BlessedWithGoats
Herd Master
I'm sorry for the loss of your aunt!
Glad your Grandma is doing well!
Prayer Requests & Praises
- Thread starter HomesteaderWife
- Start date
Glad your Grandma is doing well!- Thread starter
- #342
HomesteaderWife
True BYH Addict
I want to give this thread a bump, as I am back actively here on BYH. I am so sorry I haven't been around- as I mentioned in our last journal entry here, we had a fire on New Year's Day and lost our cabin, and pretty much all of our things. We were blessed to be safe, our animals were safe, and over the months so many family members and churches have supported us even when we were too stubborn to ask for help. It was mainly because, well, we built it ourselves and we will do it again. So I ask kindly for prayers as we rebuild- it's a slow process, but we are taken care of and doing well. I was really struggling with my faith after losing our home, but I've seen things in a different light and been able to heal and look forward. It was a lesson to me- as it talks about in the Bible to not store up treasures on Earth, well I know God can surely take it away as He gives it when we get too proud. But as quickly as we lost it, gifts came in from caring souls that allowed us to eat, have clothes, pay bills, and get the tools to start again. God provides, I testify.
Please don't hesitate to put your prayers here, to give an update, or just praise the Lord for a good day. I'm back to pray with you, for you, and thank God with you too!
God Bless!
Please don't hesitate to put your prayers here, to give an update, or just praise the Lord for a good day. I'm back to pray with you, for you, and thank God with you too!
God Bless!
Pastor Dave
Herd Master
Having your Faith tested and questioning God doesn't mean either party has quit loving the other. @HomesteaderWife, you are tested and true. It is a growth experience you can use as a testimony and know when tests come along down the road that you have overcome before and you will again.
- Thread starter
- #345
HomesteaderWife
True BYH Addict
@RoahT - Thank you so kindly! Prayers is all we can ask for!
@Pastor Dave - I do hope it can be a testimony one day down the road to anyone else who may face a similar situation. I told my husband all we can do is go up from here- and that's what we are doing!
@Pastor Dave - I do hope it can be a testimony one day down the road to anyone else who may face a similar situation. I told my husband all we can do is go up from here- and that's what we are doing!
greybeard
Herd Master
Been a difficult week. My deceased twin brother's property (24 acres) next to me went on the market early last week, and I spent a good amount of time going back and forth with my tractor getting his implements off the property. There are no structures on the property and they weren't to be sold as part of the sale. Seven 4000' round trips, hooking each piece of equipment up on the 3 point hitch and lining them up not far from my house to be sold separately later. I have one more trip to make over there, to lay his big deer stand down (somehow) and move it at least over on to my side of the fence, thru the gate he & I built and installed 2 years ago so he could drive right up to his deer stand.
The last personal chapter of this story was played out Saturday morning.
It was his wish that his ashes be scattered in mid channel of Bolivar Roads, off the Bolivar to Galveston ferry. The same channel that the eye of Hurricane Ike tore thru in Sept, 2008, totally destroying his beach home in the process. (By June 2009 he had built a new home at the same location)
My sister-in-law had called me in February and asked me to get it set up so we could do as he asked, and I did, thru Texas Dept of Transportation that runs the state's ferry system. They were quite happy to accommodate us, I gave the office lady the time and date and she said she would schedule it with the capt and crew. We were to park off to the side of the landing and walk on, so we would be assured of us all getting on the same run, since us driving on might not allow for that due to the number of vehicles.
By 10am Sat morning, all had arrived from Arkansas, my 2 sisters, Jane & I and our extended families from Texas were there and ready to board when the 10:30 run landed on the Bolivar side. His widow held the box containing the bag with his remains, and the US flag I had asked her to bring as well. (Same one the honor guard had folded and presented to her at his memorial service last Nov in Little Rock)
As now, sole patriarch of this family, I took the box before we boarded. told her,"I'll take him from here Bonnie, you hold on to the flag".
I will go in to some detail here, in case any of you have never done it and/or may have an occasion to do it in the future.
It was a relatively small box, 10" X 6" X 5" and I was kind of surprised at it's weight. Easily 6 or 7 lbs. I thought it would be much lighter.
The bag was clear, tied at the top with a cable tie. The 'ashes' are white, maybe the color of corn flour and about the same consistency..like a coarse sand. Maybe 6" of slack bag above the tie.
I gathered everyone, especially his widow and his kids and their spouses, and explained that I wanted them to do the actual 'scattering' as a group, right after the prayer I had put together was done. I repeated what the Ferry woman had told me, to make sure we hold the bag low over the gunwale to ensure none of the ashes blew back on the ferry or any of the cars. It was very windy there, and I paid attention to the wind direction and said we would do it on the trip over, as that would put the wind blowing off the stern.
It is customary, when scattering remains on water, to follow them with flower petals, as the ashes immediately begin to sink and the petals will float. A visual I suppose.
Friday evening, I had gone around my yard and pulled a ziplock back of white, red and yellow roses and some Texas Bluebonnet blooms and everyone else had brought their own as well.
After the Ray Stoker Jr. came into the landing, we and the non family passengers were directed to walk on. I told the first deckhand who we were, and he said "We know, we've been expecting you" so TxDot did their best in all measure to make this happen. He directed us to go up on the upper deck until all the cars were loaded, and we were underway and an announcement would be made when it was time for us to go down to the stern of the vessel. After we were seated, clutching that box close to my chest, I noticed that the crew had held the last 6 cars off, and realized the Capt was giving us room. Not a small gesture, considering the wait times at each landing can be very long on weekends. The crossing takes about 20 minutes each way. A few minutes underway, the Capt made an announcement, asking all others to move away from the stern as a memorial service was to be done. We went down, and one of the crew told me "We will be making a turn to the right in just a couple of minutes, and that will put the wind off the aft port quarter..That's the best time to scatter the ashes". One of the crew dropped the Texas flag to the bottom of the mast and then raised it back to half mast.
I had chosen, a traditional prayer that is used by the US Navy when a US Sailor is buried at sea..a combination actually of both the protestant and catholic prayers. It was hard to get thru.
Lord God,
by the power of your Word
you stilled the chaos of the primeval seas,
you made the raging waters of the Flood subside,
and calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee.
As we commit the earthly remains
of our shipmate, brother, husband, father and friend to the deep,
grant him peace and tranquility
until that day when he
and all who believe in you
will be raised to the glory of new life
promised in the waters of baptism.
We therefore commit the earthly remains of Ron to the deep,
looking for the general Resurrection in the last day,
and the life of the world to come,
through our Lord Jesus Christ; at whose second coming in glorious majesty to judge the world,
the sea shall give up her dead;
and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed,
and made like unto his glorious body; according to the mighty working
whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen."
They held the bag over the side, slit a hole in the bottom, and the remains of my precious brother went back to the sea he so loved.
We then tossed out the handfulls of petals on the water, watched them drift off in the wake and tide and heard a long blast of the vessel's horn. Ensign back down, then raised to full mast and Finally, after all this time, he was home again in Texas.
Over the last 2 years of his life, I cried every day, scared of losing him...scared too of how I would endure him being gone. It has been kind of odd. It is not that he is gone..it's that "we" are gone. I miss the calls and texts..he used to, when doing that awful chemo, call me in the middle of the night. I had gotten in the habit of sleeping with my cell phone within reach. The one I will never forget was when he called about 3am and said "I wish I had a small shed or barn on that property and a couple of cows so I could at least say I had some cows". I offered to give him some, but he said "no, I've waited too late for that now."
I knew, he was wanting to come back home, but he just couldn't find a way to make it happen. He was devoted to the school district he worked for and to the kids at the school, but his boss worked him like a dog, even when he was taking chemo. His youngest daughter texted me late last night to tell me they had made it back to Little Rock. I texted her back with this: You tell all those people at Sheridan schools, They can all go to hell...Ron's gone to Texas.
She said "I'll do that Uncle Don, I'll sure do that, for all of us".
I'll see him again someday, but till then, I have to do the other thing I promised. I have to try, to live enough for both of us.
The last personal chapter of this story was played out Saturday morning.
It was his wish that his ashes be scattered in mid channel of Bolivar Roads, off the Bolivar to Galveston ferry. The same channel that the eye of Hurricane Ike tore thru in Sept, 2008, totally destroying his beach home in the process. (By June 2009 he had built a new home at the same location)
My sister-in-law had called me in February and asked me to get it set up so we could do as he asked, and I did, thru Texas Dept of Transportation that runs the state's ferry system. They were quite happy to accommodate us, I gave the office lady the time and date and she said she would schedule it with the capt and crew. We were to park off to the side of the landing and walk on, so we would be assured of us all getting on the same run, since us driving on might not allow for that due to the number of vehicles.
By 10am Sat morning, all had arrived from Arkansas, my 2 sisters, Jane & I and our extended families from Texas were there and ready to board when the 10:30 run landed on the Bolivar side. His widow held the box containing the bag with his remains, and the US flag I had asked her to bring as well. (Same one the honor guard had folded and presented to her at his memorial service last Nov in Little Rock)
As now, sole patriarch of this family, I took the box before we boarded. told her,"I'll take him from here Bonnie, you hold on to the flag".
I will go in to some detail here, in case any of you have never done it and/or may have an occasion to do it in the future.
It was a relatively small box, 10" X 6" X 5" and I was kind of surprised at it's weight. Easily 6 or 7 lbs. I thought it would be much lighter.
The bag was clear, tied at the top with a cable tie. The 'ashes' are white, maybe the color of corn flour and about the same consistency..like a coarse sand. Maybe 6" of slack bag above the tie.
I gathered everyone, especially his widow and his kids and their spouses, and explained that I wanted them to do the actual 'scattering' as a group, right after the prayer I had put together was done. I repeated what the Ferry woman had told me, to make sure we hold the bag low over the gunwale to ensure none of the ashes blew back on the ferry or any of the cars. It was very windy there, and I paid attention to the wind direction and said we would do it on the trip over, as that would put the wind blowing off the stern.
It is customary, when scattering remains on water, to follow them with flower petals, as the ashes immediately begin to sink and the petals will float. A visual I suppose.
Friday evening, I had gone around my yard and pulled a ziplock back of white, red and yellow roses and some Texas Bluebonnet blooms and everyone else had brought their own as well.
After the Ray Stoker Jr. came into the landing, we and the non family passengers were directed to walk on. I told the first deckhand who we were, and he said "We know, we've been expecting you" so TxDot did their best in all measure to make this happen. He directed us to go up on the upper deck until all the cars were loaded, and we were underway and an announcement would be made when it was time for us to go down to the stern of the vessel. After we were seated, clutching that box close to my chest, I noticed that the crew had held the last 6 cars off, and realized the Capt was giving us room. Not a small gesture, considering the wait times at each landing can be very long on weekends. The crossing takes about 20 minutes each way. A few minutes underway, the Capt made an announcement, asking all others to move away from the stern as a memorial service was to be done. We went down, and one of the crew told me "We will be making a turn to the right in just a couple of minutes, and that will put the wind off the aft port quarter..That's the best time to scatter the ashes". One of the crew dropped the Texas flag to the bottom of the mast and then raised it back to half mast.
I had chosen, a traditional prayer that is used by the US Navy when a US Sailor is buried at sea..a combination actually of both the protestant and catholic prayers. It was hard to get thru.
Lord God,
by the power of your Word
you stilled the chaos of the primeval seas,
you made the raging waters of the Flood subside,
and calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee.
As we commit the earthly remains
of our shipmate, brother, husband, father and friend to the deep,
grant him peace and tranquility
until that day when he
and all who believe in you
will be raised to the glory of new life
promised in the waters of baptism.
We therefore commit the earthly remains of Ron to the deep,
looking for the general Resurrection in the last day,
and the life of the world to come,
through our Lord Jesus Christ; at whose second coming in glorious majesty to judge the world,
the sea shall give up her dead;
and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed,
and made like unto his glorious body; according to the mighty working
whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen."
They held the bag over the side, slit a hole in the bottom, and the remains of my precious brother went back to the sea he so loved.
We then tossed out the handfulls of petals on the water, watched them drift off in the wake and tide and heard a long blast of the vessel's horn. Ensign back down, then raised to full mast and Finally, after all this time, he was home again in Texas.
Over the last 2 years of his life, I cried every day, scared of losing him...scared too of how I would endure him being gone. It has been kind of odd. It is not that he is gone..it's that "we" are gone. I miss the calls and texts..he used to, when doing that awful chemo, call me in the middle of the night. I had gotten in the habit of sleeping with my cell phone within reach. The one I will never forget was when he called about 3am and said "I wish I had a small shed or barn on that property and a couple of cows so I could at least say I had some cows". I offered to give him some, but he said "no, I've waited too late for that now."
I knew, he was wanting to come back home, but he just couldn't find a way to make it happen. He was devoted to the school district he worked for and to the kids at the school, but his boss worked him like a dog, even when he was taking chemo. His youngest daughter texted me late last night to tell me they had made it back to Little Rock. I texted her back with this: You tell all those people at Sheridan schools, They can all go to hell...Ron's gone to Texas.
She said "I'll do that Uncle Don, I'll sure do that, for all of us".
I'll see him again someday, but till then, I have to do the other thing I promised. I have to try, to live enough for both of us.
farmerjan
Herd Master
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God Bless you GB and your family. You are to be commended for your love of family and your twin. I hope that everyone can find their way forward from here and the upcoming difficulties will be bearable.
promiseacres
Herd Master
What a wonderful tribute. I too am a twin... cannot imagine life without her, though we're hours apart.
prayers for peace to you and yours.
prayers for peace to you and yours.
Pastor Dave
Herd Master
Beautiful prayer
Mike CHS
Herd Master
God Bless you GB. I have said that prayer more times than I can remember and I don't know that I ever got all of the way through it successfully. Beautiful story and I have no doubt that you will live enough for you and your brother.
