Tuesday, April 29, 2008

"Shirley, Goodness, & Mercy..."





Last Mother's Day, when I was here in Portland preaching as the candidate for the pulpit at First Parish, I gave lapel pins like this angel to every mother in the congregation, not knowing that my own mother had just been diagnosed with a metastatic recurrence of the cancer that would take her own life in a matter of months, and was keeping that information from me until after the service so that I wouldn't be distracted worrying about her.

Today Susan Hasty (wife of former First Parish minister Richard Hasty) brought her angel back to me, so that she might watch over me during my own battle with cancer.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever...."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes you will---because you are a wonderfully special person who has brought love, kindness and caring to more people than you will ever be able to count. Love you! Dad

Anonymous said...

Tim,

Your Mom is near...

Claire McIntyre

Anonymous said...

April in Maine

The days are cold and brown,
Brown fields, no sign of green,
Brown twigs, not even swelling,
And dirty snow in the woods.

But as the dark flows in
The tree frogs begin
Their shrill sweet singing,
And we lie on our beds
Through the ecstatic night,
Wide awake, cracked open.

There will be no going back.

May Sarton

lifted shamelessly, by Gene, from the Writers Almanac, for Tim

Lisa said...

Hi Tim:

What a beautiful gesture. And what a nice tribute to your mom so close to Mother's Day.

I hope you are liking your new surroundings and I really hope the food improves!

Love you,
Lisa