We’re on our way to Portland – kinda. We got up at 3:30 this morning so we could be ready when Danny and Sherian, performing way above and beyond the call of friendship, picked us up at 4:30 to drive us to DFW. I guess after years of living in the country they’re used to getting up before dawn because they were good company on the 97-mile drive from our house to the airport. (more…)
This is the post I wrote last Memorial Day. We still remember.
Remembrance and Hope
Memorial Day is a day of hope and remembrance, of remembering those who gave their lives in the service of their country. Why is remembrance important, and what is our hope? (more…)
Behind the House
David picked up his cell phone and dialed Dirk’s number.
“Hey, I’m behind your house.”
“What? I don’t see you.”
Dirk and Pat are our neighbors, but their back yard is fenced, and with the placement of their windows it would be hard to sneak past them.
“Well, I’m right behind your house. It’s on the bridge.” (more…)
Yesterday was my birthday, and if you remember the commercial quoted in the title of this post, you’re like me, older than dirt. But I don’t want to talk about age today. I want to talk about birthday greetings. I got a LOT. I got two cards in the mail, I got lots of face-to-face wishes and hugs at the Senior Center, and I got a phone call from my sweet friend Mary. Everything else was electronic. My question is, were the electronic greetings live or Memorex? (more…)
I met Brent and Sharon Harmon in early 2007 when David and I first got serious about the RV lifestyle. I’m not sure how our interest was first piqued. The first thing I remember is David showing me a luxury motorhome on his computer. It sported a mid-six figure price tag, and we laughed over the impossibility of owning one as we oohed and aahed over the fancy, tricked-out bus. (more…)
David and I don’t have a regular date night. We enjoy each other’s company enough that watching a movie on our 47” television with a bag of microwaved popcorn seems like a date. But thanks to David’s growing reputation as a chili cook-off judge, we had a special date night last Friday in Quitman, another small East Texas town about 25 miles from Emory.
A couple of weeks ago, David got an urgent call from a friend in Quitman. They went to school together in Jonesboro, Louisiana, and the tale of how they reconnected after all these years is a tribute to coincidence, but that’s another story. For now, she was in a bind and needed help. She was coordinating a chili cook-off to benefit the Special Olympics, and one of her judges had pulled out for medical reasons. She needed someone from a county other than hers and preferably someone with a little bit of experience. Lured by the chance to expand his resume and by all the free chili he could eat, David said yes, and I went along to watch the show. I didn’t take my camera, and my phone didn’t have enough of a charge to take a lot of pictures, but I took enough to show you that people in Quitman know how to have fun. (more…)
On Tuesday I posted the written account of the Ladies’ Conference our church hosted on January 12. Here’s the pictorial version. (more…)
The table decorations had disappeared, the signs that had been suspended over the buffet table with fishing line were gone and the Fellowship Hall was set up for Bible study class. The multitude of signs pointing toward restrooms, registration and coffee were gone, and the masculinity of the men’s rooms had been restored, the artificial flower arrangements having been removed from the urinals. A vacuum was running somewhere, and several of the youth were wiping finger prints off the glass doors. Extra chairs were gone from the sanctuary, and the Communion table was set and ready for Sunday morning worship. David and I boarded the shuttle bus that would take us and a few other tired volunteers to the remote parking at the Methodist church. It looked like the Redeeming the Time Ladies Conference our church had hosted was over, but it wasn’t. (more…)
Potpourri (Photo credit: Niina C)
Potpourri is defined as “a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent.” That’s not the kind of potpourri this blog is about. It’s about the alternate kind of potpourri: “a miscellaneous collection” or “a combination of incongruous things.” My sister-in-law Jo Lynn recently posted an article on Facebook, and she said it was especially for me to add to my future-blog-material file. It was attributed to a woman named Regina Brett on the occasion of her 90th birthday. After years of internet experience, I’m a little skeptical of the origins, but the humor and wisdom of some of the thoughts are inescapable. I’ve chosen a few of my favorites for further comment.
Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
I think my former employers followed this line of thinking, and unfortunately, they decided that usefulness diminished with age. On or about my 60th birthday, I was informed that my services were no longer required. I can only pray that my husband doesn’t subscribe to the same school of thought. (more…)
From: Zeology The Art + Science of Sleep
I missed my Friday post, partly for the same reasons I’m writing instead of sleeping at 12:30 in the morning and partly for other reasons. First, we were out of data on our WiFi card and our new month didn’t start until Saturday, and even though I have unlimited data on my new iPhone, I wasn’t sure I was up to blogging on a three-inch keyboard. Second, we spent the morning winding up our New Year’s visit with David’s mom and the afternoon driving home. I intended to write on Saturday, but then the real reason kicked in – I was preoccupied. Several months ago our pastor asked if I would consider coordinating a one-day ladies’ conference our church was planning to host. If I had said no right then, I might have posted a blog on Friday, and I might be asleep right now. Instead I said I would think about it and pray about it and let him know. (more…)
