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Can You Have Too Much to be Thankful For

27 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

Since my mother passed away in 2001 Thanksgiving has been a difficult holiday for me. Not only did I loose my mother, the dynamics of the family holiday were broken. Instead of being a time of family, woman chatter in the kitchen and laughter, suddenly it was just me, my husband and daughter. It was devastating

Today  I sit with my overfull  stomach, trying to list what I am thankful for. The only dramatic event that happened this year is that my son was finally able to have a much-needed surgery. This is a huge praise to my heavenly Father as my son has no insurance and he was blessed to receive top-notch medical care. Still with no other big drama, I concluded that I have too much to list. I have a family that loves me, I have eyes that see, ears that hear and even though I limp sometimes, I have limbs that work. I am outrageously rich with good friends who love me and accept me and my quirks. To top this off, I know to the core of my being that I am uniquely created by God for His purpose. He loves me beyond measure and there is nothing that can separate me from His love

 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Romans 8:38-39 in The Message

I couldn’t end this without giving thanks for my faithful friends who write for this blog week end and week out. I have learned much from them. So from all of us

We wish you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving.

Old Things R New Family

Judy, DiVoran, Bill, Onisha, Lynn, Louise, Janet

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My Colonial States Trip~Part 2

26 Nov

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill Stars Plane

 

When I arrived at the Providence station, I was surprised to see several security personnel (including a guard dog) milling around in the lobby. It made me wonder if there was a real security problem or what? I discovered later that they must have been at a shift change, as they soon all seemed to melt into the crowd, and I didn’t even see any homeless people in the station. I called the rental car company for a ride to get my car and was told to wait outside the “Downtown” exit for him. While I was waiting, one of the first persons I saw come out of the station was an attractive “Hooker” dressed in a tight sweater, skin tight leather pants, calf-length high heel boots and a Lady Star style leather cap. She really got the attention of a few convention men there waiting there for their rides.

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After picking up my rental car, I headed east on I-195 to visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum.   I couldn’t believe it when the clerk at the museum asked me where I was from and I said, “You probable have never heard of Titusville, FL.” And he said, “Yes I have, I’m from Orlando.”   And I was thinking “What a small world we live in.” The whaling museum was very interesting, with five different full-size whale skeleton displays and a history of the American whaling industry from its earliest times. They even have a complete large-size whaling ship model of the “Lagoda” on display inside one of the galleries that you can go aboard and explore how life must have been sailing on one of those early whaling ships.

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Then it was on east to the Pilgrim Monument in Providencetown, MA located on the northern tip of Cape Cod. On the way I passed thru towns with some of the most unusual names, such as Sandwich, Mashpee and Barnstable. I wouldn’t even begin to try to pronounce those names correctly. The 252 foot high Pilgrim Monument was erected in 1910 to commemorate the first landfall of the Pilgrims in 1620 and the location of their signing of the Mayflower Compact, which was the first governing document of the Plymouth colony. It was an impressive structure to say the least.

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On the way back to the motel in West Yarmouth, MA I stopped for dinner at the “Moby Dick’s Seafood Restaurant” in Wellfleet, MA. Advertising to serve some of the freshest seafood in the Cape Cod area, and taking the New England clam shack to a new level, they are also uniquely a BYOB restaurant. They served me some of the best fish and chips I have ever had. What a treat after a long day in the air and on the road.

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Early the next day I headed north to Plymouth, MA to visit the Pilgrim Memorial State Park, which is the site of the first Pilgrim Colony, and to see the famous “Plymouth Rock” and the “Mayflower II” ship. Interestingly, there is actually no historical mention of the Pilgrims “landing on a rock at Plymouth” until 1715. That’s when the rock first appeared in a Plymouth town boundary record as “the great rock.” And, it wasn’t until 1741 that the first written mention of the Pilgrims landing on a rock showed up.

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The story goes that a 94 year-old church elder, Thomas Faunce, claimed he knew the precise boulder the Pilgrims first stepped on when they landed in the new world. I’m sure you would find the Googled history of “Plymouth Rock” as interesting as I did. I didn’t go aboard the Mayflower II because I had planned a full day of exploring Old Boston and the Boston Inner Harbor, and needed to be on my way

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—–To Be Continued—–

 

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Three secrets to overcome rejection.

22 Nov

Rejection- we have all experienced it’s sting. Janet shares a new perspective on it.

A Self Pep Talk

21 Nov

From my Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

Here I am at a ripe old age-

and I can’t argue with a calendar page.

My body is bemoaning.”Woe is me,

Arthritis can be a catastrophe!”

But my mind is saying,

“Go, girl!, you have a life to live.

Good deeds to be done each day,

and much love to give.

 

Keep in mind, your biggest cheer leader

in life is YOU.

Choose a positive attitude in reaching your goals,

and watch your dreams come true”..

 

You go girl

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My Colonial States Trip~Part 1

19 Nov

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

Bill Red Spot Plane

 

Since I always wanted to visit the northeastern U.S. Colonial States during the fall foliage color change, I decided to give late September and early October a try this year. My primary museum resource was, of course, my “Guide to Over 900 Aircraft Museums – USA & Canada,” which gave me an approximate route for my trip. Next came the airline and rental car research. One friend, who had lived in the Boston area and still had relatives living there, recommended the Providence, RI airport for two reasons. One, because Southwest Airlines (I could fly free with points) had non-stop flights from Orlando to the T.F. Green airport in Warwick, RI; and two, because it was a smaller airport with much less hassle than JFK or LaGuardia.   When I checked out the rental car prices, I found I could save over $250 by renting the same car at a downtown Providence location instead of at the airport. That savings would go a long way toward paying for my gas on this trip. Here again my Boston friend was able to assist me with Rapid Transit information to and from the airport to Providence. On most of my trips I find that talking to friends who have lived in the areas I plan to visit is a great source of valuable information. Next, I researched the Internet for “Things to do” and “Points of Interest” in the major cities of the states where my initial route seemed to be taking me. This narrowed the route down to more specific locations along the way. Then I approximated the distances between museums or attractions (including time at the museum/attraction) along my route to look for motel locations and rates (nights for the lowest points) so that hours on the road per day were reasonable. All this makes for a very time consuming process, but I enjoy the research and thinking about all the fun places and things I am going to be seeing.

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I had planned to start my first day (flight day) after arriving in the Providence area, to pick up my rental car, and then visiting a museum and a memorial park before checking into the motel for the night. I was a little concerned about the timing of all this because my flight was scheduled to arrive at the T. F. Green Airport at 12:50 pm and the commuter train left the airport stop for Providence at 1:25 pm. If the plane was late, it would mess up my whole evening as the next commuter train would not leave the airport until 3:55 pm. My Boston friend assured me that I would have plenty of time to make the 1:25 train and not to worry. Right, easy for him to say! Well, as it turned out, the flight was early getting into the T.F. Green Airport, and I got to the train stop in plenty of time. Interestingly, there was a young man waiting for the same train I was, and I asked him about how to know which train was my train. He kindly explained and come to find out he was from Melbourne, FL (about 40 miles from Titusville, FL where I live) and had been on the same flight that I was on from Orlando. He was there to visit relatives and was very helpful with information about the commuter train system.

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—–To Be Continued—–

 

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My Second Business

18 Nov

Leon is a new contributor to Old Things R New. Last Wednesday he suffered a serious stoke. Please keep him in your prayers.

My Second Business

 Leon Holecheck

 

When I was 9 years old, my dad gave me 50 cents to mow the front and back lawns.  That was a lot of work and a lot of money. When the lady who lived down the street found out I mowed lawns, she offered me 50 cents to mow her front lawn. I used her lawn mower and  it was in good shape and had been well lubricated. It took me most of that Saturday morning and afternoon to finish the job, because it was a big lawn. It was summer time and I sweated a lot and drank a lot of water. It was a huge relief to sit down on the lawn in the shade and rest from time to time. She required me to trim the edges of the lawn along the curb and on both sides of the sidewalks. I had to do all that edging on my hands and knees. She was happy with my work, and when she paid me, she told me she would pay me another 25 cents to mow the backyard. She wanted me to come back every Saturday.

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Another lady further down the street offered me one dollar to mow her lawn. Then another lady offered me a dollar and fifty cents to mow her lawn. My last mowing job paid me the most, but it was the hardest. The lady paid me three dollars to mow her lawn. The lawn mower was very old and nobody had ever lubricated it. The blades would barely turn and it was very hard to push. I only mowed lawns, during the summers, because in 1949 I got a job working at a filling station, which was close to my house, on Saturdays for thirty five cents an hour. I worked at the filling station job for a little over a year before I started thinking about joining the circus. But, that’s another story for another time.

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—–The End—–

 

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Five ways to use the power of words to influence people.

15 Nov

Many years ago, someone I deeply respected told me I needed to be careful of the words I spoke. His words have echoed in my mind many times since then and I have tried to take his advice.

Love Wins

14 Nov

From My Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

Look deep within yourself-

What is it that you see?

Hope for the future-

A Christ-centered destiny?

 

I didn’t know how to truly live-

until I learned to love

And that didn’t happen until I met Christ,

our amazing God above.

 

If we are all wrapped up in our self,

it makes a very small package, you’ll agree.

But when Christ comes in and fills us with His love,

from the bondage of “self” we are free!

 

As the song goes, “Oh, victory in Jesus,

our Savior forever”-

To Him I raise my voice in praise.

He gives us purpose in living,

and strength to meet the needs of our days.

Love Wins

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All I Have is Chit-Chat

13 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Another week has passed and it seems all I have is chit-chat. We had a enjoyable visit with my aunt and cousin from Raleigh then almost as soon as they left my husband came down with a weird virus. He had no fever nor obvious symptoms except exhaustion. Then after a day he lost his voice. I spent the next five days thinking I was living with a seal. I kid you not, he sounded just like a seal at Sea World. I thought that was awful, but then he lost his voice totally. At first, that was kind of nice. (Ladies, you KNOW what I mean) To my surprise, I discovered I missed his ranting at the television and radio. After a visit to the doctor, some expensive pills and home remedies, I believe he is on the mend. His energy is coming back too.

There has been some excitement this week. Our daughter, was notified she is a top five finalist for an award in writing and she was asked to participate in a book signing at the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum. The other author will be none other than Jay Barbree, author of Neil Armstrong, A Life of Flight He has covered every single flight of the manned space program and she used his books as a reference as she wrote Jessie.

Tonight the seniors group at our church is having their Thanksgiving dinner. Husband won’t be going but I am ready to get our of the house….really ready.I am taking the pumpkin cake recipe that has been all over Facebook. It only uses a can of pumpkin and a cake mix. I pinned the recipe and you can find it on our Pinterest page Rebekah Lyn Books. I put it on the healthy recipes board. The other dish is what I call Pink Stuff. It is also called Cherry Salad. It is light, fluffy and easy to make.

 

 

My cousin Margaret put the recipe in the Ebenezer United Methodist church  cook book. I have included it in case you need a quick and pretty dish for a party.

 Cherry Salad

 23 oz can prepared cherry pie filling

23 oz can crushed pineapple well-drained

1 cup pecans or walnuts chopped

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Pint of sour cream

8 or 9 oz container of whipped topping

Blend all ingredients together. Chill 4-5 hours. Serves 10

 

Hopefully next week I will have something profound to share. Or not, maybe we will simply chat again. Oh, I do have one profound thing to share. I spent part of the time creating Inspirational pins for my friend, Janet Perez Eckles. I haven’t perfected it yet, but here is one to share.

Forgiveness is the garden

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WWI Trench Art

12 Nov

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill

 

For DiVoran’s birthday I took her to the Orange County History Center in Orlando, Florida so she could view the “Gone With The Wind” exhibition on display there.   She loved it. While she was enjoying the exhibits about that famous story of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, I strolled around the galleries on the other three floors of the building. It was a pretty impressive arrangement, with exhibits covering mostly Florida history.

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One exception was the WWI Trench Art exhibit. I was simply amazed at what some of those soldiers had done with what was called, in one description, “War Waste.” There was no end to the creativity shown by the many different examples displayed. There were creations using the smallest rifle cartridges, to those using some of the largest canon shell casings. There were pieces ranging from a small crucifix, to a multi-bulbed desk lamp. And some of the artistic work was breathtaking!

                        

To think that in the midst of one of the world’s worst conflicts, and in the cold and muddy trenches filled with the smell of death, that it was possible for men to be able to remove themselves (thoughts and emotions) in a way as to create such beauty out of some the very components that they were using to perpetuate that devastation.

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It’s disturbing for me to think about the millions of young men who have had to go to a war for any reason, but especially those with such talent as displayed in these art forms. Of course, there was the much used reference of “Turning Swords into Plowshares” which didn’t help when I tried to imagine how much talent has been wasted over the centuries because of the many wars that have been fought around the world. There was a picture of a huge pile of shell casings, which must have been the source of some of the “War Waste” referred to in one of the articles about Trench Art.

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There were several WWI posters (collector items by now) encouraging Americans to “Buy War Bonds” to support the war effort. I remember the stories about how the people of this country tried to stay out of the “War Over There” but how they rallied together to support out military once the U.S. joined the fight.

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It reminded me of pictures and stories of my dad, who had been a medic and ambulance driver with the U.S. Army in France during WWI. I’m sure he saw his share of terrible things during that conflict, as did many, but like most of them he never talked about it to us.

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If you get a chance to visit the Orange County History Center in Orlando, Florida in the near future, be sure to see the “WWI Trench Art” exhibit (there until 12/31/2014). If not, you can go on the internet and Google WWI Trench Art and you’ll be amazed, as I was, with what you will see posted there, and with many references to other links. Enjoy!

 

—–The End—–

http://www.trenchartofww1.co.uk

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