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Old Friends

11 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

We have been blessed to have been able to travel a lot of this earth. We’ve seen many places that I had only heard of while in school (elementary, Junior High, High). And everywhere we’ve traveled, we’ve made friends. Some have stayed near and dear to us, others have fallen by the wayside, and we’ll just see them when we all get to heaven, and renew our friendships there.

And some have just stayed so close to us that they feel almost like family. Like the young man that we met when we first arrived in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1967. He was actually younger than Fred, but was Fred’s “superior” in rank. But then, Fred had those extra four years of schooling that Paul didn’t have, so………

He was an interesting young man, and we enjoyed his company a lot. After he left Germany, the Air Force transferred him to Minot, North Dakota, and from meteorology to “Missile Launch Officer.” Well, that didn’t last too long, and he got out of the military.

Next thing we know, he is attached to Wycliffe Bible Translators. We are pleased, because he has become a believer in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and wants to be a part of spreading the Good News to as much of the world as he can.

He married another Wycliffe member about 10 years later, and they had two children. They have traveled the world with Wycliffe, being missionaries everywhere they went.

We have had the wonderful privilege of meeting up with Paul and his family through the years, and supporting them spiritually and financially. Their children are grown now, and away from home, but Paul and Joyce continue to work with Wycliffe. He is in accounting, and Joyce has been a pre-school teacher – to missionaries children, and others wherever they have been.

We had a recent visit with them, and though it was a short visit, we renewed our friendship, and had a grand time just talking, and revisiting past times together. We talked about their time in Darwin, Australia, in Malaysia, and in Singapore. We also talked about what they are doing in Dallas, Texas at this time. We told them about our church here, our ministry there, our new pastor…all the things that we love and enjoy about the body of believers we are a part of here.

He reminded us that we had given him a “gift” before he left Germany – a copy of the “Good News for Modern Man: The New Testament in Today’s English.” It left such an impression on him – that he could read and understand the Bible in modern English – that he sought out salvation. We don’t even remember giving him the book.

It was a joyous and wonderful time together. We thank God for His wisdom in allowing us to have “forever” friends – those we enjoy here on this earth, and know that we will rejoice with them in heaven.

couple

 

 
I thank my God every time I remember you.

Philippians 1:3

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Ah………Springtime

27 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

I  have a hard time deciding which is my favorite season of the year. I really love Spring. All the trees leafing out……..those with blossoms..blossoming …..all the flowers popping up their heads, full of color and fragrance. Just knowing the earth is coming back to life. The temperatures are mild with very low humidity – I really like that, since I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the humidity is practically non-existent. There are so many days here where we can open up the windows and doors and let all that fresh air flow through the house.

However, I also enjoy the Fall. Here in Florida, Fall seems to take a bit longer than in other places, but it does get here eventually. Once again, the humidity takes a dip, we can open up the house, and the living is great. I almost enjoy Fall more than Spring, simply because I know it will be months and months before the humidity hits us in the face again.

But Spring brings its own neat stuff. One of our favorite things to do – especially at Disney and especially at EPCOT, is to be on the lookout for new baby ducks. We’ve seen them swimming in the ponds quite often, so we look there. Occasionally we see them following-the-leader (momma duck) along some of the walkways.

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They are just so CUTE! Just the other day we saw cars stopped along the roadway, to let the momma duck and her little ducklings make it safely across the street. So I guess we aren’t the only ones who enjoy that sight.

 

We were at SeaWorld recently, and we saw three sets of Spoonbill wading birds in their respective nests in one tree. We assumed there were either eggs or newly hatched babies in the nests, but the nests were too high in the tree for us to see.

Another favorite thing is for us to see the Sandhill Cranes with their babies. Those little fuzzballs really aren’t so little! And we especially get excited when we see mom, dad, and TWIN fuzzballs! Adorable!

As I said, Springtime is just the time for the earth – and life – to come back into its own. It’s such a joy to watch.

They (Your blessings) are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:23

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Easter 2014

20 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

I really love Christmas!  All the brisk weather (in the colder climes), the Christmas trees and wreaths.  The decorations.  But especially the music.  It’s so much fun to hear and sing – both sacred and secular.  It’s such a special time of year.

But for me – and all of Christianity – Easter is the very, VERY best!  Of course, Christmas had to come first – to bring the Christ Child into this world.  But Easter brings us eternal life…and that beats the socks off a fun, cute song any day!

The songs associated with Easter are so exciting – and uplifting – and inspiring – and so full of hope and promise.  They tell of Christ’s death, yes, but also of that glorious moment when HE AROSE!  Can you imagine it?  God’s power is so tremendously great that He actually raised Jesus from death back into life!  Amazing!!  It’s so easy to just say…He arose.  But just think of it – He actually rose FROM THE DEAD BACK TO LIFE!  That never happened to anyone else, that didn’t physically die again.  Our Savior lives again and still, and forever.

There’s a lot of anti-Christian stuff going on right now, that borders on persecution.  Yes, I know – I really haven’t a clue what true persecution is like.  But this is the most anti-Christian attitude in this country that I’ve ever felt.  And it doesn’t feel good.

Seems like every Easter there is something that happens to a church here or there that actually backfires on the perpetrators.  For instance, when we lived in Panama City, Florida back in the 1970’s, there was a Lutheran church who put up a “tomb/cave” on their front lawn every Easter.  They would have a “stone” rolled across the front, that on Easter morning was “rolled away” to reveal the open/empty tomb.  One year, the whole thing disappeared!  Turns out, some teenagers, on a dare, took it away.  So, instead of harming the message – the newspaper got ahold of the story – took pictures and all – and it made the front page news!  Backfire, see?

And then when we lived in a small town in Virginia, our church had put up some sort of display on our front lawn – and some of the “soldiers” disappeared.  Same thing – the city newspaper (and possibly the TV stations in town) got wind of the disappearance, and interviewed the Pastor about it.  Again, it made the headlines and news stories.  The culprits were found and the soldiers returned.  Another backfire.

All that to say that I am convinced that there is still a remnant of believers in this country, and that God will honor those who still trust Him.  What is done in the dark will be brought to light – and God’s name will be glorified.

 

HE IS RISEN!   HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

 

Happy Easter!

 

 

 

 

 

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A Small Serendipity

13 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                                    

I really love the serendipities that happen in our lives at times. Some are so large they just overwhelm us when they happen. Others are just sort-of average, but just enough different to make us sit up and take notice. And then there are the small ones. Those that just happen in a flash…and then are gone, leaving us to wonder how/why did that happen?

Fred and I experienced that just recently when we went to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Busy day – lots of high school bands around – lots of Senior Trips around – kids in the same color t-shirts. We usually enjoy seeing these groups. Most of them are not terribly rowdy, and are just having a great time.   Occasionally we see them doing the “flash” thing – breaking into song or the “wave” or something like that.

We had just finished a ride and were on our way to lunch, when a young man caught up with us and said, “would you be my stand-in parents?” We stopped and I asked why? He said his parents had just gone on a ride but he couldn’t get on, so….. I began laughing and ask him what we could/should do. He hesitated a minute then said, “how about a hug?” And so that’s what we did – a group hug for the three of us – all of us laughing at the same time.

And then he was gone.

I told Fred he was probably dared to do that by some of his classmates, but that was okay. It was a fun thing.

MUCH later, I told Fred we should have told this young man that we couldn’t be his stand-in parents, but would stand-in GRANDparents work? Nothing slow about me!

Disney

 

 

 

 

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My Best Friend

5 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Judy Wills

 

There is a “new” acronym – BFF – that has taken me quite a while to figure out. I could get the “B(est) F(riend)..” part, but what in the world was that second “F?” I finally saw it in a book the other day – Best Friend Forever. Nothin’ slow about me!

That truly describes my BFF. I still have girlfriends from my childhood, and some I’ve kept up with along the way. But the one who truly has my heart is one I met while we were in Panama City, Florida. She was in the church choir, as were Fred and I. We sat near each other, and just started talking. That led to lunches out occasionally. Shopping – of course! And just the way we thought – we could nearly complete each other’s sentences.

I guess one of the most fun remembrances is when her daughter was getting married. Fred and I had driven down from Virginia (on our way to Disney), and had planned our trip so we could be at the wedding. Her daughter and our oldest daughter were best buds from long before. As it happened, a hurricane was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, headed toward Panama City. With the weather so “iffy,” Fred let me out of the car to head into the church. She told me later that her brother saw me, and his thought was, “what is she (my friend – his sister) doing getting out of that car? And who is that man with her?” We really don’t look that much alike, but it’s fun to think that her own brother mistook me for her!

Even though we don’t see each other very often, we still send Christmas gifts to each other. We always look for something that we would like to have, and know that the other one would love it, as well. She gave me a Cloisonne neck charm – and I think of her every time I wear it, which is quite often.

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She gave me earrings that I treasure. I gave her some Kaiser figurines from Germany.

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We give each other Precious Moments figurines that exemplify our relationship. We give each other Willow Tree figurines that depict the same thing.

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I gave her a “how did they do that?” because I enjoy looking at mine just like it.

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When we moved to Orlando, we both were thrilled – we were in the same state! Surely we would see each other more often. Took us three years to finally get together. And now it’s been that long again. They have moved to northern Alabama – to the back of beyond, actually! But they love it there, and are happy. But she and I miss each other terribly.

Many years ago, when I was teaching a ladies Sunday School class (ladies much older than I), I mentioned something about a “good friend.” I said that a good friend is someone you can tell ANYthing to, and they will love you anyway. Two of those ladies looked at each other and giggled. I knew they had that same kind of friendship. That’s the kind of friendship I have with this precious lady.

My friend and I are both believers in Christ as Lord and Savior. After all, we met in church. And so, I know that she will, indeed, be my BEST FRIEND FOREVER! And ever and ever. God is so good to have blest me with this friend in this lifetime.

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Frau Katie

30 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

 

I’ve mentioned Frau Katie before (September 1, 2013), and how we came to love her as part of our family. She was such an important part of our lives when we lived in Wiesbaden, Germany.  I also mentioned in that blog, that she came to visit us when we lived in San Antonio, Texas.  We wrote many letters back and forth to arrange a time for her to visit. She also had some other friends in the States to visit, so she would be with us for one week, then she would move on to visit her other friends.  The time was set – May of 1973.

 

Frau Katie with Judy, Karen and Janet. Along the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas

Frau Katie with Judy, Karen and Janet.
Along the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas

 

Katie began asking what she could bring us from Germany – to remember our time there, as well as a remembrance from her.  I don’t remember just what I told her to bring for me – I just wanted her presence with us again.  But I distinctly remember that I flippantly told her to bring Fred “a Mercedes Benz!”

Well, she did just that!!  Isn’t it a beauty? All those moving parts…….

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Fred has had such fun with that little car, and it sits on our bedroom dresser where he/we can see it every day.  Our older grandson always enjoyed playing with it when he came to visit.  I’m sure our younger grandson will do the same. I’m not sure he’s discovered it yet.3

 

 

In spite of the fact that I didn’t really ask for anything from Katie, she brought me a lovely present anyway.  It is the 1973 Hummel plate.

 

 

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I have always enjoyed the Hummel figurines I have, but this is really special. Somewhere along the line I was told that this year’s plate (1973) had something unique about it……..but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was!

 

In any case, I have it on a easel in our dining room side board, and enjoy looking at it. And I always think of Frau Katie and her generosity when I look at it.

 

 

 

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Tumbling Angels and The Leaning Tower

23 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

                                                     

Judy Wills

 

I essentially grew up in one town.  Okay, I was born in Dallas, Texas, but we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when I was nearly four years old, so….  From that standpoint, my Mother was rather surprised that I “adjusted” so well to a military life.  Of course, that wasn’t what Fred and I had planned when we met and married, but God had other plans that were infinitely better than ours.  Fred did promise me that we would “see the world” when he proposed to me.  Little did we know how that would transpire.

But I have to say that I really enjoyed military life.  Except for my brother being in the U.S. Navy for a while, I really wasn’t exposed to military life until I met Fred – or more specifically, his family.

So it came as a bit of a surprise when he joined the Air Force.  They sent us to California, then to Germany – something beyond my wildest dreams.   I really loved being in both of those places.  I still have a fondness for California, but don’t think I would like to live there now.  But Germany………..WOW!  We enjoyed it so much that Fred requested – and was granted – a second tour there.

While we had many adventures in Germany, one of the last things we did was to take in the Oberammergau Passion Play.  Magnificent!  From there, we drove down to Italy.  We went to Venice:

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St. Marks Square (Piazza San Marco) with
St .Mark’s Campanile

We went to Florence

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St. Mary’s Cathedral

We went to Trieste where Fred’s family lived following World War 2.

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Miramare Castle in Trieste

He showed me the building where they had lived.

via Carducci #2 - they lived in the "mezzanine"

via Carducci #2 – they lived in the “mezzanine”

 

We went to Pisa and saw the Leaning Tower and the church and baptistry.  Amazing!

The church and the leaning tower – it REALLY leans
The Baptistry

 We had been told about a little shop in Pisa that had some unique alabaster, marble and composition pieces, so we went to shop.  Our informants were correct – the merchandise was wonderful.  We purchased two marble lampstands.  We purchased some alabaster “fruit.”  And we purchased a set of composition tumbling angels.  I just thought they were really cute, and weren’t too expensive.  We have continued to enjoy all these things throughout all those years. 

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I continue to get tickled every time I look at – or dust – those tumbling angels.  They are just cute to see, but they always remind me of that trip we took, and that little shop in Pisa where we purchased them.  It’s a great memory.

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The Archivist~Part 2

16 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

                                           

Recently I wrote about being the family “archivist.”  In keeping with that theme, I want to talk about one of my great-grandparents.  I had often heard her spoken of as “Grandma Mac.”  She was my mother’s grandmother.

I don’t know a lot about her – she was quite a lovely lady…she loved having flowers around the house…she had one son and three daughters (my grandmother being the oldest of those daughters), and that son died at about age two.

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Not only do I have a bunch of family pictures, but I have a few “keepsakes” of hers.  I have a “pressed glass” dish that was hers.

I also have a silver-plated flower arranger.  I really didn’t know what it was for a long time, until my mother told me that Grandma Mac always had some type of natural flowers “arranged” in that dish.  It made it quite easy for people to have a nice flower arrangement on their table, without having to have the knowledge or knack of arranging flowers.  The pedestal stand and “bowl” are one piece, and the removal top is lattice-shaped, with holes where the flower stems would be inserted.

After holding onto that piece for a while, I decided that I would like to have a more permanent silk flower arrangement for my solid teak dining room table, and thought that arranger would be just the thing.  So I took it to our local florist, and asked them what they could/would do with it.  The sales person began suggesting this flower, and then that flower, and nothing really appealed to me.  Then she said, “oh wait….what about gardenias?”  And just like that, it was decided.  Gardenias are absolutely my favorite flower!  Why didn’t I think of that?

What do you think?  I think it’s gorgeous, and it sits on my dining room table every day except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, when I have other special arrangements.  And every day I am reminded of my heritage, and the sweet lady that loved lovely things.

I am blest.

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The Archvivist

9 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

My Mother died in 1993.  After that time, my brother handed me all the family photos and documents he had, and informed me that I was the family archivist, so….here you go!  And there were hundreds of items!  It was quite a daunting prospect. However, a friend from church was a Creative Memories consultant, and I sought her out as to how to go about “organizing” all that stuff.  Her suggestion that I separate them into “families” sounded good.  So I set about it – putting my Mother’s family in one pile, and my Father’s family in another.

There were still hundreds of items to work through!

For whatever reason, I decided to start working through my Mother’s family first.  Perhaps because she died more recently than my Father.  So I began to gather the scrapbooks and paper and ideas to work on putting those photos in some chronological order, to put them on decorated pages.  I always had at the back of my mind, that this was a “legacy” for future generations to know their ancestors.

I was never very fast at that project.  It would take me quite a while to decide how I wanted to decorate the page, and what pictures I wanted on the page.  But as I went along, I realized that I was, indeed, getting quicker with the ideas.  I also realized that I was getting rather “immersed” in my family and it’s history.  I have pictures of my great-grandparents on my Mother’s side.  It really turned out to be quite a lot of fun.

My Great-grandparents and their three daughters. My grandmother is second on the right.
My Grandfather (right) and his father

Of course, other “projects” came into play, and I had to set aside the archival project once in a while.  A driving trip we made with our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.  Those pictures just had to get into a book before I forgot what we did and when we did it.  Then back to the archives.  Then a cruise, and those pictures had to make their way into a book.  Then back to the archives.  You get the picture.

My Grandmother and Grandfather. Purported to be their "wedding" picture. They eloped.

My Grandmother and Grandfather. Purported to be their “wedding” picture. They eloped.

But I never lost the feeling of really “knowing” my family’s history – where they lived, and when they lived in that town and on that street.  It’s something that I’ve come to cherish.

My Great-grandparents and my Grandmother. She was about six months old.

My Great-grandparents and my Grandmother.
She was about six months old.

            

I’ve gotten away from it now, for a while.  I’ve been rather busy with scanning all the old 35mm slides Fred and I have taken over our 50+ years of marriage.  I hope our daughters and grands will someday want the pictures of their grands, and parents as small/growing children, but I’m sure they don’t want the slides.

My Grandmother at age 2 years 3 months. The "frame" around the picture is the back of the photo, blown up. I thought it needed to be seen - to show how photographs were done in the early 1900's.

My Grandmother at age 2 years 3 months. The “frame” around the picture is the back of the photo, blown up. I thought it needed to be seen – to show how photographs were done in the early 1900’s.

In any case, it’s been a wonderful journey, and one I don’t think I’ll ever finish.

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Earthquake

2 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

                                                    

I don’t remember there being much said about earthquakes in New Mexico as I was growing up.  Many other parts of our country – and the world – had earthquakes, but not New Mexico.  It used to fascinate me how the earth would “shift” and rub against another part of earth and produce such a thing. I never thought I would be involved in an earthquake, myself.  But it did happen.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a very big quake, but it was definitely enough to shake me up just a bit.

Fred and I were living in San Jose, California at the time, probably sometime in 1966, where Fred was acquiring his degree in Meteorology from San Jose State College, in preparation for his military service.  Fred’s dad was Command Chaplain for the Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) (headquartered in Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio) at that time.  One of his duties was to visit the chaplains and the inspect the working of their respective chapels within AFLC.  One of those was in Sacramento, California.  So, when he came to visit that AF base, he brought Fred’s mother with him, so they could visit with us as well.

Kitty and Charles Wills 1980

Kitty and Charles Wills

We drove from San Jose to Sacramento and settled down in a hotel room.  Fred’s mother and I stayed in the hotel room and visited, while Fred and his dad visited the base chapel.  I was sitting on the bed in our room – knitting a sweater as I remember – and all of a sudden, the bed began to move!  It was an up-and-down movement, and nothing strong enough to toss me off the bed or anything, but definite movement!!

The movement didn’t last very long, but we were both going “what was THAT??!!”  Turns out, it WAS a mild earthquake.

I doubt that we were on the big fault line that will “someday” break California in half and dump it into the ocean, but it certainly gave us pause.

It certainly also gave me reason to know that I am prepared – ready – to meet my death, if it is in God’s timing for me to join Him.  I’ve tried my best to rely upon Him each and every day since then, to be ready for whatever He calls me to do.

My God is such a GOOD God!  And I love him.

One of my favorite scripture passages:

 1 Chronicles 29: 10-11

David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

“Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power

and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.”

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