" And I think we are of a kindred spirit, I laughingly told the female patient..."
Hello! Spring greetings from 762 St Nicholas Ave!!! It's 67* today and feels wonderful! We are from the central part of the USA and we enjoy shucking our jackets and coats, as soon as we deem it appropriate, but I'm always a little mystified of how the many humans here in the city, continue to walk around in plenty of outer wear!!!
This afternoon we left the house at 12:20 and walked the 30 minutes to Lincoln hospital. It was amazing how many side walk closures and street closures, we encountered today and needed to find another short route around! Met the 4 red shirted guys, that we call ours...and then got busy singing tunes! Today, it seemed like some female patients seemed happy to see the 1 female in the group of guys and I got my chance to be especially friendly to them. 1 lady, asked the boys, isn't there a female in the group? They said yes, as I poked my head into her room! She had a big smile and said something about having to keep them in line...she had 3 boys and knew all about it, the tricks etc! We both laughed and thus my opening thought....we must be of a kindred spirit!! 😍 On our walk home, we took a detour and went to Lucille's, a coffee shop and enjoyed our iced drinks....Ron had a matcha latte and I had a black ice tea, which I found, hit the spot! A nice coffee shop!
I guess I should skip back to last week...
Tuesday morning, we went down to Rogers to discuss the upcoming " Maine" event, later the men went through the books and visited about other issues too. Funny encounter at Lincoln, here we were, 5 guys, 1 lady....we are just singing in this one room, when the patient in bed #2 gets up to throw some trash away! His back was towards us....he just had a hospital gown on, untied , no underwear on.....oh no.....so I glanced at Alex, he was managing to keep a straight face....but soon, as we we were singing, " Sitting at the feet of Jesus" there was chuckles and giggles coming and I completely lost it!!! The 5 guys managed to carry through the song howbeit many chuckles....and the 2 men patients just kept their stony straight faces and not a word was said! I'll leave you to imagine, the laughs we've had about that one!!!!! If laughter is the best medicine, we were the healthiest humans around!!!
Dexter's turn for supper and he made chicken and beef skewers, white rice and Caesar salad! Ice cream and Oreos for dessert! Dexter invited Clay and Dana to join us, which they did!! The guys all practiced songs for sing out and Clay helped also.
Guys all went thrift shopping after work and came home with lots of bargains!!! Dexter found a suit for $20 bucks!! Bible study in the evening, lesson was, " What are you anchored in?" Alex was the leader. We had 2 Eric's join us....our " old" Eric and a new Eric, that met Clay and Dana in the subway and prayed with them! He joined right in on the discussion, at 1 point mentioning a problem with bed bugs....we can only hope that was past tense!!!! He came upstairs for supper and enjoyed talking with the rest of us! I fixed spaghetti and meat sauce, green beans, garlic bread and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.
Thursday was shopping day..... Target and BJ'S....2 carts at BJ'S....we packed all into the van and then all to unload at the apartment....AND then all to put away..... just at home day, the rest of the day...had poor man's steak and potato wedges for supper....we practiced songs for youth rally in the evening.
Friday, usual laundry and house cleaning and Papa was so nice and did Alex's chores down stairs....cleaned chapel and fellowship hall....so we could get going to Fleetwood! Guys got off early from pantry and we left around 3:30. Had some traffic issues, like stop and go....we did stop for some supper, we were still in New Jersey.... stopped at a restaurant called Stone Tavern and it actually had a big parking lot....to park in and the restaurant was big and not so crowded!! Got to Fleetwood church sometime after 7:30 and were not the last to arrive! Everyone was in the basement getting acquainted and eating snacks.... after our bigger supper, we didn't need much....I munched on a sweet bar! Upstairs for some singing.
Some facts, observations, my own musings on the youth rally...
* Those congregations and units attending: North Georgia, Carson City MI, Goshen IN, St. Mary's Ontario, Vermont, some personal from Sleepy Creek, Connecticut unit & Maine...and of course Fleetwood.
* We were invited to stay at Elmer and Mary Ellen's for night and enjoyed that very much! They also hosted Galen and Anne Tessier from Maine and their almost 2 year old boy Blake. Anne is expecting twins, both boys, identical, late June or first of July. Courage to them! 😊 Thanks again, Elmers.... everything was delightful!!
* The singing was so awesome, truly a foretaste of heaven's singing!! Roger Swarey from Fleetwood was the song leader!
* Lectures were brought by Caleb Koehn, Livingston CA....Matt Koehn from Texline and Kendall Koehn from Fleetwood....all were very interesting and good, but I especially enjoyed Kendall's soul searching message on Sunday morning! Are you on the winning side?? Get rid of those old prophets of Baal....there was also song in the songbook, titled " After Calvary"... It says in there, I will do anything for Jesus, after what he has done for me... Kendall asked us, " really, you will do anything??"
* Meals were sandwiches on a croissant bun, chips, pickles and pasta salad...cookies. Grilled chicken, wedding potatoes, French bread and Caesar salad, cream puff in a pan. Pork burrito bowls, white rice and black beans, corn salsa, fruit salad and fried ice cream dessert. All was delicious?!
* I especially enjoyed the beauty of Sunday morning service...as in looking over the girls and ladies, the tie down covering impressed me, as never before.... just because it hid the small covering/ caps and messy- too much hair showing! More of a consistent dress, just plainer and beautiful! Seemed to be a special glow on the women's side!
* Getting to know the youth leaders from these congregations....new friends!
* Singing with the Connecticut unit, house parents and school teacher....they combined us 2 units.
* The coffee bar downstairs in the basement....long lines ....I tried one of their mango matcha's....iced and it did not disappoint, so Sunday I had another one!!!
* A very enjoyable time, beautiful memories to carry with us!
* We loved the Fleetwood people, awesome congregation!
We traveled back home, stopping once for gas. Dexter missed a turn off getting close to the city, so we took a different route into the city, through the Holland tunnel and a different approach was so enjoyable! Just a different look at the city!! Once home, we scurried around, and soon left for the subway station where we usually sing on Bowery Sunday. Rogers, Bridgewater Maine youth and leaders and Clays were already harmonizing in song. Some handed out tracts. Clay's, guys and us came on home from there, ordered in pizza from Dominos and ate at the house. Dana also brought up her Ho-Ho cake and we finished that for her!! Bridgewater and Rogers went to Los Tacos for supper and toured the city....arriving back at home for a few hours of slumber on Monday morning! 😍 12:20 am....is when we heard Frank and Suzy Koehn come in our apartment and settled into our spare room bed
All the youth guys in the basement, girls in 4th quarters, our guys in their beds and Eric& Raeanne in Rogers spare room! Next morning was breakfast for everyone in the fellowship hall.... Elsie made it all, 2 huge breakfast casseroles, some PW recipe, that you use boughten cinnamon rolls in a can...and make some sort of coffee cake with it....bowl full of cuties....water, juice and coffee....and 99 percent of the Maine youth drink coffee! They left, our boys went to work and we were left with a normal Monday.... laundry and so forth! In the evening was the Tribeca service, Clay's also came....we sang 5 songs, Dexter had good thoughts and we sang another 5. Roger closed with prayer and Easter thoughts. Dexter already had included some Easter thoughts. We walked over to Little Italy and had supper at Da Gennaro....and no room inside, so they pulled 5 little tables together and we ate out on the street!!! Just a mite bit chilly, but Elsie and I just pulled on our hoods and ate supper that way!! Small lights on the tables....or 2 of them anyway....Ron and I shared some chicken Parmesan with linguine noodles... simply delicious! People walking all around....made our way to Gentile Gelato, not as good as Anita's ...but good never the less!!
Wade is making supper this evening, looks like it will be brats and he was talking about Caesar salad.
Happy Easter to all! We are getting company, Dexter's family, so looking forward to that!!! 😊 Bought 2 bone in hams this morning...I really wish someone in our group loved to make deviled eggs, I'm hungry for them, and not feeling like I know how very well!! Have to ask I guess!!!!
So long for this time, courage to each as we battle for the right!!!
Love and prayers from NYC, Mama Carol