A Glimpse of our Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Ed is cooking a turkey (on the gas grill), another friend is frying a turkey, someone else is bringing a ham, I've cooked southern cornbread dressing, broc-cheese-rice casserole, sweet tator casserole, onion toasted tators baking in the oven, cold slaw (with a new twist), stuffed eggs, jello salad, store bought rolls, a cake baked, homemade cheese cake, de-caf spelenda sweeten tea, de-caf coffee and now awaiting for the world to arrive! This is our first Thanksgiving in our new home and we are so excited to be able to share our holiday with those whom have never celebrated an American Thanksgiving. Also we've invited friends from the church who are from other parts of the USA. I think we are expecting about 20 in all! Happy Thanksgiving!

The Whippet Stop - The Whippet Grill

No matter where you roam, there is no place as special as home! I’m not sure that Clara is on the map, but it’s sure mapped in the hearts of many. Before consolidation, the school educated many young minds and was a base line for many of our lives. The likes of Mrs. Hardee, Coach & Mrs. Hutto, Mrs. Flanagan, Mrs. Irma, Coach Gray, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Bivins, Mrs. Henderson, Miss Jones and my own sister who was my biology teacher, spent their time mentoring us and preparing us for the future. That night in May when I marched across the football field, I didn’t realize the importance of my foundational years at Clara. Little did I know that God would take a kid like me and send me literally around the world and into almost 30 countries to carry the good news to the suffering and to comfort the broken hearted.

This past weekend, in the mix of a busy life, I took a few minutes to step back in time to revisit “downtown” Clara. As we sat eating a delicious chicken on a stick at The Whippet Stop, enjoying the ambiance of the memorabilia from those years spent at Clara, my mind drifted back to the time that I gave Mrs. Hardee a Zero candy bar. With math being my weak subject, I kept making zeros on her Algebra pop quiz. When CHRISTmas rolled around, I bought a Zero candy bar and wrapped and gave it to Mrs. Hardee with a note that said, “Now you see what it’s like to get a zero.” Even after I married, she would remind me that I was the kid that had given her a zero!

Even though our paths have taken us different ways, I am thankful for my small town rural education that was the forerunner to the future that God saw within me. However, I wish that I had paid a little more attention in some of my classes, especially in English. Short hand would have been useful had I been a little more attentive, but chapter 48 in Biology held my attention quite well!

Many of us attended college; some even went to medical school and became doctors as well as other medical professionals while others continued their education in different fields. Some stayed on the home front to be a part of politics, some became proprietor of their own businesses, some joined the military, became educators, airline pilots, Mommies & Daddy’s and good citizens of our rural small town. A few had their lives snuffed out at premature age. Clara with its one flashing stop light, a bank that was robbed by someone on a bicycle (when I was kid), holds a special place in the hearts of many!

So if you have a few minutes, take time to stop in and visit Alton and Brenda at The Whippet Stop. Enjoy a chicken on a stick and instead of purchasing your gasoline in the big city, fill up with a tank of gas and support the local boys. You won’t be disappointed to experience the warmth of our small rural Whippet Stop!

Family Time

This past Saturday we invited the family to our house to celebrate Dan's birthday. Even though the visit was short, we had good family time. In the photo you can see that the family enjoyed our patio.

Thanks Veterans

Tom Brokaw referred to him as being part of the Greatest Generation. He was an ordinary man whose highest rank was Corporal. He served in the U.S. Army 7th Division and was awarded 2 bronze stars for heroic service. He served in 4 major invasions as part of the 184th Infantry, Co M, fought on the Pacific Islands. His first invasions was Kiska, Aleutian Islands. The 2nd invasion was Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. The 3rd Invasion was Leyte Island, Philippine Islands and the 4th was at Okinawa. I knew this Corporal as Daddy. Rest in peace my heroic Daddy. Your baby girl loves you! Daddy 1921-2009.

Santa's of the World

Ump-teen years ago when we sold or gave away our belongings to respond to the call as overseas missionaries, one of the things that I really didn't want to let go of was my "Santa's of the world". However................ we had to let them go. Now these Santa's were of no material value. Matter fact, most of them came from the dollar store.......... The other day as a girlfriend was cleaning out her garage for a rummage sale, she offered me a box of "Santa's of the world". I began to cry cause I knew that everything that I've given up twice, that God has given back to me in greater measure. These Santa's of the world are a bit upscale from ones from the dollar store! They are better than the original one's that I had owned.... Hey guys, it's just stuff.....we can always get more stuff......and if God says go, I'm willing to give it all up again! Until them.........