May Day! May Day! Can you believe it’s May? You don’t have to send out an SOS
to recognize that! But, if you take little baskets of flowers around town and drop
them at people’s houses, they’ll probably think you are crazy! Back in the day,
when I was young (ha ha) I always looked forward to doing just that. It was also so
much fun when someone would leave a May basket at your door. But, today, very
few of us keep up with such customs; and, unless it’s a school performance, you
very rarely see someone dancing around poles on May Day!

March is a great month because it includes the hope of spring! I must confess
that I don’t ever remember being as preoccupied as I am “right now” with the need
for warmer weather and my impatience with the cold! I get tickled as I listen to
everyone else complain about the same thing! I guess we’re all in this deluge of
winter together.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to
an end! They are new every morning, new every morning! Great is thy
faithfulness, oh Lord! Great is thy faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:22.

Thanks to everyone who helped and participated in our ever funny, delightful
“All-Saints” Costume Contest. It was a blast! It is always such a treat for all of us,
young and old! Seeing all of the young people in our church is a blessing! I am so
thankful for all of our children and youth this Thanksgiving. As we make all of our
yearly reports and think ahead to a new year, I am reminded of how God has
blessed our church sending us so many new families with little ones! On October
25 and November 1, we hosted a brunch for new folks in order to acquaint them
with our “Every Member in Ministry” venue for leadership and service. The
response was great! I am so excited about all of the young people that continue to
walk through our church doors. Let’s make sure that we welcome them and make
them feel at home!

Pull out the jackets and the blanket! Dig out all of those warm clothes that are in the
back of your closet or tucked away in some trunk. It’s time for hot chocolate and
football! Yes, once again we are going through yet another seasonal change. I am so
thankful that these little changes are not sudden shockers like a drop in temp from 100
to 20 overnight! It is so nice to be back in the swing of our Wednesday evening ministry
activities. That is a nice change that warms our hearts! We have had such a great turn
out! Thanks to all of you who participate.

This sizzlin’ summer has been absolutely great! Camp Edge VBS was a great way to
cool down. It was great due to all of our fabulous volunteers from four churches! We
served at least 131 children during the week. Our church is blessed to have so many
volunteers!

Summer is that great season of the year where you can just sit outside and stay
warm for a while. I love summer because it is such a bright, warm time. The sun
shines from the time you get up until it’s almost time to go to bed. You don’t have
to worry about freezing temperatures, cold noses, or wearing extra layers of
clothes.

I hope that Easter was special for you and your family. Easter was such a
special celebration for me! Wow! It was truly a miracle to see all of those
beautiful little faces of the children, and, of course, their families. The rain did
not hamper our Resurrection Hunt or our Sunrise service! Though we didn’t
see the sun, we knew the Son of God had risen and He lives in our hearts!!

I’m so glad that spring is here. We have so much to look forward with the warmer
weather. Of course, there’s always this little quip: April showers bring May flowers!
Dan’s sermon series on Storm Stories was absolutely great during March! He has
reminded us that God is with us through all of the storms in our lives! We are never
alone! Easter Sunday is truly my favorite holiday, because there can be no better
message than this: Christ is Alive! He’s risen from the dead! Not only that, but He
walks with me daily! As you celebrate this Easter please take a moment and think about
Jesus’ presence in your life; and the many, many ways we are blessed as God’s children.

Thanks for the many prayers and well-wishes from all of you concerned about the little tumble I took when I was sick a couple of weeks ago. There was no way I could fool any of you for long. I tried the line that Dracula kissed me on the forehead. Of course, no one fell for that one. It is a blessing to be in a place with so many dear people who care and take the time to let me know. You will never know how special you all are to me as well.