Monday, October 21, 2013

Thinking on things worth saving on Day 21

 I know the timing of Linda and Elaine's visit was God's timing because our conversations included memories of someone very important in my life who they told me was very ill and not expected to live much longer.  How I wish we could have all gone right then to her bedside because she passed away yesterday.  I don't think I ever told her how much she influenced my life and had such profound effect on my understanding and living out of God's plan for being a loving Christian wife and mother. Judy Miller was a member of the Southeast Church of Christ and a teacher in Ladies' Bible Class as we called it then.  I knew of Judy because of her husband, Jule and their work with the well known filmstrip series that was a part of   "personal evangelism" that was done by churches of Christ when I was a girl.  I was impressed to learn that she and Jule had eight children and had adopted four more!  I remember finding it hard to believe that she could have that many children and not drive!  But somehow she managed to be a wonderful wife and mother to a busy husband and all those kids and still find time to write and teach.  She would have been well read by many in this day of blogging and social networking.  She kept journals about her daily life with the children and the time she spent with /God.  Those were edited and published as books.  I made sure I had every one. 


When I first started this Letting Go project and went through one of the first boxes I found a note from Judy I had saved from 1985.  She had come to the church we attended in Dallas where we had moved after leaving Houston.  She stayed with us when she spoke to the mothers of young children group at our new church and had written me a thank you note.  It is gracious and elegant and so affirming.  My three boys were 8, 5, and 3 at the time.  Rowdy and rambunctious would be appropriate adjectives to describe them along with "fussing and fighting".  Her description however was nothing but kind.  "Seeing the children was a joy," she wrote.  "Their spontaneous energy and jubilance is a sight to see." Oh my!!  Love it!

In another paragraph she thanked me for introducing her to the group.  "Your introduction was addressed in such a gracious manner-you are so poised-.you should teach ladies all the time."  Oh, Judy, that is what I do and I so often think of you!

I'm beginning to tackle the photos.  There are years and years worth in various albums, boxes, and drawers.  I want to be able to find the ones I want.  I did find one of Judy today.  It is from very early 1980, just after our second son Andy was born.  She was at the baby shower and she is holding my baby son.  I am very proud she held my child.  I am very glad she loved me and my family and I am very glad I got to see how she loved her family too in all the books she wrote from her journals.  I'll be saving that thank you note.  And I will put a copy of this post next to that picture and will tape another  inside one of the books.  Maybe my kids and grandkids won't save the books, but I hope they will know of this dear woman who helped me love them and others.

I thank God continually for the good people He has put in my life.  Judy Miller was one of them.

2 comments:

  1. How you have followed in her footsteps, friend! You minister and love on so many. She is smiling down at you with great joy!

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  2. Hi Pat,
    This is Jean Miller--Mark's wife. Someone sent the link to your blog to our family a few days ago. Thank you for honor Mom's memory in such a beautiful way. She would be so happy that you are using your gifts to train women in godliness. The four children you mentioned were foster children who only stayed with the family a short time. She eventually had 10 children, with one of those being adopted. She ultimately wrote 18 books, including some Bible study guides and journals. At the funeral, the books she had left were given away. Let me know which ones you already own and I may be able to send you a few you don't have. My email is jean.miller@lipscomb.edu. The link to Judy's obituary is http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pasadena/obituary.aspx?n=judith-miller&pid=167648871&fhid=12078 And by the way, our youngest son, Jared, spent half of last year working for the Medina Children's home. He would travel an hour on Sundays to worship with the Oak Hills church. Your church community was a great blessing to him.

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