HELLOS & GOODBYES

This week has been a doozy.

After I wrote to you last week we headed out for an impromptu date night to see John Crist in nearby Lynchburg. If you’re following the news you know why thats noteworthy. I’ll share more on that later.

Saturday was the cider pressing party at neighbors Steve and Wendy’s. (remember the Monty Python invite?) Over 120 people attended, complete with a bonfire, bluegrass band, incredible spread of food, and a Trumpkin centerpiece. We were amongst friends. We met so many of our neighbors, took a turn at the antique press ourselves (It was a beast) And we took home 2 gallons of the most incredible apple juice I’ve ever tasted.

Upon arriving home the weather was perfect and Tim took out his shiny new axe that was an amazing home warming gift from my sister Sara and her husband Steve. A tree on the edge of our drive had come down in a recent storm and was begging to be chopped up.

I was making the rounds checking on the animals and noticed that Amy hadn’t been eating very much today, and I noticed how she was definitely starting to lose weight. My heart sank. As long as she was eating and drinking and staying alert, I was willing to spend the extra time taking care of her and giving her the chance to get better. (If you’re new to the blog, Amy is my sick chicken who began losing her balance and eventually the loss of her legs two weeks ago)

But if she now wasn’t eating and losing weight, we had to make the hard decision.

I set her out in the sun, took her picture and petted her for a couple minutes. I thought I was prepared to help Tim take her to chicken heaven, but when the time came, I was a mess. I couldn’t stop crying as I wrapped her in an old tea towel and carried her over to Tim. Thankfully Tim took over and sent me inside the house.

He told me it was quick.

I cannot express how thankful I was and how much I loved him in that moment. Which sounds weird right, loving him more for killing a chicken? But there it was. My heart was full of love and gratitude for this man for taking care of something I just couldn’t do. In that moment I was overwhelmed with the feeling that this is how marriage is supposed to be. You carry the burden for your spouse, you do the hard things the other can’t. Those hard things look different for everyone and change with the seasons, but for me, in this week. It was killing a chicken.

The following week was full of work projects, but with the promise of a treat to come, as we were traveling down to Nashville for a dear friend’s 40th birthday. We met up at a lakeside cabin complete with hot tub and fire pit, and the prettiest lake views you’ve ever seen. We feasted on pumpkin pasta, impossibly thick filets, and my famous chocolate bourbon pecan pie for dessert. When we packed up to leave on Sunday I was filled to the brim, soaked and satiated not only with all the incredible food, wine, and scotch we consumed over three days, but with the conversations, laughter, (the kind till you cry), and just quiet peaceful moments on the lakeshore, or in the hot tub under the stars.

It wasn’t enough time, it never is. And even though we were missing some of our CO crew, it was so sweet to have the weekend together, and even sweeter to know that now that we live only a few hours away, the next time together won’t be too far off. We ended the week with a quick detour over to Cleveland to surprise Tim’s niece Vikki at her 5th birthday party. It felt great to walk in the door and surprise his family. Even though we could only stay for a couple of hours, the extra time on the road was well worth it.

There’s more to tell from the week but this blog is rambling on enough as is. I promised to talk a bit more about John Crist, so I’l do that now. First let me say that we loved the whole show, Dustin Nickerson, who opened for Crist, was particularly hilarious.

If you’re not familiar with him, John Crist has a unique platform. The son of a Georgia pastor, his humor centers on the often self-deprecating observations of a Christian lifestyle. He’s grown in popularity and was set to release a special on Netflix this Thanksgiving.

Then the allegations came out. 

I don’t want to get into everything, but to summarize, several women came forward and accused Crist of sexual misconduct. Most of the claims seem to be sending inappropriate messages or videos to women, some married, some unsolicited. As he is a 35 year old self proclaimed virgin, it’s not difficult to see how this could have happened. Many many men in ministry with far less fame fall prey to sexual sin. It’s s tragedy far too common in our world.

As soon as the news broke, Crist came forward and acknowledged his inappropriate behavior and cancelled the rest of his tour dates.

Here are the things I know,

1. I appreciate Crist’s response in all this. It’s all too common to blame others and not step up and take responsibility. While Crist didn’t cop to all the charges against him, he broadly acknowledged his sinful behavior and stepped out of the limelight.
2. My response is not anger. As a fellow Christian, I do hold him to a higher standard than the world, yes, but also because of that, I respond with more grace. Our prayer should not be one of condemnation and ostracism, but of the desire for grace and future restitution.

Okay, that’s enough heavy for now. Let’s lighten the mood with a quick story.

On our weekend away, a certain visitor showed up at the cabin. A six month old cream orange tabby with no collar, clearly starving for both food and attention. We gave him some food and despite being chased up the tree repeatedly by Jean Luc, (The Wards adorable poodle) He kept sticking around. The boys called him Jerry (from the cartoon Tom and Jerry I guess…) They thought it was funny after a couple beers. 🙂

And then it started, the conversations about who would take him home. Between no room and cat allergies, we were the only viable candidates. People began referring to him as my cat. I ignored them and the cat staunchly. I’m sure he lives nearby, he’s just friendly, we definitely don’t need another cat, Atticus and Oscar would be furious, and on and on I went in my internal and sometimes external monologue.

Then, one evening, as I was headed out to the hot tub, I spotted him. Curled up right outside our back door on a chair, trying to stay warm in the freezing temps. He clearly had no where else to go. I stepped outside and reached out to pet him,

You guys, his eyes were watering from the cold and it legit looked like he was crying. He stood up and put his tiny paws on my chest and looked into my face. I promise Sarah freakin Mclachlan even started singing.

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh.

fine I give up.

We bundled him into the pet crate Katie and Michael loaned to us and took him over to my mom’s farm. With their family cat recently deceased I was hopeful they would welcome this sweet boy with open arms. But it was not to be, and so in desperation we brought him up to VA with us, not knowing what else to do, but refusing to drop him at a shelter. He is honestly one of the sweetest best behaved cats I’ve ever seen. Sadly so far Atticus and Oscar have been less than welcoming, so our plan is get him neutered and vaccinated, and try to find him a good home here in the valley.

Until then, he’s enjoying lots of good food and cuddles.

Until next week friends, see you later from this crazy cat lady.