2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL DECEMBER 13, 2017
For many years, I was an ex-
tremely negative person. I could
walk into a room and pick out
the one small detail that was
wrong, like the wallpaper in the
corner that was slightly peeling.
I saw what was wrong with ev-
erything!
The reason for this attitude
was that I had been abused for
many years throughout my
childhood, and I’d experienced
a lot of disappointment. When
Dave and I got married, I was
23 years old and I couldn’t re-
member a time I had ever been
really happy.
People who have had a tough
time in life are often afraid to
expect anything good because
they don’t want to be disap-
pointed and have to deal with
the pain it brings. But I know
from personal experience that
if you’ve lived with this mind-
set, you can make a change—
with God’s help—and live with
hope!
I know this is true because
in John 10:10 (AMP), Je-
sus says, “The thief comes
only in order to steal and
kill and destroy. I came that
they may have and enjoy
life, and have it in abundance
[to the full, till it overfl ows].”
If we will trust and believe in
Him, we can have abundant life
in Christ!
Believe It Before You See It
I sometimes say that we are
the “show me” generation—we
want to see it before we believe
it. In fact, most of us have a hard
time believing that God is work-
ing on our behalf until we see
something happening with our
natural eyes.
But that’s not how God op-
erates—He works behind the
scenes. You may not see any-
thing happening, but do you be-
lieve God is working on things
in your life right now? Do you
believe that He’s got a plan to
help your children, your mar-
riage, or those things you’ve
been praying about for years?
Jeremiah 29:11 says that God
has a good plan for your life “to
give you a future and a hope.”
In other words, God is looking
for an opportunity to be good to
you!
Maybe it’s hard to imagine
yourself as a positive, faith-
fi lled person, full of hope. If so,
I know exactly how you feel!
Some people are simply afraid
to hope because they have ex-
perienced so much disappoint-
ment and don’t think they can
face any more pain.
But that’s okay, because God
is “the God of hope,” and He
wants to “fi ll you with all joy
and peace in believing [through
the experience of your faith]
that by the power of the Holy
Spirit you will abound in hope
and overfl ow with confi dence in
His promises” Romans 15:13).
With Him, it’s never too late
to start believing, anticipating,
hoping and expecting.
The Truth About What Hope
Really Is
One defi nition of hope is “a
favorable and confi dent expec-
tation.”
I believe many times we
take a passive attitude, decid-
ing we’ll just “wait and see” if
something will change or “hap-
pen” to go well for us. But God
wants us to expect on purpose.
He desires for us to actively an-
ticipate something good.
So…what are you expecting?
How do you talk about your
future? What kind of attitude do
you have about your everyday
life? When you get up in the
morning, do you think, Well, I
guess I’ll try to make it through
another day. Or do you wake
up with anticipation that today
might be the day you receive
your breakthrough?
It’s interesting that when a
woman’s pregnant, we say that
she’s “expecting.” And the fur-
ther along she is, the more she
anticipates what’s coming.
My pregnancies were espe-
cially unique because I carried
all four of my children approx-
imately a month past their due
date. My doctor told me I was
the only woman he knew who
stayed pregnant as long as an
elephant.
Toward the end of each preg-
nancy, I woke up every day and
said, “Today is going to be the
day—it has to be the day!” I had
my suitcase packed and ready. I
IN MEMORIAM
Wesley Michael Meadows
2004-2017
Wesley “Wes” Michael Meadows, 13, of Cottage Grove, OR passed away on December 6,
2017. Wes was born on September 4, 2004 in Eugene, OR to Virginia Sexton and Adam
Meadows. He was a 7th grade student at Lincoln Middle School. He enjoyed hunting,
fi shing and anything outdoors. He was a lover of all things. He was highly interested
in bull riding. He loved to ride quads, bikes, and anything extreme. Wes is survived by
his parents, Virginia Sexton and Adam Meadows of Cottage Grove, OR; sister, Ashley L.
Johnson, Vancouver, WA; sister, Samantha A Meadows, Longview, WA; grandparents,
Susan and Thomas Madden, Creswell, OR; grandparents, Michael Sexton and Terry Lee
Miller of Blue River, OR; grandparents, Wesley H. and Barbara Meadows of Aurora, MO;
great-grandmother, Mary Barta, Creswell, OR; great-grandmother, Nora Miller of Pulaski,
VA; great aunt and uncle, Beverly and Herb Fetter of Creswell, OR; uncle, Jason Barta,
Eugene, OR; aunt and uncle, Christina Sexton and Jake Parsons, Portland, OR; uncle and aunt, Tony and Heather
Meadows, Kelso, WA; aunt and uncle. Jeff and Tammy Jenkins of Aurora, MO; and cousins, Nathan Fetter, Eu-
gene, OR; Rhonda Garcia, Creswell, OR; Theresa Fetter, Creswell, OR; Alysha K. Meadows and Mathew Mead-
ows of Vancouver, WA. A public visitation will be held on Friday, December 15, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at Smith-
Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove.
Dillon Privitt
1995-2017
Dillon Eugene “Tank” Privitt
of Cottage Grove died on De-
cember 7 at the age of 22.
He was born on January 31,
1995 in Cottage Grove, OR to
parents Paul Privitt and
Jeanne Gates. He was a self-
taught mechanic, and had an in-
nate talent for tinkering
on cars which led to his pas-
sion for driving. He was also a
very creative artist, and
used his love of cars and driv-
ing to draw fantastic pictures of
cars and trucks. Dillon
is survived by parents, Paul
Privitt and Jeanne Gates; and
brothers Paul, Dustin, and
Silas. He was preceded in
death by brother Benny Privitt
in 1993. No service is planned.
Arrangements are in the care
of Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral
Chapel in Cottage Grove
Obituaries
available
online at
cgsentinel.
com
Cottage Grove
Sentinel
www.cgsentinel.com
@
cgsentinel
@cgsentinel
#cgsentinel
Cottage-Grove-Sentinel
Helen Louise Reilly
1929 – 2017
Helen Louise Reilly of Cottage
Grove passed away on the evening
of December 1st age of 88. She
was born on November 7th, 1929 in
Decatur Illinois to William “Roy”
and Iva Kirkwood. Helen lived in
Champaign IL, West Covina and
Lake Elsinore CA before fi nally settling in Cottage
Grove with her late husband Robert “Bob” Reilly.
Helen was very active in the Cottage Grove
community. She volunteered for many of the local
service organizations. One of her favorite places
where she volunteered was the Cottage Grove
Hospital where she spent 20+ year providing
assistance to the people who visited the hospital. She
loved her community and talked often about all the
volunteer activities she was involved in. She spent
her life helping others and making friends in all the
places where she lived.
Helen is survived by her daughter Vickie Robbins
(Azusa, CA), son Phillip Cundiff (Goodyear, AZ),
grandchildren Erin Robbins (Norco, CA), Cassandra
Cundiff (Adelanto, CA), Mathew Robbins (Azusa,
CA), Sara Cundiff (Wallingford, CT), Phillip Cundiff,
Jr. (US Army Alaska) and four great grandchildren.
The family held a celebrate of life on December 9,
2017 at her home in Cottage Grove. In lieu of fl owers
please donate to one of the many Cottage Grove
community organizations in Helen’s honor.
Grant Gording, BC-HIS
Board Certifi ed in
Hearing Instrument Sciences
was constantly double-checking everything and making sure things
were in order, confi dent that my baby would come at any moment.
Anytime I felt a twinge, I would think, There it is! It’s coming!
This is exactly how God wants you to be with Him! He has an
incredible plan for your life, and He wants you to anticipate that
good things are right around the corner.
Richard “Dick” Allen Parsons
1931-2017
Richard “Dick” Allen Parsons, 86 of Myr-
tle Point passed away on November 4, 2017
surrounded by his family in Springfi eld, OR.
A memorial service will be held at a later
date.
Dick was born September 9, 1931 in Ko-
komo, Indiana, to Rufus and Arline (Bar-
low) Parsons. Dick was the second child out
of nine other siblings, in birth order Rufus, Richard, Mary Jo,
Max, Lawrence, Jim, Walt, Patty, and Vicki.
In October 1949 Dick joined the Army driving trucks, con-
struction, etc and returned home in December 1952.
In 1955 Dick met a waitress in Cottage Grove named Alyce
M. Hartgrave. On March 4, 1956 Dick and Alyce were married
in Cottage Grove. They had four children, Leo, Kevin, Teresa,
and Karmen all born in Cottage Grove.
Dick worked in the meat industry many years in Drain,
Eugene, Portland, Coquille, and Myrtle Point. In 1974 Dick
moved his family to Coquille, working at Coquille Pack several
years as a butcher, then in 1977 Dick and his wife Alyce opened
Arago Custom Meats a family ran meat processing business.
In 1982 Alyce ran the business with their son Leo, while Dick
went to fall trees.
Dick traveled several states falling timber living in his fi fth
wheel, with his dog Hobo, and working along side with his
brother Jim. Dick loved falling timber and being in the woods!
The last trees Dick fell was at 79 years old in his grandsons
yard!
Dick enjoyed fi shing, reading, keeping busy, and helping
to teach his grandsons about working hard, and spending time
with family and friends. Dick was very proud of his kids, and
grandkids. The great grandkids were his love and delight!
Dick is survived by his Children, Leo D. Parsons of Bend,
Teresa M. Fjeld, and Karmen C. Albertson both of Coquille;
Grandchildren, Joshuwa, Matthew, Michael, Dusty of Coquille,
and Ty of Bend; Great Grandchildren, Chase 3, Whitney 4 ½,
Karson 2 ½, and Aubrey 2 weeks old; Sisters Mary Jo, and Vicki
both of Aberdeen, WA Patty of Coos Bay, and Brother, Mikal
of Cottage Grove.
Proceeded in death are, his wife Alyce M. Parsons, second
born son Kevin D. Parsons, father Rufus Parsons, mother Ar-
line B. Parsons, brothers Rufus, Max, Lawrence, Jim, and Walt
Parsons.
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