Today is Sunday, and I have just returned from church and a lovely lunch with Jacque and Wayne. I sat down to the computer to do some Class Reunion work and thought that maybe I should blog a word or two in case somebody might want to join me.
Last week was a "killer week" - Vacation Bible School!!! Really, it was a wonderful week. What a joy to be able to spend a week at church with hundreds of happy boys and girls from pre-school age to 5th grade. The noise level was many decibels - just don't know how many reaches the top of the scale but we got there lots of times. Our days would start off with an assembly in the chapel where the music, the dancing, the singing was ear-splitting. The enthusiasm and the excitement that was pouring out of there was outstanding. It just made your heart beat so fast to see all of those little children raising their arms in praise and thanking God for loving them. The theme was PandaMania and we had stuffed panda bears everywhere and t-shirts for all of us with a panda on the front and everywhere you looked there was some reminder that God is wild about us just like He is wild about the panda bears and other wild animals. I could describe all of the good things that happened but it would take too long. Suffice it to say that the whole week was an indescribable, spiritual, lovely experience and I appreciate the fact that I was a part of it. Of course, I crashed and burned at the end of the week with exhaustion. Another great reminder that I am really getting old!!!
Now, I am engrossed in my Class of 1951 60th Reunion. When I said that we were not going to have a program - just a video slide show of pictures of the classmates taken during their school years and now in later years and I met with the hotel to plan the menu and reserve the room, it sounded like such an easy task. Let me tell you that I have had some sleepless nights. In the first place we guaranteed the hotel 85 people and at this point we have 60 people registered. The hotel will work with me up to a point because of past experience through the years but we are still busting our you know whats to try to get some more attendees. It never occurred to me that so many of my classmates were disabled, deceased or disinterested, but that is a true fact. Well, we had a meeting the other day and I "assigned" tasks to some of the committee people that didn't volunteer to take on a responsibility. Now, I do feel better because when I explained that I was distressed over the other "d" words that I mentioned they took hold and came to my rescue. I can see a faint light at the end of the tunnel now and believe that everything will be okay. I was trying to do it all and there was no reason for me to do that when these other people were willing and just needed a little prodding.
Saturday was a lovely day for me when Corinne, Tracey, Kim and Joesea came out to my swimming pool and we had a lovely visit and a picnic lunch. It is such a joy to me to have these women who happen to be my daughters sit and visit with me like "girl friends", and just talk about all sorts of topics of interest. I get to hear stories about my grandchildren and great-grandchildren and also I catch up on the lives of these daughters of mine. They are so busy, so involved, so interesting and the time just flew by. Joesea is Kim's granddaughter and we watched her frolic in the water.
Speaking of my children - well they are children to me - Nita's husband, Ray, had his 60th birthday yesterday and today they are celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary. Talking about time flying - where did those 40 years go? How well I remember going to Inglewood Methodist Church and the church was full to standing room with friends, neighbors, family and some people I barely knew and then we had a reception in the church before they left for Atlanta on their honeymoon. Ray was a student and basketball player at Vanderbilt and Nita worked for Dr. Batson in the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt. They had a little apartment at The Villager in Green Hills and it never dawned on any of us that they were so young to be getting married. Each Sunday they would come to church at Valley View, lunch at Louise and Ed's house, my house to do the laundry and eat supper and then go back home. Oh my, those were what could be described as "the good old days". However, I kinda' like the present days myself and I think these are "good old days". Anyway - Happy Birthday to Ray and Happy Anniversary to Nita and Ray.
Well, now it is 2:00pm and Imust decide what I want to do - read my book "Miss Julia Takes Over" by Ann B. Roos, take a nap in my lounge chair or work on the class reunion. What do you think it will be? I kinda' think it will be the second item in my list. Isn't it wonderful that I have such a good life? Church, lunch, nap, precious dog, Houston, to sit in my lap and nap with me, and just know that God is good - all the time.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
FOURTH OF JULY THOUGHTS
Today is The Fourth of July - Independence Day - a national holiday to be celebrated with hamburgers, hot dogs, T-shirts with flags painted on them, music and fireworks. It is a happy day for us, as Americans, to observe. Do we think about why we are observing this day? Do we even mention to our little children what the day really means? I had a "pre-fourth cookout" last night with some of my great grandchildren and never once did I hear our country mentioned. I'm sure that when my girls were young and we had our grand "Cline Fourth Celebration" we never talked about what it really means to be an American and to live in a country that has the freedoms that we enjoy. That is one of the "do over" things that I have in my life. There are so many things that I think of now in my old age that I would like like to be able to "do over" with my girls. Alas, that is not possible.
On my recent trip that I have told you about, we spent part of one day in Philadelphia. The history of that place is not only in evidence with the buildings and the landscape, it is in the air. When I was standing in front of Independence Hall looking at the building where the Declaration of Independence was signed I was amazed. This building has been restored several times, changing the appearance of the building. In 1950 it was restored back to its 1776 appearance. The liberty bell does not rest in the bell tower of the building now. It has a place of honor in a pretty garden across the street where you can visit it, make pictures and walk around. This bell cracked the very first time that it was rung so it was sent back to have another layer of copper on it. That extra copper made it sound terrible so they had to recast it again. The bell was rung to announce all sorts of important events but, of course, the most important event was to announce the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As I rode around the city of Philadelphia I really got a serious dose of history and it does make a difference in how I view this holiday today.
Yesterday I shopped at WalMart and the young woman that checked me out was commenting on my Flag Pin that I had on my dress. She said "I have never been out of this country but I am told that if you ever leave for any length of time you will realize how lucky we are". I told her that I had been out of the country and, even though I was wined and dined and had a wonderful time visiting, I also came home glad that I am an American with all of the advantages and freedoms that exist for us. I think that we must do everything possible to protect freedom of religion. Sometimes I think we take the "freedom of speech" thing too far and expect to be able to say or do anything that we want even if it is morally wrong and hurtful to some. However, I'm glad that we have all of the freedoms. Our responsibility is to never abuse our freedoms.
Today has dawned a bit cloudy and reported to rain later in the day. Hopefully, all of the people that are having parties will not be disappointed. At 5:30PM today I will go to Kim and Brad's house to be joined by some members of my family, some friends, and Brad's mother and daddy. I am looking forward to being with all of them for the traditional meal and then sitting on the deck watching fireworks that we can see from that vantage point. When we stand in our circle and hold hands and offer a prayer I will not fail to offer up a prayer of thanks to a God that is good - all the time.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO ALL WHO TAKES TIME TO READ THIS BLOG.
LOVE TO YOU AND YOURS
On my recent trip that I have told you about, we spent part of one day in Philadelphia. The history of that place is not only in evidence with the buildings and the landscape, it is in the air. When I was standing in front of Independence Hall looking at the building where the Declaration of Independence was signed I was amazed. This building has been restored several times, changing the appearance of the building. In 1950 it was restored back to its 1776 appearance. The liberty bell does not rest in the bell tower of the building now. It has a place of honor in a pretty garden across the street where you can visit it, make pictures and walk around. This bell cracked the very first time that it was rung so it was sent back to have another layer of copper on it. That extra copper made it sound terrible so they had to recast it again. The bell was rung to announce all sorts of important events but, of course, the most important event was to announce the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As I rode around the city of Philadelphia I really got a serious dose of history and it does make a difference in how I view this holiday today.
Yesterday I shopped at WalMart and the young woman that checked me out was commenting on my Flag Pin that I had on my dress. She said "I have never been out of this country but I am told that if you ever leave for any length of time you will realize how lucky we are". I told her that I had been out of the country and, even though I was wined and dined and had a wonderful time visiting, I also came home glad that I am an American with all of the advantages and freedoms that exist for us. I think that we must do everything possible to protect freedom of religion. Sometimes I think we take the "freedom of speech" thing too far and expect to be able to say or do anything that we want even if it is morally wrong and hurtful to some. However, I'm glad that we have all of the freedoms. Our responsibility is to never abuse our freedoms.
Today has dawned a bit cloudy and reported to rain later in the day. Hopefully, all of the people that are having parties will not be disappointed. At 5:30PM today I will go to Kim and Brad's house to be joined by some members of my family, some friends, and Brad's mother and daddy. I am looking forward to being with all of them for the traditional meal and then sitting on the deck watching fireworks that we can see from that vantage point. When we stand in our circle and hold hands and offer a prayer I will not fail to offer up a prayer of thanks to a God that is good - all the time.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO ALL WHO TAKES TIME TO READ THIS BLOG.
LOVE TO YOU AND YOURS
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