March 30 in Sammamish!

Who would have dreamed it? Last Sunday (Easter) it was pouring buckets of rain..and this Sunday, we see the results of the heavy snowfall during the night!

Jo's thrill - no matter your politics!

The night before the Texas Primary, Jo was one of two interpreters for Hillary Clinton as she met the voters in San Antonio. It was a night charged with energy, enthusiasm, and excitement - and Jo was excited to be a part of it. (Top Photo by Barbara Kinney. Other photographs by Leonard Ziegler) We were able to watch the speech live on San Antonio television thanks to the modern marvels of technology and our computer--and watch Jo interpreting. May we all survive the next seven (YES SEVEN) months until election time!

A farewell to "Brazil"

Our dear friend Everett Brazil of Hobart OK left this earth yesterday, St. Patrick's Day - a most appropriate day for a staunch Irishman who was so proud of his Irish heritage. Our life is a lot better for having had Everett in it for the past 44 years. Everett and Cathrine had three sons - and they were overjoyed to be able to have our two daughters in their family. They kept them as often as possible, fed us (as parents) frequently so they could have the girls with them, and spoiled them rotten--even gave Jo her first pair of cowboy boots. And Everett taught them all the bad habits he could think of--he thought it was cute to teach Jo to chew tobacco and smoke cigars....and here is a picture of them just a couple of years ago, still sharing a chew! He taught Jo to sneak the milk carton out of the refrig and take a drink directly from the carton behind the open refrig door so her Mom couldn't see her. As teen-agers, he let the girls drive his 1949 International Harvester pick-up named "Shasta" (because she-hasta have oil, she-hasta have gas etc). He took them out to check the cattle or the wheat, rabbit shooting, or whatever. Brazils lived at Komalty--a grain elevator long since torn down, but that name was always the landmark for their place. The wheat was beautiful, and there was nothing prettier than being in southwest Oklahoma for harvest. When Jo and Scott were married, guests at the wedding in Chicago were given tiny pieces of burlap filled with some of Brazil's wheat to throw at the newlyweds--and Jo and I spent a wonderful day with the Brazil's on their farm cutting up an old burlap bag from the barn and filling them with the wheat. The girls' last visit was in the fall of 2005--and Cathrine & Everett enjoyed time with their girls again. We will miss Everett, but we have memories enough to last out our lifetime...we are grateful to have shared this journey with him. Thank you, God, for the gift of his life in ours.

Same Kind of Different As Me

Have you read this book? Its a pretty quick read, and is a joy to move through. When we arrived in Midland last Wednesday, we found that the authors, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, were speaking at our church that evening...and we were there along with at least 1500 other folks, who filled the sanctuary and into the fellowship hall, where it was relayed on a big screen. The book is the story of the unlikeliest of friendships between Ron, an international art dealer, and Denver, a homeless person with a sordid past. Their story is told alternating between each man's version of the events. Ron does most of the talking...Denver saying "don't tell it all to them, then they won't buy the book!" Denver, who didn't read or write until recently, is still a very bashful person, who doesn't want to talk about himself, but will talk about the Lord. Denver tells Ron to "Just tell 'em I'm a nobody that's tryin to tell everybody 'bout Somebody that can save anybody. That's all you need to tell 'em." And through it all is the story of Ron's late wife, Debbie, who had a vision for a homeless shelter in Ft. Worth, and a vision of her husband and Denver becoming friends...not "catch and release" friends, but truly friends who love and care for one another. (Read the book to learn about "catch and release" friendships.) I highly recommend this book to you...and if you find that Ron & Denver are going to be making an appearance in your community, don't miss this opportunity. Love, Mary