Yvonne

Article written for Baptist Homes

There’s nothing more satisfying than finally pushing a puzzle piece in place after a long, long search. And there’s nothing more frustrating than finishing a puzzle you’ve worked on for quite some time, only to realize a few of the pieces are missing. An almost-masterpiece that still holds a few dark spots of absence; a mystery you can never wrap your mind around.

Yvonne Swadley loves puzzles. She loves them so much, in fact, that they don’t all fit on the shelf she bought to store them. Ten are stacked in the corner, and several others are wedged under the bed. A long search followed by satisfaction; a question that comes with a perfectly crafted answer at the end.

Yvonne knows a lot about questions. For many Christians, the truth can only be black and white: everything is perfect; everything is wonderful. For Yvonne, however, it’s okay to acknowledge both the highs and the lows, while still proclaiming that God is good.

The missing pieces in her own life puzzle still bring an ache she can’t always ignore. So she clicks together gorgeous landscapes, piece by piece, building beauty on her coffee table like a shaft of light into the darkness.

From Belief to Complete Surrender

Yvonne grew up in Clever, Missouri, about 20 miles west of Baptist Homes – Ozark. Her family raised her in the Baptist church, and she was saved at the age of 13.

As she matured into adulthood, Yvonne grew restless for a deeper encounter with Jesus, realizing that she was only going through the motions of religious observance. She knew that mere belief in God was only the beginning of the full, abundant life Jesus offered, so she made it right and devoted herself completely to Him.

It’s no wonder, then, that she married the son of the minister, who went on to spend his entire adult life serving as a Baptist minister himself. Over the years, they moved from church to church, everywhere from Conway and Fordham to Mountain Grove. They had two sons and were married for 39 years. For a while, anyway, the picture was complete.

Meanwhile, Jesus took Yvonne’s full surrender and turned it into a calling to invest in kids. She worked for Head Start for over 35 years, mostly as a teacher and eventually as a director. After retiring, she served as a foster grandparent, even as her kids gave her five wonderful grandchildren of her own.

God blessed her and cared for her at every step, and she had much to be grateful for. But life had a certain heaviness to it, too. Yvonne was aging—and she was alone.

Coming Home—All Alone

Yvonne’s husband was no longer with her, so she’d had to learn to manage on her own. Back when Baptist Homes – Ozark first opened in 1996, she thought it would be a great place to go whenever she needed it. Now she was beginning to wonder if that time was close. In 2016, she went through cancer, and in 2017 she had a knee replaced. Knowing it might take a few years to get in, Yvonne put in her application.

She’s been a resident at Baptist Homes for two years now. She likes it here; the staff is kind, and the only problem she can think of is that she doesn’t care for boiled shrimp. But otherwise, the food is great, and the staff gives her seconds of the cornbread when she asks so she can enjoy it with milk as an evening treat.

As fantastic as the food is, eating isn’t much to live for. Yvonne doesn’t get many visitors. It isn’t safe for her sister to drive anymore, since she’s been in two near wrecks, so Yvonne tells her not to come. They make do and talk on the phone all the time. The resident across the hall was recently joined by her husband, and they obviously care about each other very much.

As for Yvonne’s husband, he has simply become one more missing piece. 

Pine Cones, Beauty, and the Goodness of God

Yvonne sees beauty even in incomplete pictures. Before becoming a preacher, her husband sang in revivals. Both of her boys grew up singing, too. The younger one also played the piano, and his kids became singers just like him. She’s proud of their talent and thankful for a life filled with melody.

They aren’t the only creative ones in the family. When Yvonne isn’t reading or participating in group activities, she sews and makes crafts. She and her son planted a row of pine trees beside his house when he first moved in. That was 31 years ago. Now she cuts up pine cones collected from his yard to make Christmas wreaths. She uses nail polish to paint them, since the brush is small, and it gives them a metallic look perfect for December magic.

There’s nowhere Yvonne would rather be—except possibly for the new assisted living apartments they’ll be constructing soon on the Ozark campus. She already has her name on the list to get in, since she thinks it would be fun to get back into cooking.  

Even if she stays at the main facility, Yvonne knows she made the right choice moving to Baptist Homes. She advises anyone beginning the aging process to start thinking about what you’re going to do early, before you desperately need to make a decision. It’s important to prepare and at least get a conversation going with a facility. Filling out an application doesn’t mean you have to move right away, as you can always say you’re not ready yet. Many places, like Baptist Homes – Ozark, have a waiting list. The sooner you get your name on the list, the better. 

Faith in the Waiting

Yvonne has watched some Christians grow bitter at God over the years. Despite her own loneliness and loss, all she can say is, “God’s been good to me. I’ve been really blessed; everything’s gone well.”

Pain is hard to interpret, hard to come to grips with. Yvonne doesn’t always know what purpose God has planned for this season in her life. But even with her missing pieces, she radiates a deep, true beauty that doesn’t need any explanation. Yvonne Swadley is God’s work of art, her heart faithful through suffering, her whole life still devoted to Christ. 

Maybe she’ll get more visitors soon, or maybe angels themselves will one day come calling. Either way, she’ll be here, ready with love and a pine cone wreath for anyone who walks in. She’s seen too much glory in this fractured life to ever give up on beauty, hope, and love.