Memory Maven: Thelma's last service

Memory Maven: Thelma's last service

Thelma's last service

Last Thursday, Thelma Pyle attended her last service at Indian Hills Baptist Church.   Thelma's casket was lifted from the back of the hearse and carried by six  handsome men wearing pink boutonnieres into the sanctuary and placed at the front of the church.  There were beautiful flowers everywhere. The church filled with family and friends there to say their final goodbye to Thelma.   

Thelma is a charter member of the church.  She and her late husband helped build the church.  Both literally with hammer and nails and spiritually with their constant service.  The church was founded in  the 1950's.  Thelma and her family have been serving there since that time.   

Thelma was full of joy.  She always had a hug for you.  You could not speak to her without feeling happy.   Thelma would speak her mind, but she was always kind in the way she did it.  During my last conversation with her she told me how proud she was of me.  I felt so uplifted and confident to know Thelma was proud of me. 

Many, many years ago Thelma volunteered to be our counselor when we went to junior high camp.  Not many people volunteered to go with  a bus full of teenage girls and sleep on a small bunk bed, shower in a very cramped bathroom with very little privacy, and walk all over the camp in the hot Texas sun.  Thelma brought a board to go under the ancient sagging mattress to make it a little more comfortable.  I  remember her body shaking  as she lay in the bunk  trying to stifle a laugh while telling us it was time to go to sleep.  The time I spent at camp were some of the greatest times of my life. 

Thelma and Fernie had two daughters - Debbie and Judy.  Judy and I have been close friends forever.  I always loved to go to Judy's house.  They took me on vacation with them.  Thelma cooked wonderful meals on a camp stove on a cement picnic table.  Judy and I rode our dirt bikes  all over east Texas.  I cherish those memories. 

Debbie and Judy continue to serve at the church, as do their children.  What an incredible legacy.  My heart hurts to know that Thelma's time at Indian Hills has come to an end.  All who come after  will benefit from her faithful service.  While we will mourn, I am confident there is rejoicing in heaven.  Thelma no longer suffers sickness or pain and can run, jump and dance.  There will  always be a foursome at Thelma's card table, there are fish jumping in the river, and a rocking chair facing the western sky at sunset.  I am so blessed and my life is richer for having known Thelma Pyle. 

Preapproval required prior to publication

I watched a biography on Erma Bombeck today on our PBS channel.  I loved Erma Bombeck.  She could take the irritations and aggravations of everyday life and laugh at them.  Erma's children and her husband were interviewed .  I wondered what agreement she had with her family was concerning making public their real life.  Did Erma have open access to publish everything her children and husband did?  She published a column twice a week.  She was blogging before we knew what a blog was.  One of her children said when  you were the one being written about, it was not funny.

In a former life, I was the wife of a military chaplain.  I established some ground rules that personal family stories were shared from the chapel pulpit, only with prior approval of those involved.  Watching the Erma Bombeck biography reminded of  the  time preapproval was not gotten before a story was shared. 

It was Spring and the former was outside cutting the grass and wacking the weeds.  My son was outside with his dad.  I was doing some cleaning inside.  I will never forget the sound I heard as long as I live.  My former  made this terrible moan/groan/growl kind of sound. I immediately feared something had happened to my son.  I ran to the bedroom window and looked out.  The former was standing there holding this tiny baby rabbit who was all cut up.  The man was traumatized.  My son was traumatized.  We were all traumatized. 

I did not know the ways of a rabbit, but the mother rabbit plucks fur from her chest and lines an little hutch for her babies to stay.  The mother rabbit does not always stay in the the hutch with the babies.  Unfortunately, she picked a spot where there was some tall grass near our house and the hutch got weed wacked.  The horrible sound the former made was when he realized he had injured all these baby rabbits with the weed eater.  One baby survived, and we tried to made amends and take care of it.  I  remember we were using the plastic recycle bin and it could jump out of the container.  I ground up carrots with a micro grater.  Someone who lived nearby had raised rescued wildlife and gave us some tips.  I feed it with a bottle. 

On Sunday morning as we were getting ready to go to church, my daughter came to me and she was holding the baby rabbit.  She said, "this guy's dead", and sure enough the baby rabbit had died during the night.  The former had already left for chapel and did not know the rabbit had died.  I don't remember how he worked this story into his sermon, but he started talking about the baby rabbit we were raising.  It was terrible.  If he had gotten preapproval from the family, he would have know the rabbit had died.  But, he broke the rule and I was really very concerned one of my children would start to cry right in the middle of his sermon.  I had an overwhelming urge to throw a hymnal at him.  I was not happy. 

After the service, in the room where the chapel folks ate  cookies and kool-aid, my children let their father know the rabbit was dead.  He confessed to all assembled in the cookie and kool-aid room that he had not gotten preapproval to share the story.  I have never looked at a rabbit the same way since. 

I could use some Erma Bombeck humor today.  Humor today is mixed with profanity and overtones that make me more uncomfortable than amused.   Thank you Bombeck family for giving us access to your family for all those years. 

Sam and Jam's Wedding

On May 19, 2012, my baby boy married his perfect mate.  I like to refer to them as Sam and Jam.   The ceremony took place at Sam's home church.  The church was full of family, friends and many church friends that have known Sam for years.  It was a lovely ceremony.  One of their favorite professors from college performed the ceremony.  He made the ceremony very personal for them.

At the rehearsal dinner, people shared little stories about the Sam and Jam.  I shared this story of when I first realized that there was someone named Samantha in Jamey's life.  Jamey came for a visit and we went over to the bookstore at the seminary.  I was looking around and Jamey was sitting in a chair texting someone.  On a previous visit, we had met up with some of his friends who attend this seminary and I asked if he was setting up a meeting with them and he said no.  He told me he was texting "this girl - Samantha" and he had an unusual look on his face.  It sort of caught my breath when he said "this girl".  I believe I saw the beginning of a relationship and  of a new life together.  It was hope. 

I tried to be subtle and get information out of him on our ride home.  Jamey later brought Samantha home to meet us and I was so happy.  They seemed to be perfect together.  I am thankful that God had sent this godly woman to my son.  She is a true blessing to our family.  

The reception was so much fun.  There was a great band and wonderful food.  I don't think Sam and Jam sat down at all the whole time.  They danced their first dance to "How Sweet It Is".  

Jam and Sam are on their honeymoon right now.   They are on a mission trip to Ecuador.  It is Jamey's third time to go and Samantha's second.  They have a heart for missions.  There is a group of people at their church who have been going on this trip for over ten years.  Their favorite professor is one the the leaders.  At the wedding reception they danced the Sache.  I am sure I did not spell that properly, but it is a dance one of the groups they work with do in the evening.  Everyone danced to the music and did the Sache.  It involves these sashes that are native to the group they work with.  Sam helped make the blue one that Jamey is waving in this picture on their last trip to Ecuador.  It was so fun. 

Joe and I took a trip to New Orleans after the wedding.  Joe had driven through the city several times but had not ever seen any of the attractions that are in New Orleans.  I will post about that later.  We had a wonderful time.  On our way home, we stopped at Sam and Jam's apartment and went out to dinner.  They have their little married student apartment all set up.  It was so cute.  


I pray that their honeymoon will be a wonderful time of ministering to the people of Ecuador.  I know God will honor their commitment to spreading his word.  

On their way to Ecuador

Katie and Drew just moved to Seattle the week before the wedding.  My nephew Greg got her a buddy pass from US Air and she traveled non-revenue from Seattle to New Orleans.  It was the most stressful trip ever.  She literally landed at the airport in New Orleans around 10:00 a.m. Saturday and we had to be at the church at 1:00.  Joe and my brother in law Roger, raced down to New Orleans to pick her up.  She had spent the night before in the airport in Charlotte, so she had to have a shower.  But we made it.  She said she will not ever fly with the buddy pass again.  

Cousins:  Jamey, Katie, Tara and Josh

Finally, I have the most wonderful family.  All three of my sisters were there for the wedding.  It means so much to me.  Lizzie and Rog ran to Raisin' Caines and brought chicken back before the wedding.  My niece Tara, her husband Josh and precious baby Jake were there as well.  We sat in the breakfast area and played Rumycube on Saturday after the wedding.  It was a perfect celebration spent with the most most wonderful people on earth!  


Here are some snapshots from the wedding.  

Father of the Bride

 Mother of the Groom!

 Pumping up the single ladies for the bouquet toss!

 Yummiest cake!

 Brad and Inez

 Josh, Tara and cutest boy Jake!

 Tara, Betty and Jake

 A great local restaurant we ate at the night of the wedding!

Brad said something funny that will be a family classic from now on.

He took this picture and said:

"What we have is a problem here.  All the thin people are in the back."

 More Sache dancing.

Samantha's sister in the blue dress and uncle in blue shirt on the left..

 Inez, Brad, Betty and Jake.

 Katie holding Jake!

 Lizzie getting some loving from Jake!

 Jamey and Josh

 This is classic Jamey!

 Sam and her pretty mom

 This picture does not show very well, but Sam and her family made these fabulous decorations for the reception hall and church.  They stenciled on burlap.

 I borrowed this picture from one of Sam and Jam's friend's FB.

 Inez and Jake

 Sache dancing

Joe, Lizzie and Rog

All aboard the technology train!

How many passwords do you have?  I think I have at least 25.  That includes work and home.  I am not sure that my brain will remember 25 passwords.   I tried to add a new post to this blog and guess what?   I could not remember the password.  It was completely frustrating.  Then I realized the blog was set up with my former email address and all the password reset emails were being sent to that email.   That other Linda with that other email address just no longer existed.  Grrrrr!

Last week, Joe and I got new cell phones. No,  not an I-Phone.    It was over whelming to know I needed to learn new technology and with that came more passwords!  Joe and I went to a class at the phone store to learn about our new phones.  We sat in tiny folding chairs and listened to a 30-something man fly through steps for the new features on the phones.  The average age of the class was 50-ish.  There were two ladies that were 60 something.  They were determined to learn how to use new technology.  I realized that if they could do it at 60 something, I needed to listen and not complain.  There was a man assisting the teacher who was a complete geek.  He worked for a phone manufacturer.  He had a cell phone watch.  It was like from a spy cartoon.  He admitted he had 3 cell phones.  If  I ever need 3 cell phones, I am checking out.  I heaved myself out of the tiny folding chair and bought some accessories for my high-tech cell phone.  I love it when Joe asks me how to do something.  Before Joe, I could barely use a computer.

Last night, before I went to sleep, I read a book on my phone and the page scrolled all by itself as I read.  At lunch today I looked at Facebook and a read my emails on my phone.  I am really loving this new technology.  The camera on the phone is great and I can do videos on it too.   I have bought a ticket on the technology train. 

Did you hear what Sherry Shepherd said after she was voted off Dancing With the Stars last week?  She said something very profound as she was exiting the ballroom.  She said when something scares you, you should run toward it.  I have always avoided things that scare me.  But I am going to adopt her some of her philosophy.  It is all aboard the technology train.  I am jumping on! 

We took a little trip last weekend to see the bluebonnets.  This has been a great year for wildflowers here in Texas because we have had a lot of rain.  Joe remembered the back dirt road he went on 14 years ago and just as he said, the flowers were beautiful.  There were bluebonnets, Indian paint brushes, Indian blankets, wild verbena, and some I don't know what they are called.  We also took a little lake tour.  The water is not high enough yet to cruise up the river, but we hope to go back in the fall.  There is a cruise that you go up river and can see eagles. 

We enjoyed our weekend.  Our neighbor took care of the dogs and we did not have to worry about them the entire weekend.