The Twenty-third Psalm

I remember how I felt the first time I heard and read the 23rd Psalm. 

It was at my Aunt Mae's funeral.  I was 12 years old.  I was becoming aware. Aware of so many things. The sobering reality of death. 

My Aunt Mae was sick for a long time.  She had cancer.  I never really had any other details about that, and I never will.  My mother was Mae's younger sister.  Another sister, Emma, and my mother took care of Mae for more than a year.  They knew she was dying.  They did what they could for her as she grew weaker.

At my Aunt Mae's funeral the pastor read Psalm 23, and I grasped the beauty of that passage, the love, the depth.  
I cried harder as he read....

Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Lorne Greene reads The Twenty Third Psalm


wiki/Psalm_23




God Bless.
Amen.



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market or grocery...

I got into a little discussion about grocery stores,...actually "supermarkets" vs smaller markets...  For the purpose of explaining the discussion a market is a smaller shop, and there would be a separate butcher shop for meats, a baker for bread and cookies or biscuits, etc.  

When I say "grocery store" I mean what some people call a 'supermarket' meaning that it is all inclusive, with over-the-counter pharmacy type items, soaps, miscellaneous cleaners, pet food, and a liquor department. 

Not far from where I live is a fantastic "supermarket" called Woodman's Markets.  These are a chain of just 17 grocery stores.  All inclusive, but no actual pharmacy.  They are, as I said, Fantastic! 

Yes, technically they are supermarkets.  They have a wonderful selection of anything you would expect to find in a supermarket.  They have reasonable prices too.  That is a benefit of being employee owned.  If something does not sell well enough it won't be there for long.  

I had been in a few different Woodman's Markets in Wisconsin (their headquarters is in Janesville), and northern Illinois.  At first I did not like the sheer enormity of their stores... but then,... I was diagnosed with an illness that requires avoiding a specific food ingredient... I need to shop in the "Natural/Organic" food aisles.  At the time of my diagnosis my local Woodman's was in the process of doubling the size of their "Natural/Organic" department.  What a bonus for me! Immediately Woodman's became my main grocery stop, and in short order my ONLY grocery stop.

There is something about their stores.... to a new visitor they appear to be like a lot of other supermarkets...  But to me, they are unique.  I have spoken with their employees, and witnessed the staff in action. Including the managerial staff... stocking shelves, and helping customers locate items... and I have asked about certain items... and always the staff either knows the answer or very quickly finds the answer.

This may not be my parents market, which was a small grocer with a butcher counter in the back....
Raffetto's Market on Ellinwood Street in Des Plaines, Illinois,....  
I am fairly certain that my parents would like Woodman's despite it's size.

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