Tag Archives: Family Life

Our Trip to the UK~Part 12

19 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill Lites

Bill Lites

 

We rode the train as much as we could, when going into London, to avoid the traffic and the parking problems.  We did all the tourist things like visiting the Tower of London, examining the Crown Jewels, and touring Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, where DiVoran did a comedy number with Charlie Chapman, sang a song with Pavarotti, and met Queen Victoria.

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 The original Tower of London was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, after the Norman Conquest of England and was a constant symbol of the oppression inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite.  The Tower went through several phases of expansion, during the 12th and 13th centuries, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I.  When we visited the Tower, we were impressed with the guards and their special uniforms.

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I wanted to take a ride on the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) to France, just for the ride, but we didn’t have enough time to cram that into our busy schedule of things to do.  Coming back from our London adventures one evening, we couldn’t get a seat in the “No Smoking” car of the last train going to Crawley, and had to spend the hour-long trip breathing the second-hand smoke from what seemed like every person in that closed train car.   The smoke was so thick, you could almost cut it with a knife.  Did you remember, it was also freezing cold outside, and we couldn’t open the train car windows?  Well, we both almost died from smoke inhalation before the train arrived at our destination in Crawley.

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Remember the couple we met at Dove Cottage (Part 7) who invited us to their home for tea?  Well, we rode the train to Canterbury and had a delightful time with them over tea and crumpets.  Professor Wainright had taught at the University of Kent at Canterbury, and was now retired (having been made redundant).  He and Mrs. Wainright were now enjoying traveling and meeting tourists from many countries like us.  He expressed the attitude of many of those we had met in Britain on our trip when he said, “We want you to know how much we appreciate all you “Yanks” did by coming over and helping us fight the Germans during WWII.

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The next day it was time to turn in the rental car, and join the hundreds of people at Gatwick airport trying to find our way to the Delta ticket counter, the Duty Free store, and finally to our departure gate.   Outside the terminal, we saw a couple British WWII Veterans, dressed in all their finery and ribbons, passing out poppies to passersby.  What a heart-rending sight that was!  DiVoran and I, along with most everyone walking by, wanted to give them a donation to help whatever cause they were supporting.

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The flight back to the U.S. seemed to take a lot longer than it did coming over; I guess because of the Jet Stream headwinds we encountered.  Delta treated us to wonderful meals, a movie and everything we needed for that trip, except a bed.  I always find it hard to sleep on those long flights, even when they turn off all the lights and I fall asleep during the movie.  We changed planes again in Atlanta, did the Customs routine, and then we were finally landing in Orlando, Florida, where our daughter Charlene and her husband Ron picked us up.  Another 45-minute trip to Titusville, and we couldn’t wait to see our “Home Sweet Home” with our wonderful beds.

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So ends the adventures of “Our Trip to the UK”or at least as much as I can remember.  I would have to take the 5th if you asked me if this was all there was, or if that was exactly how it happened, but these were some of the most memorable parts of the trip, and  DiVoran and I loved every minute of it. 

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—–The End—–

 

 

 

 

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Optical Illusion

16 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

 

 

I’ve always been fascinated by optical illusions.  Not that I can always “pick them apart” and figure them out, but I try.  There are several that I really enjoy.  Here is one of them.

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Can you see the THREE faces in there?  Look again – there really are three.

1.  The young girl is facing away from you.

2.  The old woman is in the middle – her eye is the young girl’s ear, and her nose is the young girl’s chin – with a “wart” on it (the young girl’s nose).

3.   The man’s eye is also the young girl’s ear, and his mustache is the young girl’s fur collar, with his long nose coming down over his mustache.

The hat fits all three.  Such fun!

And then there’s the one with the elephant.  Does this beastie have three or four legs?  Perhaps five legs?

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And then there’s the one with the faces in the vase.

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One of my favorite artists, other than my sister-in-law, DiVoran, is Bev Doolittle.  She paints a lot of outdoor scenes, but there are usually “hidden” faces or things within her paintings.  One of the best examples is below.  How many hidden faces can you find?

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But one of my all-time favorite illusions is a painting in the rotunda of the American Adventure at EPCOT.  If you are ever there – either waiting for the Voices Of Liberty to sing, or the American Adventure show – then check out the painting of the airplane on the wall.  Start at the left side of the painting, then move toward the opposite wall – toward the right side of the painting.  The airplane moves with you!!  Absolutely amazing!  (Sorry – I don’t have a copy of that picture to insert here)  How did the artist do that?  Whenever we are in that place, and we usually strike up a conversation with the people around us, we always point out that painting to them.  They are amazed, as well.

Some people are so talented, and I’m so glad that God made us all with different skills.  These kinds of things really delight me.  I feel like God just gives them to us to lift our hearts and let us laugh a little bit.

The American Adventure

 

To see more of the American Adventure artwork and history click HERE

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Divine Sparks Part~2

10 Feb

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistThe next time I felt the divine spark of God’s love was when the strained seams of our marriage started to open up. By this time, we had two small children and lived in Titusville where Bill worked with the Space Program. By this time even though we had been married twelve years, we had never learned to communicate or to appreciate each other.

At this time, I begged God for help. I asked him to change our marriage, beginning with me. We had some counseling and some help and we finally started talking to each other. We told each other every bad and good thing we’d thought and experienced since we’d known each other and all about our childhoods. We laughed, we cried, and in a new way, we became truly married.

Even better, we both continued talking to God. Any time I think about sharing my divine sparks with someone else, I wonder: when did I actually receive Christ? Was it when I saw the power and love represented in the majestic peaks near our Colorado home? Maybe it was later in Titusville when my Sunday School teacher went through the Four Spiritual Laws. I saw then that it was not enough to give intellectual assent to who Christ was, but I needed to invite Him to take over my life.

I’ve had quite a journey with many divine sparks along the way. Knowing I’m going to Heaven when I die gives me lots of security and peace. God saving our marriage was the biggest and most important thing He’s done so far. But he also got us through some tough times. He did another miracle that changed me profoundly. He let me see who I was in Him. I wasn’t just a person who needed to be kept in her place; I was unique and special. You are unique and special too. God never made an exact duplicate of any person and He has a reason and a purpose for knitting each of us in our mother’s womb.

I had to have some more counseling later in life. My occasional bouts of depression had spun out into four months of feeling rotten. The biggest thing my counselor discovered out of all my ramblings was that I cared more what other people wanted than what God wanted. I said, “I know I should do this or that, I know I ought to feel this way or that way.” But the only way I was ever going to be settled and joyful was to find out the truth about who I really was. My wants, needs, desires, interests, counted with god. He gave them to me. By listening kindly to myself, I could listen more kindly to everyone else. Since that time, I have become more excited about life than I’ve ever been before. Who knows what wonderful things God has in store? The greatest things is knowing Him. I still need to be validated, It’s important for people to respect me. But now I know Someone perfect, unchanging, and powerful, who will always love me, who will never leave me or forsake me. My needs are covered by His righteousness. He gives me faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries

6 Feb

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

Last Saturday I attended a wonderful party with friends I have know for fourty years. We met when we were all young and members of a young marrieds Sunday School class. We don’t see each other every Sunday now as many of us have moved on to different churches, but some things one doesn’t forget. For instance, my friend Evelyn is a wonderful cook. So when she  gives a cooking tip my ears tend to perk up.

For the party my daughter, Rebekah and I dipped some  peppermint filled chocolate cookies in Girahdelli dark chocolate . They were deee-licious. Evelyn and I were chatting about the cookies when she mentioned that she had recently dipped strawberries for her mah-jongg group. This is when my ears began growing bigger and telling my brain to PAY ATTENTION. You see, I have been a strawberry dipping failure. Evelyn casually mentioned that not only do strawberries have to be dry for the chocolate to cling but they can’t be too cold. Who knew? Well most likely everyone except me.

You won’t believe what happened next. I was in Target scavenging on their mark down end caps and there were four bags of Ghiradelli dark chocolate  melting wafers on clearance. I snagged all four bags. Later that day I shopped at our wonderful fresh produce market and they had beautiful fresh strawberries grown right here if Florida. I took it as a sign that I was to go home and make chocolate dipped strawberries and try out my new knowledge.

My First Successful Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

My First Successful Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

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Chinese New Year Celebration

3 Feb

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistI don’t stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve, any more, but this year, I received an invitation to attend a Chinese New Year celebration with my friend, Annie, from Beijing, and I was delighted. Her Bible study group has socials just as our church does, but their native language is Chinese and they are like a family here in this challenging country of ours.

I knew red was the color for Chinese New Year and, wanting to be cooperative, I bought a red sweater for the occasion. Inside the house where the party was, though, I was the only one in the twenty-five person group who didn’t leave her shoes at the door. I became slightly embarrassed and told Annie I would take them off. She said no.

“There’s no good reason I can’t do that,” I said.

“The floor’s cold,” Annie answered.

My answer was … “Okay.” You see, I don’t like cold feet any more than anyone else does.

Annie and I chatted, in English (of course) while we waited to get to the potluck dishes. “It’s in my bones to take my shoes off in the house,” she said, “but I don’t insist my daughter and husband do it.” Her husband is American and their daughter is “mixed,” as Annie says.

When you think about the pictures you’ve seen of Chinese New Year, you think of a dragon parade, firecrackers, and chi-paos. I hope I got that right. That means those gorgeous satin dresses with the Mandarin collars and frog closures. One little girl wore a green one to the party and she looked lovely. The women’s Bible study leader wore Chinese style dress as well. I was glad.

The host, a gastroenterologist, asked me if it was all right if they said the blessing in Chinese. My goodness yes! I was amazed that he asked. The food was good. For the fun of it, I tried using chopsticks to lift noodles from a serving bowl. I felt eyes upon me, but there were no giggles. Laughing at a person would not be polite and the Chinese people I know are nobly and graciously polite. That’s something else that’s bred in their bones.

These friends of Annie’s treated me like royalty. I felt it was because of the tradition of respecting their elders, but I’m sure they would have been as kind and attentive to any guest. A steady stream of women took turns coming to chat with me at the table.

When Maddy heard that Annie and I met in art class, she began to tell me about Akiane, a young woman who paints pictures of Heaven. She’s only sixteen years old now, but when she was five she visited Heaven, as the four-year-old Colton did whose story is told in Heaven is Real. It was difficult for Maddy to talk to me in English, but she persevered. She told me about the paintings and about Jesus and Heaven. She got someone’s phone and showed me the paintings and they are indeed incredible.

In olden times, oh say 4712 BC, or so, when the traditions of Chinese New Year first began, folks believed a dragon would come and eat them during that season, if they didn’t frighten it away. By the twelfth century they had fireworks that worked fine for the purpose. Our celebration had no fireworks to scare a dragon away, but we had something better … prayer and a recorded sermon. Everyone sat quietly and listened. The sermon was in Cinese with an English interpretation. Annie thought the sermon a bit long, and I had to agree, but she was impressed with the expertise of the interpreter.

It’s wonderful to meet Christians anywhere and at any time. There’s a common love of Christ and of God’s word that binds us together. What a miracle. We are truly brothers and sisters in Christ and it’s not only satisfying, but it can be a lot of fun as well. “When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.” (Christian Hymn, “When we all Get to Heaven,” words Emily D. Wilson, tune, Eliza E. Hewitt)

Chinese

Chinese New Year

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Surprising Relatives~Part 2

26 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

 

Some years ago, I became interested in genealogy.  I was so excited about it all, and I mentioned to Fred’s Dad that I would love to have their family history.  He rather turned me down flat with a “don’t you know that in five generations you have about a million people?!”  That went no where.  But later, I realized that I wanted something different.  So I approached him again about it, and he started in, again, with the “don’t you know….”  I stopped him and said, “No Dad, I want YOUR childhood memories…and Mom’s childhood memories.”  “Oh.”

And so, they both began writing their memoirs.  Dad would type his up, and e-mail them to me to make whatever typographical corrections that needed to be done.  Mom hand-wrote hers and sent them to me to transcribe.

After they finally said, “we’re finished,” I put them in book-form and made copies for all the family.

I had asked Fred’s parents about pictures of the family, and they both said there just weren’t any.  I was quite disappointed, until one day, on a visit to their home, I stumbled upon four picture albums!  I was so pleased!  I now had pictures that I could add at the appropriate spots to highlight the narration.  And so the scanning process began.  The whole project was a fun thing to do, and definitely a labor of love on my part.  Now all their children, grandchildren, great-grands and on down have not only memories of how these two lovely people grew up, but how life was, back in those days.  I only wish I had started this process when both of my parents were still alive.  I can only go by pictures and what little I gleaned from my Mother before her death.

In any case, during this time, we made a trip to Washington state to visit with Fred’s parents and both of his sisters.  It was just after Emily had told us about making the connection with Walt and Pauline Eby.  While spending a few days with Emily and Ron, they invited Walt and Pauline over to dinner, so we could share family stories.  I had taken the rough draft of Fred’s parent’s Memories book with me, and after dinner, I asked Walt to look through it.  Unbelievably, he had some of the originals of the pictures I had in the book!  Amazing!  He was so happy to read the stories, and know a bit more about this side of the family, and how they “related” to his parents and his Uncle Bob and Aunt Eleanor.

While it shouldn’t be, it’s always surprising to find relatives in the most unusual way.  And God has a way of bringing us together and making that family connection that is so very precious.

 Proverbs 3:6

Kitty and Charles Wills under the Engagement Bell at Wheaton College.
Kitty and Charles Wills 1980

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Before and After War

20 Jan

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

Before and After War

Before Daddy went away to war

He worked in a tomato plant.

Working hard, that’s what dads are for.

He didn’t rave and he didn’t rant.

When Dad got home, he laid down to rest

I sat on the end of the couch each night

To us that part of the day was best.

I stroked his hair, I did it right.

But while he was away at war

He got hurt inside, I guess

He was different, bruised and sore.

And he doesn’t lay on the couch anymore.

 

I’d still like to stroke his hair,

And make him feel all better.

But I guess that I can’t help him

He’s now an old war vetter.

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Surprising Relatives~Part 1

19 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

                                                     

After meeting Fred – my  husband – and then his parents and siblings, the next part of the Wills family I learned about was his Uncle Bob and Aunt Eleanor Eby.  Such an interesting family.

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Aunt Eleanor was middle sister to Fred’s Mother.  She and Bob lived in the Pasadena area of California, and were very special to Fred.  On his return trip to the U.S. after high school graduation in Japan, he stayed with them before heading to Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico.  Even though I hadn’t met them, after we were married, they sent us a Christmas gift each year for many years.  Like I said, just special people.

Uncle Bob was not only a great musician/pianist/organist – one of his greatest accomplishments was to build an electronic organ that produced sounds so like an actual pipe organ, you would have thought you were in a great cathedral.  Please notice that there is a tremendous difference between an electric organ and an electronic organ.  We even have a recording of someone playing on his electronic organ – and it sounds exactly like a pipe organ.  Magnificent!

Another interesting fact in all this is that Fred’s parents met at Wheaton College in Chicago.  Bob and Eleanor met at Wheaton College.  Bob’s brother, Dick and his wife, Maybelle, met at Wheaton College.  Oh, and just a small tidbit here – Billy Graham was a graduate of Wheaton College – just a few years after these guys.

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Billy Graham with Fred’s dad, far right

Okay, all that to say that we all learned about Dick and Maybelle kind of by the “back door” a few years ago.  You see, Fred’s middle sister and her husband live in Washington state, not far from the Oregon border.  For as long as I can remember, they have been fans of square dancing.

Hold on…….I’m getting to the story….it really does all connect.

Fred’s sister (Emily) and her husband (Ron) had been square dancing with a dancing club for many years, and some of their favorite people are a couple named Walt and Pauline Eby.  Emily said that even though Eby isn’t that common of a name, she really didn’t think anything about it.  After having been dancing about 10 years together, they began to talk more about their families.  In passing, Walt mentioned that he had an Uncle Bob.  Emily perked up and announced that she, ALSO, had an Uncle Bob.  Turns out – it’s the SAME Uncle Bob Eby!  Walt is the son of Dick and Maybelle Eby.

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Pauline and Walt Eby

 Amazing!

Bob & Eleanor Eby, Kitty Wills, Maybelle & Dick Eby

Bob & Eleanor Eby, Kitty Wills, Maybelle & Dick Eby

 **********To Be Continued**********

 

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Karen and the Optometrist

12 Jan

 

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

                                                     

Unfortunately, Fred and I both wear glasses – or contact lenses at this point in time.  And also unfortunately, our oldest daughter, Karen, has needed glasses for a very long time – since she was in first grade.

When we were in Germany, and Karen was about 14 years old, the base optometrist thought contacts might slow down the rate of her astigmatism, and suggested contact lenses.  She wasn’t so sure at first, but after she got the hang of it, she was pleased with the results – no more glasses!!

After we returned Stateside, we were living a bit away from the base, but still did most of our “doctor stuff” at the Air Force base nearby.  When it was time to have the girls’ eyes checked, we went to the base optometrist.  Karen went in first for her exam, then sat with me while Janet had her exam.

When Karen came out of the exam room, she sat down and I could tell she was holding something in – she REALLY wanted to break out in laughter.  After Janet left us, she just let it out.  She said the doctor did the exam and told her that she might “eventually need to get glasses or contacts.”  When she told him that, not only did she have contacts already – but that they were in her eyes at the moment – he was dumbfounded!  She said she really had to “bite her tongue” to keep from laughing in his face!

After Janet finished up her exam the doctor came out to talk to me.  He looked really chagrined and said, “she really fooled me there.”  He had the most sheepish look on his face, and it made me grin at him.

I suspect that he was just a touch more careful with his examinations after that!

Just one of those hilarious memories that stay with us – and we laugh about over and over

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Multigenerational Friendships

6 Jan

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistHow do you put a bit of spice in an otherwise humdrum life? For me, nothing works like making a new friend. Oh, I don’t go around indiscriminately claiming to be friends with everyone, but if I give it a bit of thought, the friends are there. Perhaps I haven’t taken the time to develop them.

Starting close to home geographically, I have a dear friend among the neighbors. I’ve known her forty-four years. Our kids grew up together running free in the woods, building forts, riding bikes. They got through high school and went their separate ways, but still on holidays if any of them happen to end up in the area at the same time, they congregate in the driveway for a confab. The youngest of them will soon be fifty. Two of them call us from far away to chat and that’s gratifying and enjoyable.

Bill and I still have friends our own age, who went to elementary school with us. Since we never lost touch over all these years we have a lot of continuity and understanding, and due to the wonder of mail (e and snail) we know what’s going on in each other’s lives. A couple of winters ago I came across a photo of my eighth grade principal, and wrote Patricia to ask what she recalled about him. She still lives in Colorado, and she sent back a story not only reminiscing about the principal, but with the addition of other memories. That winter was extremely cold in Colorado and even in Florida we struggled to stay warm. Patricia and I holed up with space heaters and our computers in our respective homes, and ended up writing a whole book back and forth about the late forties and early fifties of our childhood. I still have a good friend from beauty school too. She lives in California and we email each other frequently. But those aren’t exactly multigenerational, except that they do stretch across the generations.

When I was young, the small town sheriff would come into our restaurant and I’d be allowed to sit with him and hear his stories as my parents bustled back and forth serving food and drink. Other merchants in our two blocks of Main Street befriended my brother and me, too: Miss Lily at the post office, Mr. Cope at the drugstore, and Mrs. Canda at Canda’s grocery. Mrs. Canda taught my second grade class and after she retired from teaching I’d stop at her store on my way home from the restaurant to visit.

Now I’ve made friends with the brother and sister who moved in, with their parents, across the street. They come for short visits and talk about what’s going on in their lives. This is an especially interesting time of year because one of them has a birthday and of course there’s always school and holidays to look forward to. They home school and are a fountain of information about the highly approved way their mom does things.

We have a whole array of ages at church. I teach a small Sunday School class which is a joy and a goldmine of young friends. The youngest is five years old and the eldest soon to be eleven. I believe they consider me their friend, and may continue to do so into adulthood. That’s a wonderful feeling!

A new friend is a vet from one of the Middle Eastern wars we’ve had in the past decade. I haven’t asked which one, but he has not been reluctant to tell Bill and me about some of his adventures when, after church, we drop him off at work. He has been shot four times, been injured jumping from airplanes, been knifed, and has had multiple operations. The great thing about this gentleman is that he is rebuilding his life inch by inch and one of his greatest healers is his fabulous gift of music. For praise team, he plays whichever instrument needs playing while the rest of us sing.

I have a friend who is finishing high school and getting ready to go to college or join the military. She and I, her guardian, and her cousins go to the library together sometimes. We have a lot in common because we all enjoy reading.

Of course we like keeping our relatives as friends, and that can include a multitude of ages. To rely solely on our children and grandchildren for company, however, would surely be a mistake. They have their lives, and we have ours. Many people of all ages look for friendship, as we do, so there’s no reason to sit around and pine.

Here’s a link to some things I’ve learned about friendship over the years. One thing I know: it is the greatest tool God ever gave us to keep from becoming unnaturally lonely.

Here’s an excellent blog about a multi-generational friendship that began on Face Book.

Do you have a  favorite place to meet new friends?

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