Merry Christmas from the Turners

Here is our annual Christmas picture and our prayer for you is that this will be a wonderful Christmas season as you celebrate the birth of the King.

My Tribute to My Mom

I am including the tribute that I read at my mom's service yesterday. What an amazing lady she was. This is probably going to be my last post for the year. I am choosing to fast from blogging and just enjoy my family.

I do want to say thank you for praying for our whole family during my mom's illness and home going. Please remember my dad, Charles. It was hard leaving him today but I know that he will be okay. God bless each of you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Hey Mom
I just want to say thanks for a couple of things that you taught me:

Actually it is a lot more than a couple, but people will think this will go quicker if I just say it is a couple of things.

You have taught me how to laugh. Your quick, dry wit and your keen sense of seeing the funny stuff in the midst of difficult times has been a blessing.

You have taught me how to influence others. There are many folks that we have talked to through the years and now in the past few days who have spoken of the influence you have had on their lives. I never had you as a teacher in a formal educational setting, but I had you in the laboratory of life as a young child to now a 44-year-old man.

You have taught me how to focus on the things that really matter. Your love for people that you modeled showed me the importance of loving people for who they are and for seeing in them the potential to be whom God wants them to be.

You have taught me that without Christ we are nothing. Your faith in life and in your last days is a great testimony to the glory of God. It is Christ who makes us worthy and Him alone.

You have taught me the importance of being loving and faithful to my mate. You and dad are an incredible testimony to the power and grace of God and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

You have taught me to live life to its fullest. It is too bad that most of the folks in here did not get to see you rear a couple of boys and a husband as well. You have always been the queen of our house. You were spoiled and it is just the way we all wanted it.

You have taught me that my dad is a great man. He is undoubtedly the greatest man that I have ever known. For James and I to be identified because we look and act like dad is a great honor. He loves you and will miss you but knows that you are now home.

Thanks for not only teaching me how to live, but how to die with grace, faith, and dignity. I will miss you, but because of Christ will be with you again some day. I wonder if you are rolling your hair, picking your lips, and eating popcorn? There probably is no need to keep picking your lips and save some popcorn for me. I love you.

Paul

What A Day

Today was long, sad, amazing, uplifting, and all in all a very good day. If someone would have told me that the day that we celebrated my mom's life and then buried her could have been a good day, I would have thought they were crazy.

My day started around 6a and I got out for a 5-mile run and then back to ready myself and the rest of the family for the service. We arrived up at the church about 9a and visited with those who could not make it last night. More people than I can remember we talked to this morning. My best guess is that 350 people were present for the service. My dad did a welcome and had us laughing and his strength was amazing. The music was beautiful; Sondra sang a song that my mom wanted her to sing, my brother played victory in Jesus and said some of the sweetest things about my mom and I read a quick note to my mom. What an honor to be able to honor my mom. Dr. Tom Hunter, a long time friend of my parents who just lost his wife to cancer in August, did the majority of the speaking and the way that he personalized his address was beautiful. Mr. Sancken, mom's school administrator, did a beautiful job of paying tribute to my mom. The things he said were so on target and it was obvious he knew my mom well and loved her.

We came back to my folks' house, (about 17 of us cousins, aunts, kids, grandkids, etc.) and it was big fun. We ate quickly and then climbed in the car to head to Gallatin to bury mom. Our trip up went well and Gary Taylor, good friends of our family, said a few words and then we were off for home. We stopped for a meal at Chili's and then started making our way home. There was an accident on I-435 that slowed us down considerably and then we had a blowout about 10 minutes later. Dad has OnStar on his car and they came a fixed it and we got home about 715p.

It was a good day. I know that sounds weird, but God's grace and peace were so evident and his protection as well with the blowout. It could have been bad. I want to thank you again for your prayers on our behalf. It is obvious that many have been praying. We have all experienced the grace and peace of Christ in a way that none of us have ever experienced before and we praise Him for that.

Enough sermon, but we do serve a loving, merciful God. Tomorrow, Sondra and the girls and I head to Bolivar to spend time with her family. We are so very blessed.

Grace and Peace

Two words for the day. I got up and did a 5-miler and then came back, cleaned up and then all of us headed to the funeral home to see mom. God's peace was present like I have never felt before. My dad, brother and I were just amazed by God's grace. The funeral home did a good job with mom's body and with all that she has gone through the past few months, they did a remarkable job.

Lunch was provided by mom's school and it was good and plentiful. We must have greeted over 300 people at the church tonight and it was fun to see people I had not seen for 30 years or more and to be around some of mom's former students, friends and people who love my mom so much.

What a blessing my mom has been to so many. What a privilege for me to have been born to the parents that I have. My parents' good friend, Tom Hunter, arrived this afternoon and will be doing the main part of the service. He recently lost his wife to cancer and is such a strong blessing and friend to my dad.

Thanks to so many that have prayed. Special thanks to Dan Borsos who flew up to be here tonight to support me. Dan is a good friend of ours from Nashville and came over today to support me and the rest of us.

I will post on Friday but thanks so much for praying for us and the service and burial tomorrow. Pray for traveling mercies as we go to Gallatin, MO to bury mom. Thanks so much also for the many expressions of support and prayer via email, text messages, phone calls, etc.

Tuesday

It has been a pretty good day today. Sondra and the girls arrived this morning via Southwest and it is good to have them here. We pretty much just hung out with a leisurely day. We did a few errands and the equipment that mom had used was picked up so the hospital bed and other stuff is gone now.

Dad is doing pretty well and he spent time with Sondra, Shelbi, and Morgan telling them about mom's last few hours and final minutes on earth. What a blessing to have a dad like I do that is so sweet and tender and modeling grace. It was amazing to listen and watch him with them. We have shed some tears together and laughed quite a bit too.

Tomorrow morning we all go to see mom and then tomorrow afternoon head to the church to receive people for visitation. I ask that you pray for us in the morning. I think it will be a tough time for us. Thanks so much for praying for us.

If you would like to sign the online guest book you can do so at the Dickey Funeral Home website.

Monday's Journey

Not much sleep last night. Not really because I felt all that sad but my mind was just racing with some pretty good thoughts of mom. I was up around 430a to shower and get ready to catch an early flight to KC. The flight was on time and it was good for my dad, brother and sister-in-law to pick me up. We got to mom and dad's around 10a and it was really weird to come into the house without mom being here. It was dad's first time to come back home and mom not be here too.

Today has been filled with tears, laughter, tears, laughter and then some more laughter. We headed to the funeral home to make final arrangements and then my brother and sister-in-law headed home. Dad and I caught some supper at Applebee's and it was the first time dad has eaten out in almost three months. It was good to just spend some time with dad.

Sondra and the girls head up tomorrow am and it will be good for them to be here.

Here are the arrangements for my mom, Frances Turner.
Visitation will be from 6-830p Wednesday, December 19 at the Harrisonville Mennonite Church (mom taught at the school sponsored by the church for many years.) Celebration of Life service will be Thursday, December 20 at 10a at the same place. Burial will be in Frances' hometown of Gallatin, MO and she will be buried by her father, mother and brother. All the arrangements are being handled by Dickey Funeral Home here in Harrisonville.

Here is a short obituary I wrote this morning:

Frances A. Turner of Harrisonville, MO passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on December 17, 2007 at the age of 65.
She was born in Gallatin, MO on July 21, 1942 to John and Nellie Lindsey. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Eugene. She was married to Rev. Charles H. Turner on June 20, 1959 who survives her. They are the proud parents of two sons and their wives, James and Julie Turner (Independence, MO) and Paul and Sondra Turner (Hermitage, TN). Frances was a loving grandmother to her five grandchildren, Cassy Schopfer, James Robert (Jimmy) Turner, Paul Turner, Shelbi and Morgan Turner and to her two great-grandchildren, Haley and Ava Schopfer.
Frances was a lifelong learner and taught over 30 years at Tri-City Christian, Beaumont, Christian, New Hope Christian and Harrisonville Christian Schools. She taught children’s church, Sunday school and was a leader in the women’s ministry at First Baptist Church, East Lynne.
She was continually volunteering or teaching and was involved with CASA as a Child Advocate; volunteered as a parole officer in Jackson County, MO; earned an Administration of Justice degree from UMKC; and was awarded Who’s Who Among America’s Teacher nine times. Frances loved life and her family and friends. Visitation will be Wednesday evening December 19 with celebration of life service at 10am, Thursday, December 20 at Harrisonville Mennonite Church, Harrisonville, MO. Contributions can be made to First Baptist Church, East Lynne through Dickey Funeral Home.

Thanks so much for praying for my dad and the rest of us. It is obvious that people are praying.

Mom Passed Away

My brother called about 12:20 this morning to say that mom passed away around 12:15 this morning. He said that she just eased into heaven. I am so thankful for those of you who have faithfully prayed for my mom and dad. I talked to dad and he is doing pretty good for now. My cousin Barbara was there and dad said that she just sort of talked my mom into heaven.

I fly up early today and will be with my dad and brother. We have already done most of the funeral plans and will just need to go by the funeral home to determine the day and times. I will post those here as soon as I know them.

So many of you have been so faithful to pray for mom and dad and we covet your prayers still as we walk through the celebration of my mom's life. There are many things running through my head right now, but I do feel the peace and the presence of God in a great way.

Mom is Nearer Home

I talked to my mom on the phone a few minutes ago and told her goodbye. It really looks as though she will not make it through the night. I have talked to my dad and brother and my cousin, Barb is a RN and is there at the house with mom, dad, James and Julie. It does not look like I will make it to KC in time tomorrow before she passes. Those things can change, but it appears that mom is very near going home.

Thanks so much for praying.

Not Looking Good

I talked with dad a few minutes ago and it is not good. All the flights out are pretty much sold out so I am deciding to keep my early Mon. flight. There is one that would get me there about midnight but I do not want to keep my family up that long to come and get me from the airport.

Thanks for praying.

Sunday Morning

We are in the process of getting ready for church this morning and most of the rain missed us yesterday but we do have a little snow/sleet falling outside but looks like we will dodge the big stuff.

Our girls teams split yesterday with the jv playing really flat and only scoring 6 points the entire game. It was pretty ugly. Our varsity girls got an ugly win against a pretty good FRA team that did not play as well yesterday either. We won by 2 in OT but were glad to get the win. We shot poorly from the free throw line or we would have won in regulation by about 10. A win is a win and our girls did not give up and that is always good to see.

Mom sleeps most of the time, eats little to nothing and is pretty much uncommunicative. I head up in the morning and am looking forward to seeing them. I have been away for two weeks which is a long time considering how much time I have spend in KC.

Thanks so much for praying for my parents. Pray especially for my mom to have continued peace her last few days on this earth. Pray for my dad who is really sad these days (and understandably so). He is just the greatest man I know and the way he is caring for my mother is just unprecedented. What a picture of grace and service.

Saturday

Looks like big rain coming our way and maybe a little snow later tonight. It was fairly cold run this morning but a nice little 5-miler. Last night's game against Cheatham Co. was a great game for the Lady Wildcats. They showed a lot of patience and committed few turnovers to come away with a 14 point victory. The fun part for me was calling some color for a local radio station. A friend of mine does the play by play for Cheatham Co. and asked me to sit in. It has been a long time since I have done any radio but it was lots of fun. The Lady Cats play again this afternoon against FRA here at home.

I talked to dad this morning and mom is not eating much at all, drinking in a few fluids and resting alot. Hospice has told us that it looks like one to two weeks. She has fooled us before but things really seem to be shutting down now. Thanks so much for praying for my mom and dad. I head over early Monday am. Sondra and the girls come over in the middle of the week since the girls have practice and a dentist appt.

Thursday Update

Mom seems to be just sort of hanging in these days. She is eating less and less, responding little and really moving towards that home going. Dad seems to be hanging in okay and my cousin is staying the night tonight so that dad gets a good night's sleep. My brother stayed last night and mom is sleeping alot now, but it is good for dad not to have to worry about mom's every little move in the night.

Tomorrow is my last day in the office for the year. I have too many days of vacation left and will lose about three days but can carry 5 days into the new year.

I ran a 10-miler this morning in the rain by myself since my regular running buds decided not to run in the rain I guess. I did meet a homeless man named Joe today and had a great conversation with him for about 10 minutes. He asked nothing of me and it was time well spent for me. He had a life story that is very interesting and has been hanging out at the Y in the mornings. Hope to see him again tomorrow.

Our annual runner's Christmas breakfast is tomorrow morning and we go to Pancake Pantry, enjoy the food and one another's company. One of our running buddies, Ron Kramer is in for the event (he lives in Florida now) and I saw him on the Vandy campus today. I stopped the car, got out and hugged his neck and we caught up for a few minutes. It will be a fun morning.

Thanks so much for praying for mom. It really does seem as though she is heading into her final days. Pray for her and my dad. They are just incredible people and I am a blessed son.

Back in Nashville

I caught my flight home from Dallas this morning and was glad all was on time. Made it to work and had a couple of meetings and then got a haircut and made a visit with the chiropractor. It is good to get some things done that needed to be done.

I made it home around 5p and then headed out for a 5-miler in the dark and the rain. Had the reflective vest on with a brightly colored shirt and managed to not get run over.

Mom is a little better today and my brother is at mom and dad's tonight. He is so good to help out. Dad sounded a little tired, but overall pretty good considering I know he must be both physically and emotionally tired. Thanks so much for praying for my parents.

Day 2 in Dallas

Weird weather here in Dallas where it was 48 went I went to bed and 65 when I woke up. It has been pretty misty and foggy, but running this morning in the rain and in the 60s was not all bad. I ended up only running 7 since it started raining pretty hard though.

Mom is not well today at all. Dad says she has not eaten, slept most of the day and has been uncommunicative. Dad sounded sort of tired but he is always so level headed about things. Mom has done this to some extent before but she appears to be sinking lower this time than any of the other times in the past. We will see. I ask that you just pray as so many of you have been doing. Thanks so much for doing that.

I head home tomorrow and look forward to being back home. My meetings have not been overly productive this trip in trying to secure some contract consultants. This is proving to be harder than I hope it would be.

It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow here so I am praying I get out of here on time in the morning. We shall see.

Big D

I am in Dallas today and tomorrow and head back to Nashvegas Weds. am. We used to live here so it is good to come back, see some friends and get some work done. I am doing some interviewing for potential contract folks that we are looking to use as an extension of what we do at LifeWay. I left Nashville this morning after running in 65 degree weather, connected through St. Louis (to save a little money) and dodged the ice there and arrived in Dallas where it is pretty cold and wet.

I talked to mom today and she knew who I was and we enjoyed a short conversation. She seems to be hanging in there. They are supposed to get some really bad ice tonight, so pray that their power does not go out. Dad has made some contingency plans in case they need to get to somewhere else for their protection. Dad is on the ball for sure.

Thanks for praying for my mom and dad. Also say a prayer for our daughters as they are taking semester exams this week.

Saturday is for Work

Before I update you on Saturday's work, let me tell you about Fri. night ballgames. Our varsity girls' team won pretty big and Morgan had a great slide during the game. She was going for a loose ball, got hit by her own player and ended up sliding on her hip and shoulder for about 15 feet. It was great and really pretty funny. We won by about 30 I think and our jv played quite a bit.

This morning started out with a 5-miler in the mist that made for a pretty decent rain. It is in the high 50s - mid 60s today so it was pretty nice. Went to watch Shelbi and one of her friends coach their 4th/5th grade girls basketball team and then headed home to work getting the leaves up in the yard. It was raining some but I had to get it done so I raked them all up and then mowed the lawn in the rain. Weird, I know, but it really was the only time I have had to do it. The yard looks good with the new grass in now and the leaves up and gone.

Mom is doing pretty good today and I even talked to her on the phone and she was pretty clear. They are getting some really cold weather in KC right now. My brother and sister-in-law are staying at my parents tonight to help with any potential challenges due to called for ice and possibly snow.

Our varsity girls played CPA today and beat them by 14. It was a really good win for us. CPA is a pretty good team so it was good to pull away down the stretch and we went 16 of 17 from the free throw line. That has never been done by us before.

Thanks for praying for my mom and dad.

Ahh . . .Friday

This has been one busy week. I am so thankful for the job that I have where I get to network with some of the greatest folks in student ministry across the country. It was a tiring, busy week, but it was great fun and very rewarding.

Mom is hanging in and I even spoke with her on the phone yesterday and she knew who I was. The past few days she has been in and out and mostly out. Even when she is awake she is not very aware of what is going on and is very confused about things. My dad seems to be hanging in as well but I know that it is very hard for him when mom is so very confused. Weds. evening was really rough but yesterday was much better.

I am so very thankful for those of you who have been praying, contacting us and genuinely concerned for my mom. It is so very comforting to know that so many people care.

I am planning on being home this weekend to get some things done around the house and the girls play basketball tonight and tomorrow and Sunday afternoon is Shelbi's volleyball banquet. I need to get the leaves raked up this weekend as well and do a little mulching. No rest for the ornery. Have a great weekend and thanks so much for caring and for praying for my mom and dad.

It Is A Busy Time

I am in meetings all week for work with about 800 of our partners from across the US visiting us here in Nashville. It is great to see many old friends and colleagues and meet new ones. I have a great job that is about helping people which is very rewarding. It does make for some early mornings and late evenings filled with meetings though.

Mom is sort of holding her own. It is continually an up and down, roller coaster kind of experience. She is just not very well right now, but continues to smile and be thankful. Dad is doing pretty well right now but I know is very tired.

Our girls' basketball team in up and down as well. We lost to FRA last night in OT. Pretty frustrating to play and pretty frustrating to watch. At some point I think we are going to have to figure out how to penetrate, kick it out and spot up and hit some shots and then move the ball inside. We shoot alot from the outside, but do not get the ball low very often at all. Can you tell one of my daughters is a post player? Actually, I think I am fairly objective that we have to mix it up some on the offensive side though.

Thanks for praying for mom and dad.

Back to Nashville

Had a pretty good weekend with my mom this weekend. She was fairly alert when I arrived mid-afternoon on Sat. and then was up most of the evening talking about alot of things. She actually was pretty funny and at the same time, we talked about some pretty major things. She is about ready for heaven she said. In fact, she edited herself and said she was ready at any time. We talked about some of her family members who have passed and how ready she was to see her dad again who died in 1968. What a blessing it was to spend the time talking with her.

I am headed back to Nashville sitting in the Kansas City airport. It is going to be a very busy week with many of our state partners in town. Many meetings, meals and good conversations. I am thankful for the people who represent work in our state conventions and am glad to call them not only partners and co-workers, but friends as well.

The girls have a couple of games each this week and this is their last full week of the semester with tests coming up next week. There is still alot to be done before the holidays hit full steam but I am looking forward to a little time off.

Thanks for praying for my mom and dad. Mom is really up and down right now. Sat. was good, Sun., not so good and when I left early this am she was just sort of hanging around.

Going a Few Miles

It is Saturday night and MU is currently behind OU but I am pulling for Mizzou to come through. Only Ohio State fans could want them backing into the BCS championship game.

We were in Alcoa last night for the football semi-finals and DCA came in second but had a great season. I would have never predicted that DCA would make it to the state semi-finals this year. I was really proud of them. We lost 38-0 to a really good Alcoa team. They are the three time defending state champions and will probably win again this year against Goodpasture. Goodpasture has lost two years in a row to them in the state championship.

We drove back this morning after spending the night with some friends in Maryville and then I caught a flight to KC to be with mom and dad. Mom has had three really bad days but today seems to be doing fairly well. She is sitting in the chair next to me while I write this. What a blessing for me to have her sitting here. I know these times together will be few.

Thanks so much for praying for my mom and dad. We are thankful for every few hours or minutes that mom is fairly coherent. What an amazing lady.