It Was a Good Weekend

My weekend actually started Friday morning at 10 am when I got up. I did not go back to bed until Saturday night at 9pm. I did this intentionally. I am usually up most of the night only going to bed sometimes when it is 4 am. Friday, I worked in the room I am repainting. So, I just stayed up rather than going to bed.

Saturday was such a beautiful day! My neighbor and I raked up the leaves in our yards. Unfortunately, half of the leaves are still on the trees, so we will have to do it again. The leaves are so beautiful in the fall, but I am very glad when they are gone.

Saturday I also had to finalize a sermon for Sunday. My Cousin Emily is a minister at a nearby Presbyterian church. When she needs to leave town, she often asks me to preach in her place. In September I had an opportunity to preach. However, at the end of that service I swore that would be the last time I would preach. Some days my stuttering is very bad. That Sunday was one of the worse days. To start off with, I am barely accustomed to the liturgy in a Presbyterian church so I have to read all of the prayers, readings, hymns, and the Apostolic Creed. I could not focus. I stuttered so badly that I am amazed that anyone got anything out of the service. So when Emily called last weekend and asked if I would preach for her, I almost said "No." I did tell her about my speech problem but she told me that the members of her church had specifically suggested that she call me. For some reason, they like me. Go figure.

I worked on and off all week getting the sermon ready. On Wednesday, Emily brought me the bulletin for this Sunday. Friday night and Saturday, I transposed it to a MS Publisher booklet and wrote out every single word that I would need to read or say… including my prayers and sermon. I made the letters much larger so that it was easier for me to see. Then, at 9 pm, I took my medicines and went to bed so that I was well rested. I am not sure what worked (more preparation, more rest, less stuttering), but the service was so much better. Kind of makes me wish I could preach more often.

At church I met this lovely older lady named Missy (or at least that is what everyone called her). I had mentioned their beautiful stain glass windows during the service and that my father had made the stain glass windows for Northside Baptist Church. She started talking about that and that she too did stain glass windows. In fact, she is part of an arts guild here in Columbia that teaches people how to work with stain glass. I asked her if she knew anyone who might what to buy Dad's left over tools, glass, and other stain glass related items. She did and the guy called me and will be coming this afternoon to take a look at what I have. Hopefully, soon all of the glass will be gone.

So, in more ways than one this was a great weekend.

One of Dad's Windows at Northside Baptist Church