Greetings, girlfriends!
It's been a few days since we chatted over a cup of coffee... or, in my case, today, a cup of hot tea with honey, since I returned from my visit to Arkansas with a cold in tow! It was well worth it, however, since I went to see my new grandson and my 2 year old granddaughter, in Arkansas. How precious they are!
My oldest son is a Mennonite and is married to one of the minister's daughters in the Mennonite church. For those of you who don't know what a Mennonite is, the quickest and easiest way for me to explain, in brief, is to say that they resemble the Amish. You know, the group who live in rural communities, dress very plain (the women with head coverings, long, hand sewn dresses and the men with beards), and drive horse and buggy's? The Amish don't have electricity, T.V.'s, radios or computers in their homes. The Mennonites are very similar in these ways. Their final authority is the Bible and they believe in living by the guiding principles of modesty, simplicity and economy.
The Mennonite ladies do wear a black head covering and sew their own dresses - their dress is not as severe in that their coverings are not as large and they wear colorful dresses, rather than grey or black. The men look more "regular" in that they would wear just a button-down shirt or pull-over with jeans or slacks but are discouraged from wearing name brands or anything to draw attention to themselves. They also sport a beard, although not as long as the Amish, but more cropped and well-groomed. They drive cars (middle of the road and modest - not extravagant or flashy) and have electricity. They do not, however, have T.V.'s, computers or any type of music in their homes,other than a pitch pipe and their own voices. This is to keep immoral influences out of the home. For entertainment, they visit together in each other's homes, frequently, for meals, play games, sing as a family and in groups. They also travel, quite often, to other congregations, for weddings, and other events.
I was a Mennonite for several years. I left the church 6 years ago and, thus, I am expelled from the church. Their viewpoint is that I have left the way and they want me to come back and be restored to the faith, once again, and so, when I go, that is understood. As you can imagine, there are many details to this story, far too long for this blog! I am in the process of writing a book and sketching it out, a little at a time, on the My Story page of this blog - but for the sake of brevity here, let me just say that it is always both a difficult and good experience when I visit my son and his family in Arkansas. I love them and they love me. At the same time, there are things with which I must contend as far as seating arrangements during meal times and attending church, which I do, willingly, when I go, and upon my return, I find myself tired and saddened by that circumstance in my life.
This visit was the best I've had in the past 6 years. My son and I shared a good, heart to heart visit and I also had some one on one with my daughter in law who is a sweetheart of a girl. They had some others over for singing one evening and my 2 best girlfriends (non-Mennonites) that live there also came over and hung out. I went to church with the family Sunday morning before heading off to the airport to return home. As I looked upon the rows and rows of black draped heads on the ladies side(the church coverings are different from every day ones - more like a tie down scarf) and the rows of men on the other side of the church, I was more than aware of my own "worldly" presence in my slacks and jacket, free flowing hair and make-up. Nontheless, I've been doing this for 6 years now so I've become accustomed to it. The Sunday School lesson titled, "Shipwrecks of the faith" made for an interesting thought process on my part (no doubt theirs, too). Yes, I try and maintain my sense of humor, even with the pain of the separation that is obviously a part of such a relationship. Believe me, it helps!
With my oldest being 17 at the time of my divorce (after 18 years of marriage) and being happy and secure in the Mennonite faith, he has found his place and is a loving husband and father to my grandchildren. My two younger boys are in an entirely different place...but that is for another time.
Thanks for walking with me through just this little bit of my life, today. There is oh, so much more I have yet to share. I hope it gives you a glimpse into one part of my world and hope in yours!
What I hope you take from this as I begin to share parts of my story, is that, whatever your circumstances, there is grace. You see, as my life begins to unfold, you may say, "I could NEVER go through THAT! I couldn't handle it!" And you would be right! God only gives grace for what he allows us to pass through in our lives, not for what others are walking through. II Cor. 12:9 says, "My grace is sufficient
for you for my power is made perfect in (your) weakness."
Can you trust him, today, for what he is allowing you to experience? He knows the good he wants to bring about through your difficulties and he loves you more than you can fathom!
I'm praying for you. Please remember me.
Still Climbing,
Cher
