Changes

I know I talk a lot about changes in a person's life. Last night at church, our pastor spoke on changes.

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For the most part, people do not like changes. Especially when we get older. We want security and when changes come along it shakes up our world.

 

Life is about changes. It would be boring if we never had changes. Some changes are good. - A better job, a new dream home, a baby or grandbaby added to the family, and so many more.

 

But there are so many changes that are hard to accept. We handle those changes by resisting them, becoming bitter, losing hope, etc.

 

I know in my life I have had so many changes. All the moves we made, job changes, my children starting their own families and leaving home, retirement, aging (IT HAPPENS), and probably the biggest change in my life - the death of my husband. 

 

Facing my future alone is probably the hardest.

 

I know there were times I resisted the changes. Especially moving so many times. Later on I would see God's plan in my life and I knew He had a reason for the change and it was always for my good.

And I always think of all the friends God allowed me to make in all the different places we lived. That was always a special blessing.

 

As I age, I know I'm still facing a lot of changes. I know there will be more health problems, maybe some moves I'm not too excited about.

 

I know God is in control. I think of the things that don't change. God never changes. His love for me never changes, knowing I have a home in heaven will never change, and God's Word never changes.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Hello 2017

A New Year has been born. It is already 7 days old.

The first day of 2017 was spent traveling home from Indiana. It was a long drive. And since all the Christmas music had stopped playing on the radio, it was a quiet ride.

 

I always like to reflect on the past year. There is one event that will always stand out about 2016. On August 2, 2016, my dad passed away. He was 93 years old. He had lived a long life. On up until he passed away, his mind was sharper than mine. He would still tell me stories about his life.  He even remembered stories about me that I always wished he would forget. I miss him so much. He had been a friend as well as my dad.

 

 

 

I wouldn't be human if I didn't wander what events are going to happen in 2017. I have lots of dreams and goals for 2017.

I do know that God is in control of this new year. My biggest prayer is that God will guide and direct me and help me to make good decisions.

 

There will be new challenges and maybe some changes. I will make new memories to lock away in my mind for days when we need something to laugh about. Let's make 2017 the best year ever.

"Happy New Year"

 

A few pictures from Christmas of 2016 with my family -

 

 

Hayden, Kyla, Laythan, and Brylee  (Neal's kids)



Emma, Ethan, Elena, and Evan (Aaron's kids)



Scott and Lisa



Tiffy and Greg (Scott's kids)

Mark with his kids, Alexis and Gavin

Janine and Jennifer



Defending the Defenseless

I’ve probably read the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” three or four times. Each time I read it, I'll gleam something from it. It is one of those classic books where you get wrapped up in the characters and become part of the story. The characters are the father, Atticus Finch, who is a widow and lawyer in a small fictional southern town, and his children Jem and Scout. The story is also about Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.

 

Boo Radley is a grown man who got in trouble as a teen  and his father locked him in the house and wouldn't let him leave it. When his father dies, Boo's brother comes to live with him and take care of him. Boo had not ventured out of his house for probably 15 years.

Tom Robinson is a black man wrongly accused of rape and he finally is killed, even though he was an innocent man. Atticus defends him in a trial, knowing he will probably lose. Plus the trial upsets  people because Atticus is defending a black man.

In Chapter 10 of the book, Atticus tells Scout “Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Scout was not sure about what her father had said so she asked Miss Maudie about it and Miss Maudie said,

 

 “Your father's right. Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin “to kill a mockingbird."

 

Tom's death is compared to "the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children".

Then when Boo protects Scout and Jem from a person trying to harm them, Scout tells Atticus that hurting Boo would be "sort of like shooting a mockingbird".

Boo never did anything to hurt anyone.

 

Tom Robinson and Boo Radley were very vulnerable.

Tom  was black, uneducated and poor, gentle of spirit and had only one good arm.

Boo  was poor and uneducated and mentally retarded and gentle of spirit.

 

I think about all the innocent mockingbirds in this world. The children in countries where war is an everyday happening,  the aborted babies who never had a chance to be a part of God's creation. I think about all the people who are made fun of just because they are a little bit different. People who have never hurt anyone, but are vulnerable to the hurts of the world.

John 13:34

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;

 as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

What Surprises Lurk in Hidden Places!

Every once in a while (not very often), I try to get rid of some of my clutter. A lot of my clutter are treasures that I just can't let go of. To most people, they would be considered junk or trash. I have a few family members that tell me, "If it has no use, get rid of it."  I hope they never feel that way toward me as I get older.  Getting rid of things is easier said than done, especially since I'm the most nostalgic person in the world.

 

Well after over four years, I decided to go through my husband's brief cases. They were full of all of his favorite sermons that he had preached throughout the years. It was hard getting rid of them. They are all on CDs, but still the paper copies have all of his notes he wrote. I had to keep some of my favorites.

 

While going through his brief cases, I reached down into one of the pockets and to my surprise, I found a Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake. It was still wrapped. It had to be over five years old.

 

I think it was in the petrified state. What was so strange, there was not any mold on the cake at all. It made me wonder what kind of preservatives are in Little Debbie Cakes????

 

 

It is strange the things we hold on to and have a hard time letting go of. Especially things in the past.

We sometimes preserve them like the cake was and every once in a while we reach down into our hidden places and bring them back out. Sometimes it's a injustice someone has done to us or some bitterness we have toward another person. The past can never be changed. All a person can do is get rid of the bad things and only remember the good things.

 

I did decide to throw the cake away. I'm not that nostalgic!

Little Things that Bring Big Memories

The smell of coffee sometimes can stir my senses and bring back memories of another time. I'm usually reminded of being a little girl and being at my paternal Grandpa and Grandma's house. We called them Poppy and Mammy. They had an old percolator coffee pot. I can still remember how the coffee would smell in the morning. They always let me drink a little bit with cream (real cream). And then they would have toast. I remember it was one of those old shiny toasters with the old electrical cord. The toast would always blacken too much and they would have to scrape off the black. Then they would spread butter (real butter) all over it.

To me they were very happy times. Grandparents have this way about them. It is almost like their goal is to bring happiness into the life of their grandchildren. Maybe because around their grandchildren they can become kids once again.

 

My Poppy and Mammy when they lived on Florida Street. My brother is in the middle and front left to right are 3 of my cousins and I'm the little girl at the end in front of my Mammy.

 

 

My grandparents never had a lot. I remember their home on Florida Street in Evansville, Indiana. It still had an outhouse. This was in the early 1950's. But I still remember their home. I remember as a little girl having meals there and listening to the radio. I can still remember listening to "The Lone Ranger."

At the end of the broadcast, I can still hear the voice of the Lone Ranger riding off and yelling "Hi-yo Silver! Away!"

Such good times.

Later Poppy and Mammy moved into government housing. My Mammy would sew and make pillows and slipcovers and sell them to make a little money.

My Poppy taught me how to play cards. That probably wasn't a good thing to teach your granddaughter, but it sure was fun. I'd sit at the kitchen table with him and my uncles and play poker for hours. Also he taught me how to play solitaire.

It was only natural. My Poppy and his brothers had been riverboat gamblers and musicians on steamboats up and down the Ohio River. They could play any kind of instrument there was.

Unfortunately, the musical talent was never passed on to me. I'm sure it would have been more useful than playing cards.

They passed on several years ago. My Poppy going first and then Mammy years later. 

They were a great part of my life and I know their memory will always remain a part of me, especially when the smell of coffee fills the air.

 

I'm sure there are things in everyone's life that can spark a memory, a feeling of nostalgia, or maybe even a little sadness.

 

And Fall is always a special time. The chilly mornings with colored leaves bring back childhood memories that I always love. They are memories that always bring a good feeling inside.

 

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Fall

filled with wonderful days of making memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Election Year

I have never been much on politics.  I am a Republican, very conservative.

This election year amazes me. It has been a battle between two selfish children to see who is the best. There's been name calling, character assassination, bullying. I just want to hear what each candidate is going to do to bring back America to where she was when our founding fathers first signed the Declaration of Independence.

We were a united country with one goal in mind. To be the United States of America, one nation under God.

I have 12 grandchildren and I worry about the kind of country they are growing up in. The United States is not the United States I grew up in.

I was born in 1947. It was after World War II and the Korean War. We had been a country in battle, trying to keep the freedoms that we had fought for through the years. We had men and women give their lives for this country. Does that mean so little? Was their death in vain?

I would certainly hope not.

I grew up loving and respecting my country. As a little girl going to school, I learned the Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance to a wonderful flag that represents these United States. We prayed every morning. When I walked down the stairs of my school, there on the wall in huge letters was the Ten Commandments.

Every Memorial Day we would go to the cemetery to honor our dead loved ones and the soldiers who had fought for our freedoms.  On the fourth of July, it just wasn't a holiday. It meant something. It meant that we were a free nation, that we had freedoms that other countries didn't have. We were a prosperous nation, a strong nation.

We do have rights as an American. They are to see that our country remains the great nation that it was and that it can be again.

Please God, bless America again!!!

 

 

 

The Long Hot Summer

This summer seems like it is never going to end.  The weather has been unbearable some days. Remember I'm a cool weather person. I'm not sure what I'm doing living in North Carolina.

A lot has happened over the summer. I did my usual traveling to Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Texas.

I know I talk about God's timing. It was so apparent in my travels this summer.  Usually I always go to Indiana first on my trip. I decided to get out of my normal routine and go to Evansville at the end of my trip.

God was already in control of everything. I always look forward to seeing my dad when I go to Evansville, Indiana. He had been in a nursing home for almost three years. While I was there, he contacted a very severe infection and became very ill.  He passed away on August 2, 2016.

The Lord already knew the year, the month, the day, the hour, the minute that my dad would pass from this life into eternity. I'm thankful that my dad had given me testimony of when he had accepted Jesus as his savior.

I am going to miss my dad so much. I know he's in heaven with my mom and his parents and they are having a glorious reunion. And I know I'll get to see him again someday.

And I am so thankful that the Lord gave me two good days of visiting with my dad before he passed away.

Losing my dad is  part of the changing leaves of autumn. It's like a part of me is gone. Part of who made us who we are. The ones who molded and shaped your life.

I know as I'm in my autumn, there will be more changes. I pray that God will give me the grace I need to be strong and accept the changes.

My brother and I helping celebrate my Dad's 90th Birthday.