From the Heart
Louise Gibson
“The holiest of all holidays are those kept
by ourselves in silence and apart.
The secret anniversaries of the heart.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I applied Longfellow’s words to my heart
and brought Christmas into view.
I decorated my Christmas tree.
I wish I could share it with you.
A beautiful glass cross adorns the top,
and tiny white angels express their song.
When I keep my thoughts on Jesus, our Lord,
I have Christmas all year long.
A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
Day 12 (Wednesday)
I got on the road from Huntsville by 8:30 am, and arrived at my friends, Terry and Mary Simmons, house at 9:30 am. Their house is located just a few miles northwest of Lester, AL on the Alabama/Tennessee border. The plan was for Terry and me to drive over to the local R/C model airplane field and watch the members fly their models. As it turned out, by the time we had breakfast and got to the airfield, all the members had finished their flying for the day and were gone. So we headed back to his house for some lunch.
Terry was telling me about the owner of the property, and how he had built his own grass landing strip next to his farm house. When he mentioned the owners name I was surprised! The man’s name was Epps, and the reason for my surprise was that we have a replica of a 1907 Epps ultralight aircraft on display at our VAC Museum in Titusville, Florida. I’m wondering if the man in Alabama might be related to the man who built and flew the original 1907 Epps aircraft in Georgia. That, by the way, was the first airplane recorded to have been flown in the state of Georgia. Terry is going to find out his full name so I can Google him to see if he might be related.
After a delicious grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a short nap, Terry and I looked at airplane books and he related many stories of aviation enthusiasts and historical events. Mary cooked us a wonderful Milk Can supper. I had never heard of that, and when I asked her about the name of the dish, she related the history of the Milk Can supper to me.
Mary used her Chef’s Oven to cook our small Milk Can supper, but I understand that people still use the traditional milk cans when cooking for large 40-50 person gatherings. I also discovered there are lots of Milk Can recipes on the internet, and even some “How-To” YouTube videos on the subject. After supper, Terry and I talked airplanes until past my bedtime. I finally called it a night, and settled down to a nice quiet (no traffic sounds) night’s sleep. He and I had made plans to visit aviation museums and car museums together tomorrow in Birmingham, Alabama, as my trip took me in that direction.
—–To Be Continued—–
A Life to LIve
Melody Hendrix
My Take
DiVoran Lites
Herd animal, grazer,
Needs other horses
Or a goat
Or a dog
Or a gentle human
Big soft eyes
Long Eyelashes
Easy gait
Follows faithfully without complaint.
Long-legged foals.
Horse therapy.
Horse sense.
Photography by Melody Hendrix
SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
Fred and I have just returned from a nearly-two-week stay with our youngest daughter,
Janet, and her family in Virginia. You see, since Janet and her husband both work,
our 10-year-old grandtwins go to a before-and-after program at the local YMCA during the school year. During the summer, when school is out, they go to the Y every day. However, the final week before school starts, the Y closes down. They either “clean” everything, train new employees, or…..we don’t know exactly what they do during that week. Consequently, the twins have nowhere to spend their days. Upon several occasions, Fred and I have gone there to watch over the twins during that week, since they aren’t quite old enough yet to stay alone.
Before we left home for our trip, Janet had told us that the Saturday we were there, Tom had reservations for supper at a fairly nice restaurant, so we should bring one set of “nicer” clothes with us. Sunday “best” do? Yep.
Saturday was a nice day – a bit rainy, as the tropical depression was headed to North Carolina and heading up our way, and we were getting rain from that, but a nice day, all-in-all. Come time to go eat, we all dressed up and headed out. We arrived at the restaurant and waited in the foyer while the guys parked the cars.
When the hostess asked us to “follow me” we proceeded down the corridor. When she stopped at a large table, she held out her hand, as if to say, “Here ya go.” I glanced at the table, and my first thought was, “there are other people already seated there. Why is she seating us here?” Then I did a closer look at the “people” sitting there grinning up at me – and gave a screech! Sitting there was our other daughter, Karen, her husband, Brian, and also our granddaughter, Katie – all the way from Chicago!
Turns out, they all had planned this for a couple of months, as a belated surprise for my 75th birthday! We had a great meal time with them, then back to Janet and Tom’s house for dessert and just some fun visiting together. They stayed through church on Sunday, then until about 3:30 p.m. when they had to head back.
I am nearly in tears to think that my whole family was there, together, just to celebrate me (well, our grandson and his wife couldn’t make it, but everyone else was there!) Even Fred knew about it and kept it quiet for all these months.
I love family!
Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, this month is extra special as you’ll be inspired by other voices with uplifting messages. Here is the first one from my friend Kolleen Lucariello. Enjoy!
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As we flip our calendars from August, ushering in September, we say farewell to our summer vacations and hello to the season of back-to-school, cooler temperatures of fall and one of the highlights of our home: football. Here’s another bonus of September: it’s also Women’s Friendship Month and I love the gift of friendship!
Recently I was reading in Acts about Paul and how difficult life had become for him. He was beaten, bound with chains, accused by the Jews, imprisoned, taken before councils and Rulers, and then eventually sent to Rome. I imagine by the time Paul boarded the ship to begin his journey to Rome he was a tired man; he’d endured a great deal. As I’m feeling bad for him, this verse jumps out at me: “The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, treating Paul with [thoughtful] consideration, allowed him to go to his friends there and be cared for and refreshed” (Acts 27:3 AMP).
I simply adore the fact that Julius, the guard in charge, thought enough of Paul to recognize he needed the care and refreshment of his friends. That part of the story just blesses my heart because I’m so grateful for those who recognized when I needed the care and refreshment only a faithful friend could bring. While my journey, or your journey, may never look like Paul’s, it’s still possible for imprisonment to find us.
We might endure a prison of darkness when depression covers us like a thick heavy blanket. Or chained to a past we can’t seem to move away from. We may find ourselves standing before accusers—relentless in voicing their opinions while refusing to hear ours. Life is full of moments when the waters can become a turbulent sea.
That’s when we need our own Julius, the guard in our lives, to recognize our need for care and refreshment. Who is traveling your journey with you? Who is your guard in life that notices when you’re about to break? Who reaches out when you begin drifting away? We all need a guard like Julius, someone willing to stand by us, giving thoughtful consideration to our needs. And we all crave friends who bring care and refreshment to our lives. The ABCGirl said: Proverbs 11:25b promises, “Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (NIV).
Source: A friend who refreshes. | Janet Perez Eckles
From the Heart
Louise Gibson
Today is the “tomorrow” that I thought about yesterday.
Then why is it said, “Tomorrow never comes”.
when it came today?
I have so much to do today,
I’ll have to think this through.
If I can’t complete it all,
Here’s what I’ll have to do.
I’ll set myself free from stress-
more time I’ll have to borrow.
I’ll reschedule today’s events-
“Thank God for tomorrow.”
P.S. I’m going to stop procrastinating-
(Once I get around to it.)
On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
In the midst of the never-ending divisive speeches and billboards that characterize the Presidential election season, I saw this small sign that trumped (pun intended) them all.
Guitar, Vocals, Percussion 40 Days of Generosity
Last year, our town, Titusville, Florida joined together to encourage and strengthen this community that had faced massive job losses and homes whose dollar values made underwater look like an improvement. It was a month-long event and according to Florida Today, the community raised more than $200,000 for a splash park at Sand Point Park and $42,000 to help rebuild a Salvation Army building that would be used as a family emergency shelter in Titusville.
It was a joy to see and read about the large and small ways the community came together and that bonding had lasting results. I believe that hearts are intended for generosity. All hearts. In the past two months we have seen floods wipe out towns in West Virginia and Louisiana. It wasn’t FEMA who worked hand in hand with the communities to salvage their homes, it was everyday people. Some were from community organizations, others church groups, and still others folks who loaded their vehicles with supplies and showed up. In the midst of the campaign frenzy, let’s remember that we are not what those seeking power choose to label us. We are good people. Generous people.
If you would like to learn more about 40 Days of Generosity visit LovingBrevard.org
A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
Day 11 (Tuesday)
I began the day by heading south, out of Nashville, on I-24 for my first stop, to visit to the Cannonsburgh Village located in Murfreesboro, TN. Now according to Wikipedia, Murfreesboro was named Cannonsburgh until 1811, when the name was changed by the state legislature. How’s that for a really great trivia question? This village is a nicely restored early 1800s Tennessee farming community. Most of the buildings are of log construction and were moved from their original locations to this site in 1976.
Included in the village buildings are a log home, a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, a church, a town hall, a gristmill, and a working blacksmith’s shop. This village gives people a good idea of how an early farm community would have looked in the early 19th century Tennessee hill country.
From Murfreesboro I headed south on U.S. 231, through Shelbyville and Fayetteville, and across the border into Alabama. My next stop was to visit the North Alabama Railroad Museum located in the northeast outskirts of Huntsville, AL. This museum was very small and looked like it probably consisted mostly of local railroad memorabilia. The sign out front and on the entrance gate said the museum was supposed to be open but, I got there around noon and, it was closed. I suppose they could have just locked up and gone to lunch.
Down the road a ways was the next stop on my list for today at The Historic Huntsville Depot located in downtown Huntsville, Alabama. The depot was constructed in 1860 and is the oldest railway passenger station in Alabama. It was the eastern division headquarters for the Memphis & Charleston Railroad, and serviced its last passenger train in 1968. As luck would have it, the museum was closed in preparation for an event that was to take place in and around the museum grounds during that coming weekend.
Next on the list was the U.S. Space & Rocket Center also located on I-585 just east of downtown Huntsville. I had been to this museum once before but decided to go through it again to see if they had added anything new. It didn’t look like there were any new exhibits and many of the outdoor exhibits that had been pristine the last time I was there, were now weather-beaten and looking poorly. I find it very sad to see an organization as large as this NASA museum allowing their exhibits to deteriorate to such a degree. Especially after all the money they pull in from visitors from all over the world.
Next I checked out the Veterans Memorial Park there in Huntsville. This was a beautifully sculptured park, with a couple of very nice statues representing our military, and their part in the ongoing fight for our freedom.
I wanted to see if there was a museum associated with the Redstone Arsenal, which has been so instrumental in U.S. rocketry development. However, I was disappointed when I called the base to inquire, and was informed that there were no museums open to the public.
Next I visited the Veterans Memorial Museum located around the corner from the Veterans Memorial Park. The signs for the museum were a little hard to follow but I finally located it. This museum is dedicated to all of the U.S. military services, and has restored Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine equipment. Like many small museums I have visited, this one was hoping to expand soon, so that they could display many more of the items in their collection to the public.
Now it’s time to head for the motel, where I will warm up and enjoy leftovers of St. Louis ribs, turnip greens, and corn-on-the-cob. I even have a nice piece of Jack’s BBQ homemade cornbread and some butter and Strawberry jam to spread on it for dessert. Yumm again!
—–To Be Continued—–
Old Things R New 