Who You Callin' Old?

When you think of senior citizens, do you see little old ladies, with their knitting in hand, rocking in a wooden rocking chair, with a cushion on which to rest their aged behinds?  Maybe the vision has the little ladies with white hair and neat and tidy buns at the nape of their necks. Can you just see theses ladies knitting little caps for their grandchildren?  Well if this is what you think we ladies do, think again...

Carol and I have just started getting our social security checks.  Which, by the way, we earned from all the years devoted to working for a living.  We still don't feel any older than we did when we were in our twenties.  Experience has taught us well and neither of us would go back to being twenty again.  We love this stage of our lives, and God has blessed us with so much love.

Cousin Carol and I, along with our cousins, grew up "acting."  All of my cousins at one time or another love to dress-up and entertain. (Uncle Clyde was offered a job with Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy, back in the day.)   Carol still sings in church, and I often think back on the gifted entertainers we have had in our family, and still do.  I stand amazed at the talent.  Uncles and cousins who play guitar and/or piano, nephews who play violin, and so many of them sing.  Our family could start a choir and have their own band.  We love music. 

Carol and I like the idea of making others laugh and use silly clothes and hats, one must not forget the hats for our ensemble.  Necessity was instrumental to the involvement of our granddaughters in our debut  We were babysitting two of our granddaughters and well, we dressed them like a "mini-me" and added them to our skits.  They loved it, and another generation of fun-loving cousins was born.





It is the child in Carol and me who enjoys the pretending, singing, and just plain fun of what we do.  Sometimes, because we have so much fun with our shows, we go over the time limits.  Of course it may because both of us are "Smiths" and we love to talk.  The one subject we never tire of talking about is God's love for us.  Our mission is to illustrate the love of our Lord by our enthusiasm for the gift of eternal life.

 




Back Row: Cee Cee, Kathy, LaVerne
Front Row: Kaitlin, Joely, Gracie, Julia


Our cast of characters has grown with my friend Kathy, and we have included more of our granddaughters.  They love the results, but not the practice.  We have found that as long as they are having fun with our skits and songs, they enjoy the audience.  Little Julia is our youngest actress at age 5 years old and can be a comedian in her own right.  She sits in a miniature chair behind us and makes little comments.  They are her personal observations which can be quite entertaining for us during our performance. It is probably a good thing the audience doesn't hear her commentary.






Madison, Gracie, and LaVerne LaDoo




Back R: Hayley, Cee Cee, Leanne; Front R: Kaitlin, Joely Cousins

 

Carol's three granddaughters sing and her granddaughter, Joely, sings and has learned to sign many of our songs.  My granddaughter, Madison, signs in American Sign Language and sings as well, and granddaughter, Gracie, sings too.  Our little group loves to sing the old hymns as well as some of the newer songs. We want our granddaughters to continue their love for entertainment, but most of all, we want them to become happy Christians.

God has blessed these two "senior citizens" with a joy for living.  Carol and I want to continue to grow in our Christianity with young and happy hearts.  One must never get to old to enjoy talking about the love of God.








It is me again, Lord, thanking you for the precious opportunity to work with our grandchildren for Your glory.

A little Georgia Wisdom:  Always be open to the joys of life.  Never forget what it was like to be a child and never forget what it is like to be a child of God.

Snippets

As we journey through life, we expect major events to effect our lives.  They do, but the most valuable changes sometimes come through smaller and what some would call insignificant snippets.

During my journey through the decades, I have been blessed with many valuable snippets of life,  As I grow older, I realize the importance of these snippets and how I was given the opportunity to use those minute events to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually.

My friend Kathy finds it a miracle my cousins and I survived our childhood.  We were a group of lucky children who spent a lot of time together or as much time as work schedules would allow our parents to get together for summer vacations, weekend overnights, or just a meal.

When I think back to our childhood, I see a diverse group of children.  We were male and female, all ages, all sizes, but we had one common bond.  We all loved each other.  We went to church together, sung together, and of course, pushed the limits together.  It is that pushing-the-limits attitude that got us in trouble; however, our parents did not kill us. I guess they felt we were going to end up doing that ourselves.

God uses these times to teach us life lessons.  We had Christian parents; Parents who allowed us to make reasonable mistakes; Parents who allowed us to have fun times; Parents who loved us; Parents who were concerned about our souls and eternal life.  Parents who reminded us to pray.

The stories in "Georgia Wisdom" are true.  The names have not been changed to protect the innocent.  There were no innocent members of our group.  We were in our adventures together and whoever happened to be there at the time was involved.  No one stood back and let the others take the blame.  There was safety in numbers.

My cousins and I learned tolerance, cooperation, acceptance, and how to love each other.  When Susie and I fell prey to Tommy's creativity with his contraptions, we didn't get angry; we accepted the responsibility for our lapse into insanity as we volunteered to "try-it-out."  God expects us to take responsibility for our actions.

When I think about the times five girls slept on a double bed, I can't help but chuckle. We entertained ourselves by doing skits.  A friend of mine was spending the weekend with me and my cousins, Carol, Susie, and Nancy came too.  We had a slumber party and giggled most of the night.  My cousins accepted my friend as if she were a cousin too.  In our house when you ate at our table, you became a member of our family.  This was the attitude of my dad and mom and Uncle Hollis and Aunt Julia had about the many folks who entered our lives. This is an example of the unconditional acceptance Christ has for us. 

Early in my childhood I knew God loved me so much that He sent His only son to save me from my sins.  It wasn't until I was between eleven and twelve years old that I walked the isle of a small church in Baldwin, Georgia, where my Aunt Opal was conducting a revival, and openly accepted His love. I have always talked to God and I know He has always listened.

The snippets of those events in our lives could be easily overlooked, but they are too important to remain hidden in our memories.  It is the snippets that define who we are.  It is in these snippets we learned how to expand our creativity,  how to love one another, how to deal with our own children, how to forgive, and how to appreciate God's plans for us.  God used our parents' responses to our wild adventures and many mistakes to teach us many of these lessons.  One must always be vigilant to God's will. God uses every situation as lessons, but it is up to the individual person to learn from those lessons. 

It is me again, Lord, thanking you for the blessings of cousins and the life lessons You gave us in which to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually.

A little Georgia Wisdom:  Be open and listen to God.   He uses even the smallest details in our lives to teach us how to obey Him.  Watch for and learn to be thankful for blessings no matter how small. Remember God's commandment to love one another.

My Adventure Buddy

Caught somewhere between a child and an adult is Madison.  Her vocabulary lends itself to an adult and she can easily carry on conversations.  Madi, as we call her, is only eleven years old.  She is an avid reader and loves books.  She would rather read, I think, than watch a movie; however, she and I have enjoyed watching some really cute movies together.  Madi has a wonderful sense of humor and I have been blessed to see this sense of humor, which I enjoyed, on our trip to the movies.  We called it our "movie date."  She insisted on paying my way.

Madi loves animals of all kinds too, especially horses.  She has taken riding lessons, and has made a connection with Leo, the horse from next door.  When she comes to our house for a visit, she spends a lot of time with Leo.  Leo will come to the fence and enjoy Madi's petting and peppermints.  After she leaves to go back home, Leo still comes to the fence and waits for her.  It is kind of sad to watch him stand and wait for her.  Sometimes we go down and talk to him and pet him, but it is not the same as having Madi there.

Madi loves my stories.  At one time making them up was easy, but now she is reading the Harry Potter books, and I haven't read those.  It was so much easier when it was Peter Pan.  Our Peter Pan adventures took Madison over the town and around the moon on her adventures against the evil Hook.  She replaced Wendy in our Peter Pan stories and had great adventures with Tinker Bell and fairy dust. In other stories, Madi became a great detective solving mysteries with her note pad and trench coat.  That little girl's love for her Nanny's stories is heartwarming.  Madison makes me feel special.

Madison still has the love for adventures.  We have shared treasure hunts with maps; wild stories; and special vacation days of miniature golf and picnic lunches.  Her love for science found us touring Tallulah Falls and the Atlanta Zoo.  She enjoys helicopter rides with Papa and visits to Dollywood. We turn all of our trips into adventures. 

As we travel together with Papa, we play the mile post game, and I call her "Eagle Eye" for her ability to spot the mile posts before I do.  She always wins the game.  She says, "They don't call me ole Eagle Eye for nothing." 

Madison is overflowing with creativity.  She loves art camp with Ms. Jan and has some nice drawings and watercolor pictures which her parents have framed and hung for all to see.  Madison has a lot of talent.  I don't think Madi realizes the potential she has for creating her own stories nor does she realize her artist talent.  Hopefully, her love for reading, writing, and art will continue to develop as she grows older.  Her papa and I are very proud of her.

Time moves so quickly that before we can say "teenager," Madi will be one.  Oh Time, please be kind and allow us to spend you with our family.

It is me again, Lord, thanking You for the blessings of wonderful grandchildren.

A little Georgia Wisdom:  Take time with your children and grandchildren, or you will miss an adventure and the opportunity to revisit your childhood.

God Uses Cucumbers Sandwiches

God uses people when they least expect it.  A trip to the grocery store and the purchase of cucumbers and cream cheese became a mission field.  One never knows when God will speak to you or even how He will speak to you.  I certainly didn't realize that my decision to buy cucumbers and cream cheese was a message sent by God.

My best friend, Kathy, has been planning for weeks for Tres Dias, an interdenominational Christian weekend.  Kathy is working in the dorms for an all ladies weekend.  She has been purchasing different crosses and other items to be used as focal points on her assigned table.  She and I have enjoyed shopping for the various items; so indirectly, I have been involved with her mission work.

Last night on the phone we planned to meet for breakfast.  She told me she was trying to determine how to go to her job and make cucumber sandwiches in time for a meeting after school. When the list of food items had made its way around the room only the cucumber sandwiches were left on the list.  How could she keep them fresh and not soggy?  She would not be able to make them the day of the meeting because of time restrictions, so I volunteered to make them for her.  "I can't ask you to do this!" She exclaimed.

"You didn't ask me, Kathy, I am volunteering.  Let me do this for you." You see, Kathy, has been a God send to me on many occasions.  She is truly a best friend in every way.   The least I can do for her is make a few sandwiches.

"Kathy, I have cucumbers and cream cheese at home to make them, and I am the only one at home who likes cucumbers. For the life of me, I don't know why I had bought so many cucumbers and and cream cheese.  Prehaps it was because I thought I was going to use them in my salad, but I didn't.  I still have the cucumbers."

This morning Kathy and I enjoyed breakfast together. I learned God was using me to help Kathy.  Isn't He an Awesome God? 

Kathy had been praying for God to show her a way to make this work for her.  She wanted this Tres Dias to have a wonderful start, and her plans for this to go smoothly was falling apart. A co-worker/friend suggested she ask the Family Consumer Science teacher who has a cooking class.  The students enjoy doing different food requests.  Their clients supply the ingredients and the students put it together.  Learning takes place!   Before she could ask for their help, the teacher told the office the students were behind in the requests for different cooking projects.  Now this idea was not an option at all.

At the same time Kathy was praying for God to show her a way to complete all her tasks, I was buying groceries.  I was buying cucumbers and cream cheese!  When Kathy and I realized what was taking place and how God was moving through us, we couldn't help but be in awe of how God works.

Kathy was certainly doing what God had called her to do in this mission field, and God used me to help her.

It is me again, Lord, thanking You for the testimony of a best friend who lives her life for You.

A little Georgia Wisdom: No matter how small you think your contributions are, God can use you.

Granny Dyal's Box of Shoes

Many interesting people cross our paths and leave their marks.  One such lady was Granny Dyal. Granny Dyal was not my blood relative, but neither was Aunt Mandy Broome or Aunt Bessie Stephens.  This story is about Granny Dyal and her box of shoes.

My cousin Bruce told me this story about his Granny Dyal's box of shoes he found when he was a little boy.  These shoes were not the fancy-go-to-church shoes she might save for Sunday, but old shoes of her family, children and grandchildren.  The shoes dated all the way back to the turn of the century through about 1960.  There were baby shoes worn thin by the tiny feet which outgrew them for larger ones, little girl and boy's shoes, ladies shoes, and men's work shoes that showed repair after repair and was finally beyond being wearable.

Granny Dyal kept the worn out shoes with holes in the bottoms or with wire stitches that held the soles to the top of the shoes.  Shoes that had walked hot fields and traveled long South Georgia tobacco rows behind an old horse or mule.  Shoes that helped a young bride walk to meet her groom. Shoes that carried a future soldier to sign up for war.  Granny Dyal had saved the shoes of her loved ones.

It was often at night before going to bed that Granny Dyal would pull that box of shoes out from under her bed.  One by one, she would take out a pair of shoes and would clutch them tenderly and would begin to pray. "Lord, please bless and protect my daughter (etc.) and her family..."  Her children and grandchildren lived away, far and wide, but these old shoes kept all of them close to her especially when she was worried when someone got sick or hurt.  That's when she would pull that old box out.  What was really neat was that no one ever knew about that old box of shoes, but Granny Dyal and her grandson, Bruce.

Bruce found out about that old box when he spent the entire summer with his grandmother.  He would take out those shoes and try them on.  His granny scolded him about that, for to her they were something sort of sacred.  The life of those old shoes were gone, but she had found a new purpose for keeping them.  Granny Dyal died in 1973 at the age of 84, and in that box was another pair of shoes.  These were from her great-grandson, Michael, Bruce's son.

It is me again, Lord, thanking you for the love and prayers of Granny Dyal.

A little Georgia Wisdom:  No one can have enough prayers said on their

behalf; therefore, remember a loved one or two as you pray.

Tom's "Homemade" Four-wheeler

Cousin Susie and I were the official guinea pigs for her brother Tommy's experiments. He would work and work "to create" and then we fell victim to "trying it out." One such contraption was a homemade four-wheeler, go-cart, speed demon rolled into one!  Tommy was a creative genius! Are so we thought... 

Tommy had worked on this thing for several days and the time of unveiling had arrived!  Of course, Susie and I thought that was a neat looking  go-cart, and we volunteered to try it out.  As I look back on our decision, well let's just say hindsight offers good advice.

Tommy rolled it out into the yard.  We examined this piece of machinery carefully.  He had taken the used, discarded wire spool from the local phone company to make the back wheels.  The front wheels were homemade axles with smaller wheels from a lawnmower.  Two straps attached at each front wheel would guide this baby anywhere we wanted to go.  Awesome! 

We crawled up on the seats and waited for the powerful engine (muscle power of Tommy) to get us started down the dirt road. Susie was going to drive.  Man, we looked good sitting up there on the go-cart with every hair on our heads looking beauty parlor sharp.  Our clothes were neat and clean just ready for a day at the movies.  One good push, and we were rollin'.

We had started our ride on an incline so that it would roll faster and go farther with that big push.  Off just like expected, but the huge machine was difficult for a 70-pound girl to steer.  That's when we discovered the missing brakes!  Tommy had forgotten to put brakes on that mean machine and before we could yell for help, we landed in the ditch and were covered with red Georgia dust. 

It is me again, Lord, thanking you for allowing us to survive the daring souls of our youth.

A little Georgia Wisdom:  Before treading unfamiliar territory, be sure you know the limits and how to stop before you get there.

Sweet Julia

I love the innocence of children. My children taught me a lot about life; and now, my grandchildren are teaching me too.

Our granddaughter Julia is five years old.  She has a keen perception about life.  In some ways she is more mature than her five years.  She analyzes.   Yes, analyzes life.  When she has a good idea or some thought that she is going to share with us, she says, "God just put that in my mind." She gives God credit for the good ideas and the good thoughts she has.  She is compassionate.

Her compassion for others is genuine.  She shows concern and often asks how others are doing.  When she says grace at the table, she remembers others in her prayer and asks God to bless them.  Her prayers are not just parroted but words she has chosen to talk to God.  Julia's dad is in need of a kidney transplant, and in her sweet little voice, she asks God to make him well.

Julia has that sweet innocence we all want or wish we still had.

It is me again, Lord, thanking you for children who show us how life should be.

A little Georgia Wisdom:  Slow down and view life as a child.  It is amazing how much one can learn.