I cried so much last evening that my nose is raw and tender this morning.  I am putting chap stick on it to help it heal.

I have seen God this weekend, and am barely able to process it or move beyond.

But one thing is for sure - I am in love with the color pink again.  Clouds of pink color.   That pink cloud had a tag on it.

It said "Love you!"


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I wish I could paint you a picture of a *community* that has decided to show what it means to live the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Snippets show up in my brain and I need someone to let me know what happened, help me remember - please email me - because I was drugged up a little to be able to show up for a while, and it's all kind of a blur.  

When I walked in the doors the other night, after talking to some, I sat in the stage room behind the curtain.  Chloe and Zoe found me and jumped up and down holding my hands and said "Grandmum! Grandmum!  Do you know this is a big, big party for you!!??" 

They told me about the decorations on the tables.  Addy was there by then and she told me about the "lot's and lot's of food!!"  They, like me, like Scott, like everyone else, were a little stunned and a lot awestruck. 

I pray that they never forget the fact that a community of people came together around us and set about taking care of us.  I pray they never forget what the love of God and a lot of hard work put together produced.  I pray they remember seeing first hand the Kingdom of God here on earth.

I pray they remember that God was reflected in such a way that no one walking in those doors could help but notice. 

*******

My son texted me yesterday and said Chloe had made up a list of rules for parties and "special lunches":

Number 2 is "balloons on all of the tables".
Number 5 is "everyone gets hand sanitizer so no one gets sick."

But she remembers a pretty glorious event and wants to make up a list on how to replicate it.  They all loved it - they played in the gym and had great fun.  They ate lots of food.  They felt the love all around them.

So she wants all that again.  That's awesome.  

*******

The parts I remember, are flashes of people I had not seen for ever so long - all in pink t-shirts.  I saw kids that I knew when they were babies on stage leading, or serving, or helping.  I saw dear people that were there in my "community" when I started my 'God-journey' way, way long ago.  They saw all of my big spiritual mistakes and they still love me. 

When I get pictures, I will tag names and tell stories.  How God has woven them throughout my life is crazy incredible. 

But Bill and Nat were there, and Bill in his pink t-shirt walked up and gave me a big hug.  They were the first ones to involve us in a Christian Community of sorts.  They were starting a new Adult Bible Fellowship in a large local church, and invited us.  Over and over again.  They had us in their home so many times I knew where to put away dishes in their kitchen while we cleaned up.  We stayed up one New Year's Eve and watched the Beatle's Yellow Submarine and played cards all night.  We left at like six in the morning.

That group they started grew and became the "Messenger's".  We were kind of the young marrieds class in the church that the whole congregation might have held it's breath every time we "tried something new".  We were kind of crazy and young and had lots of energy then.  

It included a lot of other people that will forever be family to me.  We were close to each other, loved each other, tried to figure out God with each other and had a lot of fun the whole time.

They were all there to love on me some more.

*******

I saw others in just snatches - there were my various work communities - Cindy organized and set up a dessert buffet and bake sale that I am told was out of this world.  I hear Fred and some others kept bidding things up that people were paying double what they were worth.  Bill Harvey (his name is one word to me and a lot of others) did a lot of behind the scenes activities that he doesn't have time to do during tax season.  Steph is keeping our accounts.  She and Beth also work crazy long hours during tax season.  They were there. 

I am hearing the stories trickle in and I am ever more becoming more dumb-founded, sit down amazed.  (I mean how do you get an updated ticker tape on a web page like that from someone who is not getting paid to sit there and do only that??)

And I cannot, cannot tell you enough about a House Church that thinks up some pretty big things and can get them done.  Jim and Lee Ann are long time dear friends, but Cathy and the others don't know me as well.  Their faith was simple enough - yet big enough - to feel that they "just needed to do what the Bible said".   But the love they have poured out and the time they have taken and the resources they have tapped and shared to do this is nothing short of amazing.

They learned Shalom, and they share Shalom, and they proved you can help others live Shalom within Chaos.  (And, I don't think I will soon forget, Ted and Steve and some of the other guys especially showing me their pink t-shirts.  I don't think they wear that color very often....)

I don't know what to say, except there is only one way it could have all come together.  They get it.  They get what God commanded and the rabbis say over and over again - and my Rabbi-Savior-Jesus taught when He was here on earth again:  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.  And love your neighbor as yourself."

I cannot explain it any other way. 

*******

And this is just the start of the story.  I have been given armfuls and armfuls of material to write about - so you might as well get some popcorn, sit back and enjoy people.