The Press-Dispatch

Thursday, May 11, 2023 Page 17 Press DisPatch CHURCH TO ADVERTISE: Call 812-766-11611 or Email: plemond@pressdispatch.net Ramblings of my mind By Lowell Thomas Mother's Day By Reverend Mike Miller First Baptist Church of Petersburg CHOMPY "Cats posses numerous charms, and anyone who has ever loved a cat has fallen for it's magic." Su- san Easterfy. This week PAWS is featuring and innovative young feline named Chompy. Char - acteristic of the Calico, Chompy has a courageous and bold personality. She has a beautifully marked tri-color coat with very long white wispy whis- kers. Chompy adores people and would make an affectionate and loyal family pet. She can be adopted by calling 354- 9894.PAWS is located at 4224 N. Meridan Road, Petersburg. Greetings to all you readers and I hope you are having a good week. Our weeks just seem to be more of the same only a dif- ferent day. Connie has gone to the doctor for a check up and was told it was going to take a little more time for her lumbar vertebrae to quit hurt- ing so bad. A fter having x-rays of her back and side it was discovered that she has two more vertebrae with compression fractures. She is going to go to a specialist for bone and tissue to evaluate what should be done to help her. So far the new frac- tures have not produced very much pain and she has been able to be up around the house and it is difficult to keep her from overdoing things. She is definitely getting down and blue, so be thinking kind thoughts and prayers for her. We are supposed to have a pest control person spray for mosquitoes this week and that will be great. I went outside for a few minutes the other evening and at least twenty of them were taking turns biting me. I felt like a human pin cushion. There are so many that you can't swat at them fast enough to do any good at keeping them away. My new lawn mower is doing good so far and I believe I would have to recommend a Ferris lawn mower. It does like gasoline though so you have to watch it a little. I don't think I have ever had the throttle in rabbit. About three quarter throttle does a good job. One day last week both grandkids had Little League games. It was chilly and breezy but the kids played and didn't seem to mind the conditions. It's hard for a big mouth Papa to keep quiet while watching their games but you know they have coaches working with them and they don't need all of us coaching out- side the fence. I did notice there was a discrep- ancy with the amount of balls the coach was allowed to pitch to their team. This needs to be addressed by all the coaches and it needs to be uniform throughout their season, three or five but make it the same for all. A good workout always helps you feel better and my wife convinced me to workout a couple times last week. I don't work out everyday but I do try to do it every other day. I don't want to be a Charles Atlas but I want to keep healthy as possible. I told one of my friends that have to pick the battles I can do something about so after doing what I have to do indoors, I try to get a project done outside. An old saying about not setting your goals so lofty that you fail to accomplish what you set out to do. Saturday morning I was stalling about going out to do a job which anybody would dread and that was cleaning the filter in our septic system. It is not a hard job but it is a messy job at times. Makes me wonder where all the dirt comes from that gets in that filter. Well it is getting almost time to leave for Sunday school and church and my partner hasn't felt like going so I hope soon she will be able to go to church. As always be a blessing and receive all blessings. AREA HAPPENINGS Celebrate Recovery – Will meet ev- ery Monday at 6 p.m. at the River of Life Church, 342 E. CR 300 N., Petersburg. For more information, contact Pastor Jim at 812- 354-8800. Pike County History Center – Will meet the fourth Monday of each month at the History Center, 1104 Main Street, Pe- tersburg at 6:30 p.m. New members wel- come. History Center hours Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until further notice. Winslow Alcoholics Anonymous – will meet every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Call 812- 789 -8535 for location of the meeting. Odd Fellows IOOF Pacific Lodge #175 meeting – the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. All area members are encouraged to attend. Otwell Ruritan – will have its monthly meetings the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Pike Lodge #121 AF&AM regular stated meeting – the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. All area Masons are invited to attend. Jefferson Township Community Cen- ter of Otwell – will have its monthly meet- ings the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. All members are urged to attend. Perinatal Loss Support – Expectant parents who suddenly lose their child often experience a wide range of emotions and grief. Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center offers support to assist those who have experienced the loss of a child (concep- tion to one month of age) through the griev- ing process. For more information about Perinatal Loss Support, contact Theresa O'Bryan, Pastoral Care, at 812-996 -0219 or tobryan@mhhcc.org. Stendal Community Create and Craft Night – The first Tuesday of each month, anytime between 6 -9 p.m., at St. Peters Lutheran Church fellowship hall. Bring a craft, sewing, yarn or unfinished projects. Create and finish projects, and learn new ones while having fun. For more information and upcoming classes, call Sherry Meyer at 812-457-9842. Grief Support Series – The death of a loved one, a child leaving home, overwhelm- ing changes in one's personal life – each can cause profound grief and suffering. To offer reassurance and comfort, Memorial Hospi- tal and Health Care Center has developed a free support program called "Grief Sup- port Series." Call for the next five-week program. Programs will be at 6:30 p.m. in Memorial Hospital and Health Care Centers Chapel. This program is free and space is limited. Pre-registration is necessary, call 812-996 -0219. Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Caregiver Support Group – Memorial Hospital's Caring Hands Senior Services sponsors an Alzheimer's Disease and De- mentia Caregiver Support Group. Meeting dates have changed to the first Tuesday of every month, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Medical Arts Conference Center, located in the lower level of the Medical Arts Building at 721 W. 13th St. in Jasper. For more infor- mation, visit Memorial Hospital's website at www.mhhcc.org and click on "Classes and Events." If you would like more information on dementia and being a caregiver, call 812- 996 -0218. Pre-registration is not necessary. Living with COPD – If you or if some- one you care for is living with COPD, join us for an educational meeting on the second Tuesday of each month, from noon-1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center Mary Potter Meeting Room, located inside the hospital at 800 W 9th St., Jasper, IN. For more information, visit Memorial Hospital's website atwww.mhhcc.org and click on "Classes and Events," or call 812- 996 -5232 or 812-996 -1528. Pre-registration is not necessary, and there is no cost to attend. Memorial Hospital Offering Stroke Survivor and Caregiver Support Group – The support group will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, from 1-3 p.m. in the Medical Arts Building Conference Center located at 721 W. 13th Street in Jasper. The support group will be held monthly. Pre-reg- istration is not required to attend. For more information about the Stroke Survivor and Caregiver Support Group, please call Mary Jo Eaton Calhoun, BSN, RN, Telemedicine Services, at 812-996 -6364, or Brandie Beck, RN, Neuroscience Nurse Coordinator, at 812-996 -5912 or. You can also e-mail ques- tions or comments to strokesupport@mh- hcc.org. Petersburg Senior Citizen Will be Of- fering Senior a Lunch Menu – Petersburg Senior Citizen will be offering seniors lunch on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to ? At the Pe- tersburg court house basement, 801 Main Street. Pike Gibson Water, Inc. – will be hold- ing the regular monthly meetings open to the public on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. CST, at 325 N Jackson St, Oakland City, IN. "And Mary said: 'My soul glorifies the Lord And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant…'" Luke 1:46-48a This Sunday is Mother's Day. For people sitting in churches across the nation, it will be a fun time to remember growing up with their mothers while moms revel in the joy that is motherhood. There will be gifts for mothers in church foyers. They'll get flowers or chocolates or devotionals. Families will take their mothers out for lunch after the service. What a grand time! That will be the experience of many (dare I say 'most'?) peo- ple. But, for many others Mother's Day is far more complicated. As I write this, the beginnings of a Mother's Day sermon come to my mind and it's Sarah, Abraham's wife, laughing after be- ing told she would bear a child at almost a hundred years old! Mother's Day hits different if your mom is taking you to the little league game at 105. In all seriousness, though, a host of things may make Mother's Day a less joyous occasion for some. I have close personal friends who have suffered with the aw- fulness of infertility. Imagine having a lifelong dream visibly crushed in front of you. Now imagine it happening every single month for years. The heartache of these mothers is visceral, and it is real. They are mothers in their hearts, but for whatever reason, it does not materialize. It is difficult for them to worship on Mother's Day, as they watch others enjoying an aspect of life that has not come to them yet—and which may never come. Strained relationships may happen between mothers and children. I personally went a fair few years with my mother where every conversation devolved into an argument about things in the past that neither of us could change. Some chil- dren cut off contact with their mothers. Sometimes it happens the other way around. There are times when, despite doing the best job they could do, a mother watches as one of her children struggles with ad- dictions, crime, or other harmful behaviors. What I love about this text from Luke is that it is Mary's response to her own pregnancy and the promise that God had made about this child. Bearing the sinless Savior of the world probably makes for a complicated relationship, indeed. Yet, in this moment, she chooses to focus on the goodness and gra- ciousness of a loving God. I do not know what your Mother's Day looks like. Hallmark does not make cards for some situations or relational statuses. However, you should know this: God cares for you in every cir- cumstance and every life station. He will comfort you in your grief and exalt you in your joy. Place your trust in him and have a Happy Mother's Day no matter what. We need sponsors for our Church Notes! Call Pam at 812-766-1611 or email plemond@pressdispatch.net To subscribe to the Press Dispatch, Call 765-884-1902!

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