Pieces of News

Friday, March 17. The PHC student newspaper announced the resignation of four full-time PHC faculty members, effective at the end of the term. Two of the professors have been teaching at the college since it's first year. The news also made it into the local paper, Leesburg Today. It's never encouraging to receive or have to deal with the loss of good faculty or staff members. It's even more difficult with multiple resignations at one time or with-in a very short time period.

Wednesday, March 22. The death of the wife and mother of a well-respected family in BRBC and in the local homeschool community was announced. Mary Ellen had been fighting brain cancer for more than a year and died of an apparent heart attack on Tuesday evening. She will be very much missed, not only by her husband and seven children, but by the many individuals and families who were touched by she and her family's service and sharing.

It was her husband and oldest son that helped me move furniture into my current home. Her two oldest daughters I've gotten to know as leaders at Awana and as students at PHC. Her younger children I've also gotten to know through Awana as kids in Sparks. By invitation, I joined their family for Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago.

My most vivid, recent memory of her is at the BRBC Christmas Play. At that time, she had recently received the diagnosis that her cancer was terminal and that she had only a few weeks to a few months left to live. But she and her family were at the play, providing support for this church production, as they had for so many years. It was the final night, and even as her husband and children stayed late to help put away the set, props, costumes, etc, she (who was limited to a wheelchair due to the loss of balance and control she had suffered with the cancer) was cheerfully chatting with others that remained. As I took a few minutes to talk with her, she asked about my job and activities; not at all focused on herself or seeming discouraged by what she was fighting.