My post for today is dedicated to my someone I have known almost my whole entire life. She is someone who is very important to me, although she may not know it. She is my neighbor, Betty Carlson.
Betty was my 2nd grade teacher at Challenger Elementary School, and she was fantastic. She always made me feel special and she made me feel smart. She treated me like I was one of a kind, and I loved that. School was so much fun when she was my teacher! In fact, 2nd grade with Betty is the first grade I can actually remember. I do not remember anything about school before that.
In June of 2011, Betty lost her husband to cancer. This was devastating news as I knew that Betty and Aldy had a wonderful life together. I always remember Aldy taking his German Shepherds for walks early in the morning, and mowing his lawn in the afternoons. He was usually busy working outside and I could tell he was a hard working man. When I heard that Alden passed, it saddened me that I would no longer see him doing these things. Driving by their house in the summer time gave me a sense of comfort. Home always felt like home if I could see Aldy across the road puttering around his yard.
Every time I drive by Betty's house, I think of her and I say a little prayer. I feel lonely for her when I see her vehicle in the driveway, and the light dimmed through the curtains. To be honest, I don't have the slightest clue if Betty is sad or lonely. I just put myself in her shoes when I drive by, and I know how I would feel if I lost my husband at 66 years old.
Today I dropped a card in Betty's mailbox letting her know that I think of her every time I drive by. If there is one person in the world who deserves to know how important they are to me but don't know, it's her.
So Betty, if you somehow end up reading this, I want to thank you for making such a huge impact on my life. I appreciate everything you have ever done for me as a student, as a neighbor and as a friend. If you ever want a little company, need your lawn mowed, or someone to walk the pups please give me a shout! I would love the opportunity to pay it forward.
Tonight, I think Mark 12:31 says it best. "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Sarah
Sheila Day 4--
Because I drive to Mahnomen several days a week to teach, there are a lot of opportunities to spend some road time really thinking about "stuff." Today, with the sunrise, I found myself thinking first and foremost about my brother LeRoy's surgery and from there my mind was like a BB in a basketball bouncing from one person to the next. I could imagine all of the little BBS bouncing all around in my head with each thought adding yet another bouncing object. Soon I was thinking about this person, and that person, and yet another person . . . then I looked to the left and the sun was once again peaking over the horizon . . . and my focus changed.
I stopped right before Thief River, pulled over on the side of the road, and took a picture. I stayed put, wrote a message that said "sending you a sunrise" and clicked the picture message off to the first people I thought of. Then I figured I better get moving if I was going to make it to class on time. BUT low and behold, the sunrise got bigger and brighter and I felt the uncontrollable urge to stop again. Right after Thief River, the second sunrise picture was taken, the message once again said "sending you a sunrise" and I clicked the picture off to the next group of people that I thought of. Not as a mass message, but each as an individual message unique to the receiver. I smiled to myself and figured I really, really needed to get moving. BUT HOLY MOLY, the sunrise was bigger, and brighter, and the colors were brilliant and blinding and I was so "totally EXCITED" that I simply HAD to stop again! And I took my 3rd picture, wrote the same message "sending you a sunrise" and clicked the send button for the final group of receivers. THEN IT HAPPENED! I never expected any messages back, but the ones I got, will be locked and tucked away. I never, ever thought that something as simple as a sunrise picture could be anything all that special. However, somehow it was.
The messages inundated me this morning. And as I sat praying for my brother, those messages gave me hope and brought new light into my life. I decided, spur of the moment, to leave after my classes and head to Fargo to make sure my brother was okay. I managed to make it there just as his surgery was being completed and was able to see his smiling face asking how many laws I broke to get there . . . NONE, I laughed. In his grubby little mitts he held 3 tootsie pops that he received for telling some nurse celebrating her birthday that she looked 40 when in actuality she was 60+. We called him a SCHMOOZER and he chuckled. We are kind of a funny crew and we got chewed on by the nurse for making LeRoy laugh as it was dangerous for him. However, in the laughter there was more light. LeRoy is around to make more memories with his kiddos and tomorrow, if he is awake, he can see another sunrise . . . thank God.
God gave me the gift of a sunrise today and I saw the most amazing light . . . sigh . . .
Sheila
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| Sunrise 1 |
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| Sunrise 2 |
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| Sunrise 3 |
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