Winter to Spring

I found this in a box under my bed. I've got pictures of the windows somewhere, but will have to share them with you who haven't seen them another time.

June 16, 1996 was the Dedication and Receiving of Ann Dedrick Memorial Windows. The designer read the following at the morning service:

When Reverend Johnson called to see if I would be interested in designing the windows, he described the project as a set of sanctuarydoors which were to be a memorial to Ann Dedrick.... I first drove up to Horseheads from Connecticut in late October of last year. I had never been to this part of New York before and as I drove North and then West on Route 17, I was struck by the spectacular beauty of the hills and the valleys. Distant vistas alternated with close-to- the-road splashed of color from shrubs and wildflowers. There were still lovely fall colors but many leaves had fallen and you could definitely sense the change of the seasons and the approach of November.

I met with Alan Dedrick and Reverend Johnson here at the church and I learned about Ann Dedrick. I learned that Ann loved nature and the out-of-doors; easily understandable having just witnessed the beauty on my drive in. Church designers often think in terms of symbols and I believe it was at this point that the symbolism of seasonal changes in nature, part of God's creation, seemed an appropriate symbol for the seasons of Ann's life - and that what first appears to be the dying of winter is, in fact, the fertile ground from which life springs anew.

Psalm 121 then came into my mind. Over time I explored the possibility of other psalms and prayers but Psalm 121 seemed the best expression of a life live in faith and the knowledge that the soul "shall be preserved." The psalm begins "I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, whence cometh my help" and ends with the verse: "The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even forevermore." ...

...winter to me represents the first of seasons; the time when the earth rests and is replenished by the snow....

These words seem to be almost even prophetic, as I look at my life now. We can never know, as we are in the midst of life, the impact our actions will have. So I pray to God for wisdom, knowing that what I do may impact generations.