My Pen or is it my keyboard

Psalm 45

Alyce Pyle was fond of quoting "my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer." Alyce was the instigator of the Advent and Lenten meditations at Holy Spirit Houston. She had been involved in their production at her previous church. I had also mentioned them a few times to our priest but I did not have Alyce's success. Because of my interest I was asked to be on the committee formed to produce the first book. Thus I was introduced to Alyce. Alyce is short with a quiet voice. A small but determined woman who had been a big fish in her last church. But her life was different now. After one or two books the committee dwindled to mainly Alyce and I. Now Alyce is not really a practical person. I was more aware of this than she was herself so I let her sweat the organization of the book for a bit since she was determined that it was her book and then when she was in a real quandary as to what to do with a pile of meditations sorted it out into a form suitable to for the long-suffering lady who typed out the book and prepared it for the printer. As you can tell this was a long time ago, before the days of email.

Alyce used to live across the road from our church so it was convenient for me to waste time in her house whilst my daughters were at choir practice. Almost every surface in the house was covered with ornaments. But Alyce gave thanks to God for them all. Alyce liked her things but she also liked giving them away. I have quite a few objects which remind me of Alyce. I drove her to speaking engagements for she had been a bigwig in the Episcopal Church Women. Alyce became my mother for a few years. We would have endless telephone conversations. Much to her son's amusement I gave Alyce a Mother's Day card for quite a few years. I was a daughter that she never had and she was a mother whom I needed. Alyce loved 'dos'. I remember I wore a plain red hat to a luncheon, the next time I saw Alyce I was given a far more elegant red hat.

Our family, the church is a truth. God does provide a family for us in his church.

When we found reluctant writers, those unsure of their ability, for the meditations Alyce would quote the first verse of this psalm. She never doubted that a thought would get to the paper because she kept this verse in her heart. I never doubted that I could string two words together in a moderately coherent sentence but Alyce encouraged me to listen to the small voice and commit the thoughts to paper. To be honest she was not really very interested in what I wrote. She loved to sing me the songs that she had written, I wonder what has happened to them?

Alyce may not be writing anymore, she has been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease for a long time but I hope she is singing. The last time I saw her she was - that is longer ago than it should be. I will keep writing, taping the keyboard, committing my little thoughts to the electronic screen and thank God for Alyce that "My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I write verses for my king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer".