Picket Fences! Part 47

Picket Fences!  Part  47    


REV. JOSEPH WOODS
Joseph Ryan Woods, pastor of
Buford Falls Church, died yesterday
at the church. Rev. Woods, an elder,
was preceded in death by his late
wife, Irene Woods.  Funeral services
will be conducted by Rev. Michael Spain.  
Burial will be in the church cemetary.  


At Buford Falls Church Tuesday morning . . .


Rev. Michael Spain,  the new pastor of the church, conducted the funeral services.

"You his friends and members of  his congregation have come here today to pay your respects and say goodbye to a wonderful friend and respected patriarch of Buford Falls.   Rev. Woods had no family except you his church family.  After the death of his beloved wife Irene, he devoted himself to his ministry.  






Rhys Sawyer and his father Ryan Sawyer (Joseph and Grace's grandson and son) . . .


Kevin Anderson and Ryan Carlson (Rhys' sons) . . .


Noah Alan (Rhys' son) and Nathan Jordan (Jonathan's son) .  . .


Shannan and Jonathan Henry . . .


Nurse Jane and her husband Dr. Thomas Brian . . .


Larry and Joy Anderson . . .


Mary Lou and Peter Edwards . . .


Sam and Emily Martin . . .


Jimmy and Arlene Martin . . .


Betty and Ben Jones . . .


And Rev, Spain's wife Gwen attended the funeral services.


"I'd like to read Rev. Woods' favorite poem"Footprints", said Rev. Spain.

"One night I dreamed I was walking
Along the beach with the Lord,
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints.
Other times there was only one.
This bothered me because I noticed
During the low periods of my life when I was
Suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord, “You promised me,
Lord, that if I followed you,
You would walk with me always.
But I noticed during the most trying periods
Of my life there has only been
One set of prints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
Have you not been there for me?
The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints
It was then that I carried you.”


Those who wish to do so at this time may come forward and mourn Rev. Woods before we go to the cemetary for the graveside service."








Rev. Woods left a request for these verses from Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" be read at his graveside.  They must have had a special meaning for him."

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And
sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, lon I stood And looked
down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair.

I shall be telling this with a sigh.
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took
the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."












At Rhys' place after the funeral service . . .


"You know, I think after Joseph told me about him and Grace , he was finally able to forgive himself.  He always blamed himself, but it won't neither one of them's fault, it just happened", said Ryan.


"We should be thankful it did happen or none of us would be here today", said Rhys.


"I don't understand why Grace didn't tell him she was pregnant.  If she had, he might have married her", said Ryan.


"He couldn't marry her.  He was already married to Irene.  And preachers weren't allowed to get divorced back then", said Rhys.

"Like in that poem he wanted read at his funeral.  There was two roads and he took the one he thought was right, but then found out too late that he should have took the other one", explained Kevin,"Everybody's done things they were sorry for later, but you can't change something that's already happened.  You just make the best of it."


"Yeah, like Dad does", laughed Ryan.


"Kevin, you want to go to the park and hang out?"



"Thanks, but I better go on home.  I need to get some sleep before I go to work tonight."

"How do you like being a paramedic?", asked Rhys.

"I'm just getting started, but I think I'm going to like it", said Kevin.


Ryan called transpotation and asked them to send a taxicab for him.


The taxicab arrived a few minutes later . . .




And Ryan hurried to get in.


The taxi stopped at the entrance to Buford Falls Park and Ryan got out.


As soon as he entered the park he saw a familiar face.


He strutted over to say hello.


"Hey Beautiful", he said, still not knowing her name.


"Hey Ryan!", she said, giving him a friendly hug.


"I was wondering what happened to you", she said.


"I been kinda busy.  But hey, I'm here now!", he said", You wanna get in the hottub?", he asked.

"Sure!", she said.


"Come 'mon, what you waiting for?", he said.


Ryan watched approvingly as she got in.




"Come over here with me", he said.


"Alright", she said.


"Now ain't this better?", he asked.

"Yes, much better", she said.


"You know something, you're really beautiful.", she said.


"Everybody says I look like my dad", said Ryan.

"Who's your dad?", she asked.

"Rhys Sawyer", he said.


"When we were in the hottub at the lake, I would have done more than makeout, if you had asked", she said.


He gave her a passionate kiss . . .


Which she had no problem returning.


"Can we do woo hoo now?", he asked.


And she said YES!


Woo Hoo!


"That was wonderful!", they both agreed.


When she started getting out of the hottub Ryan asked "Where you going?"

"It's getting late. I got to go home.  Call me sometimes", she said.


"Hey wait up Beautiful!", he shouted.


"I don't have your telephone number", he said.

"I'm in the phonebook", she said.

"I . . . I don't know your name", he said.

"I'm Jennifer Custer", she said.


Then he gave her a romantic kiss goodbye.


"I really got to get home", she said.

"I'll call you", he said.


Then Jennifer left to go home.


And so did Ryan.



To be continued . . .