Author: bobbiemcgarey

This is my little puppy Annie.   I keep saying she’s 15.  But I’ve been saying that for at least 4 years.   She’s limited in her sight by cataracts and she has selective hearing.  But she can still bark.  Like constantly until you find what she wants.  It looks like she takes a deep breath, jumps up and bark.  One bark.  One jump. Her vocabulary is limited.  But then she is 15…uh older.   The little red dog in front of there is Holiday Drooper.  This dog has been around for more like 40 years.  My kids had her when they were little. (She came from my cousin Martha Schaafsma). Holiday Drooper is widely traveled.  She’s lived in 6 states.  She’s still doing well. (Grin) 

It is amazing how we become attached to animals—Both real and Unreal.  I am an only child and these unreal ones were my buddies.  (I’ll have to write a whole musing on Flossie).   

I have a friend whose dog recently, Crossed the Rainbow Bridge, as we are want to say.  Its hard to lose a friend.  I don’t know if I would get another dog right now when Annie takes her leave.  It’s a lot of responsibility. (Ask me about that when I have to take her out at 4:20 am).  

But her companionship is good.  Maybe I’ll just get me another Holiday Drooper.  

John, my co-pastor husband,  wanted to help one of his congregations turn an unused piece of property which was a cemetery 100 years ago, into  a Pet Cemetery.  It had no human remains in it anymore. There was lots of support from people in the communiTY who lived in rental property and didn’t have anywhere to bury a pet.  Word got out in town that this might be happening, and even people from an adjoining state were asking about it.   The other pet ‘cemeteries” were expensive, required maintenance fees, etc.   

Why wouldn’t a church help people find a place that brought them peace.   The land was theirs, the city was fine with it but there were those around the church community and in higher ranking who completely dismissed it.   They spoke with loud voices and little imagination and empathy.   Deep Sigh.  

But that is what pets do best isn’t it.  They not only nurture us but they teach us how to be nurturing and forgiving and enthusiastic to see you coming.  My Annie used to get as excited when I left for three hours and returned as when I took the garbage out.  She protected me in my first floor apt.  When someone came to deliver a package or knocked on my door uninvited she would “Sing the song of her People”,  and I felt protected.   

May you have the opportunity some time in your life to love and be loved by a pet. May you recognize your limits in caring for the pet.  May your memories tide you over…until you meet again.   

God abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey 

@2023,  Easton PA 

Tayor

This year in their new home they are watching here and there in the yard to see what pops up.

Well. There is No Denying Spring.  

Yes, here in the USA it is the Sunday morning we switch to Daylight Savings Time.  That seemingly random time to switch the clocks.  Forward….

There was a bill in congress to make DST permanent.  No.  Make regular time permanent.  Otherwise… Otherwise all the sundials will be wrong.  Seriously You can’t spring forward or back a Sundial.  No matter how hard you try. 

It seems cruel too that we switch now just when waking to the morning eastern sunrise is Just the Right time!   Now also, since AZ doesn’t observe DST,  (one lady said we can’t that extra hour of sun will burn my grass),  we will be 3 hours different from my Eastern Time Zone.  

Usually at church one or two people wander in an hour late. Well not really late but after worship is concluding.  And for ministers there is something about that hour change that bounces us off our paces.  It did me.  

Again I will remind you of the year John and I were so worried about the change, and before clocks reset themselves, that we both had turned the clock forward.  As we sat ready to go drinking our coffee the conversation went something like this. 

 “Oh I’m glad I remembered to turn the clock forward last night but it is really dark!”  Pause.  “I turned them forward too.”   To late to go back to bed so we made a second pot of coffee.  

It’s 7 am somewhere…. Good luck.. Smile!  

God Abide, 

Bobbie Giltz McGarey

I got word two days ago that Joanne Ferrell had passed away. She was in her mid 90’s. You see she was a part of a group of women, girls, who lived at my Grandmother’s house because they were single and needed to board somewhere. It was a group of women who stayed in touch all through their lives. Joanne is the last of that Generation. Her husband and my Daddy were friends and the “daughters’. would baby sit for Joanne. We didn’t expect to be paid and there were 3-4 of us there so …

The “daughters” of that first set of women grew up together too. They all lived on the same block just around the corner from my Grandmother. They called themselves, cleverly, The Five Girls. Summer days were spent with good times at the Beach. (Virginia Beach). Reading and reading and reading, lots of Nancy Drew. Sketching with flat tomato boxes as our art portfolio cases. We all made a character and they would interact.

I say We even thought I was not truly one of the 5. I am the cousin of one of the girls and often spent a month or so in Virginia in the summers. I was 2 year younger than they were but for the most part let me join in. I would do whatever they said. I was an only child and thought I had some friends when I was in K. in my neighborhood it was still not the same. But I loved being with them. They once convinced me that it was fun to Jump Off of Frances Ann’s garage roof. They told me they all had done it so I climbed up and jumped. I landed on my back, the air went out of my lungs, I didn’t pass out but hurt and when I stood up I puked. “Bobbie, don’t tell anyone about this Ok?” Oh Ya, of course not.

Sometimes we would all get in the Gibb’s jeep and go down the beach at Sandbridge which is now All houses, and go to the Gibb’s beach house, shack. It was the best time. Once when we were Teenagers Joanne asked if we’d ever been skinny dipping in the ocean, and we said no, so we snuck out, with Joanne, and dropped our suits and got in the water. It seemed so daring at the time. I don’t have to say this was before the movie Jaws, right. We were having fun when Joanne spotted a jeep coming down the beach. She said for us to dunk down close to the water, NOT TALK, and stay put. It was a jeep of Navy guys who were out on the beach having fun. Joanne stood so they looked away from the water so she could talk to them and they had quite a conversation and left. We giggled so hard about that for the longest time. We got out of the water, wrapped ourselves in the bedspreads we brought down to cover while we walked in. As we got to the rise in the dunes a huge bright full moon rose and lit up the beach like dawn. We were thankful it hadn’t been up before.

My cousin Gail, is the last of the five girls. All the others have died, two last year. Even though I wasn’t officially one of them, I morn their loss. I’m 75 and Gail is 2 years older. Add deep sigh…and note a pause in writing…

I don’t know yet when Joanne’s funeral will be held. If there is any way I can go I will. It seems right. This is the end of this era. I don’t know anyone who knew my mother when she was young. They’ve gathered on the other side. Be gentle with your heart and memories. “Remember the good times… They are smaller in number and easier to recall….”

Listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hank56n3GuQ&list=OLAK5uy_mR0Cd2-9FKrq6MYxbmpF8W2bjyNEbQBwM&index=22

I miss you Joanne. Blessings to her wonderful family in THESE

God Abides, Whew that’s good news.

Bobbie Giltz McGarey

We were Co-pastors in Logan Utah. One of our church families were the Kruse’s, Jakob and Erna. John and I would go together to visit them. Erna would show John into the room with Jakob to talk and she would take me into the den. She would sit there, often holding my hand and talking about her life, how she and Jakob met and courted, (a great story for another time) and always, always always she wanted to know why God took their son Peter when he was so young. He was a Navy pilot who got shot down in the Vietnam war. His picture was beautifully displayed and he was, as Erna said, “A really handsome young lad. And such a dear son.”

When John would sit with Jakob he would often posit a theological question to John. Where does the Wind come from and where does it go? Gospel of John 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going: so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Jakob wanted a more logical answer. Sort of. He and John could spend 40 minutes going back and forth with word games and plays on the text. It was amazing. Jakob was 101 at the time.

Erna was a fragile gentle spirit. She had been diagnosed with cancer 6 years ago but said that she told God she refused to die before Jakob because she promised always to take care of him. That wish was granted her. They were a beautiful simple couple.

One Sunday at church, it may have been the last time Jakob could come, after a hymn before the sermon he stood to speak, unfurling his bent body until he was tall and straight, and said in a strong voice, ” There is something I need to say to my church.’ I signaled him to please go on. He said, It’s getting a littler harder all the time for me to get to church. We don’t move as quickly as we did a few years ago. BUT THIS I KNOW! My week is always better when I am able to come to church and hear the Gospel preached, the music sung, and the smiles from the family here. So as long as you can come to church….YOU MUST COME.” ‘

I have zero memory of what the text was for that Sunday. I have no idea what I might possibly have said after that witness. I just wanted to say…amen..let’s think about this… and be silent. I do know that after 25 years I still can see him standing there.

I am retired now after 42 years in ministry. After the Covid worship at home times I sometimes find it hard to get my Sunday act together and actually go to church. I do worship online and have found a way for that to be a sacred time for me. Even so, I hear Jakob in my ear.. You must come. I think he’s right.

*God abide with you Bobbie. Giltz McGarey, Feb 21, 2023, Easton, PA

I was reading a news article just now about different kinds of things that improve health, or according to some have no benefit. It was interesting in it’s finally saying the following.  

“My thought is if you give somebody a pill and say this may help you,” that might be the spark they need to “get out and do more things, walk more,” or get more exercise, all of which can help relieve arthritis pain, said Miksanek, of Benton, Ill.  
“Maybe it’s a message of hope … and the brain kind of takes that and runs with it,” he said.” 

Some call this the placebo effect. But they learn this because they were trying to disclaim what others found have helped. And they are trying to prevent folks from wasting money on remedies that might not be scientifically provable.  

But isn’t that what hope is about… taking the knowledge that before us and with us all the time is the promise of the presence of the One who can change everything. And hope is more that about knowledge. It is about something that has a tangible outcome. Hope has a way of changing things. And I think it does.  

In a world that seems bent on stealing hope and replacing it with chaos, we choose hope.  
And live into that hope of God’s abiding love for us and with us.  
…. message of hope…. and we run with it. 

So my Daughter took this photo of her youngest, James, as he looks up at his sister, Margaret Mae, who is waiting for her school bus. The look of adoration in his eyes is wonderful! She might as well held an ice-cream of his favorite flavor. Perhaps she has a hand-full of shiny gemstones.

I Love You, says his shirt, but that is a redundancy. I mean really just look at his face!

Ah, To be so adored! politicians pay consultants big money to teach them how to pull out of people that kind of adoration. Obviously some do this teaching better than others. Obviously some people learn how to evoke it better than others.

But for me, even a pocket full of shiny gemstones can not elicit such emotion as can pure Goodness, kindness or love. Those things little Brother sees in sister. Those things that shine through its not gemstones– its all about respect, integrity, honesty, compassion and love.

Those attributes we’d all like to project into the world–Well most of us.

No matter how much Botox you have in your forehead, or teeth that gleam white and aligned, you cani

buy Adoration Adoration is something that can’t be coerced. Admiration is a natural response to Pure Goodness.

My work took me to be pastor of 5 churches at one time. We were the Southwest Oklahoma Presbyterian Parish. They were in two different counties. There were 5 people per square mile. The one big town in the area was Lawton but my five congregations were spread out in southwest Oklahoma.

We have dreams for ourselves and for our lives and what we think it will look like and be. 
We have dreams of accomplishments, of ways we want to look, 
of how we can contribute to the world.  
We have hopes for ourselves and even more we have hopes for those we love.  

We have dreams for friends in crisis of health or heart

And perhaps, it seems our own dreams for others, for those we love, are more challenging. 
We want most for someone to be all they can be…to be who we see them being….to hope for good for this someone…to avoid the pain we’ve had that they may learn from us… 
deeeeeep sigh… 
that doesn’t always happen.  
But having wonderful dreams for someone is a great gift of love.  To share your dreams for them is a gift. To call out in them a trait that is unique to them is a true heart gift.

Let’s pause and figure out who we think those who loved us — who they hoped WE would become….

Who did they see us being? becoming? Not to judge yourself…but mainly to remember… what was that loved ones best wish for you?  

There are folk whose loved ones gave them no dream only obstacles. You can’t do that. You will never be good at math. You are such a messy person. You disappoint me. ( one of the biggest harms an adult can do to a child…and it doesn’t even have to come out in words…it can be tone…or expression.).

There are also times I believe when WE are called and need to bring someone a dream of what they can do and be.

To stretch them ..to encourage them..to let them know what we see.  

I think we are sent this kind of people…and we are to be this kind of people for those we meet…even perhaps a stranger.  

Be be generous in your gift of dreams and live into your own to the fullest.  

God abide 
Bobbie Giltz McGarey 

@2023 Easton PA