Today is Monday, October 17th and so many good things have happened to me since my last writing that, even though my time is short this morning, I feel compelled to fill you in.

Last week was my Birthday Week. I say that because it appears that my birthday always lasts a week or more. Isn't it grand that I can get this old and have so much love and friendship shown to me for such a great length of time? I began the "pampering myself time" by going to Samantha Medina, my great friend and hair dresser, for a cut, perm and style. What a difference in my appearance upon leaving the salon and entering the salon. Thank you Samantha for working that miracle!!!! Venetian Spa and Nails establishment in The Streets of Indian Lake was another great time - a pedicure and manicure while drinking a coke, relaxing to soft music and an attendant that was so very professional and so kind. Thursday night was the really wonderful time for me - my children and their spouses, Paul Kemp, Sara Chauvin and a family friend from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tommy Pardue all gathered at Hermitage Steak House for a lovely steak dinner and visit. My friend, Ginger Turner who owns the restaurant, had made arrangements for us to have a private dining room with a very attentive waitress so we just made all the noise we wanted to make, ate our meal, opened many presents and made lots and lots of pictures. Jacque's birthday, which is October 4th, was celebrated as well as mine so it was quite a gala occasion. My family gave me two tickets to the theater to see "Wicked". The date for the performance that I chose in order to get the seats that I like is November 1st. I have invited my friend, Barbara Lutz, to join me for this big night and she is estactic over the invitation. Barbara is my "artsy" friend. She loves theater, music, dancing, drama, anything connected with the arts. We will enjoy a dinner on that night at a lovely restaurant in Bellvue called Antonio's and then go to TPAC for the show. I can hardly wait for this night to come. Before that happens, however, my friend Sara and I are going to Lake Barkley for a delightful Sunday lunch at the Lodge, a night in a room overlooking the lake, breakfast the next morning and come home on Monday. Won't that be a lovely way to continue the celebration of my birthday and also her birthday which is on the 27th. This month, October, is just the most perfect time to spend in celebration - not only of birthdays and joyous occasions but just the month itself. I was riding in my car the other day and I just had to tell God how much I appreciated the month of October. The sky is so blue, the clouds are like big white puffs of cotton and the breeze that never seems to stop is cool and calm. I love the mornings when I open my sliding glass door and the crisp, cool air comes floating into my living room. The dew on the cars outside is beginning to subside but the grass is glistening like it has bits of diamonds on each blade. By lunchtime the sun has warmed the air to the point that a sweater or anything in the fall clothing line is too warm. Sitting on my porch in the afternoon reading my book is just a perfect time. Night time makes closing the door to the cooler air and wearing a jacket if I venture out a necessity. All of this just makes for a delightful season that we call Autumn. I'm confident that the season is lovely in every part of this country but for me, Tennessee is just the epitome of loveliness in the Fall.

I forgot to add that on Friday night of last week I went to the Goodpasture Football Game in Ashland City, where we played a school called Sycamore. We won the game but the highlight for this old grandmother was to see Carter make two touchdowns. Not one mind you, but two. How's that for a birthday present? I am so happy that I am getting to enjoy Carter's football this season and look forward to his baseball talents being displayed in the spring. He is my last tie to Goodpasture Christian School and I intend to attend everything that he does and enjoy the school until the day he graduates. That school has given me much joy as I watched Kim and Tracey, Chris, Drew, Leslie, Emily, Patrickand Courtney graduate and move on to places of higher education and then to careers. I will miss that connection when Carter graduates. I will enjoy it while I can - that I promise.

Well, it is time to take Houston out for his morning walk and see who is walking the track this morning. I love these morning outings. Then I will go to my Monday Morning Bible Study where we are studying Psalms. My teacher, Nila Sherrill, makes each psalm more than just a writing of David but she brings this teaching into our lives as we are living in this time. Then it is move on to Vanco Manor Nursing Home where I do my volunteer work each Monday. I will be glad to be "out and about" as my mother used to say, on this lovely day but when I get home I will enjoy my book that I am reading and maybe a nap for a while.

I love to say and hope that whoever might be reading this blog will say "This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it". Enjoy the time you have on this earth. Don't get so caught up in the day to day stresses and trials that you forget to look up and see all that God has made on this day and how blessed we all are to be where we are, doing what we are doing, and remember that none is by accident - God has a plan for us and God is good - all the time.

JUST A HODGE PODGE OF STUFF

I am not a faithful blogger, as you know. I remember when Kim set me up on this site and encouraged me to write I was very excited. It was a new medium for sharing thoughts, ideas, stories, etc. However, as in most cases, the excitement subsided and the writings became few. I found myself following this practice many years ago when I would buy a Journal Book for that year and would write faithfully from January 1 to March 14 and then my entries would slow down and stop. Probably this habit of mine comes from the fact that I can't imagine that anyone actually reads this blog or has that much interest in what I might have to say. In some ways I think writing a blog or journal or, for that matter, an autobiography could be considered an act of ego, conceit or self-absorption. Maybe not. So, after all of that nonsense, I sit here at my computer preparing to give you a "snap shot" of what is going on here at J101 Aventura Apts.

When my class reunion was over and my work there was finished, I thought I would have so much free time that I would clean out a closet or two, do some really significant cleaning of my home and also I had visions of going and doing wonderful things. Do you think any of that has transpired? Well that hasn't - but Patrick and Mikka gave me my 17th great grandson, John Patrick Evans, Jr. who is just the most beautiful, precious, adorable, darling boy child in the world. Holding him in my arms takes me back 25 years to holding Patrick. He is a carbon copy of Patrick and he makes me feel so happy. Of course, he is not my grandson and there is a vast difference in being grandmother and great-grandmother. A grandmother is "hands on" and a great-grandmother is "look on from a distance". In fact, I think that I was the last relative or friend in the family to hold the child. He is growing and changing in looks and bringing great joy to the family.

My sister-in-law, Patsy Cline Murphy, died last week. She was 68 years old and lived in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I had not seen Patsy in quite some time, but kept up with her life through her e-mails and communications with my daughter, Kim. She and Kim had a great relationship and I am grateful for that because it appeared to me that Patsy didn't have many relationships in her life. Her daughter and her family lived near so she did have that family. Her son lives in Nashville and her sister lives in Georgia. Her brother lives in Waverly. One of the traits of the Cline family is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of close Cline ties. I am very thankful that my Rainey/Russell relatives instilled in me the value and need of keeping close ties with my relatives. I treasure the time that I spent with my brother, with Juanita and other relatives when they were alive and well. Now that they are gone I remember, with great fondness, the memories that I have of going to Universal Studios with Ronald and our long talks while sitting on the beach and of course all of the childhood memories of Juanita. We had family reunions and people came from Columbia, Franklin and wherever they might live. There was much love at those gatherings. I was lucky to have Aunt Ree live in the house with me for thirteen years. My big regret is that I didn't keep my mother closer to me during the last days of her life. However, we all have a lot of "do overs" in our lives and we have to move on and not dwell on them. I just have one great desire and that is that when I am gone my girls and their families will continue the closeness that they have now.

I am beginning to believe that I really do like public speaking. I was invited to speak at my church last week at the the Ladies Day program. My topic was to tell what it is like To Be In My Shoes at This Time in My Life. The theme of the day was In Her Shoes and there was speakers of all ages - very young, young, middle age, old and Me the oldest of all. What a good time I had speaking to that bunch of Christian friends and most of all a table full of my own children and my granddaughter. It was easy for me to tell them that even though my shoes were moving slower and not going so many places as when I was younger, I have a marvelous life and am a happy contented woman in the shoes that I am wearing now. Then, I had to speak at a club meeting on Tuesday night. I chose Words for my topic for this talk. I asked the group how many words they had spoken since rising that morning and were those words significant, insignificant, inspirational, or just "idle chit chat". While writing that speech I did a lot of soul searching about my own words. There are so many times that I wish that I had not spoken at all or that I missed an opportunity to speak to someone that might be meaningful to them for that time in their life. The main thing about words, I think, is to be sure that the words I speak are true - and not half-truths or just someone else's opinion that I have adopted. I believe that we all have the power to be an encourager with our words and by the same token we have the power to bring someone to the depths of despair with something that we might say. I believe that we should all give much thought to the words we speak. If you will indulge me I will give you a short poem on the subject of words:

A careless word may kindle strife,

A cruel word may wreck a life.

A bitter word may hate instill,

A brutal word may smite and kill.

A gracious word may smooth the way;

A joyous word may light the day.

A timely word may lessen stress

A loving word may heal and bless.

When Jesus would tell his disciples something He would always start with "I tell you the truth" and that is what He wants us to do with our words. He has always been true to His word because God is good - all the time.