Sister Mary Barbara Karleskint, RSM, age 98, a former resident of Fort Scott, Kan., and more recently of St. Louis, Mo., passed Friday, September 8, 2017, at Catherine’s Residence in St. Louis.
She was born May 3, 1919, in Miami, Okla., the daughter of Joseph Karleskint and Mary Hickman Karleskint. She entered the Sisters of Mercy Community in 1937 and professed her Final Vows in 1940. She received her B. S. degree in Home Economics from St. Mary of the Woods College in Indiana in 1951 and her M. Ed degree in Elementary Education from the University of St. Mary in Xavier, Kan., in 1955. She also received her Certificate of Pastoral Education in 1977 from St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Mo. Sister’s ministry included teaching for more than 20 years in elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. She also ministered at Mercy Center in St. Louis, Mo., and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Hutchison, Kan. After completing her courses in clinical pastoral counseling, she became a chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott.
Survivors include a brother, Jake Karleskint, of Cleveland, Ohio, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Joe and Tony Karleskint and four sisters, Bessy Louise Karleskint who died in infancy, Virginia McLaughlin, Sister Mary Alfreda Karleskint and Sister Mary Bernadette Karleskint.
Father Robert Wachter will conduct Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 14, at the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the St. Mary’s Cemetery. Services are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook atcheneywitt.com.
A few years ago, my girlfriend “Sharon” came from Florida to spend some quality time with her widowed mother who lived on a small farm outside of Fort Scott. Since her mother was a homebody and didn’t venture far from her garden, Sharon planned to take her mom shopping and treat her to a few of the local restaurants.
My friend flew into KC on Sunday. Wednesday found her at my house in tears.
“Mom” couldn’t leave her house on Monday because that was the cleaning day. Tuesday was for laundry and ironing and Wednesday for canning. Sharon offered to help but was told her mom needed to do it alone so it was done right. To add insult to injury, the “Is there something wrong with my cooking?” question caught my friend off guard.
Mom’s schedule dominated her life, and not even her daughter’s visit would dissuade her from altering it. Of course, Saturday “would have been fine” for a lunch out, but since Sharon had booked an early morning flight, she obviously had “not taken” her mother’s agenda into account. It was a miserable week.
Sharon’s mother died two years after that visit, but my friend has not forgotten her mother being so locked into her agenda that she could not set aside time just to “hang” with her only child. The Bible shares a powerful message on what Jesus thinks of people who cannot make time for relationships. Luke 10:38-42 is a familiar story but one worth revisiting.
Company’s coming, and not just any company. This is Rabbi Jesus and his friends, and Martha, the restless hostess, is almost ready; the house is free of cobwebs and the dirt floor swept, and there will be no shortage of food or drink. Still, the pressure is building. If there is something to stew about, Martha will find it. Not her sister Mary. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, soaking in all he has to say.
One worries.
One worships.
What a difference!
A preacher at my step-daughter’s church expounded on that message with these words: “The presence of Jesus was part of Martha’s plan, but it WAS Mary’s plan. If Martha had time, she was going to be with Jesus. If Mary didn’t have time, she still was going to be with Jesus.”
Don’t skim his words. Read them again. The pastor ended his sermon by asking which one represented us. “Do we merely include Jesus in our schedule, or is our schedule designed around time with our Savior?”
Jesus modeled priorities. No one has ever been busier than he, yet he never appeared harried. He was all about people. The gospel makes it clear as to where we start. If we want a stress-less, worry-less, stew-less schedule, we must make time to sit at Jesus’ feet.
Martha’s regimen had no eternal benefits. Mary’s did.
So, the question remains: Do we want Busy, or do we want Blessing?
If all goes as anticipated, the recently moved John Deere Tech Program at Fort Scott Community College should have all parts of the facility completed in December.
The facility is located at 2223 S. Horton, formerly the Kansas National Guard Armory.
“They are building a bigger shop for big machinery,” Kent Aikin, one of the program’s two instructors, said Wednesday. A second instructor is Dale Griffiths, hired around one month ago.
The building being constructed is just to the east of the current tech program facility. The general contractor for the project is Tri-State Building, Pittsburg.
The current building is used for instruction on smaller machines and classrooms, Aikin said. The instructor’s offices are housed in this building as well.
The auditorium of the current facility is used for instruction on smaller engines.
“John Deere sends us three to six machines every year, for training purposes,” Aikin said.
Renovation of the current building started a month ago with the addition of new air lines and electrical lines.
Even though all is not completed in the facility, classes began in August with 13 first-year students and 10 second-year students.
Three first-year John Deere Tech Program students work on lessons in a classroom Wednesday.
Students who fulfill all requirements for the program have options of electrical, hydraulic or service advisor certification.
The program’s students must be sponsored by a John Deere dealership, and go through an interview process, Aikin said.
Aikin and Griffiths help the students through the whole process.
“We help locate a dealership to sponsor them,” Aikin said.
“There is a high demand for these jobs,” Aikin said. “The job prospects are good. I’d say over 90 percent have a job waiting for them.”
The move from Frontenac to the repurposed facility on the FSCC campus was precipitated by the selling of the building they were leasing, FSCC Director of Public Relations Heather Browne said.
Students have more accessibility for living in the dorms now, Browne said.
They also have easier accessibility for completing their general education classes, Griffiths said.
An open house for any interested students will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, November 2 and 8 a.m. to noon, Friday, November 3.
Following completion of the new part of the facility in December, a grand opening for the public will be in February, Aikin said.
A whole power-train for a John Deere 8300 tractor is used in instruction during the tech program.
Fort Scott Community College’s Ellis Arts Center is the venue for the 14th annual Gordon Parks Celebration. The Gordon Parks Museum is located in the arts center.
As part of the annual Gordon Parks Celebration
scheduled for October 12-14, at Fort Scott Community College, there will be a “Parks Poetry Out Loud” contest this year. Participants will pick one of seven selected poems written by Gordon Parks and will present it in front of an audience at noon on Friday, October 13 in the Gordon Parks Museum in the Ellis Fine Arts Center on campus.
“I have wanted to do this for years,” said Jill Warford, Gordon Parks Museum Director. “We hope a lot of people take part in the poetry contest, it will be a lot of fun.”
There is no fee to enter and participants will be judged on how they present the poem through voice, diction, and interpretation. Cash prizes will be awarded: first place will win $100; second, $75 and third, $50.
“You don’t have to register to enter,” Warford said. “Just show up.”
It is open to anyone and both students and adults alike, are encouraged to take part, she said. The seven poems are available on the Gordon Parks Museum website: gordonparkscenter.org .
Select poems from the website, then print them out for use, she said.
For more information email [email protected] or by phone call (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850
Poems to choose from are:
MOMMA
by Gordon Parks
Now and then she said things that made my ears frown.
More than likely they were just too young to understand.
“Brush those teeth, and wash your feet before you go to bed.
And stop snoring so loud. You keep everybody awake.”
Pig feet, turnip greens and chitlins put hair on the chest.
My stomach craved apple butter and crackling bread.
It had a mind of its own. It wasn’t looking for hair.
Sunday school was particularly necessary, but not enough.
Reverend Frockcoat’s bland sermons had to sanctify the day.
Some other things stood in my way
Talking too much when I should have listened,
Crying when laughing was better,
Shooting marbles when the cattle needed feed.
Momma’s most relentless warning stuck like claws.
“Son, don’t ever come home blaming your skin’s blackness
For tumbling you downward.
If a white boy can do something worth doing,
Remember you can do it too. When the time comes
Just get out there and do it or forget to come home.”
Much later, long after she was gone,
And swimming in her advice, I’ve tried to keep going,
Going and going.
Down through the years, her warnings helped push clouds away
While sopping tears from stars that insisted on falling.
Yes, it was Momma who spread the checkered tablecloth.
But it was my good fortune to sit down and eat.
Her love filled the space between heaven and hell.
She was a mother beyond all other mothers.
I owe her everything
My breath in the half light of autumn,
For spreading patience when doubt surfaced,
For smiling at the unrest that over took my anxious feet,
For guidance that walked me away from my mistakes,
And for hands that pulled me out of the storms.
Yes, I owe her for these things and many, many more.
So no goodbyes, Momma. The love petals
Falling like rain upon your grave
Are mine all mine.
COME SING WITH ME
By Gordon Parks
Despite the turmoil, anguish and despair
Disrupting the planet we inherited,
There is something good I choose to sing about.
That something lies within us, patiently waiting
Beneath us, above us and around us.
Its peaceful message yearns to fill
Our places of murderous anger and hatred,
To flourish forever.
Hope is the song I have chosen to sing
A deathless song, flowing steadily beside my faith.
Whenever the fist of doubt knocks at my door,
It is powerfully turned away by my hopeful singing.
When things go from bad to worse I still sing my song.
Why not?
It helps me endure the bloodthirsty days.
Once earth’s fire had devoured my hopes.
As my twisted soul slid toward Hell,
Fate came racing from another direction.
Pinned to it was a belt of sun with new instructions.
These, it said, are for you! Suddenly fear was gone.
I made peace with the mean roads I’d walked.
My jackals could now lie down in truce.
From that day on, I began singing the song called Hope.
I still sing it loud
Above the waves, fire, darkness and mud.
From The Huge Silence
by Gordon Parks
The prairie is still in me,
in my talk and manners.
I still sniff the air for rain or snow,
know the loneliness of night,
and distrust the wind
when things get too quiet.
Having been away so long
and changed my face so often,
I sometimes suspect that this place
no longer recognizes me
despite these cowboy boots,
this western hat and
my father’s mustache that I wear.
To this place I must seem
like wood from a different forest,
and as secretive as black loam.
This earth breathes uneasily under my boots.
Their odor of city asphalt
doesn’t mix well with the clean smell
of wild alfalfa and purple lovegrass.
It puzzles me that I live so far away
from our old clapboard house
where, in oak tree shade,
I used to sit and dream
of what I wanted to become.
I always return here weary,
but to draw strength from
This huge silence that surrounds me,
knowing now that all I thought
was dead here is still alive,
that there is warmth here
even when the wind blows hard and cold.
The First Bud
by Gordon Parks
Through winter locked and hungered days,
And during trials of doubtful years,
I walked mistaken roads searching for you.
So when as you say during pillowtalk,
You do not know me,
remember that I am you.
We have been one for thousands of years.
Our love is older than the sky.
That love tremored every windflow
While waiting to be summoned
By a cry, a moan from my heart
That was ablaze with loneliness.
Then, with the silence of a cloud,
It emerged through shadowless mist
and, with pity,
Ripped my outraged soul apart,
Then strung it together with stars
That light your peaceful shade.
Now those nights
That were once without splendor
Dance in on wings that sing.
And the sound of rain
Falling on the roof is joyous.
A Bottle’s Worth of Tomorrow
by Gordon Parks
Time slipped out of my house last night
As I was bringing in the cat.
Angry, worried, frowning,
I went in search of it
Where it lay wrinkled and disgruntled
Behind a stubborn door among thorns.
I knocked and knocked;
The door refused to open.
Time, it finally said, is tired,
And in need of a long rest.
The hours it spent on you
Were far too exhausting
And moved much too slowly.
Remember your running from sky to sky,
With fog falling on you like fire?
The suit my soul wears
Was growing threadbare.
I had eaten salt for supper
And been killed so many times.
I was about to die some more
when the stranger appeared,
Asked me to wait,
handed me a scrap to paper
Then left as quietly as he had come.
He had scribbled his name: Tomorrow.
Wait? Where? For how long?
Distraught, I went toward home,
Worried and frowning even more.
Who was this fellow Tomorrow anyway,
And where was he last night
When time ran out on me?
Later I slept among bad memories.
Having lived in the forest under my scalp,
They knew me well; but I no longer knew them.
I had drowned the worst in waves of skepticism.
But when I awoke to let the cat out
They were stirring inside me, moving as I moved.
I opened the door
and there stood tomorrow,
Grinning, with a sack full of sun, stars
And a little bottle filled with a little more time.
He dropped the sack and then hurried off.
Content, at least for the moment,
I gave a thankful sigh for those signs
That had quietly walked out with my cat.
But after a close look at that little bottle,
It all became clear. No time was left
To wait for myself.
I snatched a bunch of thoughts from the air,
Then I too was off in a hurry.
Homecoming
by Gordon Parks
This small town into which I was born,
has, for me, grown into the largest,
and most important city in the universe.
Fort Scott is not as tall, or heralded
as New York, Paris, or London
or other places my feet have roamed,
but it is home.
Surely I remember the harsh days,
the sordid bigotry and segregated schools
and indeed the graveyard for Black people,
(where my beloved mother and father
still rest beneath Kansas earth).
But recently, the bitterness,
that hung around for so many years seems
to have asked for silence, for escape
from the weariness of those ugly days past.
Thankfully hatred is suddenly remaining quiet,
Keeping its mouth shut! And I’m thankful
For the contentment we lost along the way.
My hope now is that each of us can find
What GOD put us here to find
LOVE!
Let us have no more truck with the devil!
No Apologies
by Gordon Parks
Fate holds no reason to frown at what Providence granted me.
My thanks remain uncountable.
After long talks with my
past I now realize that life held a divine purpose,
For shoving me into places that were as changeable as the wind.
In between the floundering of then and now, the eyes of fate were following me
watching, always watching with
narrowing glances.
Now, having given deep thought to life’s offerings,
I realize everything that happened should have happened.
So my heart lifts praise to a smiling autumn
To those fallen years that no longer exist.
With this, and with no respite, I give thanks
To each dawn,
To each night,
To all the falling and climbing that patiently carried me through unpredictable wanderings.
Crowned in the confusion that hammered my journey,
A private aircraft sits in front of two hangars at Fort Scott Airport. The airport is set to have a new aircraft maintenance business in the near future.
A full-service aircraft repair station will soon be available at Fort Scott Municipal Airport, 1869 Indian Road, southwest of the city.
Spectra Jet, Inc., Springfield, Ohio, will start a maintenance facility at the airport in the next two months, according to Kenny Howard, the airport manager.
“They will start with four to five employees,” Howard said. “They hope to be up to 10 employees in a certain amount of time.”
The company will lease part of a hangar at the airport for their business until they can build one of their own, Howard said.
Currently, there are eight hangars at the airport, two privately owned and six owned by the City of Fort Scott.
The desired outcome of this new business is to bring more airplanes to the airport, Howard said.
Currently, there are 45 airplanes in a week, he said.
“Some come to town to look at the community,” Howard said. “Some have family here.”
In addition, Fort Scott Airport is a good refueling stop for those traveling cross-county, he said.
Fort Scott Municipal Airport is southwest of the city at 187th Street and Indian Road.The front entrance to Fort Scott Municipal Airport office.Pictured is hangar no.5, which is owned by the City of Fort Scott. Spaces are rented to pilots for their aircraft.Several aircraft are parked in hangar no. 5 at Fort Scott Airport.Pictured is the new parking areas in front of hangars at Fort Scott Municipal Airport. The night beacon tower sits in between two hangars.Pictured is the largest hangar at Fort Scott Municipal Airport which is owned by Ward Kraft, Inc.Fort Scott Airport has two onsite fuel tanks: a 10,000 gallon Jet A gas tank and a 9,000 gallon AV gas tank.A plaque at the entrance to the office of the Fort Scott Airport commemorates the airports history.
Construction work is being done out of public sight at the new Price Chopper Grocery Store at 2322 S. Main.
The store, the former Woods Super Market, is slated to open before the holidays, said Barry Queen, owner/ operator of the Price Chopper Fort Scott grocery store.
Crossland Construction, Columbus, is the general contractor for the new Price Chopper Fort Scott. The owner anticipates the store to open in November. Once completed the store will employ around 100 people.
“The goal is to open November 10, 2017,” Queen said. “There’s a lot of work going on. Don’t know whether we’ll make that goal or not.”
“We are excited to get there, but there is a big challenge ahead. There is a lot that has to happen. We’d love to get open before the holidays.”
A big plus for the community is the store will be hiring 100-120 employees Queen said, with the number depending on the volume of customers the store will have.
“We’ll be setting up a trailer for interviews in the next few weeks,” he said.
Some features of the new store will be a major focus on fresh food, he said.
Produce , a salad bar, food service, a grill, a smoke house, a full service floral department, catering and online shopping, to name a few.
A drive-through Dunkin Donuts will be located on the southeast corner of the facility.
An overlay for the parking lot and adding more light poles will be coming.
The new owner, operator is no stranger to Bourbon County.
“My dad, Jim Queen, was born in Hammond,” he said. “My mom is from the Linn County/Bourbon County area. I have a lot of relations around here.”
Queen has had a vacation home at Lake Fort Scott for 16 years, which will become his part-time home he said. He lives in Paola.
Associated Wholesale Grocers own the real estate the store is on, Queen said.
Crossland Construction, Columbus, is the general contractor and is doing the demolition work; CDL, Pittsburg is doing the electric work and AAA, Kansas City is the framer for the project, said Brad Vinardi, superintendent with Crossland.
Inside the Price Chopper Grocery Store a five-man construction crew is currently working . At right is the old administration office.Matt Foster, Oswego, left, talks to co-workers on the large scissor lift at Price Chopper Fort Scott. On the lift are Jose Deleon, Kansas City, left, and Josh Powers, Pittsburg, right. The Crossland Construction crew was working on the facade of the building.Matt Marshall, Kansas City, preps the roof deck for painting at the new Price Chopper Fort Scott.
Chester William Boileau, age 100, former resident of Redfield, Kan., died Friday, September 8, 2017, at Guest Home Estates, Fort Scott.
He was born November 2, 1916, in Hiattville, Kan., the son of Joy James Boileau and Cora Skinner Boileau.He married Eleanor Louise George on June 15, 1941, North of Uniontown.She preceded him in death on October 7, 2005.Chester farmed and ranched his home farm.He was active in 4-H and FFA.He received the Goodyear Award and the Farmers Bankers Award for Soil Conservation in 1975.He was a member of the Soil Conservation Board.He was past President of the Mill Creek Watershed.Boileau Hall at FSCC in named in his honor.He enjoyed square dancing.He was a member of the Redfield United Methodist Church and attended the Uniontown United Methodist Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Jeanna Coleen Church and husband Mike, Carlyle, Kan.; a sister, Mary Lee George, Wichita, Kan.; two grandchildren, Clint Church and wife Abi, and Amanda Fischer and husband Dathan; four great grandchildren, Averie Church, Adalie Church, Chloe Fischer and Clara Fischer.Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by a son, Kevin Boileau; and three brothers, Lewis, Wayne and Lloyd Boileau.
Pastor Lloyd Houk will conduct graveside services at 11:30 a.m.Wednesday, in Woods Cemetery, Redfield, Kan.The family will receive friends from 10 until 11 a.m.Wednesday at the Cheney Witt Chapel, Fort Scott. Memorials are suggested to the Uniontown FFA and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, P.O. Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Thomas A. Burns, age 83, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., passed away Friday, September 8, 2017, at the Country Place Senior Living Facility in Fort Scott.
He was born January 23, 1934, in Burrton, Kan., the son of Howard Burns and Mary Westfahl Burns.Tom graduated from High School in Nixa, Mo.He married Fama Jean Horst on August 16, 1953.She preceded him in death on March 31, 2008.He later married Jeannine Scrivner on February 20, 2010.Tom had worked as both a correctional officer and counselor for Leavenworth Federal Prison for more than 20 years.During this time, he served as Union President of American Federation of Government Employees Leavenworth Chapter.He was a member of the St. John’s United Methodist Church and a former member of the Easton, Kan., Masonic Lodge.Tom enjoyed fishing, hunting and woodworking as well as metal detecting.
In addition to his first wife, Fama Jean, Tom was preceded in death by a son, James Howard Burns.Survivors include his wife, Jeannine, of the home in Fort Scott; James’s children, Jason Burns and his son, Truman Burns and James’s daughter, Sarah Burns and her son, Atticus Burns.Also surviving is a daughter, Mary Corpstein and husband James, of Fort Scott, and their three sons, Craig Corpstein and wife, Ruth, Charles Corpstein and Corey Corpstein and wife, Nikki Daly; a son, Thomas Ray Burns and his wife, Cathy, of Pittsburg, and his son, Aaron Burns and wife, Hannah and a daughter, Sandra Dee Gurss and husband, Gary, of Leavenworth, Kan., and her children, Kyle Gurss and Claudia Gurss.Also surviving are four step-sons, Gregory Scrivner and wife, Kristie, of Winchester, Kan., Neil Scrivner also of Winchester, Paul Scrivner and wife, Lauri, of Kansas City, Missouri and Wayne Scrivner and wife, Mona, of Hot Springs, Mont.; thirteen step-grandchildren and nine step-great-grandchildren.Tom was also preceded in death by four sisters, Irene Blankenship, Margaret Dyer, Evelyn Hennessey and Wilma McCutchen and four brothers, Wayne Sylvester, Robert and Eugene Burns.
Pastor Tom Mullins will conduct funeral services at 11 a.m. Monday, September 11, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.Burial will follow in the Centerville Cemetery.The family will receive friends on Monday from 10 a.m. until service time at the Cheney Witt Chapel.Memorials are suggested to St. John’s United Methodist Church or Lee’s Paws & Claws and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Ronald L. Ater, age 65, a former resident of Fort Scott, Kan., and more recently of Olathe, Kan., passed away Monday, September 4, 2017, as the result of a motorcycle accident in Olathe.
He was born December 5, 1951, in Fort Scott, the son of Ivan Ater and Lois Cooper Ater.He had served with the United States Army where he had been stationed in Germany.Following his military service, he began a career with Westar Energy, where he worked as a serviceman for many years prior to retirement from the company.Ron loved being outdoors and riding his motorcycle.He took numerous motorcycle trips throughout the country.He also enjoyed animals, especially parrots.
Survivors include a son, Charles Ater, of Olathe and a daughter, Miste Maschino and husband, Matthew, of Springfield, Mo.; three grandchildren, Madyson Brushwood and husband, Levi, Arabella Maschino and Brant Maschino, all of Springfield.Also surviving is a brother, Tim Ater, and wife, Pam, of Nevada, Mo.; his step-father, Wayne Houston, of Richards, Mo., several nieces and nephews and his special pet parrot, Mojo.He was preceded in death by his father, Ivan Ater, and his mother, Lois Houston.
Following cremation, Robert Clark will conduct a graveside service at 1:30 p.m.Wednesday, September 13, at the U. S. National Cemetery, where military honors will be provided by the Olson Frary Burkhart Post #1165 Veterans of Foreign Wars. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. until leaving for the cemetery at 1:15 p.m.at the Cheney Witt Chapel.Memorials are suggested to the Wounded Warrior Project and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott will host a Diabetes Support Group on Monday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. in the McAuley Conference Room located on the main level near the lobby. The session topic is Managing and Reducing Risk of Long-term Complications of Diabetes.
Patty Ryan, R.N., will discuss risk reduction, symptoms to report and available treatments. The support group is open to the public. No registration is required. Light refreshments will be served. Family members are encouraged to attend as well.
To learn more about this topic or other important information regarding managing diabetes, join the Mercy Diabetes Support Group. The group meets the third Monday of every other month. The next meeting date is scheduled for November 20.
For more information, contact Patty Ryan, R.N., at 620-223-8412.
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. (Philippians 1:6, AMP)
God is not finished with me yet.
(Insert the “Hallelujah” chorus!)
And He isn’t finished with you either.
Of course, in my case He is running out of time since I’m slightly (ahem) over the half-century mark, a fact that confronted me the other day as I was organizing some family photos taken when the kids were young. What should have brought great memories made me sad. Babies had turned into adults, some with grown babies of their own, but no one had changed as much as I had. What happened to the thick mane, the trim body, the sagless eyes, the single chin? It didn’t help when this week my fifteen-year-old grandson, Drake, told us his height and weight and Dave shared, “Those were Grandma’s measurements when we got married.”
Drake got a kick out of that.
So did Dave, if you know what I mean.
Now, as I creak out of bed in the morning, rely on an occasional Aleve to calm the joint pain caused from pickle ball, and have to wait for my knee’s permission to navigate the stairs, I still have it a whole lot better than it will be in a decade when I will have even less hair, more aches, sags and chins.
(Delete the “Hallelujah” chorus!)
I’ll be honest. It’s much easier appreciating what I used to be and not what God sees in me now. I see a flawed, finished work as opposed to a work in progress. In reality, I negate the beauty of the work God has done—and is doing—in my life. What a waste! Look at the scripture above. None of us will be flawless until “the day of Jesus Christ.” Perfected beauty is nonexistent until we see God face to face. Where we are today is where we need to be so He is able to continue His work.
No matter what a mess we are physically, mentally or emotionally. God continues to paint on our life’s canvas. Can you imagine someone having the gall to criticize Michelangelo’s partially-completed painting of the Sistine Chapel half-way through his four-year project? I’m betting that viewers, privileged to watch him at work on scaffolding 68 feet above ground, were in awe of his masterpiece and told him so, even though he, the master painter, probably yelled from above, “Just you wait!” Nevertheless, to the observer, the finished frescoes would have taken their breath away. In their eyes, how could it ever be more spectacular?
God sees us as Michelangelo saw his Sistine project. Our Creator can transform our complaining view of our earthly bodies if we stop fighting him for the paint brush and appreciate what strokes he is perfecting now as he continues to make us a reflection of His eternal glory.
We are, in reality, a work in progress.
And I don’t know about you, but that makes me smile.
Western Senior Living apartment complex has a designated unit for a homeless person.
Homelessness in Fort Scott is being addressed, at least for one person at a time, by a local business.
Western Senior Living apartments at 8 East First Street, opened in January 2017 and has 35 apartments for lease, with one designated for a homeless/ transitional individual in the community.
When renovated and re-purposed, the old Western Insurance Building became apartments that were designated for individuals who have income at 60 percent or 50 percent or 40 percent of median income level, said Diane Kelsey, regional manager for Flint Hills Management.
“In addition, there is one homeless unit,” Kelsey said. “You have to be designated homeless by an agency. At that point, rent is 30 percent of their income, or $100, whichever is greater.”
There is currently an individual living in the homeless designated unit.
“They sign a year lease when they move in,” she said. “Then at the end of the year, we re-evaluate their circumstances. The maximum they can stay is two years. This is to give them a more stable place to stay.”
The individual has to meet the same criteria as other residents: pass a background check and have credit, she said.
Kelsey said she has apartments available for lease currently that are not designated for the homeless. Prices range from $370 to $550 a month for a one bedroom apartment and $610 to $710 for a two bedroom.
Kelsey said 80 percent of the apartments have requirements of income.
“Twenty percent are market rate,” she said. “Which means no
income requirements.”
The bedroom closet in the apartment currently available at Western Senior Living.A single bedroom unit currently empty at Western Senior Living apartment complex.The bathroom of the one bedroom apartment currently available at Western Senior Living.Western Senior Living is located at 1st and Main Streets in downtown Fort Scott.
For more information call 620-223-1718 Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
