Nicole’s e-Pistle

March 12, 2025

Greetings, Friends!

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Morning Prayer Group and the Lunch Bunch for taking a behind-the-scenes poll and encouraging me to stay home on Monday. They staged a “sick-out,” that could only be “cured” by my spending time with my family before my parents and brother returned to Florida early Tuesday morning. I spent some much-needed time sleeping late in their motor home (even the kids slept until almost 9am, having stayed home from school as well). We had a lovely time eating a leisurely lunch at Jefferson’s, shopping at The Bucket List antique store (where I bought a beautiful stained glass floor lamp), listening to Layfe’s piano lesson, and having dinner at Baby Hughy’s. Then we all went back to the motor home to pack up the Jiskoots while the kids ate some ice cream before saying our goodbyes for now. It was a good day!

As I get back into my daily routine here in the office, I have been thinking back over the weekend, especially to Etta’s funeral on Saturday. She would have been 101 on February 27^th if she had lived a couple of weeks longer, and her life-well-lived was evidenced by the outpouring of love at her celebration of life! We began by meeting with the family in the church parlor before having a committal service in the memorial garden, where her ashes were interred. I lingered briefly as the family was escorted back to the parlor to await the memorial service in the sanctuary. I was able to say one last prayer with a Session member and long-time friend of Etta’s before he lowered her ashes into the small hole, and I scattered a handful of earth onto the biodegradable bag… ashes to ashes and dust to dust…

I find the juxtaposition between family and funerals to be comforting. Of course, I am sure this would be a very different discussion if the deceased had been very young or if her death had been tragic or unexpected. However, Etta lived a long, happy, healthy life surrounded by the people who mattered most to her in this world. Plus, her faith in God gave her an energetic joy that sustained her to the very last. It was only days before her death that she was anticipating taking one of her walks with her daughter through her favorite park, which will soon be blooming with daffodils and tulips, her favorite flowers. As her family members reminisced over vacations, ball games and graduations, not to mention all the years spent at Montreat together for their annual family reunion, I was touched at how close her family had remained, even as the family has expanded from Brunswick, GA all the way to the coast of California.

I know that many of you have lived apart from your families geographically, something that my own family is still learning to navigate. I cannot tell you what it means to me to have your support in making family time a priority. While there is sadness when we part ways at the end of each visit, there is also a sustaining joy, as we remember that God is with us wherever we are, watching over us like the moon. Lovinia and I have a song that we sing whenever we are missing our loved ones in Florida, since the moon is the same there as it is here. She sang this song as we drove back to the motor home after dinner on Monday night and again on our way to school Tuesday morning…

I see the moon, and the moon sees me,

and the moon sees the one that I want to see…

so God bless the moon, and God bless me,

and God bless the one that I want to see.

Dear Hearts, may God bless you today, along with all whom you love most in this world.