WELCOME TO 2012

Well, today is the end of 2011 and in a few hours the year, 2012 will emerge to remind all of us that the years come and go at rapid pace. Maybe that sounds like, what I am, an old woman talking about time moving so fast but I do hear young people making the same remarks. I believe that we feel that way because we are moving from one day to another without really thinking about time moving with us. I know that, as a young woman with young children, an ambitious husband that worked a lot, myself working also and all of the activities that accompanied these things left me no time to think of rapidly passing years. It might behoove all of us to think about that cliche "stop and smell the roses". Maybe that would be a good New Year's Resolution - slow down, breathe deep, look around, enjoy the sunrise and sunsets, savor the flavor of a good meal rather than the hurry up method of eating, take walks when you can and pass pleasantries with people that you meet and the best thing of all would be to get you a dog like Houston. Now, that is a blessing that can't be denied. To have something who looks at you with love in their eyes, walks beside you, sleeps at your feet, sits with you as you read your books or nap in your chair is just a gift that is to be treasured. He will make 2012 a good year for me but I am anticipating lots of lovely things to happen in the new year.

I have not told you anything about my Christmas Holiday Season so I will try to capsule it for you now. I was invited and attended many parties during the month of December but the week of Christmas all of the handshaking and hugging caught up with me and germs invaded my body in the form of a sinus infection that "laid me low". I really felt bad during the actual Christmas family events. On the 23rd of December we gathered at Nita's house for our Annual Cline Party. Twenty-eight people packed into the house and the garage that was converted into a really festive children's area - complete with signs, games, and little table and chairs. We circled up, held hands, counted off as Aunt Ree had taught us, prayed and then headed for the table of food. We followed all of our traditions for this party which consists of my reading The Night Before Christmas to the great-grandchildren, singing the Twelve Days of Christmas (Anni, Ava and Emma did a fine job with their part of singing Five Golden Rings) and then the children gave us a real treat by enacting the birth of Jesus - with our new baby, John Patrick, being Jesus and lying in a laundry basket wrapped in a blanket. A new treat that we had this year was Joesea saying the Twenty-Third Psalm. We all left with a warm, happy feeling that comes with being family. Billy, Aunt Ree and Mother were not there in person but I surely did feel their spirit as those adorable children that are their descendants prayed, played and performed.

Christmas Eve was a lovely time for me. I went to First Baptist Church with Nita, Ray and Paul Kemp to the Communion/Candlelight Service. It was a lovely, quiet time to reflect on just what Christmas is about. As Christopher Maddux told when we were in Jackson on our visit, "Christmas is not about Santa and presents. It's all about Jesus". After our church service we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Mimi's Cafe. Ray took me to Kim and Brad's house where I spent the night. On Christmas morning Kim and I had our traditional Mimosa Drinks and Sausage Pinwheels. When Patrick and Mikka and the children came we opened our gifts and then we were treated to Kim's breakfast casserole and other breakfast foods. After all of the paper was picked up and the house was quiet again Brad and Kim took me home. It was nice to come into my beautiful home with my Christmas tree and decorations every where that I looked. I just turned the lights on my tree, got into some comfortable clothes, got into my lounge chair, covered up with a soft blanket and zoned out of everything. What a delightful end to a delightful Christmas Season.

Now, I am going to embrace this coming year with all of the enthusiasm that I have. I am going to enjoy my family, my friends, my church services and my church friends, my activities with my East High group and just all of the wonderful things that I know lie in store for me. I am intelligent enough to know that every year will bring good things and every year will bring disappointments and sadness but I also know that whatever comes that God is in control and God is good - all the time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY. MY LOVE FOR YOU KNOWS NO BOUNDS.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANNITA CLINE MADDUX

Today is a RED LETTER DAY for me. Why, you say? Because today is the day that Annita Lynn Cline Maddux came into my life. Her birthday is a very special day for me. My first born. My baby girl. A gift that has been cherished for all of my life. Special does describe her as well as my feeling for her. She has always assumed the role of helper, encourager, manager, multi-tasker and with a loving, charitable, benevolent personality. She is always "there" when you need her doing whatever it takes to get the task performed or to help soothe the situation if it needs a caring word or deed. Oh yes, she has a few of her father's traits and can be bossy and impatient but she also has his loving ways also. I will claim a few of her personality traits also because she does her best to keep peace when dissention might arise in any circumstance. In that way I believe she has the Libra sign going for her. To be a little more personal I will say that she breezed through school with good grades, entered into every aspect of social activities and athletic cheerleading for her junior and high school years, she met the love of her life at high school and married Ray Maddux after she completed one year of college at Lipscomb (on the Dean's List I might add) and she has been his perfect help-mate for many years. Her children and grandchildren are her delight and she is theirs. Her church is where she is grounded in her spirituality and she has many friends among the congregation. I can say that Nita has always been a joy to me. She has never caused me to worry about her integrity or what she will do in certain situations. I always know that she will handle everything as it says in the Bible "with decency and in order". Nita is not here in Hendersonville for me to hug her and wish her Happy Birthday in person because she is in East Tennessee with Drew, Tara and the children at a basketball tournament, so I will just have to write my wishes and write my love and hug her extra tight when she comes home and she, her sisters and I celebrate with lunch and gifts. I am blessed to be able to claim Annita for my daughter and thank God every day that He trusted her
to Billy and my care. She is truly evidence that God is good - all the time.

NO WAY TO ADEQUATELY TELL THE STORY

There are some events in life that are just so spectacular that they defy description. Such as this happened to me this past week-end. I was invited by Nita and Ray to accompany them to Jackson, MS for a few days visit with Chris, Ashley, Christopher, John Ed and Mary Hollis Maddux. I immediately accepted because it would be my pleasure to spend time with these most beloved grandchildren of mine. We left Hendersonville on Thursday morning and arrived in Jackson at 8:30 PM after having stopped in Memphis for Ray to have a meeting and with several other stops on the way. Ashley's sister and her family had vacated their home to go spend time in Nashville with relatives. Their house is within walking distance of Chris and Ashley's house and they graciously invited us to use their house for our comfort. After a visit with Chris and Ashley we settled into our temporary home and had a good night's rest. On Friday morning we went to Covenant Presbyterian Academy to see John Ed preform in the Christmas Program. They enacted the story of the birth of Jesus and told us several times (with actions and much feeling) that "it was a long way to Bethlehem" and one little girl informed us that "Mary was preganant". We were so very proud of John Ed and the fact that he sang, did the motions with his hands and best of all - he didn't cry like he did last year. On Friday night Chris took us to The Mayflower Restaurant which is an old cafe in downtown Jackson. In fact, it was used in the movie, The Help, because it is so well known. We enjoyed a delightful meal with no spilled drinks or accidents. After dinner we drove about 30 miles up the interstate to Canton, MS to a "Festival of Lights" display on the town square. Everything was in one area and easily accessible by foot. We walked the entire area and the children were treated to a ride in little cars. We went home tired but so excited and definitely in the Christmas Spirit. Saturday came with sunshine and very cool temperature but we bundled up and went to breakfast with Chris and the children. Ashley was preoccupied with a shower that she was helping to give at a friend's house. After riding around various neighborhoods just sightseeing the homes, Nita and I went shopping at a very nice, upscale center. We had fun going in and out of the shops looking at the items that were very different from the things that we have in Nashville. Then, I was treated to definitely the most unique experience of all - Chris took me to see his office. He is an attorney at Butler-Snow and they have recently built a new building. I will do my best, in this blog, to tell you what I saw. The front lobby is white marble, tile and beautifully decorated with soft white leather furniture, a huge red work of art hangs over the reception area. The elevators were even beautiful. We toured the top floor and if I had not known better I would have been sure that I had been transported to New York or Los Angeles when I stepped out of the elevator into a conference room that just took my breath. The table was not rectangular, nor square, nor oblong and would probably seat 50 people. That was just one conference room - there must have been 20 or more rooms that were fitted for meetings, both large and small. The view from all of the rooms was spectacular as each room had glass walls with automatic shades to cover them if there was a need. One area had a regular soda fountain for drinks and ice, etc. with one entire wall of microwaves and another of refrigerators. The area for the employees to enjoy their lunch was such a relaxing, happy place that I was almost envious that I couldn't sit down and have a sandwich and a coke. As we walked from room to room the walls were lined with artwork - some oil on canvas, some pen and ink framed drawings, some acrylics of abstract colors, just a gallery of beautiful paintings and pictures. The room that just "blew me away" was a complete replica of a court room that had a jury box, podium, judge's area and spectator's section. This room is used for practicing the lawyer's cases before actually going to court. I know of no other attorney's offices that have anything such as this accommodation for their people. I came away from there just amazed and so happy that my grandson is working in this magnificent atmosphere. After this treat I was ready to go and rest and get ready for the big production that we were going to attend at the First Baptist Church of Jackson - Carols by Candlelight. We had perfect seats thanks to the fact that Chris was an usher and had to be there early so Ray could go with him and save seats for Nita, Ashley and me. When it was exactly 7:00pm the lights were turned off and many people came from all directions carrying candles as the orchestra played an overture. When they had found their positions on the stage the lights came on and there before our eyes was a huge orchestra and 300 people in the chorus. The program was splendid - the chorus, the soloists, the orchestra, the ballet dancers - everything was so wonderful and ended with the most heart stirring rendition of Amazing Grace that I have ever heard. As if all of this was not enough, Chris preached on Sunday morning. To sit in an audience and hear your grandson preach the word of God is an indescribable experience. I will suffice it to say that my heart was overflowing with happiness and pride. After an absolutely wonderful lunch at the Jackson Country Club, Nita, Ray and I got into the car and we left all of this "heaven on earth" to come home. I have only touched the highlights of the trip in this blog. I could write volumes of things that Mary Hollis, Christopher and John Ed said and did that was a great-grandmother's joy and delight but all of these things I will hold and think about for the rest of my life. This week-end filled me with more blessings than I can count and I just have to praise God and tell you once again that God is good - all the time.

BRING ON THE CHRISTMAS SEASON - I'M READY

Where has the time gone since I last wrote on this Blog? Kim has put Christmas music on my blog and new background and made it completely ready for December Blogging. I have been so busy doing what? I don't really know but today I will write on here before I finish this second cup of coffee. What a dreary day today is with it's rain and dark skies but that is okay because it will give me an opportunity to take care of the business that I need to do right here in my home.

I will go back a few weeks and tell you that Thanksgiving this year was Super! If you remember, I had whined that it would not be the same because all of the family would not be together. Well, all of the family was not together but the part of my family that I was privileged to gather with was just great. I went to Kim and Brad's house on Wednesday afternoon and we began our preparations for the next day. Poor Brad, he always loses his wonderful bed when I am there and that is pitiful for him because that bed is probably the most comfortable one that I have ever slept in. Plus the fact that Kim has marvelous linens on that bed and it is so good to snuggle under the down comforter and sleep "like a baby". On Thanksgiving morning we began our cooking. I put the turkey in and started preparations for the dressing and gravy. Kim was working on her portion of the meal and getting the tables ready. We watched the Macy's Parade and then "Miracle on 24th Street" (the old black and white version). When break time came we both rested for an hour or so. At 5:00PM here came our first guest, Tracey. Kim made her picture coming from her car because we always tease her about being late to everything. Then came Corinne, Mark, Brad and Jackson. Cassie had to work but she came later. Then Patrick and Mikka with Joesea and John Patrick. Last, but certainly not least, was Jacque and Wayne. So you see we had a housefull. The food was placed on the bar, a circle of family with the "countdown" and the thanks offered was next and then it was "fix your plate and what do you want to drink". Oh my goodness, how good was that food and how full was everyone after the meal was over. As usual, the men gravitated to the TV for football and the women sat and held the baby, talked and just had a lovely visit. Clean up time came and everyone left to go home with stomachs full, hearts happy from being with the people we love the most, and thankful to God that we have lived to see another Thanksgiving day.

Now, we are ready to embrace the Christmas Season. I have a full December of delightful things that I will be doing. Starting off the holiday as we do every year, Jacque, Kim and I went to VIP Night at Dillard's last night and I was able, with their help, to almost complete my shopping list and even got them wrapped. How's that for a big "load off my mind" thing? Thursday of this week I will go with Nita and Ray to Jackson, Mississippi for a wonderful fun-filled week-end of getting to see a Christmas Program at John Ed's school, Carols by Candlelight at their church, get to hear Chris preach at their satellite church and lunch at the Country Club on Sunday. We will come home on Sunday evening. On Monday I have two parties and a party on Tuesday and yet another party on Saturday. Doesn't all of that sound like the most wonderful Christmas celebrations that one could have? There will be so much eating, talking, singing, and loving at every one of these events because they are either with family or friends that I have loved for many years. I forgot to mention that this past Saturday I enjoyed the annual Mother/Daughter Brunch with Tracey's friends from high school and their mothers. This party always brings back so many wonderful memories of the days when I was young and doing all the things at Goodpasture School that Tracey and her children are doing now. The mothers and I have lots of memories to share so it was a happy day. When we got home Tracey made the picture of Houston and I for my Christmas Card. Nila Sherrill, Linda Highers, Susan Meece and I met at Nila's house on Saturday afternoon to make our "famous chocolate covered cherries". I looked like a snowball when it was over as I was covered in confectioners sugar. That is a tradition that was started many years ago. We meet, we make our candy and then we eat a supper of Sonic Burgers and Onion Rings. Don't you just love traditions? I am all into them, especially Holiday Traditions.

My house is decorated for Christmas, courtesy of my girls. They came on the Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving and unpacked all of the boxes, put up my tree, decorated it, packed away my every day things and put out lots of Christmas decorations. I set my table with Christmas dishes and when you walk in there is no doubt that I am in the Christmas Spirit and loving every bit of it. They even put garland and lights on the wrought iron railing around my porch. What would I do without my girls? They can do anything and have a good time doing it. I am so blessed to have them. They are just the greatest evidence in my life that God is good - all the time.