Yesterday's news of the death of President Gerald Ford brought back memories of meeting him back in '76. My family lived in a small North Carolina mountain town and I was just finishing junior high school. The biggest news in town for days was the visit by The President to the little grass airstrip a few miles out of town. Half of the town turned out that morning to greet Mr. Ford, only to find the day drizzly and the mountains fogged in. The question on all our minds was, "Will the President get here?" Word finally came that the President's plane was able to land in Asheville and he had started the helicopter trip to our town, only to find he couldn't get in because of the fog. But never fear, we were told. He was turning around in the chopper and would travel by motorcade to keep his date with us. After standing in the fog and drizzle for another couple of hours, we looked like a town full of drowned rats! The President's car finally arrived. The front door opened and out stepped a man who appeared to be Mr. Ford. The crowd began to cheer. The back door opened, out popped an agent and then, the real Mr. Ford climbed out of the car. The crowd went wild as he began to make his way down the line of my friends and neighbors waiting to shake his hand. As he stopped in front of me and took my hand, he looked me right in the eye and said, "Hello. How are you?" Such a gentle, yet strong man! He was one of the good guys!
I think the timing of Bob Woodward's release of his 2004 interview with the former President about the Iraq war does a disservice to Mr. Ford. He was such a decent man and deserves to have this week of remembrance. This revealing interview is important but it certainly could have waited until the former President was laid to rest!
That's the way I see it today in Shari's world...
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
I'm Thankful...
Thanksgiving is past now and we are well on our way into the Christmas season. But, I must confess that I was dragged into December! A really wretched stomach virus attacked last week and I was afraid November was going to take me with it when it went! I haven't been that sick in a long time. When I finally got up enough energy to look in the mirror after a couple of days of - well, you understand... - I was horrified at what was looking back at me! I've been trying to lose a few pounds but this was a little more drastic than I was going for!
But, in keeping with the spirit of the holiday season (and the new perspective gained from my missions trip experiences), I have alot to be thankful for. Some of the things these past few days have made me thankful for:
* Gatorade (yes, really!)
* hot showers
* Momma (who kept me company for a couple of hours when I really didn't want to be alone)
* an enthusiastic son who couldn't keep his mind on school but thought if he decorated, I might
decide to stay around for Christmas
and
* a wonderful husband who took such good care of me that
I have returned to the "land of the living"
But, in keeping with the spirit of the holiday season (and the new perspective gained from my missions trip experiences), I have alot to be thankful for. Some of the things these past few days have made me thankful for:
* Gatorade (yes, really!)
* hot showers
* Momma (who kept me company for a couple of hours when I really didn't want to be alone)
* an enthusiastic son who couldn't keep his mind on school but thought if he decorated, I might
decide to stay around for Christmas
and
* a wonderful husband who took such good care of me that
I have returned to the "land of the living"
Monday, November 20, 2006
More from the Missions Trip
Here is a picture of me at work on the house in Biloxi. The main job I did was to help cut and pull out the old electrical wiring from the walls and ceiling. That was tough work because the wires were thick and pretty hard to cut. My thumb muscles are still not back to normal!
Balancing on the ladder and trying to cut at the same time required a fair amount of coordination and strength (both of which I lack!) My pal Jan kept the ladder steady and handed up tools while I was working in the rafters.
Most days we had some lively music to work by - when some of the beach music tunes came on, I wanted to shag on top of the ladder! Jan kept me from breaking my neck by forbiding the dancing on the ladder! Thanks, Jan! You got me home in one piece!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
I'm Feeling Old Today!
Do you ever have those days where it seems like everything conspires to make you feel your age? Well, today is one of those days!
The biggest culprit? Andy started the bookwork for Driver's Ed this afternoon. I just dropped him off at the local high school for his first day of class. Is it really possible that it has been 14 1/2 years since I was debating whether to give him a pacifier or not! Just yesterday, it seems, he was moving from a crib to a "big-boy bed" and learning to read with John Burningham's Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car. Now, his feet hang off the end of his twin bed and he's working his way through Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol for part of his freshman homeschool Literature class! During those first 6 months of his life, when colic was making us both scream, I couldn't imagine him being nearly 6 feet tall with a thickening mustache and the beginnings of a goatee. Today, he's learning the rules of the road. Before we know it, he'll be wanting the keys for a date and graduating from our homeschool, then packing for college! My, how time flies!
I'm sure some of you reading this are nodding your heads and smiling as you remember your own experiences with growing kids - got any good survival tips?!?
Monday, November 13, 2006
Thank you, Veterans!
Yesterday at church, our congregation honored all our veterans. I got choked up as, one by one, nearly 20 men walked to the front of the sanctuary to receive flags and flowers from three of our little girls. These men represented the Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines and the Reserves. They served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Berlin and the Cuban Crisis, as well as in peace time. Seeing these men who had been willing to lay their lives on the line to preserve this country's freedom, and thinking about the veterans in my own family, brought feelings of gratitude that threatened to overwhelm me.
Thanks, Cousin Jason, for your service in Iraq! Thanks, Grandpa for what you did in WWII! Thanks, Daddy, for your contributions in the National Guard! Thanks, Uncle Larry, for your service to the Air Force in Vietnam! And thank you, Cousin Cary, for making the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
Remember to say a prayer tonight for our troops who are currently serving around the world!
Thanks, Cousin Jason, for your service in Iraq! Thanks, Grandpa for what you did in WWII! Thanks, Daddy, for your contributions in the National Guard! Thanks, Uncle Larry, for your service to the Air Force in Vietnam! And thank you, Cousin Cary, for making the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
Remember to say a prayer tonight for our troops who are currently serving around the world!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Missions Team
Over the next few days, I'll post a few pictures from our trip.
This one is of our team with the home owners and the pastor of the church we stayed in for the week. The folks had lived in their house since the 40s and are anxious to get back into it. Our team and those who were working with us got things ready for the electricians and plumbers to do their thing. After that, walls can go up and the finish work to get these people back into their house can be done. Let's pray that this will all happen quickly! Imagine what it would be like to be used to living in a regular house and then having to live in a travel trailer indefinately!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Back from Biloxi
Hi! I'm back to the blog.
I'm setting a goal - to add posts to the blog at least 2-3 times each week. So check back later to see if I meet my goal!
I just got back from a missions trip to Biloxi, MS, to help with rebuilding efforts. What an eye-opener this trip was about many things!
I guess one of the biggest things I gained perspective on was the scope of the devistation that Katrina brought to the area. Neighborhood after neighborhood full of damaged homes that are still, 15 months later, uninhabitable. Some show no signs of anyone living around them. Many others have FEMA trailers parked in the yards beside them - some of these have indications of work on the house and others show no signs of being touched since the storm. We drove down to New Orleans and were awed by the damage there - neighborhoods in the same conditions as those in Biloxi. Whole apartment complexes abandoned because of holes in the walls and lost roofs. Some were completely sealed off so no one could get inside to cause further destruction, I suppose. Shopping centers and malls with empty parking lots, all boarded up. I wondered when, and if, these places would ever be reopened. We noticed that the storm did not descriminate in its damage - upper class neighborhoods were hit just like the poorer neighborhoods. The difference was in the rebuilding - more seemed to be happening in the nicer neighborhoods. Perhaps because they had the means to come back or maybe the knowledge of how to make things happen that others didn't have. I've always wanted to belive, niavely I suppose, that America would be blind to race or economic status and help those who needed the help regardless. This trip has caused me to wonder.
I was awed by the stories I heard from those who were in Biloxi during those 13 or so hours that Katrina was in town. They told tales of ocean waves taking off the roofs of their houses and then coming back to fill them full of water. They told of being awakened from their sleep by objects bumping into them that were floating around in the water inside their homes. They talked about looking out the window of their homes to see the bodies of their neighbors floating past. They shared stories of standing on chairs to try to keep their noses above the water and of being held on to by husbands who were desperately trying to keep their families alive. They told about trying to save their animals by placing them on top of refrigerators that were floating past them. As the frightened animals jumped back into the water, they jumped back in to try to retrieve them. Some broke bones that would not be treated until days later, leaving them in such pain to this day that they don't sleep.
How would I feel about life if these stories were my experience? Would I question why it happened to me? Would I be angry with God for taking away everything I had? Would I be bitter about the physical pain I was constantly in? Would I be complaining to anyone who would listen about the injustices I felt because I had no resources to rebuild my home and life? Not these people we met! It was amazing to hear the hope, the faith, and the gratitude they had in their hearts. Although their whole lives had changed, they were optomistic about the future and they were so greatful to all those volunteers who had come down to help them put their homes back together. They spoke of contentment - how often do I complain when tiny little things don't go my way and here are people who lost everything talking about contentment! To come through what these people have come through and be able to say "God is good - all the time" serves as an example to us all! I have been challenged to look at my life in a new way!
That's the way I see it today in Shari's world...
I'm setting a goal - to add posts to the blog at least 2-3 times each week. So check back later to see if I meet my goal!
I just got back from a missions trip to Biloxi, MS, to help with rebuilding efforts. What an eye-opener this trip was about many things!
I guess one of the biggest things I gained perspective on was the scope of the devistation that Katrina brought to the area. Neighborhood after neighborhood full of damaged homes that are still, 15 months later, uninhabitable. Some show no signs of anyone living around them. Many others have FEMA trailers parked in the yards beside them - some of these have indications of work on the house and others show no signs of being touched since the storm. We drove down to New Orleans and were awed by the damage there - neighborhoods in the same conditions as those in Biloxi. Whole apartment complexes abandoned because of holes in the walls and lost roofs. Some were completely sealed off so no one could get inside to cause further destruction, I suppose. Shopping centers and malls with empty parking lots, all boarded up. I wondered when, and if, these places would ever be reopened. We noticed that the storm did not descriminate in its damage - upper class neighborhoods were hit just like the poorer neighborhoods. The difference was in the rebuilding - more seemed to be happening in the nicer neighborhoods. Perhaps because they had the means to come back or maybe the knowledge of how to make things happen that others didn't have. I've always wanted to belive, niavely I suppose, that America would be blind to race or economic status and help those who needed the help regardless. This trip has caused me to wonder.
I was awed by the stories I heard from those who were in Biloxi during those 13 or so hours that Katrina was in town. They told tales of ocean waves taking off the roofs of their houses and then coming back to fill them full of water. They told of being awakened from their sleep by objects bumping into them that were floating around in the water inside their homes. They talked about looking out the window of their homes to see the bodies of their neighbors floating past. They shared stories of standing on chairs to try to keep their noses above the water and of being held on to by husbands who were desperately trying to keep their families alive. They told about trying to save their animals by placing them on top of refrigerators that were floating past them. As the frightened animals jumped back into the water, they jumped back in to try to retrieve them. Some broke bones that would not be treated until days later, leaving them in such pain to this day that they don't sleep.
How would I feel about life if these stories were my experience? Would I question why it happened to me? Would I be angry with God for taking away everything I had? Would I be bitter about the physical pain I was constantly in? Would I be complaining to anyone who would listen about the injustices I felt because I had no resources to rebuild my home and life? Not these people we met! It was amazing to hear the hope, the faith, and the gratitude they had in their hearts. Although their whole lives had changed, they were optomistic about the future and they were so greatful to all those volunteers who had come down to help them put their homes back together. They spoke of contentment - how often do I complain when tiny little things don't go my way and here are people who lost everything talking about contentment! To come through what these people have come through and be able to say "God is good - all the time" serves as an example to us all! I have been challenged to look at my life in a new way!
That's the way I see it today in Shari's world...
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