From the Heart
Louise Gibson
When was the last time you looked up?
I mean “REALLY looked up”?
As I stand on earth and set my sights on high,
I marvel at God’s handiwork-
the Mystery of the sky.
When I look up as far as the eye can see-
There is evidence of God’s planning-
How beautiful Heaven must be!
Stepping on the weight scales can be daunting. I can identify with the anxiety some feel after avoiding the dreaded scales for weeks on end. We step on and inwardly shudder whether it is a one pound gain or 5. How could this happen?
Source India Times Health Tips
Lately I have been on the downside of the scales and I have noticed something odd. A year ago, the digital numbers would have made me cringe in despair but since I am losing, I step off the scales with a smile of satisfaction. Mind you, it is the same weight that sent me into a faint a year ago. But now, my clothes fit looser and I can imagine myself moving down a size.
I have decided the key to this oddity is my perception of how my clothes fit. You see, we have been in counseling and learning about how perception affects our mental narrative. When my weight is going up, clothes remind me every day of my failure. BUT when my weight is going down, the loose fitting clothes confirm my success. My solution? In the future I will buy clothes at least one size larger. It’s all about perception!
Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.
Day 9 – Wednesday 4/25/2018
After another great breakfast, in the breakfast room, with my cousins George, Gerry, and Delois, I said my “Goodbyes” to them and headed northeast to start my day by visiting the Cavanaugh Flight Museum located in Addison, TX. This museum has four hangers full of beautifully restored aircraft dating from WWI, and most of them fly. It is very unusual to find a museum that takes such good care of their aircraft. As a plus, the museum has several aircraft that you can get a ride in, if you have the money. I was told that when not on tour, “FIFI” one of only two flying B-29’s in the world, is maintained there at the Addison Airport.
Next I headed a few miles east to visit the North Texas Auto Museum located in Richardson, TX. When I got there, the door was locked and I saw a guy walking around inside so I stood outside, knocking, until he came and opened the door. I told him I was there to see the museum’s cars. He said the facility had been converted into an indoor go-cart race track, and that the museum’s car collection was only available to be seen during special events, being held there at their “Wedding & Event Center.” You will have to read the reviews on their website to get the whole story.
Now I headed a few miles north to visit the Interurban Railway Museum located in Plano, TX. This museum turned out to be in a restored 1901 electric railway car that wasn’t open yet. I read up on the Texas Electric Railway, on a Historical Marker there at the site, and learned that the railway system was established in 1917. This provided local rail service to the growing rural communities around the Dallas area. The rail service continued to serve the outlying rural businesses and commuters until the end of 1948.
While I was in Plano, I checked out the Auto Source of Texas, only to find out it wasn’t the auto museum I thought it was, but a used car dealer with borderline Internet advertising. So I headed north on US-75 to Melissa, TX where I picked up SR-121, northeast thru Westminster and Trenton to Bonham, where I turned east on US-82. I followed US-82 east all the way to Petty, Texas where I started looking for Brookston. I had two addresses for the Flying Tigers Airport (abandoned), one in Brookston, TX and one in Paris, TX. Greta and I checked out both addresses, but didn’t find any remnants of an airport at either address. So I just kept going northeast on US-82 to visit the Fort Smith Trolley Museum located in Fort Smith, AR. This small museum gives rides on a 1926 Heritage Streetcar (Trolley) on their ¾ mile long track. The museum also has three early 1900s streetcars, three steam locomotives, and several other pieces of rolling stock in various stages of restoration.
Next I drove into downtown Fort Smith to visit the U.S. Marshals Museum. This small museum displays memorabilia and artifacts, that tells the story of, and honors, the U.S. Marshals Service from its inception, with the Judiciary Act of 1789 to the present.
Just a few miles southeast of downtown, I visited the Fort Smith Air Museum. Greta took me to the Fort Smith Reginal Airport, but I couldn’t see a museum. I circled the area twice, and finally stopped and went in to ask someone about the museum, and was told it was right there inside the terminal. The museum turned out to be artifacts and memorabilia housed in several Plexiglas display cases, to honor pioneer and military airmen from the Fort Smith area.
It was getting late, so I asked Greta to take me to the motel. She took me across the Arkansas River, just a few miles outside of Fort Smith, to the motel located in Van Buran, AR. After I got checked in, I warmed up my leftover Jambo’s BBQ Ribs again. I always love a good BBQ Rib plate after a long day on the road. Don’t you?
—–To Be Continued—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
From The Butterfly School “Butterflies and moths go through a life cycle known as complete metamorphosis.”
Just as butterflies must experience metamorphosis to achieve their beautiful, best self, so must we be willing to experience our own metamorphosis to achieve our beautiful and best self.
If only “change me, Lord were my first heart’s cry, I believe I would see others with a clearer, more loving eye.
SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
I would like to preface this post by saying that I am going to do a series of posts written by my husband, Fred. He has had a most interesting life. At one time, a few years ago, we sat down and he dictated his thoughts and memories, and I typed them up. Some of them are in a bit of a random order. I have pictures to go along with a lot of it.
I must also tell my readers that, at one time I asked Fred’s mother if they had pictures of all their life adventures. She informed me that there were none. Big disappointment! However, on another visit to their house, I was snooping around and found….four full albums of family pictures!! Surprise!! I brought those four albums home with me and scanned them all into the computer.
At one time, I asked Fred’s parents to write their memories. Fred’s dad put up quite a resistance, insisting that “in five generations you have a million people!” But I finally got them to understand that I only wanted THEIR memories – not all those millions! What came of that was a wonderful “Memories” book. I made copies for all of their four children and nine grandchildren.
Charles and Kitty Wills – Fred’s parents
All that to say, that Fred’s story needs to be told, and here it is. I will also be inserting comments that I know about this family, as well as some of the tidbits that Charles wrote in the Memories book. Enjoy!
FRED REMEMBERS
I remember being at Grandma Wills’ home in Ocean View, New Jersey. She had a big yard with a gazebo, and evergreen shrubs were around the gazebo. The back yard was about 100’ out – a large field.
The gazebo
I remember there were lots of potato plants, and I remember picking bugs off the potato plants.
I remember she had a big kitchen. I remember sitting at the table, snapping and stringing green beans.
Near the barn was the outhouse – it had 3-holes – the middle one was small, for the children.
I remember the barn – the left side was a single-car garage-type, with boats, duck decoys, and a work bench. The other side had a 2nd floor loft for storage.
I remember visiting Uncle Melvin’s home. [Judy’s NOTE: Fred’s dad was the middle child of five – three boys and two girls] It was down the street and the other side of the street from Grandma’s. It was two-story, with a porch in front, and was newer than Grandma’s. Behind the house was a big field with HUGE, sweet blueberries.
I remember that north of town there was a pond. Dad (Charles) said he and his brothers and sisters used to swim in it. In winter, it would freeze over, and they would ice skate on the pond.
Melvin ice skating
I remember a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, and a gas station. I remember my First Grade in Ocean View. It was in the same one-room schoolhouse where Dad went, and I had the same teacher Dad had for HIS First Grade. There were six grades with one teacher when I went to school there. There were eight grades when Dad attended.
~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~
Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years
Photo credit Bill Lites
Things change quickly at the SPCA Adoption Center in Titusville, Florida. On Friday afternoon around four o’clock, I had a strong urge to drive over and see what was going on. The center is only two miles from where we live, so the ride was quick. We opened the front door to a packed lobby, and an associate told us it was rush hour. At this time people brought in fostered kittens and sometimes their mothers for adoption. It was also the time that a lot of people stopped by after work before the weekend.
Right away, we met a volunteer named Joe who knew where to take us. He seemed a gentle soul, though a bit shy. He obviously loved animals, and I’m guessing he especially loved cats. We now wanted a cat between one and five years old. Knowing I had my dream cat in mind, Bill left the choice to me.
Joe took us into a room and allowed me to open a cage containing a black and white cat. She seemed shy but sweet. When I stopped petting her she retreated to the back of the cage leaving me with the feeling that she didn’t expect to be taken home-ever. I felt terrible about leaving her, but we needed to look around a bit more. Joe took us into a room with six female cats in the age range we were looking for. These were the tired and stressed mothers of kittens now playing wildly in another room.
Suddenly, a beauty came up from the sea of cats like Venus from the shell. This one’s name wasn’t Venus, though it was Athena another name for a goddess. It fit, but we morphed the name into God-given. She rubbed her cheeks on Bill’s shoes and he petted her, then it was my turn. As I stroked her sleek and shining fur she purred loudly, and I fell in love once again. I then realized that the caged cat hadn’t purred at all, but this was to be our last cat and we wanted her to be happy and easy. Our volunteer went to the desk to tell the associate we were ready to adopt.
Soon we were on our way home with Thea, a tuxedo cat with angel wings on her back. We knew we could love Thea and yet honor the memory of Jasmine too. We rejoiced and thanked Abba for her and for all the love and fun we’d have together becoming a family.
Photo credit Bill Lites
Photo credit Bill Lites
Reblogged August 25, 2018
“I can’t believe it,” I wrote as a reply to a colleague of mine some years back.
“Yes,” she said, “the company is downsizing and is laying off all in our level.”
My stomach cramped. My job as an over-the-phone interpreter wasn’t actually “work” for me; it was my passion. Something I relished performing. And one that for over two decades, I’d relied on for income, health insurance and other nice perks.
My throat was still a bit sore from swallowing the lump as I considered this loss.
I heard words like severance, “COBRA”—words that screamed “You’re out of here.”
They pointed to the choices: anger at the unfairness, fear of what happens next, or prepare the menu for a pity party.
Since none seemed logical, I chose a different path. God says that His thoughts are not our thoughts. And our ways are not His ways. I caught my breath and glanced at a new horizon—not bleak anymore. Actually, I saw possibilities—ones I’d not considered but what if God had? I saw paths unknown to me, but what if God already knew them? I saw worry before me, but what if God had blessings planned instead?
Seeing my future through His eyes brought peace. And that peace made me dance with reassurance when I read: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord; ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
To prosper me? To give me a future? God was the one promising that. Not my employer or unemployment department. His plans were in place, firm and trustworthy.
And while I relished in His firm commitment to give me a good future, the strangest thing happened, unusual as snow in Orlando. I received an email telling me that the notice to end my employment was indeed an error. An error? I held my breath. And with apologies, my boss confirmed that statement and assured me I was still an employee of the company with no changes to my responsibilities, income or benefits.
So, is that what God means when He says to trust in Him with all our heart? His tests often come with seemingly bad news. But we look at the “God news”—it paints the portrait of hope each time. It brings on what we could never imagine. And He is true to His every promise.
Maybe this message today is for you. If you’re facing uncertainty. Or you’re encountering something that seems impossible. Or maybe you reached the end, and hope is about to evaporate.
Hang on. God has written the end of the story. And He’s waiting for your trust to come back, your faith to increase and your peace to come back.
Father, thank you for giving me the wisdom to rely on you when bad news arrives. Thank you for teaching me to trust in your provision and in your sustaining power alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.
How is God showing you a new horizon today?
Janet
______________________________________
Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.
CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.
Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.
Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.
Source https://janetperezeckles.com/blog/finding-peace/what-to-do-when-facing-bad-news.html
Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR
Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.
On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
This sure has been a busy and fun week. Our daughter, Rebekah, flew up from Florida to spend the week with us and she was joined by my aunt and cousin from the Raleigh area. Our friends from South Carolina joined us and we all had tickets to attend a performance by comedienne Jeanne Robertson at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts on Friday. The show was wonderful, we laughed a LOT and was followed by cake and ice cream at home. Low carb for the husband and I. We had a regular house party going on. If you have never viewed any of Jeanne’s videos, take a look at my favorite on You Tube. Don’t Send a Man to the Grocery Store.
My South Carolina friend won the prize pack!
On Monday, we took a drive up to one of our favorite places, Wayah Bald. The mountain was severely burned during the 2016 wildfires and we wanted to see how the forest was recovering. Although most of the woods along the road leading to the top seemed to be flourishing, the trees at the top are simply blackened branches and on this cloudy day, they were a harsh reminder of the damage fire does to a forest. The walkway, once lined with wild Flame azaleas, is now lined with wild flowers and grasses.
At the fire tower, we were pleased to see that the burned roof of the structure had been replaced. The forest service added a clever structure for visitors to carve their name or a message. Wayah is a part of the Appalachian Trail and hikers from across the globe can leave their mark there.
Rebekah and I walked about 50 steps on the Appalachian Trail to take a picture of her soon to be released new novel, Destiny’s Call.
We met two hikers coming up the trail to the tower. I don’t think they were through hikers, as their pack looked more like a day hiker’s gear. I took their picture from the top of the tower as well as the picture of my husband.
On Wednesday we weren’t sure what we wanted to do so we loaded up in the truck and went “exploring”. We drove down to Georgia to another favorite place, WarWoman Dell near Clayton, Georgia. On warm sunny days, it is a cool haven. On a cloudy day, like Wednesday, shadows and light made for some interesting pictures. Since it is quite shaded, moss abounds.
Rebekah loves photography
The sun peeking down reminded me to remember where my help comes from.
Moving on, we drove 9 miles on an unpaved Forest service road in search of a waterfall. We made it to the parking area, but the short trail was too steep for my husband, We had to content ourselves with photos online. It was a beautiful, if bumpy drive through thick forest. To our amazement we came upon an outdoor church with a cemetery that is still in use.
By the time we made it back to paved roads, it was getting late. It was a good day to put in our memory books.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.
On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
A few weeks ago, I shared a post titled “Today I Will Choose to Sing.” When I was in a Dalton’s Christian book store today I found this tote. A perfect reminder to remember to sing, even in the toughest times.
A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
Day 8 – Tuesday 4/24/2018
After a great breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, a biscuit and gravy, with Gerry and her husband, George, and Delois, there at the retirement center, I headed over to Grand Prairie, TX to visit my other cousin, Milton, and his wife Nannette. This turned out to be a great time, reminiscing about our childhood experiences, when our family visited their family at our grandmother’s house in central Louisiana near Many, Louisiana.
Milton had to get ready for a class he teaches there at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, so I headed for Fort Worth to visit the Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame. This is an impressive building, filled with memorabilia and old photographs related to the history of some 200+ women of the American West who have been known by, and are honored for, their pioneering fortitude and extraordinary courage.
As I was leaving the Fort Worth area, I stopped to take a photo of the entrance to the Fort Worth Stock Yards. This brought back fond memories of a Lites family reunion trip DiVoran and I made to this area in 2000. One of the most fun things we did on that trip was a visit to the Fort Worth Stock Yards, strolling thru all the shops, the stock yards, and watching (up close and personal) the longhorn cattle drive down East Exchange Avenue.
On the corner of North Main Street, where I parked to take the above photo, was the famous Cattlemen’s Steak House. I would have popped in for lunch, but they weren’t open yet. The sidewalks in the Stock Yards area feature the “Texas Trail of Fame” stars. The stars honor many of the individuals who have, over the years, made a significant contribution to the Western way of life.
Next I headed northwest on US-287 to check out the Texas Aircraft Restorations and Fox Aviation, both allegedly located in Rhome, TX just to see what they might be working on. The Internet address I was using turned out to be a private home. Even though the very nice man was a pilot, and was in the middle of building a hanger for his airplane, he said he didn’t know anything about either of the outfits I was looking for. He did, however, refer me to the Hicks Airfield, which was not far from there, located just west of Haslet, TX. When I got there, no one at the airport or the airport cafe knew anything about either one of these organizations. Oh well, I’ll just have to chalk these two up to “No Shows.”
Wanting to get back to Arlington in time for a 5:00 supper with my cousins, I headed back southeast on SR-114/SR-121, thru Roanoke and Southlake, to try and miss some of the afternoon traffic on the Interstates around Fort Worth. Supper at the Retirement Center was delicious, and the four of us had a wonderful time reminiscing, that carried on after supper, in George and Gerry’s apartment for hours. I finally said, “Goodnight” to them and retired to my guest room for a good night’s sleep.
—–To Be Continued—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
Old Things R New 