Loss of a Classmate

Our class of 1977 very unexpectedly lost a classmate this past week. A suicide. A month after many of us gathered for our thirty year reunion. How does it ripple? I go out on a limb and admit that it could have been me twenty so years ago with saved up medications. Each and every one of us has moments of total weakness and loss of hope. If you haven't then you have not lived in human form. It is inescapable. Below is an email in response to one sent out collectively from a deeply rooted classmate.............the reply is just MY perspective in hopes that the strongest, most defined and far reaching ripples are encouraging ripples............................................................... Those of us who went all the way through first to twelve will always be special in our hearts........how could we not be? But all of us should feel sorrow and remember Jerry's family in thoughts and prayers. We can always second guess our actions, our words, our intentions but we don't need to feel any sense of guilt. Jerry made the decision. It is sad. It is tragic. Most of you do not know that I was very close to the same ending........not with a gun, however. Life can be extremely difficult sometimes and when it hurts to such a degree and there does not seem to be an easy solution, you just want to make it stop and go away. The action certainly brings the present pain to an ending and if we believe, God who is all loving, has given Jerry the peace and understanding that he desperately needed. Fortunately for my family and friends, God intervened and brought my family home to SC where twenty plus years later we still heal from hurts, from sorrows, from deep disappointments. We still question why and for what purpose events took place in my own circumstances. Healing is always a work in progress. It is that we pursue it that makes the difference. Each and every one of us can put on the face and convince those around us that all is well. I suppose we need to learn how to be transparent with one another and trust in unconditional love in family and friends. We need to mature and learn how to become increasingly authentic. So Keith, it hurts. It will always hurt. Especially those of us who started out so long ago, so little, and so innocent, and prayerfully, protected from grown up hurts for a while. I believe to my marrow that Jerry is great now. Help his family that you are so much more familiar with than I am, to put one foot in front of the other foot until with time it becomes more familiar to them. Think of them. Pray for them. Love them. That is the best any one of us can do at any given time. Let those in your life know you matter...........presently, or even once upon a time. I will remember Jerry's smile and his quiet, unassuming, gentle nature. It is that we will take time to remember those who make whatever journey with us that matters...................love and hugs, and great memories of all, Annette

A Poem for Fall

I get frustrated when I draft a blog because it never posts like I want it to post in form. Maybe some day I will have a better understanding of how to make things look the way I want them to look. Fonts, sizes, spaces, and breaks between defined segments I try to make work but then they don't cooperate with me as with other writing programs. Why?

The Splendors of Fall

Near the end of September when twilight hastens it's call,

Our spirits awaken to the splendors of Fall.

The days grow shorter, the nights take a chill,

The harvest is gathered, we enjoy our fill.

The summer is ending, we've had such fun,

Working and playing in the heat of the sun.

Now is the time to reflect, sit back and rest,

Remember the good times and how God has blessed.

The leaves on the trees are beginning to glow,

With oranges, reds, and yellows that God bestows.

The dance of autumn begins with these leaves,

As they swirl and twirl with grace in the breeze.

The arrival of pumpkins, colorful mums and bright faced pansies,

Beautiful reminders of seasonal things we all fancy.

The welcomed smell of wood smoke in the air,

Let us be thankful on our knees in prayer.

Thank you Lord for the change in season,

For reminding us that you are the reason,

These are gifts the universe beckons at your call,

Bestowing your presence in all the splendors of Fall.

Annette Monts Falls

words given Sunday, October 10, 2004 at 12:30 AM

Beginnings of Fall

How wonderful it is to see and feel Fall for a change.

For us here in Chapin, SC these would be typical photos. Lake Murray will have increasing beauty along the shoreline. The side roads already look much like above. All this photo needs is deer standing beside the road...............they have been on the move and unfortunately many have been seen killed on the shoulders of the roads. They really are beautiful and we have had as many as eighteen in our front yard in the evenings at one time........but, they are dangerous to drivers when they suddenly dart out of the woods in front of you.