This poem helps describe how our family has felt in the last few months, as Dad's condition has deteriorated so quickly. I remembered the last time I'd seen him, about three years ago, walking around and pretty much normal. (Even his mind was mostly alright, although he did tell me the same joke four or five times in the space of a couple days!) When I walked into my parents' house a few days ago...was that really my father? How could that very ill, skinny man be my active, smiling, punster father? I wanted to cry as soon as I saw him.
JOIN THE RAINDROPS
Sometimes my heart is safe and dry
when angry clouds appear,
when lightning splits the heavens,
and thunder splits the ear.
I watch them through my window;
they're not in my terrain.
It matters not how long they last...
I'm not out in the rain.
But sometime my heart is caught unwarned;
new squalls threaten my peace.
They bring icy uncertainty
as their forces they unleash.
My soul is soaked; it's hard to see
beneath the darkened skies.
Huddled outside...I fear the cold...
and then I realize
it doesn't matter where I am,
Grace shields and keeps me warm.
I can smile and join the raindrops
as they're dancing through the storm!
Let praise drown out the thunder!
Let hope the spirit fill!
The storm will only last until
Our God says, "Peace, be still."
- Becky Rhon
I didn't cry right then, but I have since. All of us were crying as we sang song after song last night around Dad's bed. My older brother and his family live here; my sister has been here a while (from Texas), living with my parents, to help out; we arrived a few days ago from Ecuador; and my younger brother and his wife got in last night from New Mexico. My parents' only two granddaughter were there - our Debbie and my older brother's daughter. (All the rest of the grandchildren are male, and most of them will be here in the next few days. Dan arrives tomorrow.) We have all been telling Dad we love him, are grateful for him and have so many things to thank him for. He's not very responsive, but last night when Debbie whispered in his ear "I love you, Grandpa", he responded, "I love you". (She said to me, "Grandpa told me that he loves me!" It was so special.) And when my mom leaned over and said "I love you", he said "I love you, too"...but with that special tone he used only with her, his companion for almost 63 years. She said, "I'm your wife", and he said "and I'm your husband." Mom had always been afraid he wouldn't know her in the end, but he knows her!
A couple days ago I said to him, "You'll be going to heaven soon!" and he said, "Not yet." I believe it was because my younger brother hadn't arrived. But now we're all here. The hospice people think he'll most likely pass away by the weekend.
We couldn't afford to come up twice, so we came while there was a chance of interacting with him, even if it meant not coming for the funeral. Now it looks like we will probably still be here for the funeral!
Dad was always sort of impervious to pain. That's a blessing, because pancreatic cancer is one of the most painful cancers, besides one that kills most quickly. But so far the only discomfort has been the catheter, which he detests! (I don't blame him!) Now it seems that he's starting to feel a little pain, but means have already been provided to make him as comfortable as possible in his last days.
Side note: Dad is also immune to poison ivy. So when he was a boy, if he had a special place in the woods (or wherever) that he didn't want others entering, he'd rig strands of poison ivy around the entrance!
Many people came to know Jesus and God's love and salvation through my father's ministry. We went to Ecuador when he was only in his 20's (I was l yr. 9 mos.); now he's 84. He learned the Indian language, reduced it to writing and then translated the New Testament...all this before computers, cassette recorders (he only had a reel-to-reel), internet, etc. Then later he trained some of the Indians themselves in basics of translation so they could work on an abridgement of the Old Testament.
He was a wise, honorable and patient man, and though we'll miss him, we can reflect on his very productive life and know that this man we love so much will be arriving at Heaven's door soon, where not only will he see his Savior, but also the many who were shown the road to heaven through our father's faith. (He will also see his sister, who passed away recently, and his parents...and our two little grandbabies!)
So we commit this warrior into the loving arms of his High King, and let him know that it's OK to leave, any time he's ready, and that we'll take good care of Mom. "Father...here's my father."
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Guardian Angels -- Overtime!
I had a dream...
Before we left for Australia, I dreamt that we were flying into a city in that country, and almost all the roofs were red. (I had never seen pictures.) Later, when we were actually flying into Melbourne, I noticed through the window that...almost all the roofs were red!
We arrived at a government hostel for new immigrants, and given help in so many ways over the next months. It was amusing to me that, though married, I was a minor! Legal age was still 21 - and I was only 19. So I payed "children's rates".
We moved out to one of the suburbs (Pascoe Vale) and attended one Spanish-speaking church for about 3 years, then helped start up another one. Wherever we've lived, we've always made an effort to be active in God's Kingdom. I taught Sunday School, played the piano and organ, sang, started a choir, helped with the ladies' group (leading for a while, and also bringing the Bible studies), interpreted when we had a guest speaker, etc. On weekends and after hours, Germán helped in the visitation to the Spanish-speaking immigrants in the government hostels. He was also part of a group of seven men who took turns preaching and carrying out the pastoral work of the church we helped start. (Just givin' you a sort of over-all glimpse of that phase in our Journey.)
In Australia, we also received our first "pride and joy". Daniel Isaac was born in the dead of winter, on June 13. A Friday, in fact. (If we were superstitious, we'd consider Friday the 13th our good luck day!) His guardian angels definitely had their work cut out for them! (Actually, I think they've had to work double duty all his life!) I'll give you a few examples:
Dan was only a few months old when I bundled him one day into his pram for a walk outside. As we rounded a corner, suddenly two big watchdogs came rushing out, all snarls and teeth. I felt really vulnerable - I had a helpless little baby- and froze. Then I remembered something I'd read somewhere...so I turned on the dogs, pointed my finger at them and said in as authoritative a voice as I could manage, "In the name of Jesus, SIT DOWN!" And they did! Their hind ends slammed down onto the sidewalk. As I walked away, I turned around and saw them glaring after me. They looked like they were really straining to get up and run after us, but they couldn't un-stick themselves!
When Dan was six months old, we were driving to a church in the Dandenong Mts., in really bad weather. I was in the back seat with the baby, and it was time for him to be breast-fed. But I decided NOT to pick him up and feed him then. He wasn't fussing, and I thought he could wait. (Back then, seat belts weren't stressed as much as they are now.) Suddenly, even though we were going slowly, our car collided on the slick, slippery road with another car coming the opposite direction. I was thrown against the back of the front seat and hit it with my arms and chest - exactly where Dan would have been if I had picked him up to nurse! He would have been crushed.
When he was a little older, maybe 18 months or so, I had to go pick Germán up at his workplace one night. I put Dan into his car seat and off we went. When we got to a certain T-cross intersection, I waited at a red light. Then the light turned green...but for some reason, I didn't move...I couldn't move. It was almost as if I was frozen for a couple of seconds. But those two seconds saved our lives, because another car suddenly zoomed at tremendous speed through the intersection, right through his red light. If I had been able to pull out into the intersection the moment I had the green light, we would have been picked out of the wreckage in pieces!
When he was about 2 years old, we were in the social hall of the church after the service. It was night time and we were just talking, having a cup of coffee (for those who liked the vile stuff), and all the kids were tearing around. We usually did a good job of keeping our eyes on the "pack". Almost right after I had spotted Dan with the others, an Australian woman appeared at the door with a little boy in tow. It was our son! She had found him investigating the street that ran by the church...a six-lane busy, busy street. He was actually in the street, though right beside the sidewalk. We never could figure how he got out into the street so quickly (we had just seen him inside!), and the only explanation for him not being ground under the wheels of passing cars was...his guardian angels doing overtime! *********************************************************************************
Next week I will be in the States, but will still try to write. My father is in failing health, and we are going to go up and see him, while we can still interact with him. I'd like to tell you a little about him. And I'll share a poem with you that speaks to the "storms" we have to go through. (If you get our prayer e-mail, you may have read it, but I'll include it in the blog for those who don't.) After that, I'll continue sharing our Journey. See you soon!
Before we left for Australia, I dreamt that we were flying into a city in that country, and almost all the roofs were red. (I had never seen pictures.) Later, when we were actually flying into Melbourne, I noticed through the window that...almost all the roofs were red!
We arrived at a government hostel for new immigrants, and given help in so many ways over the next months. It was amusing to me that, though married, I was a minor! Legal age was still 21 - and I was only 19. So I payed "children's rates".
We moved out to one of the suburbs (Pascoe Vale) and attended one Spanish-speaking church for about 3 years, then helped start up another one. Wherever we've lived, we've always made an effort to be active in God's Kingdom. I taught Sunday School, played the piano and organ, sang, started a choir, helped with the ladies' group (leading for a while, and also bringing the Bible studies), interpreted when we had a guest speaker, etc. On weekends and after hours, Germán helped in the visitation to the Spanish-speaking immigrants in the government hostels. He was also part of a group of seven men who took turns preaching and carrying out the pastoral work of the church we helped start. (Just givin' you a sort of over-all glimpse of that phase in our Journey.)
In Australia, we also received our first "pride and joy". Daniel Isaac was born in the dead of winter, on June 13. A Friday, in fact. (If we were superstitious, we'd consider Friday the 13th our good luck day!) His guardian angels definitely had their work cut out for them! (Actually, I think they've had to work double duty all his life!) I'll give you a few examples:
Dan was only a few months old when I bundled him one day into his pram for a walk outside. As we rounded a corner, suddenly two big watchdogs came rushing out, all snarls and teeth. I felt really vulnerable - I had a helpless little baby- and froze. Then I remembered something I'd read somewhere...so I turned on the dogs, pointed my finger at them and said in as authoritative a voice as I could manage, "In the name of Jesus, SIT DOWN!" And they did! Their hind ends slammed down onto the sidewalk. As I walked away, I turned around and saw them glaring after me. They looked like they were really straining to get up and run after us, but they couldn't un-stick themselves!
When Dan was six months old, we were driving to a church in the Dandenong Mts., in really bad weather. I was in the back seat with the baby, and it was time for him to be breast-fed. But I decided NOT to pick him up and feed him then. He wasn't fussing, and I thought he could wait. (Back then, seat belts weren't stressed as much as they are now.) Suddenly, even though we were going slowly, our car collided on the slick, slippery road with another car coming the opposite direction. I was thrown against the back of the front seat and hit it with my arms and chest - exactly where Dan would have been if I had picked him up to nurse! He would have been crushed.
When he was a little older, maybe 18 months or so, I had to go pick Germán up at his workplace one night. I put Dan into his car seat and off we went. When we got to a certain T-cross intersection, I waited at a red light. Then the light turned green...but for some reason, I didn't move...I couldn't move. It was almost as if I was frozen for a couple of seconds. But those two seconds saved our lives, because another car suddenly zoomed at tremendous speed through the intersection, right through his red light. If I had been able to pull out into the intersection the moment I had the green light, we would have been picked out of the wreckage in pieces!
When he was about 2 years old, we were in the social hall of the church after the service. It was night time and we were just talking, having a cup of coffee (for those who liked the vile stuff), and all the kids were tearing around. We usually did a good job of keeping our eyes on the "pack". Almost right after I had spotted Dan with the others, an Australian woman appeared at the door with a little boy in tow. It was our son! She had found him investigating the street that ran by the church...a six-lane busy, busy street. He was actually in the street, though right beside the sidewalk. We never could figure how he got out into the street so quickly (we had just seen him inside!), and the only explanation for him not being ground under the wheels of passing cars was...his guardian angels doing overtime! *********************************************************************************
Next week I will be in the States, but will still try to write. My father is in failing health, and we are going to go up and see him, while we can still interact with him. I'd like to tell you a little about him. And I'll share a poem with you that speaks to the "storms" we have to go through. (If you get our prayer e-mail, you may have read it, but I'll include it in the blog for those who don't.) After that, I'll continue sharing our Journey. See you soon!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
16 Time Zones Away
When Germán asked my father for his blessing, he said, in essence :I want to marry your daughter...and take her two-thirds of the way around the world!
Back then, Australia was trying to boost immigration, so the government offered charter flights for only $100, on the condition that the contractee do two things once he/she arrived in the country: take an 8-week intensive English course (for those who needed it), and remain in the country for at least two years. (So if you decided to leave before your two years were up, you had to pay the Australian government back what your ticket would have cost commercially - about $1000.)
This idea appealed to Germán's adventurousness. By the time we met, he had already done most of the paperwork...but as a single man. He'd have to redo parts of it in order to go to Australia as a married man....but, of course, he had to actually be married! He was already going to miss the fall flight, but we figured we could make the January flight if we stepped up our plans.. So there you have the reason our engagement wasn't of a "normal" length.
What was going through our minds? Well, speaking for myself...I was somehow completely sure that Germán was the man I should marry. My parents, along with Germán and myself, agreed on a day to fast, and we all felt God's peace. ( Let me say that, in all our almost 40 years of marriage, I have never thought, "I married the wrong man" or "I shouldn't have married him", something which I have heard other women say when they have problems. I just figured that, if there are problems, you fix them! I think that being the right person in a marriage is as important as or even more important than marrying the "right person". )
We were married in September (1973). After the ceremony, and an informal but fun reception outside, we got our luggage and got into the car, and...it wouldn't go! Germán, who, among other things, is a trained auto mechanic, started wondering what could be wrong with the engine...and what a time for it to happen! Leaving on our honeymoon and the car wouldn't go! When he stepped out of the car to have a look, he realized what had happened. My brother, with some cohorts, had raised the car (a little compact Fiat) up on cement blocks, so the tires weren't touching the ground!
In January (1974), we got on the bus to Lima, Peru (from where the charter flight to Australia was leaving).
Even in this, we had God's merciful protection, although we didn't find out about it til later. There were only 2 buses a week to Lima, and we took the Tuesday one, in order to be in Lima in time. Once we arrived in Lima, we got a message relayed to us from Quito saying that the flight was delayed a few days. Our first thought was "we could have waited and taken the Thursday bus, and had a couple more days with friends and family."
Once we had been in Australia for about a month (back then mail took a lot longer than it does now, and "e-mail" wasn't even in the English vocabulary), we got a letter from my mom telling us that this same Thursday bus had crashed, and several people were killed. IF we had received the message about the delay in the flight while we were still in Quito, we would have taken that bus and been on it when the accident occurred. Our new adventure was starting out with clear proof of our Lord's Hand, as He stopped the message from getting to us in time to change our plans.
We lived in Australia for five years, with many lessons learned, many opportunities to see God work, and many times when we saw His provision and protection...especially with our rambunctious little "kangaroo"! I'll tell you about some of our "narrow escapes" next time. See you then!
Back then, Australia was trying to boost immigration, so the government offered charter flights for only $100, on the condition that the contractee do two things once he/she arrived in the country: take an 8-week intensive English course (for those who needed it), and remain in the country for at least two years. (So if you decided to leave before your two years were up, you had to pay the Australian government back what your ticket would have cost commercially - about $1000.)
This idea appealed to Germán's adventurousness. By the time we met, he had already done most of the paperwork...but as a single man. He'd have to redo parts of it in order to go to Australia as a married man....but, of course, he had to actually be married! He was already going to miss the fall flight, but we figured we could make the January flight if we stepped up our plans.. So there you have the reason our engagement wasn't of a "normal" length.
What was going through our minds? Well, speaking for myself...I was somehow completely sure that Germán was the man I should marry. My parents, along with Germán and myself, agreed on a day to fast, and we all felt God's peace. ( Let me say that, in all our almost 40 years of marriage, I have never thought, "I married the wrong man" or "I shouldn't have married him", something which I have heard other women say when they have problems. I just figured that, if there are problems, you fix them! I think that being the right person in a marriage is as important as or even more important than marrying the "right person". )
We were married in September (1973). After the ceremony, and an informal but fun reception outside, we got our luggage and got into the car, and...it wouldn't go! Germán, who, among other things, is a trained auto mechanic, started wondering what could be wrong with the engine...and what a time for it to happen! Leaving on our honeymoon and the car wouldn't go! When he stepped out of the car to have a look, he realized what had happened. My brother, with some cohorts, had raised the car (a little compact Fiat) up on cement blocks, so the tires weren't touching the ground!
In January (1974), we got on the bus to Lima, Peru (from where the charter flight to Australia was leaving).
Even in this, we had God's merciful protection, although we didn't find out about it til later. There were only 2 buses a week to Lima, and we took the Tuesday one, in order to be in Lima in time. Once we arrived in Lima, we got a message relayed to us from Quito saying that the flight was delayed a few days. Our first thought was "we could have waited and taken the Thursday bus, and had a couple more days with friends and family."
Once we had been in Australia for about a month (back then mail took a lot longer than it does now, and "e-mail" wasn't even in the English vocabulary), we got a letter from my mom telling us that this same Thursday bus had crashed, and several people were killed. IF we had received the message about the delay in the flight while we were still in Quito, we would have taken that bus and been on it when the accident occurred. Our new adventure was starting out with clear proof of our Lord's Hand, as He stopped the message from getting to us in time to change our plans.
We lived in Australia for five years, with many lessons learned, many opportunities to see God work, and many times when we saw His provision and protection...especially with our rambunctious little "kangaroo"! I'll tell you about some of our "narrow escapes" next time. See you then!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Live Chickens, Pineapples and a Honeymoon Suite
The preparations for our wedding seemed to be coming along just fine...until a friend threw poor Germán for a loop! Ulterior motives? Who knows? At any rate, Germán thought I might be calling off the wedding!
I had drafted our invitation/announcement, one side in English, the other in Spanish, and given it to Germán to have them printed in Quito. But later my mom saw it and said that in one place it wasn't worded correctly.
Germán was staying in Quito with his mother, who didn't have a phone. We had arranged that if I ever needed to, I could call his friend Raúl, and he would pass on anything I needed. So I hurriedly called Raúl and asked him to give Germán this message: Please stop the printing process, as what I gave you has a mistake. I'm sending you a note with the correction, by bus. Please go pick it up. (Mail wasn't dependable at all back then in our little town, so packages and letters were often sent via the passenger buses that came and went daily.)
Here's what Raúl actually told Germán: Becky says to stop all the preparations for the wedding! It was hard for Germán to wait until he could go pick my note up and find out what was going on. Until then, all he could do was go into his room, get down on his knees and put everything into God's hands.
He was immensely relieved when he got my note! He also wondered if it had been an innocent misunderstanding or...was he intentionally misled? You see, Raúl had a couple of eligible sisters looking for husbands, and Germán was a great candidate in their eyes!!
As the date for our wedding neared, we started getting gifts - not many, because when people wondered what we needed, we asked them if they would just give us cash, since we were going to be traveling. Of course, not everybody asked, and as there were people from a number of social levels, we got some interesting presents, including...a couple of live chickens and a couple of fresh pineapples...and the lady I told you about, who had offered us all the flowers we needed from her hotel gardens, gave us a gift of three free days and nights in her honeymoon suite!
In recalling all this with you, I thought of a poem I wrote some years ago that ties in with Germán's going to his knees to seek God's peace and guidance when things seemed so uncertain.
TRAIL THROUGH THE TREES
Lord,
You don't always show us
big signposts and arrows
when we're lost in the forest
and our vision narrows
to just two or three trees.
Could we see beyond these,
then maybe we might
start to make our own clearing -
less by faith, more by sight,
slowly losing our hearing
of the "voice that's behind",
saying, "This is the way.
If you walk it, you'll find
that My paths always lay
"where My Son lights the haze
'round each leaf and each root,
where His Hand clears the maze
so it won't trip your foot;
"where My Love warms the downpours,
untangles the vines;
where the trusting must be yours,
the wisdom be Mine."
When I can't see past today,
by chance or by choice,
I do best just to stay...
to stay close to Your Voice.
The directions for following
Your trail through the trees
may be found when I'm listening
for them on my knees.
--Becky Rhon
You may have been asking why in the world we got engaged only a month after we met, and married only one-and-a-half months after that. What was the hurry? I'll tell you in one word: AUSTRALIA!!
Join me again soon!
I had drafted our invitation/announcement, one side in English, the other in Spanish, and given it to Germán to have them printed in Quito. But later my mom saw it and said that in one place it wasn't worded correctly.
Germán was staying in Quito with his mother, who didn't have a phone. We had arranged that if I ever needed to, I could call his friend Raúl, and he would pass on anything I needed. So I hurriedly called Raúl and asked him to give Germán this message: Please stop the printing process, as what I gave you has a mistake. I'm sending you a note with the correction, by bus. Please go pick it up. (Mail wasn't dependable at all back then in our little town, so packages and letters were often sent via the passenger buses that came and went daily.)
Here's what Raúl actually told Germán: Becky says to stop all the preparations for the wedding! It was hard for Germán to wait until he could go pick my note up and find out what was going on. Until then, all he could do was go into his room, get down on his knees and put everything into God's hands.
He was immensely relieved when he got my note! He also wondered if it had been an innocent misunderstanding or...was he intentionally misled? You see, Raúl had a couple of eligible sisters looking for husbands, and Germán was a great candidate in their eyes!!
As the date for our wedding neared, we started getting gifts - not many, because when people wondered what we needed, we asked them if they would just give us cash, since we were going to be traveling. Of course, not everybody asked, and as there were people from a number of social levels, we got some interesting presents, including...a couple of live chickens and a couple of fresh pineapples...and the lady I told you about, who had offered us all the flowers we needed from her hotel gardens, gave us a gift of three free days and nights in her honeymoon suite!
In recalling all this with you, I thought of a poem I wrote some years ago that ties in with Germán's going to his knees to seek God's peace and guidance when things seemed so uncertain.
TRAIL THROUGH THE TREES
Lord,
You don't always show us
big signposts and arrows
when we're lost in the forest
and our vision narrows
to just two or three trees.
Could we see beyond these,
then maybe we might
start to make our own clearing -
less by faith, more by sight,
slowly losing our hearing
of the "voice that's behind",
saying, "This is the way.
If you walk it, you'll find
that My paths always lay
"where My Son lights the haze
'round each leaf and each root,
where His Hand clears the maze
so it won't trip your foot;
"where My Love warms the downpours,
untangles the vines;
where the trusting must be yours,
the wisdom be Mine."
When I can't see past today,
by chance or by choice,
I do best just to stay...
to stay close to Your Voice.
The directions for following
Your trail through the trees
may be found when I'm listening
for them on my knees.
--Becky Rhon
You may have been asking why in the world we got engaged only a month after we met, and married only one-and-a-half months after that. What was the hurry? I'll tell you in one word: AUSTRALIA!!
Join me again soon!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
WEDDING SUIT AND "WEEKENDS"
When Germán came back from the U.S. to Ecuador to look for a wife, he brought with him the fabric to have a tuxedo tailor-made down here. Time went by and the material just sat on the shelf. Then one day, several months later, he decided to go ahead and have the suit made, even if he hadn't met his bride yet. It would be ready for when he did. The tailor finished the tux and ...and two weeks later Germán met me!
Besides thinking he wouldn't marry an American, Germán had also decided he wouldn't have a long-distance girlfriend. Well, that soon went out the window, too! Santo Domingo is an almost-three-hour drive from Quito. So he would come and see me on weekends. At first he'd come on Friday and return to Quito on Sunday. Then he started coming Thursday and returning Sunday. The he would come Thursday and go back Monday. Then he'd come Thursday and go back Tuesday...ever lengthening his "weekends"!
One month after we met, we held our "cambio de aros" (ring-exchange), a little ceremony often used in Ecuador to seal/bless an engagement. The spouses-to-be exchange wedding rings, but wear them on the right hand instead of the left (until the wedding). We had ours in church.
Wedding plans were uncomplicated. I had my mother's beautiful wedding dress (that she had made herself), and Germán's tux was ready. An acquaintance who owned a hotel complex told us to go to her gardens and pick all the flowers we needed for the wedding, which was held outdoors. Other details started falling into place. We were young and adventurous, with no indication or inkling of the health issues that would appear farther down the road to change, challenge and even charm us.
Writing our story, being drawn into its essence once again, I can hear...
ECHOES
When You're silent, and I'm near You,
though You're silent, I still hear You in the echoes of the past,
that lift my heart as I recall
all the yesterdays You held me, when I thought that I would fall.
When You're speaking, and I'm listening,
I can hear the way your voice rings with the echos of the future,
gentle breezes, rushing winds,
that draw me into each tomorrow, to where You've already been.
-Becky Rhon
Join me next week for the continuation: Live Chickens, Pineapples and a Honeymoon Suite!
Besides thinking he wouldn't marry an American, Germán had also decided he wouldn't have a long-distance girlfriend. Well, that soon went out the window, too! Santo Domingo is an almost-three-hour drive from Quito. So he would come and see me on weekends. At first he'd come on Friday and return to Quito on Sunday. Then he started coming Thursday and returning Sunday. The he would come Thursday and go back Monday. Then he'd come Thursday and go back Tuesday...ever lengthening his "weekends"!
One month after we met, we held our "cambio de aros" (ring-exchange), a little ceremony often used in Ecuador to seal/bless an engagement. The spouses-to-be exchange wedding rings, but wear them on the right hand instead of the left (until the wedding). We had ours in church.
Wedding plans were uncomplicated. I had my mother's beautiful wedding dress (that she had made herself), and Germán's tux was ready. An acquaintance who owned a hotel complex told us to go to her gardens and pick all the flowers we needed for the wedding, which was held outdoors. Other details started falling into place. We were young and adventurous, with no indication or inkling of the health issues that would appear farther down the road to change, challenge and even charm us.
Writing our story, being drawn into its essence once again, I can hear...
ECHOES
When You're silent, and I'm near You,
though You're silent, I still hear You in the echoes of the past,
that lift my heart as I recall
all the yesterdays You held me, when I thought that I would fall.
When You're speaking, and I'm listening,
I can hear the way your voice rings with the echos of the future,
gentle breezes, rushing winds,
that draw me into each tomorrow, to where You've already been.
-Becky Rhon
Join me next week for the continuation: Live Chickens, Pineapples and a Honeymoon Suite!
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