End of an Era


Just after I was married, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She responded with determination and even though she owned and operated a Bible bookstore with a demanding schedule, she managed as well as she could. 

When my sis-in-law Deanna was a college freshman, and her life was just beginning, she quit in order to return home to help her mom. If she questioned her decision, she never voiced it. She just knew her mom was sick, and needed help. I’d never seen that kind of sacrificial love before—in someone that young. Eventually she returned to college, but quit once again when her mom needed her. I should have known right then how strong and courageous Deanna was—she was a lot like her determined mother. 

Deanna finished college, found love, married, and showed the same kind of sacrificial love as she raised her three children. She has a dynamic blend of humor, sensitivity, faith, and strong resolve. 






When her mom wanted to retire from her Bible bookstore, it made sense for Deanna to keep it going—after all, she’d been helping since she was a teen. As working moms know, you somehow make time for everything. Deanna was fully engaged in running her business while also juggling the sports activities of three super active teens. 


Then this beautiful woman—strong, faithful, and determined, faced cancer. Not once. But twice. Radical surgery. Her strength and courage were on full display.




But this mighty force of a woman was not a quitter. As bookstores faced extinction across the country due to online sales, she faithfully served her customers, and kept her doors open. Eventually, she had the only Bible bookstore within the entire region. 





And then 2020 brought COVID. It infected more than humanity, it created a crisis for small businesses—like hers. She had just purchased all the products to sell in her store for Easter, Mother’s Day, Graduation, and Father’s Day—and then she was forced to close as a non-essential business. Even re-opening by mid-summer could not recoup the losses this time. 



Cancer didn’t win, but COVID did. It is the end of an era. But I know it is not the end of the strength and the courage of its owner, Deanna. She will survive this because she knows Whom to trust. Over the years she’s learned that when something is taken away, God is preparing for something new. 




Deanna proved to me long ago that life is meant to live with your eyes on others—helping as needed. She’s been my inspiration and my friend. She’s my COVID heroine this season. Even though her store will have its final closing in a few days, she will be using her trademark humor, sensitivity, and courage to see how God will use her next. And knowing Deanna, it will be something that helps others because that’s who she’s always been.




This photo was from one of Deanna's early morning walks before heading to the Bible bookstore. 

Popular posts from this blog

Counting the Cost

Image
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.   They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.   But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.   Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming cost...
Read more

Summertime Music

Image
During the summer months, in an outside seating area, a delightfully painted piano sits with a sign that says, “Play me”.   It was just before 8 pm as I walked past the piano. My bus would be arriving soon, and I still have another ten minutes to walk before reaching my bus stop. But no one is around. It’s a beautiful warm evening. I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. The sun was behind me, and the piano keys reflected its glow. I had no music in front of me, only the songs within me. Notes drifted into the air.  In those brief moments, the magic of music and summer came together. Isn’t that how it is? Summertime music has a way of lingering in our minds and lasting a lifetime. As I stood and grabbed my things, I heard distant clapping—I guess I wasn’t alone, after all.
Read more

Planting Good Seeds

Image
Harvest will always depend on what we plant and how well we care for our crop.    Looking over my seed packets, I notice they’re different than the ones I planted before. One package is called Word seeds. The directions say that each of my words is a seed, so it cautions me to think before I speak. Harsh words don’t produce sweet, nourishing fruit. These seeds will require thoughtful care in the garden. I see some Volunteer seeds. Those extra hours I tend to fritter away are going to be planted in a useful project.   It looks like time isn’t wasted in this garden plot. Next are some Love seeds—the directions are interesting: get up each day and love others. No specifics are given—just do something for someone every day. The seed package shows pictures of smiling faces. I smile back. As I’m ready to head to the garden with my seeds, a package falls to the ground. I open it. Inside are the tiniest seeds I’ve ever seen—but the directions s...
Read more