with Vickie Ellis
Hello everyone! I hope you had a very good week. The weather has been okay for this time of year. We had plenty of rain, and Friday was a chilly, damp, dreary day to me. It was our anniversary, and we made the best of it. We are thankful and blessed to still have each other. Saturday was a pretty, sunny day. It was a little cool outside, but that is to be expected in December. Some rain and cooler temperatures are in the forecast. We are slowly but surely seeing a few birds come back. We have seen a couple of cardinals, and the rest seem to be wrens. We are looking forward to all the pretty ones.
We are almost through with our Christmas shopping. We have a small family, so it does not take long. The crowds have seemed tolerable while we have been out and about. I imagine many are shopping online. Some like the hustle and bustle of rubbing elbows with others looking for the same thing they are. I hope you have a good shopping experience and a safe one.
This is a hard time of year for many. It is hard for those who have lost loved ones or those who are sick. Some have no money to shop, others are alone and some are just depressed. This holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ is and should be a happy time, but worldly things can sure take a person down. We have several in our family gone, but losing our child has been the ultimate. We are not supposed to outlive our children. The “what might have beens” are always there and are worse this time of year. We just must try our best to carry on and know that He will carry us even when we can not walk. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Students go to school half a day Dec. 20 and will be out until Jan. 6, 2020. I am sure they are all looking forward to that. Time flies by. I can remember snow days, summer breaks and days out. We loved to play. We played outside with other neighborhood kids, and when the weather was too bad, we loved to play with our dolls. I had a doll named Tressie, and her hair would grow by turning a knob. How neat! My sister taught “school” sometimes. We had a chenille bedspread with squares (if I remember correctly), and those were her students. She grew up to work in banking, but her love was teaching. I was a nurse. We lived in the city and had a gas floor furnace for heat. I remember leaning over it in the winter to dry my hair, and standing over it got our gowns good and hot on a cold day. It sure felt good. If you have fond memories of days gone by, I would love to share them. I could leave your name out if you wish. My email is in this column. It would be fun to hear of leaner, kinder times.
Happy birthday to Jan Haskins and Chastity King, Dec. 13.
Please continue to remember these in prayer Andrew Acred, Lynn Allen, Jerry Bain, George and Marie Bishop, Charlie Brewer, David Brewer, Maverick Butler, Leon Carroll, Billy Dickson, Ann Hinson, Danny Jones, Lee Nell King, Sarah McLemore, Nancy McCaskill, Owen McKinney, Myra McKinley, Andy Maness, Nancy Morris, Billy Neal Priddy, Pam Priddy, James Reddin, Donald Rowlett, Dalton Seratt, Adam Wise, Trey Young and the family of Billy Frank Latham. Also, please pray for our military, law enforcement, our country and its leaders and first responders. There are many sick and hurting. Please say a prayer for those. Even if you do not know their name, God does.
“Worth the Pain” by Diane Ranker Riesen – “I always seem to dwell on all the times that I have lost/I think about the emptiness, and everything it cost/but what if I decided to look back on all our time/when things were right and peaceful – you were here, and you were mine/I wish you stayed forever and things never had to change/but life is filled with twists and turns – and things get rearranged/I’ll never smile as happily – or feel such joy inside/my world has changed forever since the moment that you died/But would I give those moments up…and never had you near/It takes me just a second, and then suddenly – it’s clear/Your loss was hard and changed my life, but oh so worth the pain/you’re gone for now, but in the end…I’ll be with you again/I wouldn’t trade a second – and I’ll cherish every day/I’ll try to keep the bitterness from getting in my way/I need to try much harder to be grateful you were here/and relish that I know you’re ever peaceful without fear/Thank you, God, for gifting me with all those wondrous years/I’ll try to honor such a joy…with laughter and not tears/for all life ends at some point – but eternity lives on/I’ll cherish every memory…’til I reach where I belong.”
I pray you all have a wonderful week, and may it be filled with love, joy, peace and blessings. Remember: if you have news, please call me at 983-0718 or email mimmiepots@gmail.com. I would truly appreciate any news. People from here and those who have moved from our area are hungry for news from home.
Until next week, Happy Trails to You.
