A First Memory from Sherry Harrell

I first met Carol at Peachtree Corners Baptist Church where Elisabeth attended preschool and kindergarten with Adam.  My first memory is of Carol smiling as I relayed to her how much Elisabeth talked about Adam.  I asked if Adam had older sisters, and Carol said he did.  I told her I was not surprised because I was finding that the boys with older sisters were good friends and, in general, kinder to the girls.  She graciously thanked me for speaking highly of him.  Our friendship began there and then.  And, no matter what, whenever I would run into her, she would always ask me about Elisabeth and I would always ask her about Adam.  She was and is such a sweet person!

Below is a picture of Elisabeth and Adam in the front row dressed up for the Hat Parade their kindergarten year.  Elisabeth was sure to position herself next to her friend, Adam...she still remembers this well, as do Carol and I.

Sherry Harrell

Note from the Yeghnazar's

I am so sad to say that as a relatively new PCS parent, I really did not know Carol as well as I now would have liked. I have heard so much wonderful stuff about her that I feel like I really could have learned a lot from her outlook on life and her Godly example.

That being said, I wanted to share just one simple email interaction that I had with her early on in the school year. I think it just sums up what a special person your wife and Mom was and especially how much she loved her kids and cared for all those kids at PCS. A bit of background: I am the prayer rep. in Audrey's class and had just sent out an email to all parents asking for their prayer requests. This is what your sweet Mom wrote:

Hi, Louise!

Thank you for praying for our class and the school.  You’ve got the most important parent job of the class!

Tomorrow when you are walking by the lockers & classrooms, would you please pray for the protection of the zeal & innocence our children have in Christ?  They are such a special group of kids.  I know that God has great plans for them!!

Thanks!

Carol

I'm sure, just like the rest of us, she wrote this on the run with a busy life and a hectic schedule. However, she clearly lived a life of intentionality knowing that Kingdom work is the most important of all.

God bless you all,

Louise Yeghnazar (Grace's Mom - 7th grade)

With love and prayers from David, Grace, Theo, Hope and Beata also)

Good friends...Good times

Looking through my photo album brought back several happy memories of times spent with Carol in high school and college ( we were room mates freshman year at Furman).  Many of the high school memories are of Young Life Campaigners-a small group of girls, many of whom remain friends today, studying the bible together with our fearless leader, Trudy.  

The picture of us in the bathroom was when the bus broke down on a ski trip to Colorado.  We were out in the middle of no where, but made the most of it, playing games, etc. while we waited hours for another bus.  So after being stuck for so long, when we finally got to a fast food restaurant, some of us wanted to wash our hair in the sink and blow it dry (we were teenage girls after all).  We got in trouble with the YL leaders for this.  

The beach picture is also a YL Campaigners trip.  So many good times during those care-free years.  We were a close knit group because of our shared faith in God.  We also went to the beach our senior year after graduation and stayed in 2 condos with a large group of girls- WITHOUT any adults! Now that I have teenagers myself, I can't believe our parents let this happen!  But, hey, we were such good kids that they trusted us. We had a grand time and nobody got hurt or arrested.  

I also have fond memories of our group of friends dancing on New Year's Eve each year in high school with the Sharbel family at a club.  Mr. Sharbel was a wonderful dancer and taught all of us girls how to dance.  We had several adults that invested in the lives of this group of teenage girls, and I am so thankful for that.  

The picture of people in costumes was on Halloween at Furman.  I can't remember what Carol was supposed to be.  She was a wonderful room mate.  She was a social butterfly and I was very shy, so I relied on her a lot to meet people.  I remember a time when we went on a double date, and when the guys asked us, it wasn't clear who was supposed to be which guy's date.  We spent the whole evening trying to figure out who to sit with in the car, at dinner, etc.  I don't think we ever did figure it out!  Those guys are still friends.  I should ask them.

My mother passed away between my freshman and sophomore year in college, and once again Carol was there for me, helping me make it through that year of school.  I have often thought, as we've kept up with each other over the years and spent time together at Furman homecomings, how proud I am of the wonderful mother/wife/friend Carol turned out to be.  I miss her cute laugh a lot, and will always miss her friendship.  Though we yearn for her to still be here with us, I know she is with her Lord, and nothing can be better than that.

Janet Smith Fowler

A thank you note -- from Kay?

We moved into the Sylvester's neighborhood just before my twins were born. Carol called frequently to check on us and right after the twins were born, she delivered a delicious meal. With her beautifully packaged Chicken Piccata dinner, Carol thoughtfully included a pre-written thank you note that read, 

Dear Carol,

Thank you for the meal. It was delicious!

Love, Kay

She had already addressed and put a stamp on the envelope. She made me promise to send the note and know that the thank you was done. This was one of many ways that Carol blessed me with her humor, wisdom and authenticity.

We all miss her!
Kay Lee 

Prayer Warrior

Mom was a strong spiritual leader. I (Anna) actually came into a personal relationship with Christ through my mom. I said the prayer to accept Christ with her help when I was ten years old, right before bedtime in my pink-walled bedroom.  

I have looked to Mom as a spiritual leader my whole life.  Mom had always wanted to go on a mission trip we made it in the summer of 2011 when we teamed with Medical Mission Ministries in Guatemala. During the day, we would help the local community receive medical attention and we would have the opportunity to share the gospel with them. My mom and I got to work together at a station to share the gospel.

A mother with a young daughter came into the room and sat down at our station. We asked this woman about her life and found out that she wanted to have a personal relationship with the Lord. Mom led her to say the prayer to accept Christ, just as she had so many years before with me! We asked her if there was anything else we could pray for and she explained that her daughter was having severe stomach pains. The little girl couldn’t even go play with other kids because her stomach hurt so badly. The doctors at the clinic didn’t know what was wrong with her. Mom suggested praying for her daughter. The woman lit up. She was so excited to pray for her daughter for the first time! So we all began to pray for a good 15 minutes--mixing languages, cultures, and backgrounds but all looking to the one God. The Spirit was there. It was so real. My petition to the Lord was that the girl would be healed. I boldly told the Lord that we needed Him to heal the girl so that her mom could know choosing Him was the best decision ever. Mom (Carol) prayed the same thing. The Spirit aligned our prayers. After our prayers ended, the little girl ran off to play. This was strange and not expected. The mother turned to the girl and said in Spanish, where are you going? The little girl turned and said something in Spanish to the mom.  The mother told us that her little girl was healed! All of us rejoiced and tears of joy welled up inside us. 

In remembering this story, I remember how the Lord showed up exactly where we needed Him. I also remember what a wonderful prayer warrior my mom was. A woman boldly pursuing God's heart and healing in the world. Sharing that with mom will forever remain my favorite memory from visiting Guatemala.

Bring Out The Best?

I came across the most random memory but it was the first one to pop into my head ( April, I really hope you remember this)

April and I must have been like 7 or 8 years old. We were sitting on the floor of my living room while Ms. Carol and my mom were sitting having a conversation. They were trying to figure out why April liked my mom's turkey sandwiches more than Ms. Carol's. I literally remember sitting on the floor watching them go back and forth. The conversation went something like this:

Mom: Do you use honey wheat bread?

Carol: Yes

Mom: What about the Turkey?

Carol: Boars Head

Mom: That's what we use. Okay, cheese?

Carol: I don't usually put cheese on it.

Mom: Neither do I. So weird...

Both: The mayo!

You see, Ms. Carol, of course, used Hellman's LIGHT mayonnaise for her sandwiches, my mom used the regular. Apparently there was a huge difference because April wouldn't eat her mom's, only mine haha. 

I don't know why this was the memory that came to mind when I was thinking about what to share. But in all honesty, it totally makes sense. Every time I came over to play when I was younger, it was never a surprise to have grapes and crackers for a snack, and always water to drink. She was definitely a great example of how to eat healthy. I definitely miss her

Lindsay Gaskins