First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Promises of Spring

Linda Soller | Apr 08, 2019

Last week we talked about spring cleaning our faith. It can be challenging with all the bad news out there. But the promise of spring is hope. New life blossoms all around us. Perennials return to their glory for another year, and I am not talking about plants!

In 2018, In Shoreline, Washington, an 11-year old came across a plague memorializing a person she had never heard of.  Her blossoming interest in this person who only lived for 39 years was peaked. She did her research, found he was the first black person to move to her community and was the Director of the Seattle Urban League who was working to end segregation in schools. His move to her town was a risky move. She decided a small unassuming plaque did not do his memory justice. Fast forward to our current spring. A picture is in the news of 12-year old Sarah Haycox and a group of people standing in front of the Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center. Among those people are some of Edwin’s family members who are seeing his life’s work blossom again. Now children will learn early on about the importance of not discriminating against other humans and about the man who brought that lesson to their town.

Head southeast, very south and very east, to Seminole County, FL. There Peggy Grundy, a feisty 99-year old has for nearly 30 years delivered meals on wheels. She and her partner pack up the items and hand carry them to the doors of the folks on her route. She is a smiling happy person. She has no intention of retiring. Peggy likes the social aspects of it all. The perennial favorite in the area. In a world where being “old” can sometimes make you invisible, people look forward to seeing Peggy. What is that expression? “You are only as old as you feel.” Maybe as we grow in years we need to feel and be less invisible.

The promise of spring is hope. The promise of youth is to have hope. The promise of age is there is hope.

He is risen! :o) Linda

Footnotes:

Edwin T. Pratt - 1930 – 1069, killed on the front porch of his new home in Shoreline, WA.

Sarah Haycox – a young white woman who didn’t see color but saw hope.

Peggy Grundy – a living illustration of how God can use each of us, when we let Him.