Sunday, May 29, 2016

tribute/good-bye

Pastor and "Bunica" (Romanian for "grandmother")

I cried good-bye last week to a God-sent elder and friend, Brother Mervin Potteiger.

The first time our family “met” Brother Potteiger was the day he called the home phone and spoke with Brian for a few minutes in autumn 2005. Brother Potteiger rang all the way from Romania to introduce himself before he and Sister Potteiger crossed the ocean and caravanned from Pennsylvania to Michigan to establish yet another new home in the Bethel parsonage.

It was the weekend of my 19th birthday when Pastor and Sister Potteiger were installed at Bethel. I considered their arrival a special birthday gift from my heavenly Father. I had asked God for a pastor who could be a friend, and somehow, I was quite sure He had answered that prayer even before I met the Potteigers.

After Brother and Sister Potteiger arrived, I knew God had answered my prayer. Their four-and-a-half years of ministry at Bethel were rich and full. We used to tease Brother Potteiger because at the end of every month as he looked over the upcoming weeks in his date book, he would say, “Well, it looks like ___________ [fill-in-the-blank with any month] is going to be a busy month!” Every season was brimming with service and ministry.

Though it took the new pastor most of a year to learn our names (Amy made him a cheat-sheet for his Bible; the paper was lined with pictures, names, ages, and a brief description of our current school status/study program for all the girls between 15 and 25), we knew he cared about each of us “young folks” deeply. In fact, he used to tell us about specific prayers he would pray, asking God to raise up full-time ministry workers from our tiny congregation.

Last August, Kendra (“Kindra” as Brother Potteiger would say) and I joined Brother and Sister Potteiger for their church’s annual picnic. Brother Potteiger told Kendra and me he thought we’d matured over the past few years. Of course Kendra told him the feeling was mutual :).

He panted for breath and seemed depressed as he talked about how little he could do now. His body was a rusting shell of the award-winning athlete and gifted handyman he had once been.

I cried inside after I left, because it’s hard to see someone you love trapped inside a confused body. I wanted to remember the Brother Potteiger I knew from our years together at Bethel.

Brother and Sister Potteiger shared their life with us—stories and insights from their years in New Mexico, Canada, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Romania. They showered us with love, and opened their hearts and their home—where there was always an abundance of dessert! We shared happy times (he officiated at Joel and Judith’s wedding) and sad times (they walked with us through the journey of good-byes to our final two grandparents).

One thing I loved about Brother Potteiger was that he was a real person. Even though he was a pastor, he knew he wasn’t perfect. Rather, he was a man focused on learning to know God better even after multiple decades of life with Christ. Sometimes he said things he shouldn’t have. Sometimes he had to apologize. As he preached and taught our young adult Sunday school, he shared stories of challenges he had faced, mistakes he had made, and things he had learned from personal experience (i.e. don’t pinch your wife’s nose!).

He told us about being posted (as head cook) by the Bishop to the Navajo reservation in New Mexico when he was a teenager. He’d reminisce about the first time he met Sister Potteiger—he was elbow deep in raw ground beef! And he told us about his pal Dallas Shelly. In fact, he told us so many stories about Dallas Shelly we started wondering if Dallas was just a legend and didn’t really exist! (I have since met Dallas Shelly; he is indeed a real person.)

Brother Potteiger wasn’t afraid of teaching through less-common books of the Bible—how many exegetical messages have you heard from Song of Solomon? (yes, verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter.)

When he led our Sunday school class through the book of Proverbs, we Millennials probably almost drove him crazy with our ridiculous side-comments and snickers. That said, Brother Potteiger wasn’t afraid to have a bit of fun, or to allow us some giggles at his own expense… or maybe even for his benefit-?! Kendra’s front-row-pew antics cured him from saying, “I’m simply saying” repeatedly in his sermons!

One of my favorite silly memories with Brother Potteiger was the Sunday that each of us girls walked out of the sanctuary and greeted him with a different religious title as we shook his hand: “thank you parson/rector/vicar/preacher/reverend…” After about five designations he shooed us all away.

Another fun memory was the time our congregation decided to host a yard sale to benefit the church building project. We girls showed up bearing boxes of freshly baked cookies, cinnamon rolls, and bread for a bake sale. Brother Potteiger felt obligated to support our endeavors (for such a good cause too!), and by the end of the day I think he had sampled at least one of each type of the sweets. I’m sure Sister Potteiger had to put up with a mess of hyperactivity by the time he finally arrived back home that evening (he went a bit crazy under the influence of too much sugar).

One of the most ridiculous “Brother Potteiger stories” happened one fall during deer season. 
When Brother Potteiger looked out the parsonage window and saw a “lady hunter,” he was immediately filled with concern about her aim. His chief fear: What if she were to shoot in the wrong direction and send a bullet through the new urinal he had just installed in the men’s bathroom at church?! Even as he relayed the story to us it didn’t seem like reality had set in that his worry was quite absurd!

Brother Potteiger was a champion. Not because he was a perfect man, but because of his constant focus. His deepest desire was to serve Jesus, and along the way to encourage everyone around him to serve Jesus too.

That’s why I cried last week as I said good-bye to a man who has been a faithful inspiration in my life this past decade-- a pastor God sent as a special gift to me, to share a little piece of the road He’s weaving as I walk this journey called life.



2 Timothy 4:7-8
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

best of all


I had almost forgotten what it was like to be hot,
but sunshine returned to this little part of the planet the last couple days,

and,
I.am.delighted.

The winter (albeit shorter here than in Michigan) felt ever so long...

I am
so incredibly happy for warm toes and hot air and sunshine and cool mornings and sweat and iced tea and GREEN (everywhere green. it's glorious) and farmers' market and eating outside and listening to the birds and driving with the windows down and leaving the windows open in the house and...
so.much.loveliness!

{oh-- and for a Memorial Day sale on Turkey Hill ice cream-- $1,88/box}
weeee!!! :)



-Plus, this warm weather reminds me of my Zambian home.
such good memories

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Pinterest-y project


Introducing my most recent sewing fun:
tea cosies


At Christmas (yes, I know... that was a few months back), I decided to try sewing a tea cosy. So I found a fun pattern online and bought some cute fabric, and started the project.

Last Saturday I finally finished my tea cosies (I had enough fabric to make two!), and then decided to use some scrap fabric to decorate a coordinating tea towel as well.


This photo doesn't show the detail too well, but I practiced a new technique on my machine-- quilting with the walking foot. Instead of using pre-quilted fabric from the store, I custom-quilted my own fabric for the cosies. I was impressed with how simple it was to sew (mostly) straight lines free-hand, and quite pleased with the pretty results :).


I also did a little applique (though I was disappointed there wasn't more contrast to notice the tea pot) on this little pocket.


This is my favorite of the two cosies, because the other one seemed too plain to me, and the binding didn't work like I wanted it to... and the applique blended too much with the gray fabric...


The coordinating flour sack tea towel.


It's always fun to finish cute projects.


PS- If you want to sew your own tea cosy, here's the link for the basic pattern/idea I used.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Con.GRAD.ulations!


We opened the "Frederick Street Hotel" Friday evening and hosted an outdoor celebration honoring Chloe's most recent educational accomplishment-- her master's degree. {Well done, Chloe! WHOOOOOT!}

The party was complete with twinkle lights, international guests, and plenty of celebratory food.  According to my calculations, there were ten of us who spent the night in our half-a-house Friday night.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Home


My visit home was full of special times:

celebrating Brian's graduation
visiting Dow Gardens
being home for a full Sunday
catching up with my former law professor
touring Josh and Betsy's latest house updates
eating fresh asparagus and rhubarb
baking with Naomi
and of course,
drinking tea with Amy



Thursday, May 19, 2016

Dow Gardens


Last week when I was home, Dad, Mom, Amy, Naomi, and I visited Dow Gardens.

Such loveliness!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

blue


Amy's collection of dishes in the living room at at the Cookie House.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

BINGO

1/3 of Dad and Mom's children are now SVSU alumni!

If you're honest, you know how BORING graduation ceremonies usually are.

Graduates endure such events for the tiny moment of individual recognition (can't say it's for the diploma... because sometimes they just present the cover ;) )-- a time when others recognize the major accomplishment of years of effort and growth through which they have persevered.

[I remember sitting through my SVSU graduation thinking, Come on... All we really want is to walk across that stage and shake the president's hand and receive an official-looking paper. I doubt we're going to remember a word that's being said anyway, so can we get a move on?!...]

Audiences attend the ceremonies because they're proud of a specific graduate's achievements.

And... I think any others attend out of obligation (the band, etc.), or maybe because they are re-living the past-?? (not sure).

---

Last week I got a text from Amy. She was brainstorming a family activity for Brian's upcoming graduation.

I'm pretty sure everyone in our section of the bleachers was jealous of our family Saturday morning, because as the hours dragged on during Brian's commencement, we were having fun. There were periodic snickers and an uncanny sense of excitement in our row as we played a private game of Graduation Bingo.

My card included boxes with statements such as: "Balance work/life/school/etc.," "Picture painted on a graduate cap," "Microphones squealing," and, "Graduate wearing five-inch heals." Of course, we all had "It's a great day to be a Cardinal!" as a wild space in the center of our papers.

Libby, Dad, and Aaron all walked away from the ceremony with Bingo's. The rest of us left with scattered X's on our papers-- wishing that someone would have wished the graduates, "Good Luck!" or dropped something on the stage, or used a quote from at least one US president.

It was great to celebrate Brian's achievement, and the Bingo game was good, silly fun.



Oh- and if you want to build your own Graduate Bingo game here's a suggestion based on a space our Bingo sheets lacked: "Graduate snapping a selfie with the president."

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Red Pride

I forgot my camera, and my phone pictures are not so great...
On Saturday, Brian graduated with his bachelor's in mechanical engineering. Red Pride welled up as I cheered for the most recent group of graduates at my alma mater.

Since Saginaw Valley State University is a relatively small university, and I've spent the past number of years wandering outside of Michigan, I'm used to no one knowing about the school. In fact, when people inquire about my education, I usually just say, "I graduated from a state university in Michigan," because no one knows what "SVSU" is, and "Saginaw Valley State University" is just an extra-long way of saying the same thing... and still no one knows what I'm talking about.

Even though most folks have never heard of SVSU,  I'm proud to call SVSU my alma mater. [Side note, SVSU's College of Business and Management is an excellent AACSB accredited business college.]


It was quite special to be home for Brian's graduation and to celebrate his accomplishments together as a family. 

Monday, May 9, 2016

concert

there were hundreds of people!

Our Morley friends invited me to a concert in Lancaster last Sunday. They were one of several different groups-- a chorale, bell choir, orchestra, brass ensemble-- who shared throughout the afternoon.

Niece Nessa came with me, and we had a nice afternoon together. I was afraid the concert might be too boring for a six-year-old, but she told me she had fun.

the Morleys playing the bells