My Love for Texas: A Look Back at its Beauty

I recently wrote a blog on living in South Carolina, The Palmetto State, for 21 years of my life.  I added that I would follow up with a blog about the 9 years I lived in Texas, during the 1980s and early 1990s.  In some ways, Texas (The Lone Star State) was the place where the Lord planted me, allowed me to mature some, and prepared me for the next steps in my life. I will forever have many special places in my heart for Texas and its people and places after living there for the 9 years.

 Here are my Top 10 Reasons I love Texas:

1    Spiritual Rebirth.  My spiritual rebirth happened at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas in 1982.  

      San Angelo is in the heart of west Texas, southwest of Fort Worth and northwest of San Antonio.  It has roadrunners, tumbleweed, snow and ice in the winter and strong heat in the summer.  Most of all it will be the place where I look back and see where my life was forever changed during the 6 months I lived there in 1982.  It is a spiritual marker of grand proportion for my life.

      Our daughter Heather was born in San Antonio at the UT Health Science Center/Bexar County Hospital.  I remember that day like it was yesterday.  She is now 23.  Dr Higby was there and I cut the umbilical cord! 

      Big Bend National Park.  It has mountain peaks that hover at 7,800 (Chisos Mtns) and then drop down to about 1000 feet above sea level at the Rio Grande River.  There are evergreens at the top of the mountains and flora of great color amidst the dry desert in the lower levels.  By far my favorite national park that I have visited.   An amazing place that I highly recommend.  You can camp, raft the river and hike to your heart’s desire for miles and miles.

      The Houston Astrodome.  Been to a bunch of old Astros games in the famous Astrodome.  It was built in 1965.  If you have ever been to Houston you know why the Astrodome was built:  the heat and humidity are almost unbearable! 

      The Texas Hill Country.  The blue bonnets and Indian paintbrushes that bloom in March are spectacular.  Note picture above! 

      The Riverwalk in San Antonio.   It is no wider than most creeks in the north and south yet it is home to great food, entertainment and a short walk from the The Alamo.  The Mexican-American culture is dominant and so full of life and energy on the Riverwalk.

      Padre Island.  This is the beach and island that runs southward from Corpus Christi towards the southern Texas and Mexico border.  In the 1980s one was allowed to drive a car on the beach which was cool and fun to do.  The water is always warm and the beaches are huge. 

8    The People.  Actually, this should be higher than number 8.  I have often noticed and shared with others that Texans and South Carolinians are very similar:  Both are very proud of their state and its heritage.  Both tend to have a strong religious and spiritual fervor in its people.  Barbeque and the love for great food is well known for both.  Many residents in each state are very happy with where they live and seem to be content with never moving from it.  Finally, both are made up of some of the friendliest and kindest folk in the lower 48!

  

      The Military.  I was stationed at Lackland AFB (San Antonio), Goodfellow AFB (San Angelo) and then for most of my 4 years at Brooks AFB (San Antonio).  South Carolina was recently voted the most patriotic state and I would bet that Texas was right behind it.  There are military bases all over the state.

  

      Brookhill Baptist Church and Village Parkway Baptist Church.  Both are in San Antonio.  I made my adult profession of faith and received baptism by immersion in 1983 at Brookhill and then in 1991 I was licensed to the Gospel Ministry at Village Parkway.  Some deep spiritual experiences and some religious mile markers that continue to define my life and allow me to anchor back to two important spiritual events in my life. 

An Adopted Son of the Palmetto State

An Adopted Son of the Palmetto State

  

My parents are George J. Rossi and Marjorie B. Gretz.   Dad died in October 2013 and mom is doing fairly well living in the suburban Philadelphia town of Willow Grove.  I have lived in South Carolina since 1993 when I accepted a call as associate pastor to Oakbrook Baptist Church in Summerville.   I have lived in the Palmetto State since then except for a brief church call to Dallas Baptist for about 16 months in Dallas, North Carolina which is about 35 miles west of Charlotte. 

I have used the phrase, “An Adopted Son of South Carolina,” to describe myself because it feels like I am one, i.e. A South Carolinian, and my roots run deep down into this 8^th state to be ratified of the original Colonies.  South Carolina is a gem and this is home.  I feel like the good LORD brought me here and I have loved living here.  We lived on the coastal plain in Summerville for almost 5 years and now Columbia (Irmo) since 1999.  That would be a total of 21 years.  That is 6 more years than the 15 I lived in King of Prussia, in suburban Philadelphia.  The first three years were spent in Flushing (Queens), NYC near my paternal grandparents.   My 9 years in Texas and my love for the Lone Star State will have to wait on a follow up blog! 

What makes South Carolina so awesome?   Here would be my top 10.

The People.  They are down home, kind, welcoming, and friendly. 

The Weather.  Six months of spectacular weather happens from March to May and then September to November.  The three months in the summer can be blistering hot.  The winters are mild with an annual snow or ice storm or two.  Overall, it is sun, sun and sun and an occasional thunderstorm.

The Spiritual and Religious Perspective.  This place is full of churches and many of the people are full of deep faith, trust and commitment rooted in a covenant love with God.    It’s not uncommon to be asked, “Where do you go to church?”

The Beach.  The long coast and water of South Carolina are absolutely beautiful--first Charleston and then the Grand Strand/Myrtle Beach to the north and then the Low country and Beaufort to the south.  The water is usually warm and the shrimp and fish are abundant.

College Football.  The USC Gamecocks, Coastal Carolina, and Wofford; my three favorites.

The Military.  South Carolina is home to Fort Jackson (Columbia), Shaw AFB (Sumter), Charleston AFB, Marine Recruit Station Parris Island, and the Marine Corp Air Station Beaufort and others.  This is one proud state, with the colors red, white and blue all over it! 

A deep love for history.   A love for Revolutionary War history and Civil War history.  An ability to honor the rights and liberties of ALL people.  The ability to find common ground and the deeply held values that all people are created equal and have the same rights. 

The Lakes.  Lake Murray is simply big and beautiful, and so are the Santee Cooper Lakes of Marion and Moultrie down near Charleston.  There are other lakes in the state such as Wateree, Monticello, Keowee, Hartwell, Greenwood, Thurmond, and Wylie to name the big ones.  There is water and fishing everywhere.

It’s Location.  It is in the heart of the South.  Not too far from Atlanta when needed and not too far from the Metropolitan northeast corridor when one needs to travel. 

It’s a Great Place to Raise a Family.  This may be the most important.  I believe my family loves SC about as much as me and on top of that my oldest daughter married a young man from Columbia/Irmo and we are so glad she did.    It’s a blessing to live, work and worship in South Carolina and I am blessed to consider myself An Adopted Son of the Palmetto State!

A Grief Reflection on Mother Emanuel AME Church

Rev. George M. Rossi
June 23, 2015

In her book, “Grief: Contemporary Theory and The Practice of Ministry,”(2010) Dr. Melissa Kelley uses the colorful visual of a mosaic and individual glass shards that make it so beautiful and abstract.  From an artistic perspective, each shard is one part of the larger story.  Each colored shard is used to create a whole, colorful piece of work so that the viewer strongly feels the vibrancy of the artwork.  Yet, grief and loss are like that too.  Loss happens one loss at a time and in one specific way at a time.  Even our knowledge of loss changes over time as information is shared from the media, the survivors and the first responder community.  One’s mosaic (metaphor for loss and life) is broken and shattered.  Life and loss move pieces and stories of our lives to the edge of the mosaic.  It is easy to become depressed, sad, lost, or not have a way to make meaning of all that has happened at Mother Emanuel AME.  A once whole piece of art is now broken.  It is life and it involves loss and just recognizing that fact is so, so very important.

Working and living in South Carolina has put me rather close to the senseless tragedy at Mother  Emanuel AME Church.  I am learning more about the losses.  For example, it was shocking to learn that the gunman killed the pastor of the church.  That is such a rare tragedy and almost too shocking to believe, yet that is what happened.  Next, the tragedy and violence happened in a church where 9 innocent people died and that is beyond belief too.  Even as I attended church on Sunday June 21, just four days afterward, I was having conversations with family and friends about the safety of faith communities and the people who worship in those.  The small glass piece of “safety and security” had been moved to the outer edge of the mosaic.  It was no longer a deep, centered part of the whole and instead it was now a fragment, scattered, and in the process of becoming meaning-less (lost its purpose and place).

So, what can we do?  First, I suggest we recognize that your Life and my Life is a beautiful mosaic.  It's colorful and has a rich, deep and lovely story.  Second, the mosaic has pieces that have moved to the edge of the artwork (life and loss).  Those pieces are important.  When people die those pieces move out and never come back.  Third, we can remember those pieces both intuitively and instrumentally.  Grief is emotional (intuitive) for some and others are more likely to cope instrumentally by doing something (Kelley).  Finally, we can name those losses and pieces of the artwork where loss has happened.  For me I am most impacted by the fact that a very troubled and misguided person killed 9 people in a church while having Bible study and prayer in what is commonly considered a place of peace, serenity and hope (the church building and it gospel mission).  The once strongly held belief of security and hope at Church has been challenged and disputed by a very emotionally and troubled young man who needs redemption.  Even such, we can take our stories and inter-wind it with the greater narrative of Emanuel AME with our own narrative.  Change has happened.  Innocent people have died.  Security and safety are being questioned.  Loss is real.  May we have strength to embrace our losses so that we can be stronger, more purposeful, and even more greatly committed to the love ethic of our faith.  Amen.

Dear God:  I pray you will help me write a new narrative of hope and love even after the painful and devastating events that have happened at Mother AME Emanuel Church.  Amen.

“Working and Learning Together:  We Need Each Other”

Rev. George M. Rossi

One of my daughters recently sent me a note saying that the Peace Corp (PC) wants to employ and use more Baby Boomers (BB).  They want to double its Baby Boomer work force numbers.  About 7% of the workforce in the PC is a Baby Boomer BB and they want 14% I suppose and calculate.  I responded to my daughter by saying:  “Well of course they do, given the work experience, life experience and education (and resources)” of many.  I think it is a great idea on two important levels.  First, intergenerational learning and collaboration is a great need for many companies and many people.  We can learn so much from those who are younger and older than ourselves.  We just need an opportunity to get together, talk, discuss, collaborate and just appreciate other people who may be much younger or much older.  Both groups need each other.  Secondly, the BB group (1946-64) is retiring in great numbers now and will continue for the next 10-12 or so years, maybe more, when the younger BB’s reach age 65.  A fair number of my older ministerial friends have retired or will retire soon.  I recently wrote a research paper on ministers and retirement.  Needless to say there is not a lot of research out there on that topic.  Yet, there is a huge amount of research that says that BB’s (or any older group in any generation for that matter) needs opportunity to be engaged, continue to have meaning, and to find ways to give life back to the community.  

Here is South Carolina we have short leaf and long leaf pines everywhere.  Many of them, when mature and reach “older age” will produce a large number of pine cones.  I have seen some of these trees with top-heavy amounts of pine cones.  For me it is a picture of generativity and productivity.  The older tree is able to give back its best to the land and ecological system after years of growth, struggle, and success.  The same is true for older persons and retirees.  Our communities and societies need ways for senior adults to productively reinvest what they have learned and distilled through life’s lessons.  Giving back could be rewarding and fun too.  It can also be a way to travel and to help others at the same time.  I look forward to the years ahead as I try to give back now and in the future the many learned lessons that makes life joyful and purposeful for me.   As for the Peace Corp I need to think more about that!   

Maintenance: How to Keep What You Have

Today I had to spend a little over 400 dollars for the 90k mile major service that my Honda mechanic recommended for my 2007 Accord.  To be quite honest I have driven two different Honda Civics for 545,000 miles and 447,000 miles respectively so you may say I know a little about keeping a car running!  That is partly true and the other truth is the fact I have excellent mechanics and excellent car shop (Barnhill Automotive, Tommy and Ryan).  Each one of my Civics had about 50k on it when I bought them but either way that is some serious mileage given my commute from Columbia to Charleston five days a week.  I am writing on the topic of “maintenance” because we have to maintain what we have in order to keep what we have.  That is true for cars, heating and A/C units, plumbing, hearts, and overall health.  What we don’t maintain is subject to even greater deterioration without routine and many times expensive care.  I also want to say that we have to maintain our soul and spiritual life.  Taking care of our souls is hard work.  It requires reading, prayer, meditations, charity and gift giving, unconditional love, and extending hospitality to name a few.  We need spiritual practices to keep our spiritual hearts and souls maintained.  When we do we will generally have more peace, fewer “roadside breakdowns,” and a greater sense of purpose and mission each day.  In the routines of maintenance we make friends, strengthen relationships and grow spiritually stronger.  Maintenance makes our bodies, souls and even cars ready for the challenges of everyday life.  Thank God for good car mechanics and thank God that we have life to do “routine maintenance” so that we can faithfully run the race of life.

Dear God:  Help me to maintain all that I have that is good and thank you for all of the good gifts of life! Amen.

Easter Week Meditation

Living and Dying:  Both Are All Too Real Sometimes
Rev. George M. Rossi
March 31, 2015

Galatians 1:18b-26:  Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

The Apostle Paul declares in verse 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  I am not ready to die.  Most if not all are not ready.  Yet, we live in that very lightly veiled world between life and death.  Today I am choosing life.  I choose life because I have a purpose, a mission of service to God and humanity and the will to see what the good future holds.  Easter week is about death and then life.  Jesus dies on the cross—literally.  I had a seminary professor who used to say that physical, real death must happen before resurrection can occur.  I know that there are things in life that are better left undone or omitted.  Even better yet some things need to be expelled and expunged from the soul and the heart and the mind.  That is God’s work.  So, this week, I propose that life and death are very present and real.  There are values and beliefs and actions that need a permanent death.  Yet, there are goals and visions and dreams that need life and energy.  We are living in the middle of God’s will.  Paul said, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  Both are true but until God calls us home let’s seek life and God while we have breath.

The Nest: One Spring Later

Above is a picture of a bird’s nest that sits in one of our crepe myrtle trees in the backyard.  I have been noticing the nest for months even after last spring when the eggs were laid and I presume that the chicks grew and gave flight for the first time.  The “empty nest” can be a sad sight but that is not the direction I want to go.  I want to talk about the warmth, protection, homeliness, and the usefulness of nests.  Many times things like this nest serve their purpose and that is their final destiny.  It is a joyful surrender to a hopeful and good future.  Animals and people evolve, grow, change, and fulfill their potential.  So, may this nest be a reminder that the chicks have reached maturity and the parents have done their work so that the younger ones can flap their wings, reach their purpose, and make a difference in a world that needs them.  It won’t be long before they build a nest and their offspring are born, nurtured and working to fulfill their destinies too.