life – Ann Coker

Giving Away

My daughter, Becky, and I have been giving things away. But with different reasons and methods. In addition to gifts, she’s using online services to sell items. Some she’s had for a long time (such as a metal milk jug), others she inherited from her mother-in-law, such as a coffee table. She’s good with the process she chose.

My reason is quite different, for while I think of things I don’t need, I also want to prepare ahead for when I leave this world. So I take a photo of an item and send it to our sons, asking if they want it. Such as, our wall chiming clock. Now that will have a home. Our oldest son, a pastor, wants two communion sets––one crafted in wood by a friend and the other my husband bought to use when he worked Emmaus Walks. Our son will also receive the gold ring band that his dad had made for me, with a Scripture verse in Hebrew. “I am my beloved’s; and my beloved is mine” (Song of Solomon 6:3, ESV).

No one asked for this two-foot statue of Moses. And I can understand why. It might have been a present from my husband to my mother, or maybe the other way round. It has had a place in our living room. The only use I’ve found: it does make a good door stop. You might notice the horns on top of Moses’ head. Those represent a misinterpretation of Scripture, but I don’t know the reference.

Becky and I have a china cabinet in the dining room, filled with crystal, glassware, and an assortment of dishes. We’ve inherited items and some we’ve collected. They are now combined, so they will need sorting. I have a complete set of fine dishes that my mother-in-law gave us when we got married. I would use them for special dinners. Who will want to add these various items to their own collection is a good question. I’ll wait for family to visit and ask.

So I continue my occasional times of giving things away. It’s not a constant routine in my schedule, but I like offering objects to our children. Of course, they have their own homes, and they don’t need more “stuff.” Some things will go to grandchildren, and eventually Good Will gets a bunch. All’s well that ends well. I would like to know ahead of time who gets what, and that wish probably won’t get answered.

What’s Happening?

As to what’s happening, I think of past, present, and future tenses. It’s been over a month since I’ve posted a blog. Hope you have missed my ramblings. Being productive, I plan to stay in that vein. If you are interested in my days, read on.

Past: I spent 17 days visiting our oldest son, William, in Ohio, and had the pleasure of hearing him preach in his church, where he’s served for 13 years. In addition to that privilege, I heard his wife, Rhonda, teach Sunday school, observe the church’s Pantry ministry twice a week, eat out a few times, sit in a marina nearby, and take a trip up three miles to view the Ohio River and the active locks. Add those to a memorable visit from our granddaughter, Sarah, and family, with chats around the dinner table. Returning home to Indianapolis, I connected with Ruth, Paul’s mother, who is visiting us during November.

Present: Plans are now underway for two days of Thanksgiving feasting. Our Kentucky sons, John and Tom, with their wives, come on Thanksgiving day. Friday, the Gearharts gather for another Thanksgiving dinner, both prepared by our daughter, Becky. She’s now baking in the kitchen, and I don’t offer to help. She’s the ultimate chef.

Future: I continue to work on three to-be-published books. I’ve decided on self-publishing, so that’s a new learning process. My memoir, An Honest Caregiver: Facing the Reality of my Husband’s Dementia, and Bill’s book of retreat messages, Holiness: A Matter of Relationship, are both completed and edited. I’m waiting on front and back matter, a cover design, and endorsements. For the third work, Days of Our Lives: Devotional Booklet, I’m gradually adding devotions, some from other publications with permission. I want to include 60 devos.

So that’s what’s happening in my life. I’d like to know what’s going on in your lives. Responses will be appreciated. This season of Thanksgiving and Christmas is a great time to stay connected.

Connections

Water Tower at Asbury University, Wilmore, KY.

I named my blog Connections, because connecting with people and places is essential to my life. Recently I’ve connected with three persons from the past. One, as a young girl, was converted during my husband’s ministry at a small church in Indiana while attending graduate school. She’s now married with children. She found out about Bill and me by way of an email promoting Bill’s podcast, Words of Endearment with Bill Coker. She emailed and rehearsed her connection with us. I’m grateful.

Two of these persons are graduates from Asbury College (now University) in Wilmore, KY. They both recall hearing Dr. Coker in chapel. The first to contact me had Bill as a teacher and later he hired her on staff. We recently met for lunch and had a great time rehearsing our past history. She lives in Indiana, and we’ll keep in touch with emails. Her husband has self-published several books, and he will be a good resource if and when I go that route for upcoming projects.

The second graduate emailed me, because she had completed leading a group study on Bill’s first book, Words of Endearment: The Ten Commandments as a Revelation of God’s Love. She lives in Orlando, FL, and she sent a photo of the group having brunch for their last session of study. We have emailed several times and related more about our families.

These connections not only connect our past, but they inform us of the continued influence Asbury and its leaders had on their lives. I’m grateful for their reaching out to me and showing me again that our lives connect and keep us connected to Jesus whom we love and serve.

The photo I’ve chosen is of the water tower on the grounds of Asbury University. Hard to see, but there is a cross on top of the tower. Years ago a pilot, flying over the town, pointed out to passengers that tower with a cross was erected on a college campus. Recently the issue of displaying the cross came up for debate, and the town agreed it would keep the cross. That also is a good connection and a witness to God’s grace.

Keeping Connected

Photos show two earlier ways I stayed connected with family and friends. Some kids now don’t know how to use a rotary phone, and they learned the position of keys on a computer instead of a typewriter. Years ago in Mississippi when the parsonage had a party-line connection, it was a rotary phone. And we couldn’t take the phone with us when we left the house. Now we have access to people via cell phones in our pockets. Getting in touch with someone can be easy. I’m now typing on my computer and get to style this message as I see it on the screen. I don’t have to shift to the next line; it’s done automatically with my settings. Corrections are easier also.

As you can tell I grew up with these ancient tools for the purpose of communication. Now, even though it’s easier, it’s often less frequent and messages are quickly sent and replied. The postal carrier has fewer hand-written or typed letters to deliver, because I’m getting in touch with people in more modern ways.

With all this at my fingertips, I still want to stay connected with family and friends. That’s why I named my blog “Connections” (www.abcoker.blog). It’s that important to me. It’s why I write posts on my blog and collect email subscribers and put a new post on my Facebook page. I want people to read what I write, and I want responses so I can know what’s happening in their lives. This is the age I’m living in, and it’s good.

Recently, in an attempt to get more listeners to Bill’s podcast, Words of Endearment with Bill Coker, I decided on extra promotion methods. I didn’t know it would be fun. First, I had help from a fellow writer who knows her way around podcast tools. In answer to my question, she instructed me and then encouraged me when I applied one method. It meant copy and paste, a favorite I’ve used in other ways. After I wrote about a new episode of Bill’s podcast, I copied it to my Facebook page and added the link with the icon.

Next I used my email server, Kit, wrote a broadcast, and attached the link and icon. Easy. Kit emailed this to my subscribers. What happened next was the fun part. I first heard from a former member of a church Bill pastored while he was in graduate school. She was 17 years old when we were there, and the Lord saved her after one of Bill’s sermons. She took the time to contact me and it was sheer joy. The next email came from our nephew in Louisiana. Then I received an email from a graduate of Asbury College who had gone with “Dr. Coker” to Israel with other students. When she listened to the podcast episode, she noticed the music score at the beginning and end: “And Can It Be?” Her memory connected with how they sang that Charles Wesley hymn each evening as they got ready for bed.

I’ve also received brief emails from folks, letting me know they are ready to listen to the podcast. This simple promotion has connected me with people from our past, as well as those with whom I’m currently in touch. Sometimes I have to ask for a bit more information to connect with past friends, for it’s been a while since we’ve written.

All is good! God is good! All the time! I thank God for keeping me connected in this now age.