When Rea retired from being treasurer of her church –
The Peoples Church – at the end of the service she was presented with a corsage made of pink carnations. The color pink and carnations were both not favorites as a color or flower. A better selection would have been yellow roses.
Anyway, she was gracious and thanked the attending congregation with her humor.
She said that she had received flowers when she was a young bride and in courtship with Harold, now today as she retired from here role of treasurer, and the next time would be for her burial and she would not see them but thanks to all of the senders in advance. There was a wave of hearty laughter as we exited the church and drove away in my new gold Mercedes with a moon roof.
About a block on our ride, Rea asked me to open the roof and when it was accomplished she put her head back on the headrest and looked up to the sky and questioned, “Lord, after all these years don’t you think I deserve a gold watch along with the pink carnations?” I took mental note and once she was home reclining for an afternoon rest.
Action started with my call to the owners of the local jewelry store named Briton’s – and yes they could select a suitable gold watch and engrave it with:
“for Rea, our Founder, from The Peoples Church”
Next, I called all the deacons and a few special friends to come on Tuesday at teatime. They would pick up the engraved gold watch and bring a teacake. At the appointed time two days later all arrived and Rea was surprised with the gathering as I had kept her out of the kitchen all day and secretly made the preparations for tea and service.
She was seated in her maroon velvet rocker and wearing a
cotton homemade house dress with bare feet in house slippers. She bitterly complained about not being ‘fussed-up’ in her party clothes but one could sense her joy with the attention and bit of surprise. Eventually one of the deacons produced the wrapped box from Briton’s, made a short speech of thanks, and presented it to Rea.
First she shook it gently, then held it to each ear, and then looked at me with a circumspect grin and proceeded to open the box. When the engraved gold watch was revealed, the engraving read, and the new watch was placed on her left wrist she rocked a bit and then look up at the ceiling of the parlor and remarked, “Lord, prayers do get answered when you talk through the roof of a gold Mercedes!”
After many happy wishes, her head tilted back again and she exclaimed, “Lord, you best be listening tomorrow because I am going for a ride in a gold Mercedes”.
The next day at breakfast she expressed her desire
for a long drive to the island (Padre Island) and to pray all the way. We did and Rea prayed for something for everyone. Over the following years all of her prayers were answered and in one form or another came true.
Entry – July 29, 2007
