Grits, Anyone?

Mary Alice and her grits

This post is about another one of my best friends, Mary Alice. She is gifted with such a dry-wit. It is hard to be around her over a couple of minutes before I am laughing like crazy. She is able to find humor in most stressful situations and keeps me in stitches, yet she makes me feel that she cares about me and that she is a true friend. Isn't she an awesome friend to have?

Mary Alice came to visit today and we spent the afternoon visiting. We, of course, went to lunch. We didn't do a "burger lunch". We went to Red Lobster! Yum! On the way back, we stopped to buy grits (for later - not to eat after our big lunch) . Grits is/are a staple that all of us Southerners need to exist. O. K., grits are plural because anyone who knows what grits are knows that one grit is almost impossible (well maybe not impossible, but impractical) to eat. If you haven't already eaten grits, try them - you'll like them. Be sure and put lots of salt and butter on them.

How True This Is !!!

Which Way? Confused?

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight". (NIV)

Third Day Fan Club Member

Well, it's official - I'm a member of the Third Day Fan Club. Don't ask me why I chose to join a fan club. I don't know. But I did get a shirt, an official membership card and a bumper sticker. I really love their music but then I love the music of a lot of Contemporary Christian Music Artists and have never felt the need to join a fan club.

If you enjoy Christian music - I recommend that you check out a few of their songs. My favorites are Cry Out to Jesus, Mountain of God and Tunnel. They have received many awards for their music and they should because their music hits deep in the soul and makes you think. So, I guess after it is all said and done, if someone is going to join a fan club - Third Day is the best one to belong to.

Third Day Rocks!!!

A Loving Tribute To The Life Of Kay

Patricia, Candace, and Carol

Tammy and Ginger

Carol and Tammy
Debbie, Pam, and Mandy

Joanne, Mandy, Pam, Debbie, Ginger and Patty

Ashley, Patricia, Candace, Carol, Tammy, and Patty

On the left, Donna; the back of the head with the pretty blonde hair is Misti; on the right is Andy; next to Andy is Diane.

I'm so sorry that my photography skills leave a lot to be desired. But the guests were Diane, Joanne, Pam, Debbie, Ginger, Patty, Tammy, Carol, Candace, Patricia, Nancy (me), Mandy, Andy, Ashley, Donna and Misti.



Today, I was honored to be invited to a birthday party given annually to celebrate the life of one of the most loving, compassionate, generous women that I have ever known. She had a beauty that came from her heart and soul. She was a woman of faith and possessed a spiritual beauty as well. She shared her loving, vibrant personality with everyone she meet. Her name is Kay. She was stricken with breast cancer several years ago. She tried so hard to overcome the cancer that afflicted her body. She never lost her faith and encouraged everyone around her. She went home to be with her Heavenly Father in 2004. The remembrance celebration today shows the love that everyone has for Kay.

Joanne brought a birthday cake and other memorabilia dedicated to the memory of Kay. We ordered lunch and chatted about the past. Everyone brought a gift to exchange. The gifts were placed on a table and each person drew a number. We went in numerical order and retrieved a gift from the table. I got two beautiful crystal flutes. Being together with all these kind and thoughtful people made for such a pleasant afternoon. Remembering Kay was awesome! Her presence was definitely felt.

Kay - You Will Always Be Loved and Remembered!

And Fun Was Had By All

Bobby and Robin

Recently, I was graciously invited to eat some good food created in the kitchen of Chef Bobby. He prepared pork chops baked in a delicious sauce, potato salad, baked beans, fried apples, and baked tomatoes. I must say - it was some great food. My compliments to the chef.

The food was just icing on the cake. I also enjoyed the entertainment. I don't think I have ever enjoyed a "stand up comedy" act like the one they can deliver. Bobby comes off with some great "one liners" and Robin plays the "straight women". They kept me in stitches. If laughter is good for your health, I have got to be healthy.

I really feel blessed to have these two people for friends. They not only make me laugh, but really care about me and my well-being. They listen to my concerns and always have great advise. So - they are not only great comedians but also, the best friends anybody could have. Everybody needs a Bobby and Robin in their lives.

A Tribute To My Friends

I was thinking about my dear friends. Friends are great to have and I have been blessed to have friends who care greatly about me. They make me laugh. They listen to me gripe. They lift my spirits. They reinforce my faith. My friends are great! I thank God each day for their friendships.

But today, I am going to write about one of my friends that I haven't talked to in a long time. I called Corliss today and she was her usual enthusiastic self. She lost her husband not long ago. I know she has many emotional trials each day from her loss and experiences the stress of being the "bread winner" and having the responsibility of raising two children. But she is a woman of faith and has an attitude toward life that is awesome. When you listen to her and feel her optimism, you can't feel down. She thinks about the positive and has such a drive to succeed that a conversation with her is like a shower of sunshine. I enjoyed my lengthy conversation with her.

Thank you my friends and may God Bless You All!

And I Waited and I Waited and I Waited......

OK, What do you do when all of the weather people say there is a 90% chance of snow and freezing temperatures tonight? Well, I try to make sure I have all of the food and supplies that I may need to last until the ice is gone. Many times the power goes out and the roads aren't passable for a couple of days. Even if the roads are passable, there is often an icy patch here and there.

This morning I awoke to a cold rain (temperature around 40 degrees). The weather people said the precipitation would start as rain - they were right about that. I immediately started cooking because that's what I've always done when bad weather is coming. I got all of my food reserves ready finally about 1:30 this afternoon and started my "snow watch". The weather people said the rain would turn to snow about 4:00 P. M. Four o'clock came and went and NO SNOW - but lots of cold rain. Five o'clock came and went and NO SNOW! Six o'clock came and went and NO SNOW!

The revised forecast says the precipitation will be gone before the temperature drops to freezing. Since the temperature will eventually drop to the 20's, all these puddles will be frozen by morning and the roads will be slippery. Everyone that has to be out in the morning - be very careful.

Well, I guess I have prepared enough food for a couple of days and won't have to cook. That's a good thing. But I still wish we had the snow. If we had to have the cold temperatures, at least we could have had the pretty snow to look at. Well - there's always the next time.

What Do You Do On A Dreary Day?

Today has been a very dreary day without a lot to do. I usually use days like this to think about things that are important to me: God, family, and friends.

Today, I started thinking about one of my favorite Bible verses - Isaiah 41:10 - and how reassuring it is when I am feeling melancholy and fearful about my future. I own several versions of the Bible and enjoy reading the interpretations of the same verses in all of them. So, that's exactly what I did.

The King James Version of the Bible says:

"Fear thou not: for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness".


The New International Version of the Bible by the International Bible Society says:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand".


The Message by Eugene H. Peterson says:

"Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you".


I studied the words in each of the versions and noticed that the words "fear" and "strength" appear in all three versions. I know that all people (including me) become afraid and worry unnecessarily about the future. That is the reason that this Bible verse is so important. I have God's promise that if I have faith and trust that He will take care of me, there is no reason to be afraid. God will give me the strength to face and deal with anything I have to. He will never let me down.

Isn't God's Love awesome? Isn't this a Great Promise? Don't we all need to remember Isaiah 41:10?

My Long Christmas Vacation - Fun !!!

Watching a roaring fire on TV.

This is about the only way to sit by

a fireplace in South Florida when

it is over 80 degrees outside at

Christmas.

Margaret, Jordan and Cristen

on Christmas morning

Daniella and Cassidy

Michelle greeting people at church

Bill relaxing during Christmas with Sally and Peanut

I went to my daughter's home in South Florida for a month long visit during the month of December. It was extremely warm and the palm trees were blowing in the balmy breeze. However, there were two cold days after Christmas and the drop in temperature was great and felt like Christmas weather. It really is hard to walk around and look at the Christmas lights when you are sweating. Another strange thing to me is to see all of the palm trees (instead of pine trees) decorated with Christmas lights. I guess it is just what I'm used to.

My daughter and granddaughters were fabulous - as usual. We enjoyed shopping and spending money and eating. I got there in time to see Cassidy in her school band recital. She plays the clarinet and did a great job at the recital. Daniella danced at the "Jingle Ball" with her hip hop group. Unfortunately, the concert tickets were very expensive and we weren't able to go and watch her perform. Grandmas didn't even get to go free.

I attended Flamingo Road Church while I was there. I meet a wonderful lady named Sharon who is a friend of my daughter. She is such a lively, enthusiastic, "up" person. Michelle and Sharon volunteer as greeters before and after church services at FRC. I was also able to see all of my other dear friends at Flamingo Road Church: Melissa, Espy, Pastor "NASCAR" Matt, Pastor Garland, Pastor Guy and his wife Cathy and all of the other dedicated FRC staff. Of course, I was blessed by the inspiring sermons by Pastor Troy Gramling and Pastor Garland Robertson.

I got to chat and hang out with my friends that live near my daughter: Debbie and David, Fred and Val and Brianna, Nate, and my best Florida friend - Margaret. These are some great people and always make me feel welcome.

Bill came down right before Christmas and stayed for a couple of days. His visit made Christmas a nice family holiday.

After my month long holiday was over, I came home and guess what - my car was sick. Its illness cost in the neighborhood of $1,000.00 to cure. Water was leaking from the radiator area and an intake gasket and water pump had to be replaced.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!