You've heard the phrase, "There's always room for one more." I guess that was the motto of kids who tried packing unprecedented numbers of people into a VW bug but I see it in daily life. I just came from loading the dishwasher and just as I turned it on, I noticed a drinking glass and silverware at the back of the sink. Should I go for it? Sure! You can almost always squeeze in another coffee cup or tumbler or cereal bowl if you're willing to shift a little.
It's that way with people. I sometimes think my life is too full of people, especially needy people, but there's room enough for everyone that God brings to me if I'm willing to give up a little comfort and make room for them. Like the dishwasher, the cycle is usually short.
A dear pastor once told me, "Some people will always have to be carried. Just make sure you don't take on so many that you can't live your own life." Good advice. God brings the people to us who need what we have. If we all carry our share -- make room for one more, maybe -- the needs can be met.
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PS - we have a little connection. I live in the same town as you and my SIL is Andrew Scott! :)
At the risk of being melodramatic, I feel like crying over the demise of the weekly Advance. It was the newspaper business that landed me in West Michigan in 1987. I was hired by the Holland Sentinel fresh out of MSU, when the Sentinel was going head to head with the Grand Rapids Press Lakeshore Edition. After scooping the Press a few times in my first four months (we had a later deadline), I got a call from Ben Beversluis for an interview. I worked in the Holland Bureau for two years when they had two photographers, four full-time reporters and a slew of stringers. For my final year at the Press I worked at the “Big House” in GR. My beat was Kentwood. Besides the regular daily stuff, I had a weekly 8-story quota for “the tabs.” I think it was called the Southeast Advance. (I recall at some point Newhouse/Booth or whatever name it was going by had gobbled up Advance Publications?) In1990 I left journalism to enter the seminary to become a Catholic priest. Your last day at the Advance was the eve of my 12th anniversary at St. Pius X Parish in Grandville.
Anyway, I feel like crying over the loss of the Fourth Estate, in particular local news coverage and a watchdog over our government, unscrupulous developers, etc., as well as the absence of good local features. When I read your new stories, I’d think “this woman gets it. She was trained in the old school.” I’d think of you whenever I drove by the Advance offices. I sometimes wondered how you were coping with the business shrinking around you and the lapse in standards we were trained to follow. Your columns assured me you managed it with good humor and a yoke to Christ in a community of faith. . Thank you for maintaining high standards to the very end. Your last column was sheer class.
I’ve rambled on enough! Thanks for listening. God bless you. ~ Chris Rouech
I just read your last column and I am so glad that I will be able to continue to read your writing here. I have read your column for years. I also have a blog and I have to say your writing style has been very influential to me. You keep it light, but to the point, and you're not afraid to share your faith, but not in a judgey way. All the best to you!
Sheila Johnson
eat2gather.net
Looking forward to seeing your blog, many of us will devour each one that you write!
Penney from Kentwood