Charleston

In the year of our Our Lord 1685, King Louis signed the edict de Nantes

And so the protestants left France. They fled to England and then to Carolina

In their quiet conquest, these Hugenots founded Charleston.

There they were free to build and practice their own religion.

And in fifty years, they built the most beautiful churches in this country

St. Phillips, still keeping history alive.

St. Michael’s they built just to show the world they were masters now.

The Hugenot Church, and that great and silent structure- St. James, forgotten but watching over its charges on the Santee.

 

In these places,  all came together.

Rutledge- signer of the Declaration of Independence

Pinckney, whose most famous daughter brought indigo to the shores

Where rice was grown and the frontier kept by such adventurers as Barnwell

In the churches, all came together.

Those who labored, and were of a different race were there, too.

But they learned and established their own community, their own church.

Yes, there was fire and war and tragedy.

But the churches still stand.

The descendents of these builders still stand.

On Sunday, you enter the church and see them- old and young, black and white

The churches are full and vibrant.

 

 

But on this Sunday, the bells will ring in unity for a tragedy.

For on Wednesay, a deluded soul- perhaps one of the devil himself

Broke the great peace.

He came and listened. While they spoke the words of Christ, and called him to listen

He did not hear the words of the Lord.

The words that said, “Come unto me and rest. Come and you will have peace.”

Instead, he did the unthinkable.

He broke the peace, or so he thought.

But he was wrong.

 

On Sunday, the bells of the churches will ring together in harmony.

St. Phillips, St. Michael’s- the church named for the fighting angel, the Church of Grace,

And every church bell in the city-for color doesn’t matter to God

And at Emmanuel- named for the God who became man and who still dwells with his church,

He will see no discord.

Instead, for a moment, the bells will ring.

With one voice, the people and the city will be silent and hear the bells.

And in Emmanuel these words will be spoken:

“I am the resurrection and the life. All who live and believe in me shall not perish.”

And the souls a corrupted soul sent to Christ will be at rest.

And in the churches, you will not hear the songs of lamentation,

You will hear the words and songs of Easter- of the man who conquered death.

The words of resurrection will ring loudly and long.

And on a distant shore, they will be heard.

 

 

 

Help: The Hardest Part of dealing with this disease

Help- The hardest part of living with a chronic disease

It has been a while since I last posted and I find myself dealing with a new diagnosis- severe anemia. I will be getting Iron infusions once a week for the next eight weeks- not the way I envisioned spending the summer. Right now, we are still trying to figure out the cause and currently treating the symptoms.

This new diagnosis is, well, kind of scary. It is unlike dealing with either migraine or fainting. Anemia makes you tired. You forget things and it has become harder to do things. I also have to deal with the fact that- for the first time in years- my parents seem terrified.

I can put up a great front with migraine-even in terrible pain. I can smile through pretty much anything. Take the medications, talk to others, distract myself when it gets bad and deal with the bad ones. I rarely ask for help. Indeed, when I was in college, my friends would drag me kicking and screaming to the hospital if needed. I also learned that college students will do anything for food. "Take me to the ER, I will buy you dinner," worked well. Of course, I knew that most of them would have helped even without that incentive. Still, I hated asking then.

When the fainting began, most of these tricks worked and still do. My biggest problem is transportation. Fortunately, I have been blessed with excellent room mates, good friends, and family who has been willing to help in that area. Despite this, asking for help and realizing that I needed help are the two most difficult parts of dealing with this disease.

So, on to the topic of this post- asking for help.

 No one likes to ask for help. For most people with a chronic disease, it is close to admitting that the disease is winning- that we have lost a battle.

The next problem is this- who do you ask for help? Keep it simple. I've learned that if I need to run to the grocery store, that can be easily accomplished. It is much easier, if you are already out with someone- "Could you run by the store on the way home?" This way, it is done during another outing and you don't have to go through the horrible phase of asking.

I have learned to make it worth their while- offer to pay for lunch or something. Try to make it pleasant for everyone. This makes you feel less like a burden and also makes them feel good.

Transportation is fairly easy. Other things are a lot more complicated.

For example, many people will say, "Just let me know if you need anything!" If a close friend has made this remark and you ask, do not be surprised if you are turned down. Good friends will come through, but this remark places everyone in a tough position. You then have to determine what falls in this category- does this mean that you could call on them if you need to get to the doctor, if you need company, or are they just being polite?

I'm left making multiple mental calculations on who I can ask for help and then what help can I ask for. Transportation, company, help in other ways.

If you are in position to offer help- be specific say- "I'll be glad to take you if you need to go." "If you need to talk, just call." Theses things make everything easier.

You see, many of us who have chronic illnesses learn to make sure that no one knows exactly how bad we feel or if we need help. This is particularly true if you are young and have an invisible illness. I can't count the number of times I've smiled through pain, made sure that stores knew I would not sue them if I fainted assuring them that I really was ok. Many of us go out of our way to look and act normal.

I think it boils down to this- if you offer help, you may eventually be asked to help. Also, if you mean it, be specific.

Go with God.