Page 11 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2019- Online Magazine

produced four children: Kent, Michele, Rhonda and To everything there is a season, and a time to every
Tammy. They now also have four grandchildren and purpose under the heaven:
three great-grandchildren.
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to
Faith, farm and community service were the plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
cornerstones of the family.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break
Ronnie and Elsie spent many years delivering Meals on down, and a time to build up;
Wheels and brought Communion to those in the Slaton
Care Center, Library of Legacy, and to the homebound A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to
for 39 years, where they spent hours visiting about mourn, and a time to dance;
times past. No one was ever a stranger, just a friend A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather
they hadn’t met yet. Everyone was welcome at the stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to
dinner table, where my grandmother could prepare a refrain from embracing;
feast worthy of any four star restaurant. Family was
always the most important thing to them, and their A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep,
home was always a gathering place for holidays. and a time to cast away;

Ronnie and Elsie attended St. Joseph’s Catholic Church A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep
in Slaton for 57 years and were very involved in church silence, and a time to speak;
activities. For the dryland farmers, prayer was a way
of life in the home of Ronnie and Elsie. During times A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war,
of bad weather, members of the family could be found and a time of peace.
gathered in the living room on their knees praying the
rosary, asking for protection of the family and crop.
It was their faith in God and each other that allowed
them to persevere. As anyone who has ever tilled the
soil can attest to, it can try even the strongest among
us. It was Ronnie and Elsie’s love for the land and
an undying love for each other that allowed them to
weather any storm.

I was able to spend a great deal of time with my
grandparents as I worked on the farm, side-by-side
with Grandad, for most of my life, and I got to see
firsthand what true love was. I never heard an ill
word or an argument - only the language of what a
marriage should sound like. We unexpectedly lost my
Grandad in June of this year; however, their legacy of
love will forever live in the hearts of their family as we
all strive to be more like them every day. We all live
with the life message that they have instilled in us:
Have faith, trust in God, maintain a sense of humor
and embrace hard work. One of my grandparents’
favorite scriptures is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

Lubbock Senior Link 11