However, Kate made a mean batch of chocolate chip cookies and had the best laugh ever - straight from the belly and full of life! Lyle and Kate were great dancers and I loved watching them glide around the dance floor holding each other, smiling, and being surrounded by their friends and loved ones. I remember asking Lyle not long ago how they stayed married for the last 68 years and he told me one of his secrets is to not dwell on the last argument or falling out because it won't do any good to keep dredging it up - just move on, don't go to bed mad at one another, and alway agree with what the woman says! :)

These two people have been an inspiration to me on so many levels - they would walk with Todd and I to church and Sunday school (when we felt like going) and let us sit with them after class was over. They have never missed sending me a birthday card to let me know that they were thinking of me, they attended school functions that Kim, Kelli, and Kerry were also involved with, but somehow would make me feel like they were there just for me! They were at the door for me to tell me about the passing of my great grandma Ar when my parents weren't able to be there and they held me while I cried. They have attended the annual backyard parties since they began seven years ago, and have always made me feel special in every way that grandparents do!

Needless to say, when Kate came over to tell us that she had 'that Alzheimer's thing' a few years ago, we were all quite shocked. How could this be? This is Kate - vibrant, full of life, loves her husband, kids, grandkids, and great grandkids more than anybody I know - what will happen? Will she remember me? When will we know that she really, really has it?

I tell you what - this is an ugly disease. The Kate that I knew and grew up with isn't there anymore... luckily for her, Lyle kept her at home for as long as he could and did so much for her before having to take her to the nursing home so she could get the proper care she needed. What a tough decision it was for him and the whole family and we can only imagine how hard it would be. He visits her every evening, has a little cup of ice cream, holds her hand, and leaves at the same time every night. Unconditional love, I'm telling you...

Before I moved to California, I wanted to go tell Kate that I would be moving away and that was the hardest ten minutes that I had. She did not know who I was, but wanted me to take her with me! I knew it was going to be hard, but you can never really prepare yourself enough. Her daughter, Joyce, had flown in from Ohio and Lyle was there before Joyce was flying home, so we sort of overlapped our visits.

I watched Lyle set her down in her chair, help her blow her nose, and give her a kiss goodbye. Joyce, bless her heart, has been back to Iowa to visit many times throughout the last couple of years to visit her mom, keep Lyle company, and help out along with her brother, Duane, and his whole family who live there. To see a family ban together is an amazing thing to witness and even though it would be easy to give up and say that ''she wouldn't know if I am there or not'' is not an option for them. Their faith has helped to hold them up, their friends, and extended family have let it be known how much Lyle and Kate mean to them in their own special ways and this is why I write.

This family has meant the world to me and I wanted to let you know that a little 3 mile walk to support the Alzheimer's effort isn't going to bring her awareness back, but I had a great time walking FOR Kate and thinking about how much she has meant to me and always will.

Lyle and family: I love each of you so much and will continue to pray for Kate and your own strength through this process. I know you each have your own special memories of her as I do, too. When I think about her, a smile comes to my face and always will. I am glad God has given me the opportunity to have neighbor grandparents like you and again, I'll be forever grateful for each of you. Thank you for treating me like your own granddaughter and loving me - I love you both so much!

Marcie & Kate

A Break from the Sun

You know how God always has a way of letting you know that He's not too far away from you?

Well, today was no different for me than any other, but I do know how God speaks to me and it's definitely through nature.

I absolutely LOVE sunsets (too hard to get up for sunrises, but I'm sure I'd love them equally) and anything that has to deal with the sun or water - not so much Gray's Lake sort of water, but I'm thinking about the ocean because of it's infinity...there's definitely more than meets the eye when you gaze out over a large mass of water.

Anyway, often times I will sit outside at lunch and just stare up in to the sky, or watch the golden grass sway in the breeze on top of the hills, and feel a calmness. To me, that's God placing His gentle hand on my back and letting me know that things will be ok - that, daughter, I'm right here with you... so needless to say, I pay close attention to what is going on outside to 'see' any signs that God might have for me that day! Maybe that's why I was such a freak about the weather when I was little.

Who am I kidding; I still get scared and want to wet my pants when there is a tornado warning.

For those of you that know me, you knew one of the reasons that I wanted to move to CA was because of the sun. OH, how I loooove the sun! Who knew that you could get tired of the fireball in the sky and endless days of warm weather?

During the summer, it felt like the movie, 'Groundhog Day' because every day (I'm serious, EVERY day), the daily forecast read 'High 88F and Abundant Sun.' I was so sick of the sun. I just wanted clouds - seriously, God, can you put a few cotton balls in the sky for me? I miss variety - I miss the changing of the seasons - I miss the smell of rain - I miss clouds - I miss the shadows that clouds cast on the landscape - I WANT A CLOUDY DAY!!

Well, friends, today I got my clouds - it was beautiful! Cool, cloudy, rainy, and windy - great weather for Friday Night Football. Who wants a bowl of chili? Some hot chocolate? Oooh, me - I do, I do! Just when I thought God was getting all boring on me and forgetting about what I like (because sometimes it is all about me), I see this lovely sight on the way home.




Thank you, God, for not forgetting about me and letting me know that when I start to second guess these decisions in my life, that it doesn't matter because You are always there with me. I needed a rainbow today and you gave me TWO!!

Just because I liked it...

The Day I Met Daniel, it was an unusually cold day for the month of May. Spring had arrived and everything was alive with color. But a cold front from the north had brought winter’s chill back to Indiana. I sat with two friends in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town square. The food and the company were both especially good that day. As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying a well-worn sign that read, “I will work for food.”

My heart sank. I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat half-heartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call for some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car. Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: “Don’t go back to the office until you’ve at least driven once more around the square.” And so, with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square’s third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the stone-front church, going through his sack.

I stopped and looked, feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town’s newest visitor. “Looking for the pastor?” I asked. “Not really,” he replied, “Just resting.” “Have you eaten today?” “Oh, I ate something early this morning.” “Would you like to have lunch with me? “ Do you have some work I could do for you?” “No work,” I replied. “I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.” “Sure,” he replied with a smile. As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. “Where you headed?” “St. Louis.” “Where you from?” “Oh, all over; mostly Florida.” “How long you been walking?” “Fourteen years,” came the reply.

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left only minutes earlier. His hair was long and straight, and he had a neatly trimmed dark beard. His skin was deeply tanned, and his face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, “Jesus is The Never Ending Story.” Then Daniel’s story began to unfold.

He had seen rough times early in life. He’d made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought. He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God. “Nothing’s been the same since,” he said, “I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.” “Ever think of stopping?” I asked. “Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That’s what’s in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.”
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice.

The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: “What’s it like?” “What?” “To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?” “Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn’t make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people’s concepts of other folks like me.” My concept was changing, too.

We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, “Come ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.” I felt as if we were on holy ground. “Could you use another Bible?” I asked. He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. “I’ve read through it 14 times,” he said. “I’m not sure we’ve got one of those, but let’s stop by our church and see.” I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

“Where you headed from here?” I asked. “Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.” “Are you hoping to hire on there for a while?” “No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that’s where I’m going next.” He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town square where we’d met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things. “Would you sign my autograph book?” he asked. “I like to keep messages from folks I meet.” I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture, Jeremiah 29:11: “I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.”

“Thanks, man,” he said. “I know we just met and we’re really just strangers, but I love you.” “I know,” I said, “I love you, too.” “The Lord is good.” “Yes. He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?” I asked. “A long time,” he replied. And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, “See you in the New Jerusalem.” “I’ll be there!” was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bed roll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, “When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?” “You bet,” I shouted back, “God bless.” “God bless.” And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them....a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them. I remembered his words: “If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?” Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry.

“See you in the New Jerusalem,” he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will....

In Loving Memory

If you've ever had a pet, you know how attached you become to the little furry 'human' who occupies your life, runs the house, and sometimes sleeps in your bed.... and we all know what the pain feels like once you lose your best friend. It's gut wrenching to say the least.

Sometimes you will hear the scratching of their claws, catch a smell of what you think is them walking by, or continue to anticipate the greeting at the door...then you remember that you won't get any of that again. Why in the world do we love our pets so much?

I, for one, was fortunate enough to have two great dogs growing up - Stan and Poopy (not their given names, but what we affectionately called them).

If I remember right, mom and dad bought Stan (his name was Sandy) for $5 when I was five years old - he was a cockapoo and so smart - however, he did not like to 'fly' and he was definitely my mom's dog ... he passed away at the age of 16 and by then I was 21 and in college. Mom couldn't tell me herself, so dad decided to call and let me know - what a sob session that turned out to be for both of us...

Poopy (her name was Tabby) was a Doberman and she was spoiled rotten - but she was so lovable, had the softest ears, and you knew when she needed a bath because her paws would smell like Doritos. After 4 years, I still miss her terribly...

The emptiness that you feel once you lose your pet will go away after some time, but it's never easy. Mandy, I love you and I loved your dog - he was such a lover, he was so sweet, and I liked it when he would stand on top of the baby gate and actually look down on me! If you need to talk, you know that I will always listen and I'll be here if you need me. I know that Big M is watching out for you and you were an awesome mommy :)

Calgon, Take Me Away

Can I just catch a break for once with this car? I feel like it's possessed, has bad karma, or screams 'VANDALIZE ME!'

In the five months that I've been here, it has taken a beating. The mountains really did a number on it's insides, then it got ripped apart in a hit and run/side swipe sort of deal the first night of staying, then I had the baseball bat to the back window a few weeks ago and now this.

(In case you can't quite make it out, it's about a size 11 Converse shoe print.)

The funny thing about this (if it is funny), is that I was in a dead sleep last week and woke up to some drunk guy screaming expletives about how much he 'Hates this apartment complex'. I could hear banging on the patio fences as he stumbled by...it was quiet for a few seconds...then I heard the thud of something. I kind of giggled to myself and thought, "Great, that was probably my car." At least I didn't hear glass shattering.

I went about my business Friday morning and headed into work after a quick look over of the car and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Once I left work for the night and the sun was shining on the driver's side of the car, that's when I noticed the dusty foot print.

Why do people feel the need to damage somebody elses property? I've worked hard to get where I am and can't understand why such trivial things happen and for no reason. This has been one of the most frustrating things for me to experience out here - probably because I just don't get it.

Bragging Rights

Ha ha ha ha....