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Sherrye Washburn would rather give than receive. But
she believes people have the two concepts confused.
"The words giving and getting to me are very much
misunderstood in today's society," she explains,
"People think giving is losing and getting is gaining
something... Giving is getting; when you give to
others, you both get a blessing."
About two years ago, Sherrye discovered one way she
could offer small blessings to those who needed a smile
or just a pick-me-up when she and friend Margie Matlock
began making beaded bracelets together. The two ladies
met when Margie and Sherrye's mom, Ann, worked together
at Doris' Shoe Store, and the friendship stuck.
"At first it was just for fun," she says. "I started
giving them to different people for birthdays and
anniversaries, the birth of a child or just if somebody
was feeling blue or whatever. These are a few reasons
why I make my bracelets, to help bad times be a little
better, and as an extra way of celebrating the good
times."
While making other people feel better with gifts of
bracelets, the art is a soothing pastime for her, as
well, and is a way she can conduct her own ministry
from home.
Most recently, Sherrye's giving took place during Relay
for Life's cancer bake sale auction, when, instead of
baked goods, she donated some of her hand-made
bracelets to be auctioned to raise funds in the fight
against cancer.
"I just wanted to put something in the bake sale to
help stamp out cancer," she says, adding quietly,
"Today's world is full of heartache, pain and hurt. I
wanted to bring a little sunshine to people's lives.
That's why I wanted to help with the cancer bake
auction by using my beads. I've had friends and family
members with cancer; some died and some survived. My
Aunt Charlie (Charlotte Ann Drewry) had cancer more
than once and survived. I think anything you can do to
help with a cure is good. Prayer and faith in God helps
a lot of things, too."
Sherrye realizes first hand the difference research
makes in finding a cure for conditions that were once
untreatable. When she was born at the Henry County
Medical Center on March 20, 1973, there was not much
that could be done for victims, like her, of spina
bifida. Two hours after she was born, she was
transferred to a hospital in Memphis, but the condition
left her without feeling from the waist down. She gets
around by means of a wheel chair.
"They can do surgery in the womb now," she says,
without remorse for her own situation. Instead, she
concentrates on what she can do to make life better for
others.
"I know she would rather give as to get," says her mom.
"She gets more thrill out of giving somebody something
than anybody giving her anything, really; that's just
her thing in life."
Sherrye was the first child born to Wayford and Ann
Washburn, followed by her sister, Sarah Moore, and
brother, Chuck.
She smiles brightly while relating that Chuck will be
marrying, on April 17, Charissa Muston of Memphis. The
two met at Union University, where Chuck was a member
of the Bulldogs' baseball team.
"We went everywhere his senior year," Sherrye beams,
recalling the players' families traveled so much
together that they became "like one big family."
They were in Florida for a game when Sherrye met the
mother of one of Chuck's team members, Rolanda Agosto,
from Puerto Rico.
"His little sister has the same thing I do," says
Sherrye, "I think I gave her hope for her little girl."
Back home, she made Union Bulldogs bracelets for mother
and daughter as a memento of the occasion.
Sarah lives in Nashville with her husband of one year,
Brandon Moore, where both work as nuclear radiology
technicians.
Unable to have children of her own - though, Sherrye
says, she would like to have a dozen - another favorite
pastime is helping take care of children at the First
Baptist Church in McKenzie on Wednesday evenings.
"People look at me and say, 'Why are you doing that;
it's so stressful.' But to me it's a stress relief to
be around them. They help you see the beauty in the
world; you can look at a child and see what a miracle
they are. People don't realize that it's really a
miracle from God to have a child."
While the children she cares for at the church are
two-to-four-year-olds, Sherrye says, "I just love kids
of all ages, really, because they all need love and
attention. The young people of today in McKenzie face
so many more difficult things these days than we ever
did or even thought about."
She speaks of the importance of supporting children in
wholesome events like band, sports and scouting
activities.
"But the greatest gift that we can give them is the
plan of salvation," she continues, "and our love and
one-on-one time with them. I like to give and show them
love, and you can, too. To give is to show love.
Remember, God gave of His son, Jesus Christ, so we
could be saved and have a better life one day with Him
in Heaven."
Church attendance has been an important activity in
Sherrye's life since she was born, when her family
attended the small, rural church called Caledonia that
was also the home church of her grandparents, Wayford
and Marie Washburn. Around 1991, Sherrye began
attending the First Baptist Church downtown and was
eventually followed by her parents.
"There are good Christian men in McKenzie; my uncle,
Jerry Drewry, is one of them. He made me my beautiful
bracelet rack," she says. The bracelet carousel,
hand-made by Drewry, features a wooden bow on top of an
octagonal body, with four capped spokes on each facet.
Sherrye has enough bracelets made to more than fill the
ample display.
Jerry's mom, Laverne, lives at Lakeside Retirement
Center in McKenzie.
"Some of the men out there saw the bracelets I gave to
the ladies and said, 'I want one!'" Sherrye laughs.
"Men, I haven't forgotten you; I'm trying to think of
something to make with my beads for you. Women, until I
think of a way to use my beads for men, when they give
you grief, give them a hug, you just might get one
back!"
One bracelet that could be appreciated by men and women
alike are the magnetic bracelets Sherrye recently added
to her repertoire, though the bracelets are a little
harder to deal with as the beads tend to cling
together.
Her gift-giving hobby has resulted in Sherrye receiving
gifts from others, completing the circle of love
started by her ministry. Family and friends keep her
supplied with an amazing assortment of beads as well as
the "stretchy string" she uses that negates the need
for cumbersome fasteners. And Joan Robertson, whose
daughter Kristy manages Robertson's Decorating Center,
gave her a craft box which opens on both sides to
reveal plenty of compartments for organizing her work.
Sherrye enjoys making bracelets with Christian themes,
adding charms like crosses, angels, cherubs, and hearts
with whimsical charms used at times just for fun. She
also incorporates words into the bracelets using
alphabet beads, adding words like "love", "God", and "Dios"
which is the Spanish word for God.
One of her favorites styles is the faith bracelet,
which uses a variety of colors to symbolize different
aspects of Christian faith: the black bead symbolizes
the darkness of sin; the red bead stands for the blood
of Jesus Christ; purple is for His "hour of sorrow";
white is for His saving grace; blue symbolizes a new
day; green, like grass, stands for growth; and yellow
is the bright sunshine. She often adds the letters
"F-S-H", or three solid colored beads, to symbolize the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Each faith bracelet is accompanied by a verse that
explains the colors, plus a sentence, added by Sherrye,
that reflects what she knows: that the bracelets are
more than pretty ornaments for people to wear on their
wrists; they are positive reminders of the power of
love.
"Feel good faith
bracelets"
Yellow is for the sun so bright
Black is for the sins we made
Red is for the blood He gave
Blue is for our new tomorrow
Green is for the grass he made
White is for the grace he gave
Purple is for his hour of sorrow
"This bracelet brings good health, happiness, and good
luck the whole day through, with lots of love, too." |
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