Saturday, we spent “garage sale”-ing. No junk insight for me! Then, a quick visit to Plymouth-Canton Relay for Life event. Remembering those who have passed and honoring those who have survived from cancer battles.

Sunday, Lori, the girls, Anthony (more on him later), and I went to lunch paid by a dear friend who gave us money in honor of my sister and told us to take the girls out and share stories about Susie.

Then, it was crunch time!! The Grad Celebration at Plymouth. What a great night!! As I told everyone there, it seems in my 10 years at Plymouth the graduates are getting younger, the parents are getting older, and I’m not!!

Take some time with your kids this week to share family stories. You might find that yourself taking a trip down that road and maybe paving a new path as well!!

When she was born, she was given the name Martha Sue, but we all knew her as Susie. I always called her Martha Susalena Caaaalkin. When I went into her room before her last big surgery, I walked in and said Martha Susalena and she finished it with Calkin. She was a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a niece, a teacher, a singer, a co-worker, and a patient. She was a friend of many and a friend of God. Susie was born in Newport, Arkansas on Thursday, January 10, 1957. At home waiting for her were Mom and Dad, Robert (Bob) and Patsy Calkin along with big sisters, Janet Marie and Roberta Kay. Soon after the family moved to Illinois. Then Marilyn Lee, Stephanie Renee, Osro Edwin and the favored child, James Ewell came along. Our sisters, Janet Marie Laird and Mary Rebecca Calkin preceded her in death.

After graduating from high school, Susie went on to Freed-Hardeman University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education. Upon graduation, she moved to St. Louis to begin teaching at the Christian Academy. After leaving the Christian Academy, she stayed in St. Louis and worked at various jobs around the area. It wasn’t until her health began to fail that she stopped working. She continued to work with the church at Florissant in the children’s education ministry, the praise team and the musical.

Susie was about family, food, music (especially singing), and home. Very much like her namesake from the Bible, Martha, she was hospitable and kind as she and Stephanie always opened their home and made you feel welcome the whole time you were there. She baked cookies each week for the kids’ Bible class because she felt children need a homemade cookie.

Her favorite holiday was Christmas, not just because of the presents, but also because of family being together. My wife will tell you that during the month of December, a day will not go by that I was not calling the girls or they were not calling me. It was always about being together with family, spending time together and laughing.

All of us kids appreciated music, more specific great singing. We grew up in a family that sang. Mom and Dad traveled in a singing group and took us with them most of the time. We would turn off the radio and sing whenever we travel. We even had a van that we could have painted on the side, “The Singing Calkin’s”. But that never really caught on. Until recently, we would sing whenever we got together. But schedules and hearing loss have forced us to forgo the music portion of our times together. Susie was so excited to participate in the praise team at Florissant.

There is much more that I could tell you about my sister, much of which you know. No doubt you have your own stories of Susie that you will be sharing with family and friends over the next few days, weeks and months. In a few minutes, several of us will be telling stories about her humor, compassion, and service. You will hear about waterslides, Mr. Bubble, practical jokes, free canteen and much more.

Susie went to her HOME on Friday, March 13 around 11: 30 am. Those of us were able to share in those final minutes sang her into the arms of God. However, not without the struggle of remembering the words, to which Susie would say, “That was just pitiful!!” as she would hand us a songbook and tell us which page to turn to to get it right.

I close with the words of Paul, slightly amended, that make me think of Susie.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope, [to grieve as those who have no HOME, amendment mine]. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-14)

I believe one day we will see Susie and she along with God will welcome us HOME, just as she welcomed many to her home here on this earth.

My hands are rough and dry from not wearing gloves on cold days. They have the wrinkles of hands like my Grandma Martin had. Most of the fingernails have been bitten off at one point within that last few weeks.

Then, I wonder again what the hands of God look like. Are the rough and dry from creating the world and man who lives on it? Do they have wrinkles on them from years upon years? Does the Lord bite his fingernails from worrying about his children?

Ah, but my wonderment does not go much beyond that. For I have seen the hands of God. I’ve seen in the hands of my teens as they have raked yards for our Grandma and Grandpa’s here at Plymouth. I have seen the hands of God in teens and adults working together to dig a hole in a mountain in Honduras so that a family can have a bathroom.

And most recently, I have seen the hands of God working in the response given to the needs of my sisters, Susie and Stephanie, as they have yet another battle with Susie loosing her left leg to diabetes after having her right leg taken a few years back just below the knee. This time, the doctors have pretty much taken the whole leg.

Back to the hands . . . when word got out about Susie’s surgery, I received a phone call from another sister, Marilyn. She began to tell me of a phone call she had had with some long time family friends. They have volunteered to go to St. Louis and update the house for Susie so that she can get her wheelchair throughout the house. That is what the hands of God look like.

Then, there is Ashley. Ashley is the daughter of Mike and Val, who are dear friends at Florissant church where Susie and Steph go. Ashley, being a student at OCU, knew she could not be there for my sisters or her mom. But what she did was to form a group on Facebook that gives updates on Susie’s status, but also gives information about a fund she has begun to help with medical costs through the Florissant church. That is what the hands of God look like.

My hands may appear worn, but I know that God’s hands never will as long as those who continue to love Him demonstrate that same love to others.

So I find it quite appropriate when I found the design format that I chose “redoable”.

Takes to two other thoughts (briefly, of course):

1) I’m sure glad God allows redoables. For those times when we mess up and really have to come crawling back to him. But that crawl is never too far, because God has promised to be there for us.

2) I’m sure glad that God hears my prayers. If I talked with God as often as I blogged, then whoa baby would that be few and far between. But God hears the prayers of my voice and of my heart.

Well, I’m just taking baby steps here. Don’t want to rush back too much into it.