Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Last week, on March 22, 2010, my grandmother, Margaret Edith Meyers Coonce, went home to be with her Lord. After a very short battle with cancer, it was time, and she was ready.

As our extended family gathered to share memories and celebrate her life, my sister, aunt and I took on the task of creating three photo memory boards, to tell just a little bit of her life story. It was difficult, but pretty therapeutic. And lots of fun to see Grandma's life in pictures. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Margaret Edith Meyers
High School Graduation Picture

I love this picture, and how much I can see my mom in her. Grandma was a beautiful person her whole life, and never lost this smile and her zest for life.

Margaret & Charles Coonce; Linda, Jim & Tim
Easter, 1965 (?)

This one I love for several reasons: the pink coat, the closed eyes, my Grandpa's flat-top haircut, my mom's amazing hat and glasses, and my uncle Jim's open fly. Classic 60's Easter photo.

Charles & Margaret Coonce

Grandpa and Grandma, in more recent times. Aren't they just so cute?

Margaret Edith Meyers Coonce
One of the last pictures taken of her at home
March 2010

Even until the very end, Grandma was smiling and full of joy. My last conversation with her was about the Sunday sermon I had just heard, and music. Grandma's faith and the many ways she showed her love for our family will never be forgotten.

Sundays are made for... blogging?

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte 

(Un dimanche après-midi à l’Ile de la Grande Jatte), Georges Seurat, 1884-1886.

Sunday afternoons seem to be the time that many of my friends choose to hop on the old interwebs and gush their thoughts about the world. Or so Facebook status feeds tell me. So, heck, I may as well join, right?

Today is the first day of spring. It is 6 p.m., and still light enough to be outside and not realize that it's turning toward evening. Amazing. (Not that I'm outside. It's still only 47 degrees and cloudy in Chicago. I just checked that on my iPhone weather app, which lies to me every time I look at it: the app icon says "73" permanently. This annoys me to no end in the winter. But, I digress.)


So how am I spending the first day of spring? Homework, of course. Spring Quad B starts tomorrow, which, for those non-North Parkers out there, means new classes for those of us in the School of Business, and the end of Spring Break for everyone. (Don't you think it's cruel that "spring break" actually ends on the first day of spring?) I will begin both Ethical Leadership and Board Governance & Volunteer Management classes. Sounds thrilling, right?

And, also, basketball. The glories of March Madness started this past week. My Jayhawks will be playing Illinois tonight; another chance for Bill Self to show his former bosses just how great a coach he is. Unfortunately, Roy Williams and North Carolina also won today. I'm almost personally offended every time this happens. My bracket is already shot to the crapper; I picked my upsets in the wrong region, apparently. But it's still my favorite time of year.

And, finally, it is Lent, my favorite liturgical season. This year I've been reading the World Vision ACT:S Relentless Acts of Justice study; it has been a great experience of reading, reflecting, and action. You should check it out.

I suppose I have neglected the reading for long enough now. I pray you have a peaceful end to your first day of spring, wherever you are.

The Oscars, The Semester, and My Grandma

I seem to have failed in my determination to continue updating throughout the month of the Oscar challenge. For those who are curious, I did see all 10 of the Best Picture nominees. I enjoyed them as a group more than the 10 from last year. I didn't cry at Toy Story 3 (we can talk later about my lack of inner child); I did cover my eyes during Black Swan. My pic for best? The Fighter.

Not the popular choice, for sure; nor the actual winner (congrats to Colin Firth and the brilliant film The King's Speech). But: I.just.loved.it. Maybe you can chalk it up to my strange obsession with sports movies (blame my mom for making me watch Hoosiers regularly, starting at a young age). Or maybe I still secretly love Marky Mark (even if that same mother tried to steer me away from NKOTB). Anyway you turn it: this is a great movie. And you should go see it if you haven't yet.

Instead of keeping you "all" (hey, Mom) updated with my Oscar-watching game, I decided to keep up with my homework and class-going requirements for the semester. Luckily, I actually really enjoy one class. And, just as luckily, the other one is nearly over! Thank goodness for quad classes in grad school.

I've also been devoting a good amount of time to thinking about my grandmother. She has recently been diagnosed with a terminal disease, and is deteriorating rapidly. While this is incredibly sad, and my heart breaks for my grandfather (they celebrated 55 years of marriage in December), I am so grateful for the many years I had to get to know her. She has been a constant presence in my family life for as long as I can remember. Many family vacations and holidays were spent at Grandma & Grandpa's house (and one summer when my parents just shipped me off to them... I was a difficult child, I think).

Both of my grandparents have been constant examples of a deep and pervading faith; every experience could be turned into a lesson of God's faithful love and guidance in our lives. I credit Grandma with my extensive knowledge of pretty much every hymn ever written.

This past Christmas I had the opportunity to spend a day alone with my grandparents; they (Grandma, mostly) regaled me with tales of my mom while she was growing up, and some great family history. We've always shared a love of reading, and in the last few years I have never left their house with fewer than an extra 3 or 4 books packed to take home. (I think it was more like 14 this Christmas.)

While my relationship with my Grandma has not always been easy, and while we will never agree on many things in the world of politics, social policy, and even some theology, I have never doubted that she loves me (and our whole big family) very much. The greatest joy in her life has been to see her family grow and discover what God is calling us all to. I can only hope to become a woman with half the faith and might of Grandma Margaret.

And the Nominees Are...

At a the early hour of 7:30 am (CST), the nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. It's my favorite part of the post-holiday winter: the Oscars and watching all sorts of great movies!

You can check out the full list of nominations at Oscar.com; I am, of course, most concerned with the Best Picture nominations. To date, I've seen 5, most recently Winter's Bone and The King's Speech. The first was fantastically sad and depressing; the second was excellent and renewed my love of Colin Firth.