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Flying Legends Airshow Part 15

16 Dec

 

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Flying Legends

Day 15 – Wednesday July 15th

 

Did I mention that on Day 2 of this trip (that day that almost did me in) that I had scrapped both passenger side doors of my rental car when I got too close to a metal entry post at a carpark? Well I did, and not even four hours after renting the car. What a bummer! And now I was looking for an auto repair shop to get a damage estimate for Budget and my insurance company. The hotel clerk looked up the name and phone number of a local shop for me. I called (on a pay phone) and asked the owner if he could review the damage and give me a written estimate. He said he could, and gave me his SatNav address. He said his shop was only about 15 minutes from the Europa hotel.

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I gave Greta the SatNav address and headed for his shop. Well, Greta took me to a farm house on a narrow country lane with no repair shop in sight. I put the address in again, and she took me back to the same farmhouse. While I was sitting there trying to decide what to do next, a lady came walking down the lane, and I asked her for directions. She pointed me to the end of the lane, and sure enough there was the shop (about a mile further down the lane). But, it was all locked up! Stress Gummy time.

2

I had assumed the owner was in his shop when I had talked to him, but no, he was on his mobile phone! Now what was I going to do? Just then I spied a call button on the wall next to the shop. I pressed it and a woman answered and told me I had buzzed the private house behind the shop. Ops! I told her I was there to see the owner of the repair shop and she said, “Oh, that’s George.” I told her my problem (she was very nice) and asked her if she would mind calling George for me. She did, and George said he could be at the shop in 15 minutes. He came and gave me a written estimate of the repair work. Then I realized I didn’t have the SatNav for the Budget office (only the phone number). I ask George if he would call them for their SatNav number. He was kind enough to do that, and I was on my way to turn in my rental car.

3

Greta took me to the Budget office at the Arora Hotel, there in Crawley, with no problems. The Budget agent was very nice about the damage to the car. I gave him my insurance paper work/estimate, and he wrote up an incident report for Budget. What a joy it is to work with people like that. They just seem to smooth out all the rough edges of any situation. He even gave me a ride to the Crawley train station.

4

At the train station I bought my ticket to the London-Gatwick Airport and was there (on a Virgin train) at 11:00 to check-in with Virgin Atlantic Airlines for my flight to Orlando, leaving at 1:00 pm.

5

After a 45 minute departure delay at Gatwick (while they loaded some rich collector’s vintage Mercedes automobile onto our plane) we finally took off. Again I enjoyed setting in the upper deck of the Boeing 747-400 (Ruby Tuesday) during the flight back to the U.S. The plane was fuller on the flight back than the flight over and I was not able to recline my seat enough, so I didn’t get much sleep.

6

I was glad I had insisted on an upper deck seat since there was less traffic and it was much quieter. Again, I was surprised at how great the beverage and food service on the 9-hour flight was (full course meal and snack).

7

When we arrived in Orlando I didn’t notice, after going thru Customs, our bags were delivered to the “B” side of the airport. DiVoran was waiting for me at the “A” side Arrival pickup area, and it took a while for us to find each other. Thank goodness for cell phones.

8

By then it was almost 8:30 pm and we decided not to go out for dinner as planned, but to go straight home where DiVoran whipped up a delicious ham, cheese and mushroom omelet for us both. Yummm!

9

I was very happy to get home, see my lovely wife, sleep in my own bed, and not have to live out of a suitcase for a while. Having to lug that suitcase up and down all those stairs wasn’t any good for my shoulder and knees either!

—–The End—–

 

 

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Anticipating heaven. | Janet Perez Eckles

12 Dec

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Janet Eckles Perez

 

Once in a lifetime you meet somebody that prompts you to say, “I want to be just like her.” Let me tell you about Karen. Like millions, she has faced cancer, but hers is a rare type;., the survival rate is alarmingly small. Yet, for years, she has defied all odds and survived its claim on her health. But Karen hasn’t just survived; she is living her days to the fullest. Though years of treatment have zapped her energy, she keeps going, again, defying all odds, baffling all doctors.

But Karen has another secret: she has no fear of death. She knows Christ. She knows heaven awaits her. And certain of her eternity, her courage can fill her hospice room. Karen displays the confidence few possess. She has even taken her husband shopping for the suit he will wear at her funeral.

Like many of us have chosen the centerpiece for the table at our wedding reception, Karen has chosen her tombstone which you see in this picture. (click link below to visit Janet’s blog) Could it be that Karen was put on this earth to fulfill God’s unique plan and also to teach the rest of us that death cannot bring about fear? Death of the physical body is the doorway to life eternal, the beginning of the perfect life, and the anticipation of glorious living.

As of this writing, Karen has been told it’s only a very short time before she faces Jesus. But she holds to her faith. She has all plans in place.

She has prepared her family. And in doing so, perhaps she prepares us to see her example, so that we, someday like Karen, will declare the words of Paul: “Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” “…

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 16:55 and 57) Has Christ who lives in you also erased the sting of death?

Read more:  Anticipating heaven. | Janet Perez Eckles

 

I’m working on a new book. And this time, a hot topic will fill its pages:

• What does God say about immigration?

• Does His law contradict man’s law?

• Is deception justified when facing desperation?

The answers will be in the book…and as always, I’m in prayer for wisdom and God’s favor.

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God Never Says “O-O-O-PS”

11 Dec

From my Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

That’s a theological truth in disguise.

God is a Master of Perfection.

His truths stand to confuse the thinking of the wise.

 

Every moment we feel overwhelmed by problems,

God is busy dealing with them, dear friend.

Every time we despair over the lack of God’s presence,

Remember, He promised to abide to the end.

 

The Bible has been written for people

who are living in the land of the living-

It is so much more than “pie in the sky

in the sweet by and by”.

 

The Bible is written for the tough realities of life,

the nitty grittry of the here and now.

Its pages are filled with real life solutions

to relieve our strife and our sigh!

 

 

“There has to be a song-

to make our burdens bearable,

to make our hopes believable,

to transform our successes into praise.

to release the chains of past defeats.

Somewhere- down deep in a forgotten corner

of each man’s heart-

There has to be a song,”

Robert Benson

 

“At times when we feel forsaken,may we know

the presence of the Holy Spirit who brings comfort

to all human hearts when we re willing to surrender

ourselves.  May we be convinced that soon before

we reach up to Thee, Thou art reaching down to us.”

Peter Marshall

Originally published on Old Things R New January 2015

 

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Flying Legends Airshow Part 14

9 Dec

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Flying Legends

Day 14 – Tuesday July 14th

No English breakfast this morning. The hostess at the Kentmere Guest House was from the Philippines and all she offered for breakfast was cereal and fruit, which was fine with me. I finally gave up the idea of having my day in France on this trip. I was never able to connect with any of the “BlaBlaCar” drivers. That’s a group of private individuals who use their own cars for hire (similar to Uber.com here in the US). I wanted a ride from Dover, through the “Chunnel”, to Calais, France. Then I needed another ride from Calais to Dunkirk, to visit the Memorial Du Souvenir and Musee Portuaire Museums.

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Then the plan was to have lunch at the Le Soubise Café there in Dunkirk. After that I would need a ride from Dunkirk back to Calais, to pick up my return ride from Calais, back thru the “Chunnel”, to Dover. I couldn’t seem to tie all these ride times together to complete my perfect one-day trip. Boo Hoo! But, C’est la guerre!

2

So, I headed for the South Foreland Lighthouse, just north of Folkstone, to get a glimpse and a photo of the White Cliffs of Dover. After I got off the “Upper Road” the route narrowed from a two-lane paved road, to a single lane paved road, to a single lane dirt road, to what looked like a rough goat trail in the middle of the woods. I began to question if Greta was taking me on another one of her wild goose chases. But sure enough, as I rounded the next bend, there was the gate to the lighthouse grounds. What a surprise!

3

The view of the White Cliffs of Dover was not as good as I had expected, since I was standing on top of them and had to look up or down the coast to get a good view of the cliffs. There really wasn’t much of anything else to see, (except for the coastline of France across the English Channel) as the lighthouse was closed to the public that day.

4

From there I worked my way west to visit the Shoreham Aviation Museum in the small village of Shoreham. That museum turned out to be at the back of the Lions Tea Room on the main street of the village. The museum was closed so I was unable to see what kind of memorabilia was in the back garden.

5

Next I headed west again to visit the 900 year old Tonbridge Castle located just outside the city of Tonbridge. The castle was very old and very small so I didn’t spend a lot of time there.

6

Then it was on to check out the Tunbridge Wells Railway Station Museum in Royal Tunbridge Wells. The station, which was opened in 1846, is located directly on the double-tracked electrified Hastings Line. This museum exhibits a collection of nicely restored 17th and 18th century rolling stock.

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The museum also operates regularly scheduled special steam powered train trips for visitors. There’s the “High Weald Belle” Sunday Luncheon that features a delicious three-course dinner, or you can choose the “Fish & Chips Special” that operates at mid-week lunch times and on selected weekend evenings. It’s been a long time since I was on a steam train, and I wish I would have been there on one of the days they operated rides.

8

Now I headed for Crawley to find the Europa Hotel for my last night’s stay in the UK. Greta took me right to the hotel and check-in went well. However, their Wi-Fi system was down and I wasn’t able to talk to DiVoran on FaceTime that evening.

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As it turned out, I would never have had enough time to make that special trip I wanted to make to France, unless I had been able to connect with all the rides and had started at 8:00 in the morning, and then it might have still been a stretch. Maybe next time.

10

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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Teddy and Praise Dancer

7 Dec

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

 

My pal Onisha and I sometimes get into writing letters as they were written earlier in our lives. Now they seem old-fashioned because of the way we meandered when we wrote them, but since it’s almost Christmastime, we thought you might like another glimpse at the way things were.

DiVoran:

Here are a couple of our old friends. Teddy is on your left and Praise Dancer on your right. I imagine you figured that out.

Teddy and Praise Dancer

 

Onisha: Adorable!!  Are these friends at your house?

DiVoran: Yes, they live in the scriptorium. Mother crocheted Teddy’s clothes. I’ve had him since I was five. That makes him sixty-two years old, and he’s an excellent listener.

Onisha: I wondered who crocheted Teddy’s outfit. How wonderful that you have been able to keep Teddy and his clothes all these years without loving him to pieces.

It’s wonderful to have him. Mother crocheted two outfits when she was here one year, so his clothes aren’t vintage. Mother could just look at something and crochet it, but she never figured out how to follow a pattern. Crocheting was the way my mom kept her sanity. We can all use a pastime that will do that for us. She made decorative pillow covers, granny patterned Afghans, and lap robes for the nursing home. When she was ninety, she crocheted butterflies and attached magnets so you could put them on your refrigerator. All friends and family had something she had made, but only Kewpie Doll has this little set.

Kewpie

 

Onisha: People like that have an inner eye that can see how things go together. It is a gift. What is the story behind Praise Dancer?

DiVoran: You are so kind to ask. Sure, Praise Dancer has a story.

When Julia Cameron wrote another book after “The Artist’s Way,” I rushed to buy it. One of her assignments in “The Vein of Gold,” was to, “make a creativity doll.” That’s how I got Praise Dancer. With a few items from the Craft Department she became something besides a cotton body, curly hair from a package, and a bit of tulle and paint. She and Teddy have been good friends for about twenty years. Poor Raggedy Ann used to be Teddy’s best friend but she now lives in the old doll cradle with the “Winnie the Pooh” gang. Alas, although Praise Dancer doesn’t have a heart she is still a sweet girl and she loves the Lord. I suspect she dances for Him when we are sleeping.

 

Onisha: Praise Dancer does not need a heart on the outside, it shines on her face

DiVoran: Here’s Teddy and Raggedy Ann, they were so glad to have a visit during the photo shoot.

Teddy and Rageddy Ann

 

DiVoran: Thank you for saying Praise Dancer was loving as well as beautiful.

 

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Worry

6 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

Worry………..worry……………worry…………

Are you a worry-wart? That’s a good old-fashioned phrase that my Mother used to say.

And what better time of year to be a worry-wart than December? It always hits me in the face on December 1st that it is DECEMBER……and I don’t have a single THING purchased or made for ANYONE in the family! Worry……worry….worry………what will I get everyone, and when will I have to mail the packages…..

And how will I EVER get the house decorated in time for it to be worthwhile?

And how will I EVER get all the Christmas cards done and in the mail before Christmas Eve?

And then there are the Christmas cookies to make…..

And how will I EVER …………   Well, you get the picture.

I found this cartoon (credit Charles Schultz) on facebook recently, and it made me realize just how worthless all that worry is. See what you think.

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And then, there is the directive from the scriptures that really just says it all:

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Matthew 6:27

And here is the kicker:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

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Flying Legends Airshow Part 13 (Continued)

2 Dec

 

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Flying Legends

Day 13 – Monday July 13th

The traffic around Victoria Station was terrible and people (from the train) began yelling at the bus driver that they had flights to catch. That didn’t help his disposition one bit! By the time I finally got to the Golden Tours office it was 12:30. A very nice agent at the Golden Tours office was able to locate my reservation on her computer and print me a ticket.

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I asked her if I had to take the train back to Kings Cross to get on one of their tour buses and she said, “No, you can get on the bus right there across the street.” Thank Goodness! As it happened the first bus that came along was the Blue Route, and was one of the routes I needed.

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However, by now I was so frustrated and tired, and also because my time was running out, I decided to just stay on the bus for the whole route. This would allow me to see the entire city in air-conditioned comfort (did I mention how hot and humid it was there in London) and with an audio explanation of all that I was seeing. This actually worked out rather well.

2

I was able to see all the specific museums I had planned to visit in London (from a distance) and heard all about them. I just didn’t get off and visit inside each of them. However, I did miss the Changing of the Guard. Maybe next time.

Trivia Question: What is the name of the bridge pictured below? The most photographed bridge in London is NOT the “London Bridge” but is actually the “Tower Bridge?”

3

After a tour of the city, in order to get back to Kings Cross for my train ride back to Stevenage, I had to transfer from the Blue Route bus, to a Red Route bus, and finally to the Orange Route bus.

4

I got to the Kings Cross train station at 4:30, only to discover that the next train to Stevenage was not until 5:15.  However, this train was an express train, and it got me there by 5:45.

5

It took me another 15 minutes to walk up the three levels of stairs to the Stevenage station lobby, across and overpass, and then down three levels of stairs to the carpark ticket machine and pay for my parking. As it turned out, paying for my days parking was a breeze. I just put the yellow token into the machine and it displayed how much I owed (really smart machine!). Then I deposited the correct amount (coins of course) and everyone was happy.

6

 

I had planned for this day to go a lot smoother than it did, giving me time after returning from London to visit a couple small aviation museums close to where I would be spending that night. I decided to check them out, even though I knew they would be closed for the day, just to see what they had and to say I had been there. First was the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum in Ramsgate. This small museum looked like it probably only displayed memorabilia items as there were no airplanes in site.

7

While I was in Ramsgate I swung by the RAF Manston History Museum. This museum tells the history of the RAF Manston airbase from its beginning in 1916. I just took a couple photos of their “Gate Guard” (V-1 Buz Bomb) and then headed south.

8

At the Kent Battle of Britain Museum in Folkstone, I couldn’t tell from the street how big this museum was. One of the small museum buildings blocked my view of all but one airplane that might have been behind it or in it.

 

9

I was ready to call it a day, and gave Greta the SatNav for the Kentmere Guest House there in Folkstone. She found the guest house with no problem, but it took me another 20 minutes to find a parking place on the street.   Before long I was resting in a very nice room in a comfortable bed. I’d have to call that a day and a half’s worth of frustration all rolled up into 10 hours!!!

10

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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For Those Who Mourn

30 Nov

Hello friends, for those who have experienced the death of a loved one, the holiday season is often difficult. Even with the best intentions and knowledge of God’s provision, we still experience grief and mourn. Acknowledging this, I decided to share DiVoran’s  beautiful Promise Poster -Onisha

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Violet Mourning

DiVoran’s Promise Posters, Paintings from Go West as well as other art can be purchased as note cards  and framable art

Creative Arts

To view more of DiVoran’s inspirational Promise Posters and Meditation Musings visit Rebekah Lyn Books

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So, Why Should I be Thankful

27 Nov

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

A thankful heart causes us to look upward.
It causes us to look around,
and causes us to look within
where the peace of God is found.

 

The number one secret to happiness
is a grateful heart.
Beginning our day with a prayer of gratitude
brings tranquility from the start.

 

Fear is the father of failure-
a negative emotion, to be sure.
Replace it with a positive thought.
Failure you will no longer endure.

 

“When we choose not to focus on
what is missing from our life,
but are grateful for the abundance that
is present, we experience Heaven on earth.”
Author unknown.

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Thanks Giving

26 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

I would like to wish all of our readers a blessed Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter and joy.

In Janet’s blog this week she included a recipe for Thanks Giving. A few weeks ago, DiVoran created a photo that she titled, A Fresh Journal Page. I joined them together. I plan to  incorporate this recipe into my life this holiday season. Will you join me?

A Thanks Giving Recipe

Every day I am thankful for my friends and fellow bloggers on Old Things Are New!

Love you!

Old Things R New Family

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