Barbara

On Saturday, May 18, 2013, we gathered in a school auditorium to pay our last respects to a friend and co-worker, Barbara Hilligoss.  Barbara was born in 1920 and started in the Work in 1951.  For sixty years, she labored in the work of the Gospel in five different states.  I didn't know her well but had heard about her all my life since she was labored in my home area when my mom was young.  Her faithful finish inspires those of us who remain behind to keep true in what we have been called to.  It's worth it all!

A few thoughts shared at the funeral service:

• Barbara didn't make herself a mother.  (She had no children.)  But God made her a mother in Israel.
• Mark 14:3  Alabaster is a cheap stone, but it wasn't the vessel that was costly.  It was the contents.  That lady could have kept it, poured it out for some other purpose or given it to the poor.  Barbara had the same experience.
• When Elijah was taken up to heaven, all he really left behind for Elisha was a godly influence.  That is what Barbara has left for us.
• Sometimes our body puts limitations on us, on what we are able to do, but we can serve with our spirit and look forward to an incorruptible body.
• Barbara took time to think and meditate about the Scriptures.  We need people who will do that today.
• Barbara had a youthful spirit.  She was good at allowing God to renew the inner man day by day.  We can't stop the outside from getting old, but we want God to renew the inner man every day.
•  Even when we lose ground in our body, we don't want to lose ground in our spirit.
• Barbara didn't choose the easiest life, but she chose the best life.
• We don't live by explanations; we live by the promises of God.

Oops!

This is why you store your shampoo bottle inside a Ziploc bag before packing it with the other stuff in your suitcase!

Maybe it's hard to see, but there is much leakage going on inside that bag!  My seemingly needless precaution paid off this time!

Game night

We finished up the evening with a couple of rousing games of...

CANDY LAND!

Fort Pillow

Forts made out of blankets and pillows are an important part of nearly everyone's childhood.  After our energy-consuming outdoor activities, we rested up by building an amazing fort in the living room.  Max was the chief architect and builder.  I helped out every once in a while when things started coming from together.  

Jump like you mean it!

That's what I heard a lot while playing on the trampoline with my friend, Max, a few weeks ago.  I couldn't turn down his request to jump on the trampoline with him, but somehow my stomach wasn't up for the vigorous jumping I might have enjoyed when I was his age.  We managed some regular jumping as well as trampoline leapfrog before I begged for a rest and was rewarded by the offer of just a regular old game of tag.  No jumping involved!

Ready, set, jump!

And let's add some sword fighting!

Big brother, Ty, and little puppy, Comet Jughead Kesselring, join us on the tramp.

STATIC!!!

Max entertains me on the play equipment while I try to catch my breath.

A bit of tumbling

What a puppy!  

Video ends when Max decides that attention needs to shift back to him.  :-)

And a few I forgot

I though I had more park pictures.  For some reason my Picasa account stored them in a different place from the others.  Anyway, here are a few more.

On the way there

Balance beam

Joining Ardith up on top

The troll under the bridge

Tackling the dinosaur

Sliding together

Happy boy

Gwendolyn helps

Maybe it was a little much?

And when it's all over...

Gwendolyn wants to see all the pictures I've taken of our very fun time together.  Fleece joins her for the slideshow.

Wanna go for a ride?

Fleece does!  All strapped in and ready to go.  With Gwendolyn as the driver, the seat belt is necessary!  :-)

Planting flowers and other assorted activities

Gwendolyn had gotten some flower seeds from somewhere, so one morning while we were there she and her mommy embarked on a seed planting mission in the backyard.  Bennett joined us, and I tried to catch as much of the action on my camera as I could.  Here are a "few" of the ones I shot.

Gwendolyn is excited about her seeds.  I was hoping they would make it to the patch of ground that Mommy had in mind for planting.

Mommy and Gwendolyn making the trek across the yard to the planting site

"Hey!  They left me behind!"

Mommy gets a few up-close photos of the process.

Life is good!

Hmmm... what's this over here?

Looks just right for digging!

"Look what I found!"

"Look what I found!"

Seeds planted - check.

Now G heads out with the watering can.

Now that Big Sister is done with the shovel...

Having fun!

Spring's Beauty

A & J had done some beautiful landscaping shortly before Ardith's and my visit.  Here's just a sampling of the flowers bordering the patio in the backyard.

Beautiful!

PB & J on toast for breakfast

Blocking

And a few of Mr. Bennett

Loving on Fleece

Yep, he's a happy camper.  :-)