It’s hard to believe, but here we are in the first week of Advent, a week signifying Hope, and boy, are we in need of it! If you are waking each morning ready to have that first cup of coffee with your favorite newscast, only to be bombarded with the horrors of war, abuse, disrespect, and desperation, then you and I have much in common. In this season of hope, why does everything seem so hopeless?
When that feeling takes over, this Baby Boomer begins to tell the stories of old – the 1950s – when life was wonderful, every Christmas was snowy, and there was joy throughout the land! Only it wasn’t that way everywhere, and it probably wasn’t really that way in Huntington, WV, where I grew up! I did have a very happy childhood, and I’ve written about it time and again, but I know from friends, family, and history books that such was not the case for everyone.
Many of my best memories include my brothers, Jim and Bert Wright, who also grew up attending Johnson Memorial Methodist Church. Whenever my brothers and I gathered and told stories, the love of family and home was evident, and laughter came easily. But tears also came easily in early September when my brother Jim lost his six-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His life was celebrated in North Carolina on October 1, 2023. It would be up to me to carry his candle to Johnson Memorial’s altar in Huntington on All Saints’ Day Sunday.
I was honored to participate, happy that my partner, Jon Parlier, carried a candle for my dear friend, Charlie Lewis, and proud that my family came to stand in honor of Uncle Jim. As the participants processed down the aisle, pictures of the saints flashed on the screen, and the choir sang softly. Then Pastor Annette gave a moving sermon; it was a beautiful service.
That evening my grandchildren, Landon and Ruby Lewis, spent the night at my house. I brought up the morning’s service, thinking they would talk about it being extra-long or boring! I mean, they are teenagers! I was pleasantly surprised when Ruby said it was very nice – with no sarcasm! Then Landon quietly said that seeing all of the pictures on the screen made him think of those who had passed on and what they meant to everyone. It made him think of his own legacy. What will he leave behind? For a seventeen-year-old to ask that left me speechless.
And what will my legacy be? Today I decided to be more intentional to that end. As the world celebrates the coming of the baby Jesus, I want to project a happier, more hopeful demeanor. If you are struggling with feelings of hopelessness, join me in an attitude reset! I am going to begin with John Wesley’s Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to do all the good I can, by all the means I can, in all the ways I can, in all the places I can, at all the times I can, to all the people I can, as long as ever I can. Amen
Becky Warren
When that feeling takes over, this Baby Boomer begins to tell the stories of old – the 1950s – when life was wonderful, every Christmas was snowy, and there was joy throughout the land! Only it wasn’t that way everywhere, and it probably wasn’t really that way in Huntington, WV, where I grew up! I did have a very happy childhood, and I’ve written about it time and again, but I know from friends, family, and history books that such was not the case for everyone.
Many of my best memories include my brothers, Jim and Bert Wright, who also grew up attending Johnson Memorial Methodist Church. Whenever my brothers and I gathered and told stories, the love of family and home was evident, and laughter came easily. But tears also came easily in early September when my brother Jim lost his six-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His life was celebrated in North Carolina on October 1, 2023. It would be up to me to carry his candle to Johnson Memorial’s altar in Huntington on All Saints’ Day Sunday.
I was honored to participate, happy that my partner, Jon Parlier, carried a candle for my dear friend, Charlie Lewis, and proud that my family came to stand in honor of Uncle Jim. As the participants processed down the aisle, pictures of the saints flashed on the screen, and the choir sang softly. Then Pastor Annette gave a moving sermon; it was a beautiful service.
That evening my grandchildren, Landon and Ruby Lewis, spent the night at my house. I brought up the morning’s service, thinking they would talk about it being extra-long or boring! I mean, they are teenagers! I was pleasantly surprised when Ruby said it was very nice – with no sarcasm! Then Landon quietly said that seeing all of the pictures on the screen made him think of those who had passed on and what they meant to everyone. It made him think of his own legacy. What will he leave behind? For a seventeen-year-old to ask that left me speechless.
And what will my legacy be? Today I decided to be more intentional to that end. As the world celebrates the coming of the baby Jesus, I want to project a happier, more hopeful demeanor. If you are struggling with feelings of hopelessness, join me in an attitude reset! I am going to begin with John Wesley’s Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to do all the good I can, by all the means I can, in all the ways I can, in all the places I can, at all the times I can, to all the people I can, as long as ever I can. Amen
Becky Warren
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