Martha was at the heart of things

Today a wee bit after 5:00 pm, little Ella, who is a Girl Scout in the troop that meets at Trinity on Tuesdays, was headed for home.  She had just finished working on a sewing project with Marie Elena.  I asked her if she had sewn something fun today.  She said, “I sewed seven rows on a quilt.”  Wow,” I said, and asked “What color is it.”  “Oh it is many colors,” she said.  “Thanks for telling me about it.  Hope you have a good night,” said I.  “Thanks.  See ya’,” said she.

Over the years in the life of Trinity, there have been lots of short conversations that are never recorded, never become part of our history, but are woven into the fabric of who we are, all the same.

Marie Elena said to me as Ella was leaving, “Oh, I put up a poem I wrote about Martha.  I miss her.  She is in everything here and so much of Northport.  I wrote the poem the day she died . . . and . . . I put it on the bulletin board.”

I read Marie Elena’s poem.  Tears of gratitude welled up within me for Martha, for Marie Elena, for Ella who was hearing and watching this Trinity story of a life savored and a poem written, and for all who loved and were loved by Martha.

I asked Marie Elaina if I could share her poem and she said, “Yes.”  So here it is:

 

In Memory of Martha Roberts

Martha was at the heart of things.

She always knew what to do, and just how it must be done.

A pink and white complected powerhouse, tastefully dressed, sometimes tart of tongue.

Martha died this morning.

She always knew what to do, and just how it must be done.

“Marie, put those dishes in the big cabinet, third shelf down.”

Martha died this morning.

Who will tell me what to do?

“Marie, put those dishes in the big cabinet, third shelf down.”

Her presence was everywhere, the church, the lighthouse, Community Center, and choir.

Who will tell me what to do?

I need Martha’s hard-won wisdom.

Her presence was everywhere, Rag Bee, stone soup, Village Voices, the museum.

She could have ruled a small country, daring, caring, sure-minded, and strong.

I need Martha’s hard-won wisdom.

A woman born to the long-rooted history of this town.

She could have ruled a small country, daring, caring, sure-minded and strong.

A pink and white complected powerhouse, tastefully dressed, sometimes tart of tongue.

A woman born in the long-rooted history of this town.

Martha was at the heart of things.

Marie Elena Gaspari  2016

Martha poems.

There must be a hundred of them written or in the process of evolving to words on paper.  If you have written one (or are in the process), would you consider posting it on this blog in the reply section below?

So many conversations and interactions are woven into the fabric of Trinity and are never recorded, (like the one I had with Ella today) because, well, they are too small in the universe of what really matters.  And yet, it is these small stories that are us.

Share your poems about what really matters here if you wish.

The picture of Martha in this post was taken on November 6, 2016.  She was at Trinity to check on the progress of the making of peanut brittle.  Such a smile!  An unremarkable interaction that has now become remarkable because . . .

well . . .

Martha died early in the morning on Monday of this week, January 25, 2016, about 4:30.  It was quiet and still in Northport as she left us.

She is and will be missed.

Martha L. Roberts’ life will be remembered as people gather for the “visitation” at Martinson’s in Sutton’s Bay on Friday evening of this week from 5-8 pm.  Then we will remember Martha and give thanks for her life beginning at noon on Saturday at Trinity.  The Trinity Choir and members of the Village Voices will sing.  We will sing, we will pray, we will hear scripture, a few selected remembrances of Martha, a Bill Cook solo, and a some words of faith.  After the time of worship, there will be a luncheon including a Martha-recipe of “chicken casserole” for those who wish to stay.  Thank you Suzanne for coordinating the meal with the assistance of many.

Thank you to so many for your condolences and kind words.  Thank you to Bethany Lutheran for your presence and your many offers of assistance and support.  It is a privilege to be in the same block with you.

Many of you know Martha’s story.  She was born in Northport on August 11, 1940.  Her parents were Frederick and Daisy Baumberger.  She was their tenth child.  She was raised a Methodist.  She was her high school graduating class valedictorian.  Martha and Carlyle married in 1958 at the Northport Methodist church and then moved downstate for eight years before returning to Northport in 1966.  The year before they came back, 1965, Northport Methodist Church and First Congregational became one family of faith, Trinity Church, of the United Church of Christ.  Martha’s loyalty to “this new church” never wavered.

When Trinity was remodeled, six of the stained glass windows from Northport Methodist were incorporated into the worship space of Trinity.  Two of the six windows are dedicated to Martha’s forebears.  The windows are described as follows in the 2005 Pictorial Directory of Trinity Church:

In memory of Frederick Baumberger and Mary Elizabeth Baumberger – Mr. Baumberger was a civil war veteran and he began farming in the Northport area in 1875.  The Baumberger’s would spend the school year in Indiana where Mrs. Baumberger’s parents lived.  They are the grandparents of Mrs. Martha Roberts.

In memory “Aunt” Susie R. Baumberger and “Aunt” Lida I Baumberger – These are Frederick’s daughters and the aunts of Mrs. Martha Roberts.  These ladies were stalwart members of the Methodist Church.  They were the overseers of the church as well as of each new minister and his family.

Marie Elena is relatively new to Northport.  Patricia and I are newer still.  Even as “newbies” we get that “Martha was at the heart of things.”

Thank you Martha!

Thank you Marie Elena.

Thank you Ella.

Thank you to all who have graced this community of faith with your lives and heart.

Thank you to all of you from other communities of faith who have graced churches, synagogues, temples where you live with your lives.

Martha thought Trinity mattered.

She was “at the heart of things.”

She is woven into the fabric of who we are.

May we cherish every good thing about Martha and keep them alive at Trinity and in our own lives too.