A poem at 31 days.

Some days it's been a trick

Some days a treat

31 days of posting

Has been an undeniable feat!

But it's done and it's over

a month of wracking my brain in the past

Thanks for reading, thanks for encouraging

and thanks for making it pass so fast!

Still under the weather

Man. It's been a long time since I've felt as bad as I have these last few days. I won't go into all the details here because it's boring if you aren't living it, but I know I mentioned that I went to the doctor last Friday and got two prescriptions. She told me then that if I wasn't much better by Monday to call her and they'd call in an antibiotic. Well, I think it was Sunday, the swollen sinus stuff started and hurt so much that I could hardly sleep Sunday night. I called the doctor on Monday about 9:15 and told them about the anitbiotic the doctor had promised. They normally don't call their prescriptions in until the end of the day, but they promised me more than once (because I called several times when nothing was getting done!), that they would get it called in before 5:00. Making a long story short, they never did call anything in, even after 5:00 and I had to go through another night without any antibiotic. I just sat here and cried when I realized what had happened because I just felt SOOOOOO bad, I was frustrated and there was nothing I could do about it. I called the 'on call' doctor and wouldn't you know, it is the same doctor I see! I left a message explaining what happened in my dealing with her office earlier in the day. She called me back through her answering service, a recorded message, stating that they didn't have the phone number for the pharmacy I use. Well, they certainly did because it's in my file there AND I had given it to two people in her office yesterday. So I called the 'on call' line back and left another message telling her this. She called me back and I told her that I wanted to come by and pick up that prescription this morning instead of waiting for it to be called in. She said that would be fine, so I had myself there first thing this morning. They actually did call it in and I have spent the day here at home sleeping, laying around and not doing much more. I just pray that this is all over soon. As soon as it is, I'm changing doctors....I just need to be sure all this is covered first!

Hope all is well with you!

The long awaited picture....

How cute is this? Grace as a bag of JELLYBEANS! :-) The only problem she found was that she couldn't sit down and her arms would hardly reach for her to eat the hot dog she had for dinner tonight! Sweet baby though, huh?

Peace

My favorite furniture

Just got home from staying with Kate and Grace tonight and wanted to get my post in for today. I should have done it earlier, I just didn't know I would be so late getting home.

I spent part of the day cleaning today....and as I was dusting, I thought, "I need to share what a cool piece of furniture I have!" This radio used to be my great-uncle's. It's a Philco 41-280 and from what I've found online, dates back to 1941. He'd had it as long as I can remember and I mentioned when I was a teenager that I would love to have this some day. I don't think I ever told him that though because my mom said he didn't like people saying, "Can I have that when you die?" He said he'd rather hear, "When you don't need that anymore, can I have it?" :-) So, after he died, my mom inherited everything he had since his wife had died and they had no children. Once I bought my house and had a place for it, my mom passed it on to me. It actually only needs one tube or something and it would still work. It really is the coolest piece of furniture I own, for sentimental reasons and just because it's not something that everyone has.

Kinda unique anyway, isn't it?

Oops!

I want to apologize for the ending of my last post. I didn't really mean that I haven't enjoyed blogging every day, just that it's been such a change from the 5 or 8 or so times a month that I've been used to that it has been a stretch. My problem is that I have unrealistic expectations of myself. I feel like every post needs to be something fabulous....something enriching....something that makes time spent here worthwhile....and that's a hard thing to live up to! Thanks for being so sweet about it though....I didn't mean I haven't enjoyed it, it's just been different. Actually, at 12 days away, I had intended to come up with a '12 days left of blogging,' thing sorta like the '12 days of Christmas,' but that never materialized. It was a cute idea though!

I woke up this morning knowing that I needed to go to the doctor before I was stuck over the weekend unable to get in touch with anyone, so I called and made an appointment for 1:15 today. After waiting 2 hours for them to take me back, she said I have an upper respiratory infection and gave me a nasal spray and some cough syrup with codine and said if I wasn't feeling much better by Monday, to give her a call and she'd see about putting me on an antibiotic. Hopefully this will take care of it. My boss changed our insurance company last year and I was reassigned to this new doctor because they went by home addresses and she's about a minute and a half from my house. I'm not really happy with her though because I've been about 4 times (because of other prescriptions: blood pressure, thyroid and cholesterol) and have never gotten out of there in less that about 2.5 hours...and I have had an appointment every time! I can understand running late every once in a while, but that is ridiculous! I think I am going to call Blue Cross Blue Shield tomorrow and see if I can't get reassigned somewhere else. For now though, I am glad to have drugs and am glad today is over!

I went for a little while to Grace's 'Trunk & Treat' thing at her school, all ready to get a picture of her to post here....and can you believe that little stinker would not wear her adorable costume??? She said she was embarassed and too many people knew her! (Of course, she is right about everyone knowing her....I can walk down the hall with her at school and everyone's like, "Hey Grace...," "Grace...hey!," Even parents of kids know who she is...it's CRAZY!) She assured me though that she would wear it at Kate's school on Monday night, so for now, that's the plan and I'll post a picture then. If she doesn't do it then, I'll tell you what it is....no sense in letting a good costume idea go to waste!

That's about all from here for now. I'm off to either watch "Days of Our Lives" that I've recorded this week or a movie titled, "Guess Who" that Jean recommended when I joined Netflix a few months ago.

Hope you've had a great day!

Another early night

I'm about to make this another early to bed night! :-) I just can't shake whatever it is that is trying to set in and all I want to do is find the closest bed with cool sheets and a cold pillow! Although I was careful not to get too 'in their face,' I did go to my sister's tonight for dinner and got to spend some time with my precious nieces. We watched 'The Haunted Mansion' and I got to see the pumpkins that they carved last night. Too bad I didn't think to take my camera. Perhaps I'll do that tomorrow. Grace has 'Trunk or Treat' at her school tomorrow night and I can't wait to show you her costume. It's both original and adorable....of course.....and I think she actually thought of it herself. Kate has 'Trunk or Treat' at her school on Monday night, so Grace will be getting some mileage out of this idea. I think Kate and a friend of hers are dressing up like characters from 'The Breakfast Club,' one of her favorite movies, for Monday night at her school, but being 13, she's still in the decision mode about whether to dress up or not. We'll see...and if she does, I'll get pictures of her too.

Six days of posting left.....and counting (!!)

What's YOUR story??

Well, sweet Kat gave me this award today and I must say I am grateful and feel exactly the same way. I don't really know how or when it happened, but somehow along this road of blogging, we've developed a friendship that has a real heart to it and is a sweet addition to any day. I would list the same people she did to pass it on to and am just thankful that she thought of me to begin with! This award is "Presented to awesome BLOG owners who keep their readers excited about their posts. Their blog posts are interesting (NOT spammy) and worth reading and keep their subscribers looking forward to each and every post." Funny thing is that I don't know what keeps anyone coming back except commeraderie, friendship and care, but really, those things are hard to find in todays world sometimes, so I am grateful to know they are there! Thanks Kat, it means a lot, and to you other 'B Club charter members,' thanks for all YOU to do enrich my life. Although Kat did it too, I pass this on to you as well.

On another note, I slept great last night and woke up some better this morning. Except for a nagging cough, I was fine for most of the day until I was at children's choir tonight and felt the achiness coming back, so I quickly took some asprin and it went away for now! Lucky for me because we are working on Christmas music in adult choir and I needed to be there for that. Hard to believe that program is only a little over a month away! UGH! Lots to learn before then!

Okay, now.....the BFF Award got me to thinking about the blogging world in general....about how it all just evolves into these great relationships and it got me to thinking about how I started blogging. My friend Tracey started her blog back last summer and sent me a link to it. Next thing you know, we were chatting about me starting one myself....lots of people here were blogging at the time and it was just a fun way to keep up with everyone...with their lives and their humor (and you have to admit Tracey, there were some funny posts in the early days!)....so I fretted over a name and Tracey and I bounced around blog names for me for about a week or two and finally came up with 'Glasses of Grace.' Since then, it's all been history, but I have LOVED the new relationships, the new insight, and the new world that this has been. It's been a fun outlet and I've really loved every minute of it, so thanks to you, Tracey, for getting me started.

So now, that's my story.....how did YOU get into blogging??

Short and sweet

Tonight's post is short and sweet. My Sunday school class went to serve dinner at the homeless shelter. We do it twice a year and it is always a humbling experience.

After that, we all went to dinner and I just got home.

When Gina and I were at the Concord Jubilee over the weekend, on the way down, she said she wasn't feeling so great. She was better during the day, but that night, Sunday and Monday, she said she was achy, etc. Luckily no one else in her family has gotten it yet. She went to the doctor today and they gave her a shot....but guess who's had a lingering headache for two days and started feeling achy with chills tonight herself....UGH! I knew I had a headache while we were at the shelter tonight, but when I went to get in my car and sat down, I was like....'oh man!'

So I am off to take something, get a bath and get in bed early. I really RARELY get sick, so hopefully it's a passing thing.....

...and I have to be better tomorrow....I have an appointment to get my hair cut and that is like my birthday! I LOVE my friend that cuts my hair and I LOVE getting it cut!

I Stand Amazed.

I stand amazed at the way God works,

at His lessons and His plans;

I don't have a clue how anyone could doubt

that His ways are higher than man's.

I stand amazed at His sovereignty

at His ability to give and withhold.

He gives us things to strengthen our walk --

To go into the world and be bold.

I stand amazed at the way he discerns

What truly is best for us--

The fact of the matter: We may not always agree...

but to live in His will, we must!

I stand amazed at the gifts He gives

of people, places and things.

They all can be forms of encouragement

no matter what each day brings.

I stand amazed at how He speaks to others,

like when we need a hug or word from friend...

Yet He also leads us and helps us to know

When there are needs to which we should tend.

While I stand amazed at all these things....

which are gifts from God above

My prayer is that I never take them for granted

Because they are tangible gifts of His love!

The silly poem I posted the other day has gotten more comments than anything else this month. I started this one a while back, probably a month or so ago, and never finished it, so I thought I'd do so tonight. You didn't know what you were signing up for when you commented on the other one, did you??? :-)

What's yours?

Our Minister of Music preached our sermon tonight. It was titled, 'A SINGING Sermon.' He touched on points of 'The GREATNESS of God,' 'The LOVE of Jesus,' 'The POWER of His Spirit,' 'The PROMISES of God's Word,' 'The PRIVILEGE of Prayer,' 'The GLORY of Worship,' and 'The JOY of His Presence.' With each, he gave scripture then he had us sing choruses or parts of hymns that went along with each point. I don't know that I have ever heard or taken part in a sermon like that before, but it was absolutely fabulous. I was thinking on the way home about it all and got to thinking about my favorite scriptures...I have several, but here are a few:

Psalm 19:14
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer."

Psalm 51:9-12
"Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

Romans 12:1-2
"I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing unto God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do no conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

and Hebrews 3:13
"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

Scripture can be so personal, yet at times so general. Certain passages can mean so much at one point in life where we've never experienced a particular need before, then some scripture just transcends all life events and time. I was thinking that I don't think we've ever 'chatted' on our blogs about our favorite scriptures, so that leads me to the question....

'What's yours?'

The Concord Jubilee

Not much to report for today, but a fun day nonetheless. My friend Gina's husband is from Concord (a small town south of where I live) and they have the 'Concord Jubilee' down there during the third weekend in October every year. It's one of those small town fall craft fairs with lots of booths, lots of good food, and lots of nice people. I went with them for several years, then didn't go for several years just because it seemed like I was always busy during this weekend. Last year she mentioned they were going, so since she's one of those friends that I can just invite myself along to go with and no one minds, I did! It was a lot of fun, kinda like 'old times' or something; I kept pushing and asking if they were going back this year, so we did. Granted I could go by myself, but it's always more fun to go with someone else, plus I just love her in-laws and it's always nice to see them.

Tomorrow is a Pampered Chef party at my sister's at 2:00, so I'll miss out on my dearly loved Sunday afternoon nap since I'll have to be back at church at 5:00. It seems like the weekends just fly by!

I wish we could come up with a way to have a five day weekend and a two day work week, you know? :-)

More wise words...

"Be generous and understanding. Let no one come to you without feeling better and happier when they leave. Be the living expression of God's kindness: with kindness on your face...in your eyes...in your smile...in your warm greeting."

--Mother Teresa

Quality time

I got to spend time with two sweet girls tonight...my nieces! My sister called me today and said they were going to return something tonight she'd bought for Grace that didn't fit and run a couple of other errands if I wanted to hook up with them, so of course I did.

From the time Kate was a little thing, I would go to their house for dinner once a week, usually on Thursday night, then somewhere along the way, it turned into Tuesday nights. It was just something we did. It gave me GREAT time to spend with Kate each week and many times I would even put her to bed (bath, brushing teeth, reading, talking and all that entails) before I left. We had the opportunity to have such a solid base of time together during those years, then in 1999, along came Grace and after a while, things changed somewhat.

Oddly enough, Grace didn't have too much to do with me until she was about 2, so that was still great for me and Kate. I just thought that my relationship with Grace would be different...as indeed it is! I still went over once a week for dinner, after which my sister or brother-in-law would put Grace to bed, and I still had some fabulous time with Kate. As Kate is growing into a thoughtful, considerate, opinionated young woman, it thrills my soul that she still has time for her 'Aunt Dianne.' I can see that our relationship is changing a little, but she never hesitates to hug me, hang on me (although she IS as tall as I am now!), or just say, 'I love you' before we leave each other's company. Do I need to tell you how much I treasure that from a teenager?

Grace is just Grace. She's the funniest child I've ever known and she is a boss from the word 'go.' She is a helper....if you are doing anything at all, she wants to be right there helping you get it done. The days of her not wanting much to do with me are gone and she now just thrives on time with me and wants to spend the night with me all the time. Tonight was special though because this year, we've had to put some distance into my every week dinners at their house because she's got such anxieties about homework, tests, school, etc, that she just can't concentrate and get things done when I am there. I am the one that chose to put some distance there because my sister would get mad (and you know how it is when mama ain't happy!) and it just wasn't fun for anyone, so I've only seen them a little on the weekends when we've had time. It's been a little different, but fortunately, my sister has always allowed me to have as much time with them as we can possibly allow, so my relationships with them are fabulous no matter how much time we have or don't have together.

Actually, my sister had Grace tested a few months ago, maybe even last school year, and that is how they figured out her anxiety issues. She is seeing a counselor (for lack of a better word) every month or so to help give her some coping skills and the funny thing is that she comes away from that time saying, "You seem stressed....want me to tell you some ways to deal with that??" As I said, always a helper! It is so funny to hear advice like that coming from a third grader! :-)

So I say all that to say that tonight was different and fun...time with two girls who are just my heart and soul....and it doesn't get much better than that!

Girl Talk

My offering today is to point you to my friend Leanne's blog....I was hoping she would do this and she did! She posted about a Women's Ministry event we had at church last night....'Girl Talk.' It was a fabulous success, very well attended and very informative. I was sitting there thinking how much wisdom is out there from others if we will just take the time to ask. It was dinner and a question and answer time with a panel of women within our church from all walks of life. We gave out index cards as women arrived and told them to write down any questions they had for the panel, so once they were taken up, no one knew who had asked what and that worked fabulous. There was a wide range of questions...from marriage, child-rearing, singleness, dating, church involvement as a new member, etc...all areas of life. I was more than blessed.

Now, go read about it on Leanne's blog and let her know your thoughts to her question at the end. I'll be checking there to find out your answers.....maybe we can get our own forum going! Wouldn't that be great?

The "Lost Art..."

It's getting late....I was driving home tonight thinking, "I've got to post something!!!!!!" I'm hoping that Leanne will post about what we did tonight, so I'll save that for her....(hint, hint, my friend!)

First of all, let me say thanks for the great ideas to post about and thanks for all the kind words of encouragement! I am sure you will be seeing some of those suggestions put to type before too long, I just need time to think about what to say......

Here's what I'm thinking tonight.....I'm thinking about listening. To God. To ourselves. But most of all, to each other.

I found a quote by Dale Carnegie many years ago that goes like this, "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." I was probably in my late teens or early 20's when I found that quote, but I thought I'd try putting it in to practice, and you know what....it really works! It works because we are starving for people we can be honest with, people we can share our heart with without feeling judged and people that we trust will not use what is shared with them at some point against us. And sometimes we just need people to simply listen. To be solid. To be supportive. To be a stable force when we need it.

I have a book in my room titled, "The Lost Art of Listening." I bought it several years ago and read about 1/4 of it back then, but I never finished it. For some reason, I've felt the 'tug' to read it again lately, so that is going to be my attempt. Hopefully it will help me hone my listening skills, and I'll pass on any tidbits that just astound me.

One thing I found just thumbing through it tonight....'There's a big difference between showing interest and taking interest.'

AMEN!

My 'half-way there' poem

I don't know what I was thinking when I said I'd post every day for a month! It seemed like a good idea at the time! :-) SO, in honor of being 'half-way there' I thought I'd make up a poem! :-)

I had no idea

how hard it would be

to post every day

about the life of me!

It seems a long time

yet it's only (been) 15 days...

Trying to do this every evening

puts my mind in a haze!

It's harder than I imagined

My thoughts are running thin

I'm trying to be original

but I'm in a tailspin!

Yet I'll keep plugging on

in order to keep my word and be kind

But if I say that I'll do this again

You'll know that I've lost my mind! :-)

I am kidding with this, of course...I know the pressure is self-imposed, but that's one thing I'm great at! I just wonder how original and interesting I can be for 15 more days! :-)

WAY out of my comfort zone!

Well, let's suffice it to say that I stretched W-A-Y out of my comfort zone tonight! Back in July, our Minister of Music called me one afternoon and said that he was wanting to put together a Sunday night Praise Team and wanted to know if I would be a part of it. After a bit of talking and finding out what he had in mind, I told him I would and he said we'd start practice in September....enough time to finish out any summer plans and get us past Labor Day. So about nine of us (give or take since we've not all been together to practice until tonight) have been practicing each Sunday afternoon before church and tonight was our first time out....UGH! It was really different in my mind when it was a couple of months away (!!), but all in all, although it was a rather large stretch, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and surprisingly enough, my hands weren't even shaky! :-) We did a hymn and a fellowship chorus tonight, but next week, we are supposed to sing one of the songs we've learned....I just hope that goes as smoothly as tonight did! You might mention that for me in your prayers!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am all about NOT being out front. I function better as and 'indian' and not a 'chief,' but since my sister first mentioned moving and I knew she was serious about it, my prayer has been, besides the fact that if it wasn't right for Kate and Grace that it wouldn't work out, that God would bring things into my life to fill the time that will be there once they have moved. He's begun filling these requests in ways I never could have imagined and through people He's brought into my life. He's given me a great opportunity to be involved in Women of Purpose at church and to build some great friendships there, He's gotten me involved in this praise team stuff and I am sure there are other things that will come along with time if I am just open to them.

So I went out of my comfort zone today....and lived to tell about it! :-)

Just thought I'd let you know! :-)

More awards....WOW!

How sweet was it of Lynne to leave a comment this morning and tell me I had an award at her blog to pick up? Needless to say, like we all do when we know we have an award waiting, I rushed right over to see what it was. This one is sweet because although I KNOW I fall short sooooo many times, it is given to bloggers "who live what they preach, who try to make the changes in their own lives that they would like to see in the world." I left Lynne a comment and told her that one of my favorite quotes is indeed, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I even have a rubber stamp with that quote on it in my stamp collection! All I try to do is be a good friend, a good sister, and a wonderful aunt and to be courteous, thoughtful and fair to everyone who crosses my path. Like I said, I know I fall short, but this my goal every day. Thank you Lynne for thinking of me and passing it my way. I am passing this one on to Karen, Amy, and Jill. I've enjoyed getting to know them through their blogs and can tell that they are awesome in their own sphere of influence. Thanks girls for making a difference!

This award made me giggle. I went to check out Amy's blog and found that she'd given me this one. I had to laugh because hers is such a FUN blog! I've probably posted about this before, but Amy and I share a love for Donny Osmond that evidently can't be topped! :-) I knew we were destined to be buddies from the day I happened upon her blog and she mentioned Donny in her sidebar. Kindred spirits, no doubt! Since then, have identified with her about several things she has shared and her blog is just a fun place. If you haven't been there yet, you need to check her out. I can see why you got this award Amy, you ARE totally fabulous! :-) If you hadn't passed it on to me, I would have passed it on to you! I'm passing this one on to Deedra, Jess, Lynne, Joan, and Tracey. The award title speaks for itself....so pass it on, girls!

If you've ever had a cat....

...you'll know how true this really is. My mom sent this to me today via e-mail, a .wmv file, and it was too funny to keep to myself. Without a doubt, THIS is Sweet Kitty (!!) and quite possibly my all-time favorite e-mail. Be sure your sound is turned up....and ENJOY! :-)

The blessings of contentment

One of my favorite things to do in life is to just hang out with friends, have fun and talk. I've had the opportunity to do that twice this week and I am thankful. I had dinner with my friend Joan and her sister, Christy, on Monday night, then on Tuesday, Christy e-mailed me to see if I wanted to go to the fair tonight down where their other sister, Gwen, lives. Of course, I said 'YES!' It had been absolutely forever since I'd been to a fair and it was so much fun! It was fun just being there, but it was fun to spend time with friends (Christy, Gwen, Christy's daughter Jessica and their Aunt Sybil) talking and enjoying each other's company too.

There were many times I spent (and many tears I shed) between the ages of 37 and 40 looking at what everyone else had and looking at the things I didn't have in life, coming to grips with the fact that I more than likely wasn't going to be blessed with children, realizing that I was going to have to make it on my own and just battling that feeling of loneliness in several areas of life. I know the scripture about being content in all circumstances and I know the scripture in 1 Corinthians about the unmarried not having divided interests, but none of that seemed to matter. It was an emotional thing, not a spiritual thing, so it took a while to work though. God knew what He was doing though...my 40th birthday was fabulous...a huge turning point for some reason...and I haven't looked back a day since. It's like I adopted 1 Corinthians 7:17 ("Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.") and applied it to to my life. The things I've read about this verse apply it to a vocation, but I felt it was applicable to my life in general. I needed to come to grips with where I was and 'turn it around,' so to speak. Since I've attempted to do that, I've come to fully realize that my singleness is, more often than not, a gift. Over time, it has allowed me to have a VERY active part in my nieces lives that I know I wouldn't have had if things were different; likewise it has afforded me the opportunity to have time in the lives of so many of my friends' children that I never would have had otherwise. It has given me the opportunity to build some wonderful, deep friendships that I may not have had the time to do otherwise. It has freed me up to be there when I've needed to be there for others and it has given me a huge opportunity for blessing and ministry in the lives of people, who often turn out to be friends, that God puts in my path. Being allowed all these things has blessed ME....I have been blessed FAR BEYOND what I could have imagined or expected and to be honest, I can't imagine having a life any different than the one I have. There are still times that I worry about my future, from a monetary standpoint mostly, but when I look at how far God has brought me these last few years....how far He has brought me in my relationships and in my trust in Him....I know He has that aspect of my life under control too.

I don't know how all that ties in to me being at the fair with friends tonight, except that I am just so grateful for the people and time to invest in relationships that God gives me, even in something fun like a trip to the fair!

God is good....all the time!

What to post about???

This is harder than I thought it would be! My hat is off to you ladies who do this every day and come up with interesting stuff! I've got a few things I'm thinking about, but haven't had time to think them through enough to post anything. I heard this song by Steven Curtis Chapman on the radio on the way home from church tonight though and loved the words, so here it is, for your listening pleasure. My prayer is that we all make the most of our 'moments.'

So much history...

It is amazing to me when I stop and realize how much history surrounds this place that I call 'home.' Kate's chorus was supposed to sing at this place called 'Nash Farms' on Saturday, but my sister had only mentioned it in passing, so I had no idea it was a big deal. When I talked to Patty, my sister, on Friday, I said, "I guess I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow," to which she said, "Aren't you coming to hear Kate sing tomorrow?" Well, of course, the answer was 'yes,' and I am SO glad I did.

When I got there, I found that it wasn't actually AT Nash Farms, but what the whole thing was about was a headstone dedication at a church close to Nash Farms for a man named John Pleasant Shaw Nash. I've been trying to find out about him online, but with the time crunch of posting every day (!!) what I've found so far is that he owned the land turned out to be the final battlefields of Sherman's Atlanta Campaign from Sept 2-5, 1864. His dad started a church here in 1883, the County Line Church (it still goes by that name!), and John owned and farmed property just up the road, what ended up being the battlefield property. As stated in the Henry County Times, a local newspapaper, "This park was the site of the largest cavalry raid in Georgia’s Civil War History and is the site of the final battle of the Atlanta Campaign." You can read about it all here and here. It sounds here like the Zachry Rangers weren't present for this battle but were in Virginia serving in the Army of Northern Virginia. No doubt, whether he was here or not, the battlefield got it's name and place in history for it's obvious significance.

Below is the front of the program for Saturday's dedication, Kate's chorus (which is normally much bigger, but this was a voluntary thing so I guess not many people felt compelled to show up), then some of the people dressed in period costumes as well as pictures of the headstones.

Lastly, I learned a little about where the story of 'Gone With the Wind' originated tonight too...very interesting! You can read that great story here.

Pretty fascinating stuff even if I do say so myself! :-)

The MOM

You have to listen close to hear it all, but it's all familiar! :-)



I don't think she left anything out, do you???

My first 'best friend'

I am one of those people who just LOVES a good quote. I am forever looking for them, buying those page-a-day calendars with quotes on them, etc. The other night, I was going through one that I had bought for this year, but haven't used (!!), and found a quote that I thought was fun. It made me think of one of the first two friends I have had for virtually my entire life. I wrote a post about one of them, Connie, a while back. We lost touch for a few years while we were growing up, so while she was the first friend I really ever had, this quote brought to mind another friend, Amy, who truly was my first 'best friend.' Here's the quote:

"There is no friend like someone who has known you since you were five."

-- Anne Stevenson

I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures of us when Amy and I were kids. She says we started living across the street from each other when she was two, which meant I was three, but I can't remember that. I just know she's always been there! Her parents divorced when we were young (I was probably about 6) and to this day, I remember sitting across the street playing with a stick, waiting on Amy to come out, and her dad was packing his car to leave. I didn't know any better, so I called out to him (nosey person that I am!), "Hey....Mr. (Amy's dad), where are you going?" He told me he was going fishing. That is the last I ever remember seeing him, and oddly enough that is the ONLY memory I have of him. Amy and I had so much fun together. We went to Brownies together, rode our bikes all over the neighborhood, had our secret crushes, played games....all the things that kids do. My family moved when I was nine and I think Amy's moved shortly thereafter, but we packed a LOT of fun into those years we had living across from each other and we've stayed in touch through the years. We realize what a special gift we were given in having such years together as children. It was just fun and I wish children could have that kind of fun these days.

Anyway, below are some pictures from 'way back when' and below that, a letter Amy wrote me just before they went somewhere one year....seems like it might have been California, but I could be SO wrong about that. Funny still to look at and read. If you'll notice the 'DH+BS ' at the top, the 'BS' meant Bobby Sherman! :-) Even now when I see Amy and she introduces me to someone, she tells me to "sing them some Bobby Sherman!!!"....Yeah right.....like I'm really gonna to do that!

Me and Amy

Amy and me in our Brownie uniforms

Me, Patty (my sister), Amy, and Shawn (a neighbor)

celebrating a birthday

Shawn, Amy, Me (back row)

Kelly, Patty and Scott on the front

The letter....such fun days!

(notice how she spelled 'swet shurt'...PRECIOUS!)

Wonder what I can come up with for tomorrow? :-)

WOW....another award! :-)

This post is a couple of days late in coming, but Karen passed this award on to me on Wednesday and I am just now getting around to passing it on. First of all, thank you for thinking of me Karen! I was surprised and totally humbled that you thought of me, no kidding. I enjoy your blog a lot too! As background, Karen and I have just recently connected in the blogging world in the last few weeks and if you haven't been to visit her, you need to go....NOW. (Well, maybe after you finish reading this post anyway....) She does some of the coolest things with her kids and shares great pictures. She has a fun blog. Definitely worth visiting again and again.

I know that I've said this before, but I feel like I post about such mundane things sometimes that it's hard to imagine that anyone is THAT encouraged, especially enough to warrrant an award (!!), but blogging is fun and I enjoy the friendships that have come from it, so I plan to keep plugging along. :-) I sincerely do appreciate the encouragement I get from those of you who read my blog and comment though and I want you to know that. There is a quote by William M Kinnairdthat I love:

"We are not placed on this earth to see through each other, but to see each other through."

Even though so many of us have not met, it's a great thing to be able to get insight and encouragement from so many places in the world. I have recently added the sitemeter thing to my blog and have found that there are literally people everywhere that take a peek whether they comment or not. THAT is amazing and humbling...first of all that they visit to begin with...but second of all that they come back for more! WOW! :-) Life holds a lot of things and gives us each a lot to deal with. One of the best things we can do is to help see each other through, no matter what the circumstances, just as the quote above states.

In passing this along, I really appreciate everyone who reads and comments, but I would have to say that my first thoughts go to Jean, Tonja, and Kat, in the blogging world because they really are thrilled when I post anything...and I DO mean anything! :-) Their comments make me grin, giggle and even laugh sometimes and they are not afraid to say that they care about whatever is going on. They are unabashed encouragers and I am grateful our lives have intersected through this venue. On a face to face, everyday personal level, I would have to say that this award needs to go to Leanne as well. I already knew her a little through church, but being involved in Women of Purpose this year has given me a fabulous opportunity to discover what a great person and friend she really is. We are forever finding that we feel the same way about things and that we have loads of stuff in common. It is great how God gives us who we really need in our lives, isn't it? One way we are different though....this is her comment to my last post, and it is SO true! HA! "Surprise, surprise! I took the little test and guess what, our result was exactly the same. Now the real question is, as we continue to discover our very similar characteristics, how can we be soooooooo different in the "fruffy" department??? Is there a neat quiz for that one?" I am definitely not 'fruffy'! That made me laugh out loud.....SO true! :-) If there is a quiz for that, let me know....I'd be interested.

So, my hat is off to each of you ladies. For your friendship and your encouragement, thank you.

'You lift me up,' and I am grateful.

A new effort

I've decided that I am going to try to do something different this month. I noticed last night that I have posted something every day this month so far...4 days in a row...HA!...so I thought I'd try to post something every day and see how long I can keep it up. Some days it may be good, some days so-so, maybe even yucky somedays, but I thought it would be fun to try.

For today I found the following on Karen's blog and thought I'd give it a shot...once again, no surprise....it's funny how accurate these things can be! (Except for the 'medicine' one...UGH! and if 'speech' includes public speaking, NO THANKS!) Go ahead...give it a try and see how yours turns out!

Your Scholastic Strength Is Evaluating

You are great at looking at many details and putting them all together. You are talented at detecting subtle trends, accuracy, and managing change. You should major in: Statistics Speech Conflict studies Communication Finance Medicine

What Should You Major In?

And just as an aside, I am still wanting to know your favorite songs for my iPod! :-)

AND, while you're here, don't forget to click the pink icon to your left....it's important. Thanks!

An Oldie but Goodie

With yesterday's ipod purchase (which I can already tell I am going to LOVE!), looking through the iTunes store tonight and thinking through all the CD's that I have, I particularly want to include songs that have meant something to me over time for one reason or another. I realize that sometimes it's been a short list and sometimes it's been a long list, but this song is on EVERY list: Carry On by Sandi Patty. It really ministered to me several years ago when it first came out and with all the challenges and ups and downs that life continues to hold on so many levels, it is just as powerful now as it was then.



I'd be interested to know some of your favorite songs so I can check them out too...I may need to include them as well! :-)

My latest purchase.

I finally did it...I broke down and bought an ipod today! I have been wanting one for months and have even been holding money I got for my birthday back in FEBRUARY (Hello! What's up with that???), but still couldn't make myself spend that much on it, even if it is 'free' money. As it turns out, I was short on cash a few weeks ago, so I had to use some of it....since it was just sittin' there, you know....and I didn't want that to happen to the rest of it, PLUS I really have been wanting an ipod for that long! I just decided today at work that the world was going to quit spinning if I didn't make this purchase today, so off I went to Best Buy. Of course, I got home tonight and forgot all about getting it charged up, so there it sits still in the box and it's almost time for bed! Life's funny like that, isn't it? Can't live without something one minute and forget all about it the next. It will be fun though, I have no doubt.

Now we'll just see if I can figure out how to get it all loaded up with music...hope it's not too hard to do! If you have any advice, suggestions or pointers, I'm ALL ears....

Another worthwhile truth

Along the lines of my post on July 26 titled 'Who's in Your Front Row?,' here's another story that packs a punch and holds a big lesson.....ENJOY!

Who Packs Your Parachute?

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.”

Plumb thought of the man hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, “Who’s packing your parachute?” Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He calledon all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

As you go through this week, this month and this year, take time to recognize people who pack your parachute and at the same time, be sensitive to the people in your path whose parachute you can help to pack with a simple word of encouragement, a kind deed or some unexpected thoughtfulness.

We all need a lifeline.