Until We Meet Again, El-Yor

"The thought came up to bury him in his beloved Santa suit. Which sounded like a great idea until we thought about the reaction from the kids at the visitation." ~Larry Reece (family friend)

For the record, I would have agreed with this...had it not been for the kids reaction. 🤣🤣🤣 Probably not many (if any) little kids go to visit the deceased, but still, that would be one for the history books. 😂

And may I just say this picture has GOT TO BE the best Santa pic every taken?!!! LeRoy had a way with the kids...🤣🤣🤣❤️❤️❤️

Ah...LeRoy and his sense of humor. He loved calling me "Murry", and to this day, I have no idea why. I took it as an endearment and not an inside joke, which was much more likely. If anyone reading this knows why, I'm open to listening.

Where does one begin when trying to gift the world with just a taste of what it meant to be LeRoy Anderson's friend, and not end up writing a book? I'm pretty sure memories will be following me all day, today, since he and his family are on my mind. But for this post, I'll share only a drop of water from the fountain of his life.

If laughter truly is the best medicine, when in LeRoy's presence, one could expect to experience a particular euphoric dopamine that brought so much joy. And laughter. So much laughter. When I read the FB entry from Larry Reece just recently, I doubled over in laughter as my thoughts went to our friend and his antics. He MUST have whispered that in Larry's ear. I couldn't find a stopping point, as I heard LeRoy saying, "See, Murry. I'll always be a part of your life." Just like in the days of traveling this life with him, LeRoy's spirit lives on. I suspect it will continue to invade the lives of all those he and Jani touched in their short time of visiting this planet.

Although he was known for his mischievous ways, he did have his serious moments. But even those could turn into hysterical laughter, when least expected. He and his wife, Jani, gave us enough laughter to last a lifetime. How I would love to sit with them again. Or take a road trip with them again, or share a meal with them, again, or canvas the neighborhood for garage sales, again. On a side note: Jani banned me from driving when looking for those yard sales. Something about me driving too fast. She didn't have time to use her laser eye-sight to see every possible treasure there might be in any given yard. It all looked like junk piles to me. But, Jani, she could spot expensive clothing from what seemed a mile away, and loved telling me what I had missed out on when I gave up the garage sale adventures. "Ooooo, JANI! I LOVE your dress!" "$.25 at yesterday's garage sale." And she always knew the best neighborhoods to find the most value. See what I mean?! Her family looked as if they'd stepped out of a magazine. She was quite the lady! But this post is about LeRoy. Or is it? I can't talk about one, without the other creeping in. They were, together, the best role models our community could ever have hoped for. As a bonus, they always had a heart for God and doing "the right thing". Those "bear hugs" of his weren't bad, either.

LeRoy (El-Yor, to me. Don't ask...), had this enchanting twinkle, in his eyes that just never seemed to go away. Something that was passed down to those crazy boys of his. You knew he was, or they were, up to something. Always up to something. You couldn't ask for better men, but you should always be prepared for the unexpected. The only time I remember not seeing mischievousness dance in LeRoy's eyes, was either when he was sharing the Word of God, or his soul had been pierced. If there had been injustice, you knew to tread softly in his presence. You've heard the saying that still waters run deep, right? This guy was one, that when quiet, you knew those waters were about to erupt. Respectfully, of course. Just don't look too long into those soulful eyes of his when trouble was rumbling. Somewhere along the way, he mellowed out. I think it was right around the time he lost his Jani when her time on this earth was done. Jani had always kept him in line, and when she was gone, a part of him left as well. Oh, he was still the wonderful man he was created to be, he just seemed a little deflated. And, that was understandable.

One last tiny glimpse...LeRoy had a Handy Man business after "retiring", that he was equally passionate about. Always fair. Always precise. His work had high standards that were always met with gifted hands and a determined spirit that seemed blessed by the giver of gifts. When I purchased the lot and building on North Main Street, in Miami, OK., I hired only the best to gut the entire building and set me up for success with a newly designed atmosphere that begged for quality services. It was so much fun, so much excitement, as I (and so many others) watched the transformation come to life from the design drawn on a sheet of paper that LeRoy followed to the max. There was only one recommendation he gave me about enlarging the Skin Care Room, that would make it even more beautiful than my own plan provided. I don't remember ever having to ask him to re-do anything. And that's something...

Here's to you, friend. See you in a bit...

As always, here you will find me...in Mary's World

Peace in the Shadows

To speak truth, especially when it would seem dark, is not being (or seeing) negative. Of course, there are times when it would serve us better to turn a situation around by seeing the silver lining, so-to-speak, in any given dark situation. But let's talk about when things, when life, throws us into the unknown.

Do you know what "the valley of the shadow of death" actually means? I know this scripture is read at funerals, but it's not about dying. Well, it kind of is. But not the way we normally think of dying. It's an invitation to die to our selfish desires through the experiences of realizing we cannot save ourselves. It's about walking where there is scarcity, pain, danger, and the unknown. That's basically everywhere on planet Earth, and we will all experience it to some degree, at some point in life. It is then that fear comes for a visit and doesn't want to leave. David wrote Psalm 23 as he thought about how sheep depend upon their shepherd, and was in a sense encouraging himself in the middle of so many difficulties. He was placing his trust in the Lord, his Shepherd, to deliver him. And some times that deliverance looked absolutely nothing like what he had hoped for. Sometimes, for me, it just looks like complete peace, in spite of the situation.

On my morning walk, interesting "conversation" took place between me and God. The only God who shines a light into the darkness, showing the path, in order to keep us from stumbling in the darkness. One of the last things Jesus told the apostles before Gethsemane, was this: "In this world you will have trials, but don't let those problems take your joy. I have shown you how to live so you can overcome anything the world throws your way, just as I have. For the joy set before me." ~John 16:33 (paraphrased by me). Read it for yourself. You may get something entirely different from it.

There were several people on my mind this morning that are in the throws of living life. Ones who are facing seemingly insurmountable odds. These are the ones I was talking to God about, asking for the promise of never leaving us, nor forsaking us, to be evident to them in whatever way He knew they most needed. 

Much of the time, while we are walking through difficult times, we can't see anything but the problem, the pain, the danger, the unknown. And fear sits at our door ready to consume us. Until...we decide that God is bigger than all of the unknown. Until we decide to stop focusing on the monster breathing down our neck, and see beyond the natural as we recall the promises of Jesus, the one who cannot lie. 

He is our strength. He will give us rest. He loves us. He will give us peace. He is faithful. He will never leave us. He will fight our battles. He prays for us. He hears our groaning, even when we don't know how to pray. He will comfort us.

May you feel His love and comfort through His mercy and grace.

As always, here you will find me...in Mary's World.

Run to Which Roar?

Down through the ages, we've all (some more than others) been told to run to the roar. The first time I heard it caused me to withdraw and ask myself why would I want to present myself back to the place of  fear. I wanted as far away as I could get from it. Roaring sounds a bit dangerous and conjures up pictures of a lion about to go to war. With YOU in its sights. Yet, if we think about it, it can also bring up pictures of protection, much like a lion warning those that are advancing upon his pride. Do we run back to the place we ran from, facing our fears? Or do we run to the place where protection is provided from the source of the storm, the source of the danger/fear? Puts things a bit more in perspective. Right?

I've been told that sometimes the greatest safety comes from going to where the fear seems to originate. To confront the problem, instead of running away from it. As with everything, there is a right way to do this, and a wrong way. I also believe there are some problems one should just let lay (or lie), and move on away, because the mess is just too much. Others should be looked in the eye and solved. Trust me...

Today, on my morning walk, I had a talk with the One who rescued me from myself, years ago. During some pretty terrifying years, God stuck close to me, even though I wasn't nearly as aware of His presence then, as I am today. All through my adult years, He made himself known to me in the middle of the storms that seemed to follow me. The storms that were sent to devour me and set me on a much different path than what He had planned for me. Storms that continued in a much different way than they began, but still with the purpose of devouring. First the body, then the mind (spirit). 

Some may think it's impossible to have a conversation with God. Some may think it would be a one-sided conversation. It's not. It's during the times of needing a friend to talk with, I feel His presence the strongest. Morning walks are the most refreshing time of the day for me, where many times I return home with new clarity and ready to "run to the roar," or allow peace to cloak me. My protector shelters me until I can stand on my own and confront my fear(s).

So, if the greatest safety comes from going to where the fear seems to originate, how do we access that?

Storms of life come in different sizes. Some are physical, some mental. Recently, I asked a close friend why must we always run to the roar. There wasn't a response to that question, so I assumed he knew I already knew the answer. I did. It would have been wasted time and space to respond to it. 

I am presently having a battle in my mind of gigantic proportions. The battle surrounds a period of time where I constantly felt the need to run away. Having a daily onslaught of what felt like targeted attacks on not only myself, but my children as well. So much misguided pain developed over a period of the next few years. And even though there will always be a battle to confront, it just feels so very good not to have to face the memory makers that caused such heartbreak of years gone by. Let the past be the past, right? Why must I run to this roar? It's been quiet for so long. Why must I poke it and face it? I know it's my choice and I really don't relish the thought of it. Thus the visit with Truth; the One who will not steer me wrong this morning. "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." ~Psalm 61:2

Sometimes the greatest victory comes from reducing the size of the roar.

As usual, here you will find me...in Mary's World