Simpler Times

Preface

For a little over ten years of my life, God chose to place me in a truly unique neighborhood.  The grace of that time has had a deep-seated effect on my growth as a woman, mother, wife and Christian.  My home was in a small central New York village, on a quiet street filled with old Victorian style houses.  Within that lovely assortment of dwellings lived a surprisingly diverse and wide array of interesting women.  Most were wives and mothers.  Others, who had no children, accepted all of ours as if they were their own.

Times were changing, but in that small corner of the world, if you were a mother, you were at home.  So, within a few days of my arrival, I had met most everyone who lived on the street.  Within a year’s time, I realized that this was a nurturing place where women friends were each other’s counselors, helpers, and problem-solvers, as well as the co-parents of our children.  I have no doubt today that God placed me in the cocoon of these friendships so I could grow to be the butterfly He wanted me to be.

These women had such a positive impact on my life and the lives of my children that this little book had to be written…not just as a chronicle of my remembrances but also as a tribute to the memory of that simpler time…a time when neighborhoods of women worked together to help build up and strengthen each other.  This fine group of women represents a true prototype of the Body of Christ at work.  

So, I offer to my readers, not only reflections and memories, but also the wisdom that each woman imparted to me as a gift.  Of course, I have changed their names.  I have replaced them with names that I feel fit the spiritual impact they had on my life.  In our overly rushed world, may these meditations help our hearts and spirits yield to the wisdom of a simpler time.

Wonder

“She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what He was saying.”  (Luke 10:39 RSV)

A spring day rarely goes by without thoughts of Grace.  Because of her guidance, I learned to experience the wonder of life and beauty in nature.  Soft spring breezes bring her fragrance into the air around me, as the budding flowers whisper her name.  She was a bouquet of fancy words that voiced poetic splendor, making scenes in my mind that have lasted through the years.

Grace was a strong, hardy woman with a gentle heart.  Her house resembled Grand Central Station.  The coffee was always on…hot and strong.  People milled in and out, and some stayed for a few days or even a few months.  She flowed through this chaos like a waterfall and handled each crisis with aplomb.  If things became too hectic, she skillfully ignored the turmoil and went about her business as if no one was there.  She did this with such deftness that she never made anyone feel uncomfortable.  She was just Grace.

We, her neighborhood friends, met all types of interesting people at her house.  She loved to share her guests and would make sure that we met most of them, from the most natural everyday types to the truly eccentric.  For me, it was a series of lessons in understanding people with widely diverse views and experiences.  I learned a great deal about the value of openness; listening to and respecting opinions that differed from mine.   This formation tool has helped me immeasurably dealing with people in the teaching profession as well as in my everyday life....      

There was no one in our whole neighborhood group that knew more about nature than Grace.  She taught me to keep a keen eye out for the advent of spring flowers from the moment they peeped through the dark earth until they unfurled into their innate beauty.  Because of her personal depth, she saw so much in each new aspect of a plant and shared all of her knowledge.  She helped me gather specimens for my first perennial garden.

As a mother, I wanted to share all I learned from Grace with my children.  So, I loved taking my children on walks with her in the fields behind our houses or along the creek that ran through the village.  She taught us all about birds and wildflowers.  She shared secret paths she had found and taught how to detect animal niches.  She instinctively found bunny nests hidden in tufts of weathered hay.  We learned to identify various types of ferns. We saw our first feast of Marsh Marigolds, resplendent in a hidden alcove, a yellow and green painting in the spring wetlands. We marveled together at the oddity of plants that decided to grow in unlikely places.  These momentary changes in nature’s personality became a daily chronicle to share.

Many years have passed, but spring never goes by without nostalgic thoughts of this special woman friend.  She helped me to see things in life and in nature that I might have missed if she had not been part of God’s plan for my life.  Her probing into my spiritual life made me stronger.  Her example of openness and sharing increased my awareness. Her availability gave our whole neighborhood a place to rest.  Even her care-giving of some of the less fortunate on our street was a testament to strength of character.  We all grew in the network of her love.

Grace, I feel your presence in the spring glow-gathering of light.  Thank you for helping me to see.