Monday, July 1
July rolled in very quietly for us. I was up early to go out to Yantis to help count and deposit the money from yesterday's church service.
When I returned home we had a light breakfast and then we both settled down with only one goal for the day...to finish and publish the journal/blog for June. After weeks of struggling to get the journal/blog current, we were finally on schedule.
It took a couple of hours of focus and frustration as Barbara put the finishing touches on photos and collages, and I completed the text...and then both of us previewed the finished product on the blog site, but we were finally satisfied, hit the publish button, posted and emailed the publication notice, and sat back to congratulate ourselves on meeting a deadline for the first time in over six months!
We wanted to celebrate the grand occasion with a Taz ride, but July also brought in temperatures that said we needed to stay inside for the day...too hot outside to work or ride, so what did we do...we went to Brookshire's to get 20 pounds of ice, then came back home to make a big batch of Barbara's world famous Big Red ice cream...the perfect prescription for summer heat woes.
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Tuesday, July 2
Today's heat matched what we had yesterday, so our activities were limited. Barbara went to Naturally Nails for a pedi while I did a little housework, and then we spent the rest of the day inside.
This evening I went to Yantis to meet with our pastor search committee and our association director to get information about the best way to begin the process of finding a new pastor for First Baptist Church Yantis. The session was almost information overload, but we did come away with lots of notes for future reference.
It's always a good day when we have photos of kids and grandkids, and we hit the daily double today with pictures of Andy, Heather, Alex, and Abby from their annual July trek to visit Andy's sister in Baltimore...
And then Jim, Whitney, and Little Jimmy (who isn't so little anymore) on a family vacation in Honduras...
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Wednesday, July 3
Today was "moving day," of sorts. Last year we moved Big V to the Mineola Civic Center RV Park for the Fourth of July band concert and fireworks. A number of friend and local family joined us and we had such a good time that we decided to do it again. So, this morning we drove to Our Little Lot at Holiday Villlages of Lake Fork, untethered all the utilities, and I drove Big V to Mineola while Barbara followed in the car.
We found our pad at the civic center and got all set up, then drove to the house to get some things we would need for tomorrow's festivities. Of course, there were photos of Big V in her new surroundings.
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Thursday, July 4
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, AMERICA!!!
Wow!!! What a day! Ryan, Leah, and Kaiden came over from Fort Worth. First, they helped us get some home chores done...Leah with Barbara; Ryan with me and the flagpole; while Kaiden mowed the North 40 for me. Then, they helped us get everything set up and ready for the big afternoon and evening.
More than 40 family and church friends showed up to share in the festivities with us. The Lake Country Symphonic Band performed a 40 concert of patriotic favorites leading up to the climax of the evening, a fantastic fireworks display put on by the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department...
Carol Smith, one of our church friends, knows that Barbara collects decorated rocks, so she brought this one to give to her tonight...
Did we mention the band and fireworks?...James Pogue photographer for the band got these and many more beautiful photos...
And as a bonus to an already great day, we got this photo from John, Carol, and granddaughter Randi in San Antonio...
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Friday, July 5
After spending a delightful night in Big V (winding down from the big day and avoiding all the post festivity traffic, we spent a lazy morning before moving stuff back to the house.
Cousin Logan and I spent a VERY hot afternoon on top of and beneath Big V tracing wiring to the awning. We didn't find out what was wrong with it, but Logan, an electronics specialist when he was in the Air Force, helped me eliminate a lot of possibilities, which should help save some money if and when we take it in for repairs.
There aren't any photos, but that is probably a good thing 🤣
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Saturday, July 6
We started this day with a "Little" humor when Barbara opened her Facebook page and found this "memory" from four years ago when we visited the Bush Bean facilities in Tennessee. Several people over the years have stated that I was "full of beans," but I didn't know how full until we read the scales that day.
A great way to continue the celebration of freedom is to mount a motorcycle and feel, taste, and touch the freedom of the open road...okay, maybe not the greatest of analogies, but that's what we did this beautiful day...
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Sunday, July 7
Today we enjoyed the fellowship of our church family at First Baptist Church Yantis. Along with the lessons, preaching, and great music, we presented a children's sermon based on Luke 18:1-8 about persistent prayer.
JIM: The
Bible tells us in Luke 18:1 that one day Jesus was teaching his disciples and
told them a story to show that they should be faithful in their prayers and
never give up praying.
BARBARA: Mr. Little, that reminds me of a story about
a sixth-grade boy who really wanted to play in the band at school. The boy went home from school one day and
asked his parents if they would buy him an instrument and let him sign up for
band. Well, the boy’s parents didn’t say
yes, but they didn’t say no. They just
said, “We’ll have to think about it.
After all, a musical instrument costs a lot of money and we aren’t sure
you will stick with it.”
A few days went by and the boy’s parents didn’t
say anything else about the instrument, so the boy decided he would ask again. And the answer was still the same, “We’ll
have to keep thinking about it.”
On his way home from school the next day, the
boy decided to stop by the local music store to check out the musical
instruments. The first thing that caught
his eye was a beautiful, shiny trumpet.
It wasn’t new, but it was in great condition and it had a really neat
fake alligator skin case. It was just
what he wanted.
That night at supper the boy told his parents
about going to the store and finding the instrument he wanted to play…and it
was only $100!
The father turned to the mother and said, “I
guess we had better go take a look at that trumpet or we are never going to
hear the end of this!” Well, the next
day they all went to the music store and his parents bought him the trumpet.
The boy joined the band, stuck with it through
high school, and went on to study music in college and eventually become a band
director himself. Hmmm…I wonder how
differently his life might have turned out if he had asked his parents for that
trumpet only one time and never mentioned it again.
JIM: The Bible teaches us that just as our parents
and grandparents want what is best for us and will do what they can to give us
what we need, God, our heavenly Father also hears and answers our requests. Unfortunately, we sometimes ask God only once
for something and never mention it again…and then wonder why we didn’t get it.
Jesus said we should always pray and not give
up. Maybe God just wants us to show him
that we are serious about our requests.
Now, this doesn’t mean that if we keep asking over and over we will get
what we want. I’ve heard it said that
God answers prayers with a “Yes,” a “No,” a “Go Slow,” or “Wait.” We tell God our wants, but HE knows our
needs. God loves us and he wants to give us what is best for us in HIS time,
not ours.
A very special request for all of us in church
this morning is to keep our pastor search committee in your prayers. Pray that they will seek God’s wisdom and
guidance in finding the man who will be our next pastor.
Our special gift to you this morning is a bag
of Lifesavers with a tag that says, “Prayer could be a lifesaver…don’t quit too
soon.”
Now, let us pray…Heavenly Father, teach
us to pray…and teach us to be patient and persistent in our prayers, and remind
us that you want us to pray, and then pray some more. After all, you are your father and you want
us to talk to you about everything that concerns us. It’s in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen
We didn't have a church service tonight, so when the heat dissipated a bit I went outside to mow the neighbor's part of the North 40, while Barbara stayed inside and began experimenting on a new dessert trifle for a family gathering later this week.
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Monday, July 8
Our Mondays are basically variations on a theme. I go to Yantis in the morning to count and deposit the church money, then return home to work around the house and help Barbara take care of the business of living. Then I go back out to the church in the evening for the pastor search committee meeting. If the weather is nice we try to work in a ride on Taz, but this is July in East Texas, so that is rarely an option.
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Tuesday, July 9
Today was all about food preparation and getting ready for a big family dinner tonight with the Thompson clan. The menu was our world-famous Brown in Bag Chicken (baked with potatoes, carrots, and onions), green beans seasoned with bacon and onions, jalapeno bread, and Barbara's world famous trifles and Big Red ice cream. it goes without saying that there was lots of southern sweet tea, so we won't mention it here.
Yeah...we ate and ate, and a good time was had by all...
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Wednesday, July 10
Toward the end of June we wrote about me playing plumber and changing out the disposal unit under the kitchen sink. No sooner than I had that job completed and the disposal grinding away just like it should, we discovered that the dishwasher wasn't draining properly...heck, it wasn't draining at all. So, I called the Sears Repair Service hotline and scheduled a repairman to come look at the dishwasher and repair or replace the water pump (my diagnosis, of course).
Well, we stumbled along for a couple of weeks doing dishes the old-school way (boy, did we ever discover how convenient a dishwasher is when it works), and set aside today to wait for the repairman, since, according to the service, would be "sometime" between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.
We were relieved when the repairman showed up around 12:30 and came in to check out the problem. He was getting ready to take the dishwasher apart when I casually mentioned that I didn't know whether it was a coincidence or not, but the dishwasher quit draining right after I changed out the disposal unit. He got a funny look on his face and asked if I had removed a such-and-such plug. I said I removed something and followed the installation directions (which I did...this time). The bottom line is that he spent about 15 minutes removing a little plastic disk from one of the ports in the disposal, hooked it back up, and the water began pumping out of the dishwasher. It cost us $100 for the service call, but I considered it another lesson in the graduate school of hard knocks. I hope we don't have to replace the disposal again, but if we do, I also hope at least one of us will remember this lesson.
Here's a photo of a $100 piece of plastic...as well as photos of a cooling and very welcome rain this evening...
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Thursday, July 11
Happy Anniversary to Daughter and Son-in-Law Heather and Andy Dondis!!!
We were up early this morning for a trip to Tyler and Cardio-Vascular Associates for Barbara's annual stress test for Dr. Smith. While stress tests are the norm for those of us of a certain age, this was Barbara's first nuclear stress test. After finding out what it would entail, we wondered if she would glow in the dark, but Dr. Smith assured us that she wouldn't.
On the way back toward Tyler we approached Camping World and Barbara was able, after several years of trying to get photos of the giant flags without all the clutter of electric transmission lines.
After a stop at Jalapeno Tree for lunch (don't know why there are no pictures, but maybe we were too hungry to think about them), we went back to the house for serious naps.
I had a church committee meeting this evening in Yantis. We finished early enough that on the way back to Mineola I was able to pull off on the shoulder of Highway 154 and get this shot of a full moon in the evening sky.
Friday, July 12
This may have been one of the least exciting days we have spent in a long time. We got our hair cut this morning, and waited around all afternoon for the Suddenlink technician to come to the house (which he did around 4:30) to trouble shoot our cable and internet system...the jury is out on whether the visit was worthwhile.
In between those non-exciting events, we managed to put the finishing touches on our gifts for the children's sermon this Sunday.
Saturday, July 13
After a quiet start to the day we were surprised by a serious thunderstorm and some very welcome rain...
Granddaughter Randi and Nick had a Gender Reveal party in San Antonio this evening. We were unable to attend because of obligations here, but got to watch on a news feed as pink fireworks were set off to let everyone know that we will be expecting a great-grandaughter this fall! We weren't able to capture any photos, but there was lots of excitement.
Sunday, July 14
We had a full day of church and service activities today beginning with our children's sermon suggested by one of our youth members, Aubrey.
In addition to teaching the kids and enjoying the music and sermon, we left after church to drive to Sulphur Springs to eat at Panda Express and then visit our church friend Marilyn at one of the nursing homes.
We received a notice a couple of days ago about a Vietnam war veteran who passed away earlier in the week and who had no family or friends. Folks in the area were asked to come to the funeral home and show their respect for this fallen veteran, who was also a badged peace officer. So, after visiting with Marilyn we drove across Sulphur Springs to West Oaks Funeral Home to pay our respects to Mr. Whitefeather.
Following that visit, we drove back through Sulphur Springs to another funeral home to pay our respects during a visitation for the husband of one of our church members.
We got back to Yantis just in time for me to go to a church stewardship committee meeting and then return home after a long and full day.
Monday, July 15
In addition to the usual Monday activities, we drove to the church to deliver food for a family prior to a funeral service, and then went to Winnsboro to pick up a sermon recording from one of the churches there...and then back home to get inside and away from the heat of the day.
Tuesday, July 16
This was a relatively quiet day for us. I needed to get the lawnmower out to Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork and Barbara had a women's luncheon at the church in Yantis; so we combined the two. I took Barbara to the church and returned to the lot to do some mowing while the ladies did their thing...
Unfortunately, it was steaming hot outside by the time I got the mower unloaded, so I put it away and did some upkeep chores in Big V until time to get Barbara and then return home for the afternoon.
Wednesday, July 17
The first part of today's post is about a "Little" history. This would have been a great anniversary (of sorts) post if we had discovered the old photos earlier, but Barbara found them a couple of days ago while looking for something else.
In the spring of 2009 we bought a lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork. Mother couldn't stand it that we lived and traveled in Big V and didn't have a piece of land to call our own, so she loaned us the money to make the purchase. The lot we chose was not particularly noteworthy...it was full of weeds, years of overgrowth of trees that needed to be trimmed, 50-foot briar vines, and even a few fallen trees. It was a mess, but we immediately liked it anyway.
We were preparing for a spring trip to volunteer at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa, Georgia, followed by a visit to see Mike in Richmond, so we made arrangements for dirt to be hauled in and a concrete pad to be poured in time for our return.
To make a long story short, torrential rains hit East Texas that spring. Shortly after the loads of dirt were brought in, the area received more than 25 inches of torrential rain in just a few days. When we returned from out trip in late May, the lot was still a mud pit. So, we stayed in the RV section of Holiday Villages until the lot dried out and they were able to bring in more dirt and pour the concrete pad.
We moved Big V onto the lot on Father's Day, 2009 and began a l-o-n-g, arduous, and sometimes painful (think thorns, chiggers, and fire ants) process of clearing the lot of all the unwanted "stuff," and making it what we dreamed it should be.
Following are collages of the "early days" on "Our Little Lot." The cover over Big V came later in the fall after we suffered through months of 95+ degree temperatures and baking sunshine.
I went out to the lake early this morning to do the mowing and trimming. This is what Our Little Lot looks like now...
When I returned home we packed a couple of bags for the night and headed to Dallas so we could attend a funeral there the next day.
After a (thankfully) uneventful drive, we checked in at the Dallas Park Cities Hilton and then went out to explore our surroundings and find a new place to eat.
Thursday, July 18
After you have taught for a few years, you come to the realization that your kids are, well, they're your kids and will be for life. When they celebrate something wonderful, you celebrate with them, even if it's just on Facebook. And when they hurt, you hurt with them because, well, because they're your kids.
This trip was to grieve with Markay, one of Barbara's students in Lubbock many years ago, on the loss of her husband, Mark, and then to celebrate Mark's life.
It was a busy day...a lovely breakfast at the Hilton, a leisurely morning in which to either get caught up on some business or do nothing at all.
We checked out of the hotel at noon and drove around to find the church where the funeral would be held, and then to the Park Cities shopping area to find some lunch. Then it was back to the church and, when the service was over, back to the Hilton for the Celebration of Life for Mark.
And then it was the drive back to Mineola, starting with negotiating the five o'clock Dallas traffic...always an adventure!
Friday, July 19
After a busy week, it was nice to have a relatively slow day today. We slept in and then began work on our children's sermon for this weekend. We bought the treats for the kids while we were in Dallas, so we prepared the handouts and then polished up the text.
Saturday, July 20
It's a good thing yesterday was a slow day for us, because today became hot and hectic in a hurry.
It was a miserably hot day, but we chose to ride Taz rather than drive the car to a Patriot Guard Riders mission in Lindale. Today's mission was to honor a 24-year old soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who died as the result of a motorcycle accident.
PFC Brandon Casey Nicol left behind a wife and two small children. He served in the 101st Airborne Division and was posthumously promoted to Specialist and awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.
Approximately 60 Patriot Guard Riders and Combat Veteran Riders stood tall in the wilting heat to honor this soldier and his family.
We were dripping wet with sweat by the time we got back home. We had had lunch and took a well-deserved nap before venturing out this evening to meet with friends for supper at Whataburger and then a fun night of entertainment at the monthly gospel sing by Cross County Line.
Who says Baptists don't know how to have fun?!!!
This was another busy Sunday. Our children's sermon came from Mark 6:30-32 and was entitled Take Jesus With You on Your Vacation.
Following church we drove to Sulphur Springs to join our friends the Hutchins family at Roma's for a pizza lunch. The photo in the upper right corner is a crumpled straw wrapper that Rivers put in Barbara's clothing.
We drove back home, took a nap, and then returned to the evening service at Yantis before going with our friend Eve to the Dairy Queen in Quitman for treats and conversation.
Monday, July 22
Today was a little (no pun intended) out of the ordinary. Alecia came to clean house while I went to the church to count and deposit money.
When I got back to the house I found that Barbara had been busy rearranging the kitchen counters and cabinets...(But some things just never seem to get put away since we don't have much storage in our kitchen and we have no pantry! (As Barbara reminds me often!)
And, she had been playing photographer outside...witness this panoramic view of the front porch and plants...
Once I was in place, we started work on rearranging furniture to accommodate a meal for the church Pastor Search Committee tonight.
While Barbara worked on the staging of furniture and how we would operate the serving line. I prepared the main dish, our recipe for Brown-In-Bag Chicken and fresh-baked jalapeno bread...
Team members would later bring desserts and fruit trays.
After everyone was gathered, we said the blessing, and then Barbara took her tray of food to the bedroom to eat, listen to music, and chat on the phone, as a search committee meeting is open only to the elected members.
All of our meetings have been much like any church committee meetings in a church or school, but this gave us an opportunity to relax and reflect on the job ahead of us and get some focus about where our search wants to go under the leadership of a new pastor.
When all was said and done, we probably got more said than done tonight, but we had a good time and a good meal, and that's a big part of being a Baptist!
Tuesday, July 23
We had a very different and fun morning. There was quite a bit of food left over from last night's meal...more than we would care to eat in the next few days, so we bagged up several meals and delivered them to some of the widows in our church. They were so grateful and said they were blessed, but we were the ones who were truly blessed through the time spent with these ladies whose families are such an important part of our church history and present.
It was too hot for a Taz ride, but we enjoyed the drive, especially as we took in the scenery crossing one of the many forks of Lake Fork...
Wednesday, July 24 - Thursday, July 25
These were two "home-bound" days for us. Not that we were sick or disabled or anything like that, but I was busy working on church committee business and Barbara was sorting through photos and creating collages for this edition of the journal/blog. We waited too late to get started, but we're making a mad dash to the finish line!
Friday, July 26
Today was much the same as yesterday. By evening we were going stir crazy from staring at computer screens and having phones stuck in our ears, so we decided to climb on Taz, take a ride to somewhere, and get a good dose of wind therapy.
Part of our ride took us through the Lake Fork country near Alba and Emory. We stopped along the way to visit Charlie Teague, one of our church deacons and a very dear friend. Charlie shares our sense of humor (he has working parking meter that accepts only nickels and dimes). Charlie is also a huge Oklahoma Sooner and Dallas Cowboys fan, but we have long since forgiven him for those transgressions. LOL!
The lighted cross is here in Mineola. It is mounted on the top of a transmission tower near the intersection of Highway 37 and Loop 274, and serves as an unmistakable beacon to those approaching Mineola from the north and west.
Saturday - July 26
This was just another regular Saturday...too hot to go anywhere, so we stayed inside until...until...until we figured out that we absolutely had to go to Wally World for some necessary things. Barbara suggested that we empty the trunks and saddle bags on Taz and ride over there, since it's just a few blocks away. I looked at the list and said there was too much there and it wouldn't fit. She said she was pretty sure it would if we packed just right. Just to prove that I was right, I agreed, and we took off in the heat to do some shopping.
When we finished filling the basket, I knew everything wasn't going to fit and I had won the bet, except that also would mean I'd have to make two trips to the house.
We went through the check stand with me gloating and shaking my head...Barbara was still smiling... then paid out and left the store with me still gloating but worried about making two trips...
We started stuffing bags into trunks and saddlebags, moving them from place to place for the best fit...Barbara was smiling...
And then climbed on Taz with Barbara holding the lone holdout, a package of paper towels that just wouldn't fit anywhere...and we were both smiling! (If only I had brought one of the bungee cords I took out, we would have had nothing to hold on to! LOL)
Lesson learned...again. Don't tell Barbara what won't work until you can prove it! LOL!
Sunday, July 28
Because we were having a special service this morning, observation of The Lord's Supper, we didn't have a children's sermon. That didn't mean, though that we weren't busy. I had praise band practice...
Barbara was busy photographing the newly-elected deacons and Chad and Melaina for the bulletin for next week's ordination service. That was happening during praise band practice, so there was no photographer to photograph the photographer.
We attended our Sunday school class, and then returned to the sanctuary for what may have been the most beautiful and meaningful observance of the Lord's Supper we have ever experienced.
This afternoon was nap time (it was Sunday, after all), and then evening we returned to the church for the evening service. We had hoped to ride Taz this evening, but the temperatures were brutal again today...maybe tomorrow (hope springs eternal when Taz is even close to being in the picture).
Monday, July 29
It was just another normal Monday with the usual scheduled activities, but most of the day was spent with Barbara creating collages and me writing text for this edition of the journal/blog.
We were pretty much brain dead by the evening when I returned from a church committee meeting, and hadn't had anything to eat for supper. Barbara was talking to our friend Diane and she told Barbara about a chicken and rice place she and Jerry had gone to in Emory, so we decided there was just enough daylight left to make a Taz run to Emory, get some food, and then return home. It was a gorgeous evening for a ride ...maybe a little warm yet, but the wind therapy was wonderful!
And the food was beyond delicious. The portions were large enough that we knew we'd been eating leftovers for several meals.
Tuesday, July 30
We've often said that some days are just days. Other than a Taz ride to Yantis to check on supplies for the upcoming back-to-school backpack mission, and a late night car Sonic run for milkshakes, this day was all about laundry and journal/blog preparation.
Wednesday, July 31
We wrapped up July today with absolutely nothing of interest...just taking care of business around the house and trying to avoid the heat. (At least nothing of interest to me; but...Barbara was impressed with how much her "air plant" had grown since we bought it in Natchitoches back in April.)
"We should "not look at the stars as bright spots only [but] try to take in the vastness of the universe," because "every formula which expresses a law of nature is a hymn of praise to God." - Maria Miller, First female astronomy professor in American history.
Ending July in the peace and comfort of our home in Mineola, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
We were up early this morning for a trip to Tyler and Cardio-Vascular Associates for Barbara's annual stress test for Dr. Smith. While stress tests are the norm for those of us of a certain age, this was Barbara's first nuclear stress test. After finding out what it would entail, we wondered if she would glow in the dark, but Dr. Smith assured us that she wouldn't.
On the way back toward Tyler we approached Camping World and Barbara was able, after several years of trying to get photos of the giant flags without all the clutter of electric transmission lines.
After a stop at Jalapeno Tree for lunch (don't know why there are no pictures, but maybe we were too hungry to think about them), we went back to the house for serious naps.
I had a church committee meeting this evening in Yantis. We finished early enough that on the way back to Mineola I was able to pull off on the shoulder of Highway 154 and get this shot of a full moon in the evening sky.
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Friday, July 12
This may have been one of the least exciting days we have spent in a long time. We got our hair cut this morning, and waited around all afternoon for the Suddenlink technician to come to the house (which he did around 4:30) to trouble shoot our cable and internet system...the jury is out on whether the visit was worthwhile.
In between those non-exciting events, we managed to put the finishing touches on our gifts for the children's sermon this Sunday.
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Saturday, July 13
After a quiet start to the day we were surprised by a serious thunderstorm and some very welcome rain...
Granddaughter Randi and Nick had a Gender Reveal party in San Antonio this evening. We were unable to attend because of obligations here, but got to watch on a news feed as pink fireworks were set off to let everyone know that we will be expecting a great-grandaughter this fall! We weren't able to capture any photos, but there was lots of excitement.
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Sunday, July 14
We had a full day of church and service activities today beginning with our children's sermon suggested by one of our youth members, Aubrey.
JIM: Our lesson this morning is one that
Aubrey came up with and suggested to us after returning from a trip with her
mom.
I have 3 packets which most of
you will recognize. The first is a packet of sugar; the second is called
Sweet’n Low, and the third is call Nutrasweet. You all know about sugar. It is
a natural product that comes from the sugar cane or sugar beet plants. We use
sugar in cooking to make things sweet. It is used in cakes, cookies, sodas, Kool-Aid,
and we often put it in our tea or coffee to make it sweet.
Sweet’n Low is an artificial
sweetener that is used pretty much the same way sugar is used. However, there’s
one problem with Sweet’n Low. It makes things sweet; but after you finish it,
it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.
Nutrasweet is also an
artificial sweetener. It makes things taste sweet, and leaves no bitter taste,
but there is a problem with Nutrasweet. You can’t use it in cooking because
when it gets hot, it loses it sweetness.
If you want to cook something
that is sweet, but doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste in your mouth, you must
use the real thing!
BARBARA: Some people are like Sweet’n low. They claim to
love Jesus and seem to be really sweet, but you can tell they aren’t real.
There’s something about their phony sweetness that leaves a bitter taste in
your mouth.
Some people are like
Nutrasweet. They claim to love Jesus and sometimes they can be very sweet, but
when things aren’t going their way and things start to heat up, they lose their
sweetness.
We need to make sure that our
sweetness is the real thing – like sugar.
It comes from the love of Jesus living in our hearts.
So, Aubrey, what do we have
for the kids this morning?
AUBREY Our
treats this morning are sour patch kids.
I came up with this idea when I was eating them on a trip with my mom. These
little kids made me realize that the sour of the candy would represent our sin
while the sweetness is what we can be like when we’ve been saved by Christ.
JIM: Let us pray: “Dear Lord, help us to be
real sweeteners in our world. Keep us from bitterness, and may we never lose the
sweetness of our witness for you when things start to heat up. It’s in the name
of Jesus we pray, Amen.”
In addition to teaching the kids and enjoying the music and sermon, we left after church to drive to Sulphur Springs to eat at Panda Express and then visit our church friend Marilyn at one of the nursing homes.
We received a notice a couple of days ago about a Vietnam war veteran who passed away earlier in the week and who had no family or friends. Folks in the area were asked to come to the funeral home and show their respect for this fallen veteran, who was also a badged peace officer. So, after visiting with Marilyn we drove across Sulphur Springs to West Oaks Funeral Home to pay our respects to Mr. Whitefeather.
Following that visit, we drove back through Sulphur Springs to another funeral home to pay our respects during a visitation for the husband of one of our church members.
We got back to Yantis just in time for me to go to a church stewardship committee meeting and then return home after a long and full day.
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Monday, July 15
In addition to the usual Monday activities, we drove to the church to deliver food for a family prior to a funeral service, and then went to Winnsboro to pick up a sermon recording from one of the churches there...and then back home to get inside and away from the heat of the day.
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Tuesday, July 16
This was a relatively quiet day for us. I needed to get the lawnmower out to Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork and Barbara had a women's luncheon at the church in Yantis; so we combined the two. I took Barbara to the church and returned to the lot to do some mowing while the ladies did their thing...
Unfortunately, it was steaming hot outside by the time I got the mower unloaded, so I put it away and did some upkeep chores in Big V until time to get Barbara and then return home for the afternoon.
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Wednesday, July 17
The first part of today's post is about a "Little" history. This would have been a great anniversary (of sorts) post if we had discovered the old photos earlier, but Barbara found them a couple of days ago while looking for something else.
In the spring of 2009 we bought a lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork. Mother couldn't stand it that we lived and traveled in Big V and didn't have a piece of land to call our own, so she loaned us the money to make the purchase. The lot we chose was not particularly noteworthy...it was full of weeds, years of overgrowth of trees that needed to be trimmed, 50-foot briar vines, and even a few fallen trees. It was a mess, but we immediately liked it anyway.
We were preparing for a spring trip to volunteer at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa, Georgia, followed by a visit to see Mike in Richmond, so we made arrangements for dirt to be hauled in and a concrete pad to be poured in time for our return.
To make a long story short, torrential rains hit East Texas that spring. Shortly after the loads of dirt were brought in, the area received more than 25 inches of torrential rain in just a few days. When we returned from out trip in late May, the lot was still a mud pit. So, we stayed in the RV section of Holiday Villages until the lot dried out and they were able to bring in more dirt and pour the concrete pad.
We moved Big V onto the lot on Father's Day, 2009 and began a l-o-n-g, arduous, and sometimes painful (think thorns, chiggers, and fire ants) process of clearing the lot of all the unwanted "stuff," and making it what we dreamed it should be.
Following are collages of the "early days" on "Our Little Lot." The cover over Big V came later in the fall after we suffered through months of 95+ degree temperatures and baking sunshine.
I went out to the lake early this morning to do the mowing and trimming. This is what Our Little Lot looks like now...
When I returned home we packed a couple of bags for the night and headed to Dallas so we could attend a funeral there the next day.
After a (thankfully) uneventful drive, we checked in at the Dallas Park Cities Hilton and then went out to explore our surroundings and find a new place to eat.
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Thursday, July 18
After you have taught for a few years, you come to the realization that your kids are, well, they're your kids and will be for life. When they celebrate something wonderful, you celebrate with them, even if it's just on Facebook. And when they hurt, you hurt with them because, well, because they're your kids.
This trip was to grieve with Markay, one of Barbara's students in Lubbock many years ago, on the loss of her husband, Mark, and then to celebrate Mark's life.
It was a busy day...a lovely breakfast at the Hilton, a leisurely morning in which to either get caught up on some business or do nothing at all.
We checked out of the hotel at noon and drove around to find the church where the funeral would be held, and then to the Park Cities shopping area to find some lunch. Then it was back to the church and, when the service was over, back to the Hilton for the Celebration of Life for Mark.
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Friday, July 19
After a busy week, it was nice to have a relatively slow day today. We slept in and then began work on our children's sermon for this weekend. We bought the treats for the kids while we were in Dallas, so we prepared the handouts and then polished up the text.
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Saturday, July 20
It's a good thing yesterday was a slow day for us, because today became hot and hectic in a hurry.
It was a miserably hot day, but we chose to ride Taz rather than drive the car to a Patriot Guard Riders mission in Lindale. Today's mission was to honor a 24-year old soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who died as the result of a motorcycle accident.
PFC Brandon Casey Nicol left behind a wife and two small children. He served in the 101st Airborne Division and was posthumously promoted to Specialist and awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.
Approximately 60 Patriot Guard Riders and Combat Veteran Riders stood tall in the wilting heat to honor this soldier and his family.
We were dripping wet with sweat by the time we got back home. We had had lunch and took a well-deserved nap before venturing out this evening to meet with friends for supper at Whataburger and then a fun night of entertainment at the monthly gospel sing by Cross County Line.
Who says Baptists don't know how to have fun?!!!
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Sunday, July 21
BARBARA: Isn’t
it great to be on vacation from school? Many
families get a chance to go somewhere special while the kids are out of school.
Mr. Little and I like to plan vacations to travel, especially on our
motorcycle. We like to go to states
we’ve never been to or get away from the Texas heat up in the New Mexico or Colorado
mountains, or go visit our kids and grandkids around the country.
Do you know that Jesus believed in
vacations? He did…Mr. Little, would you
share a story about Jesus and his vacation with the disciples after they had
been teaching and preaching for many days?
JIM: Our
Bible lesson this morning comes from Mark 6:30-32. “Then, because so many people were coming and
going that they didn’t even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to them, ‘Come
with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So, they went away
by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.’”
Jesus knew that his disciples were tired and
worn out from their work for him, and that they need to rest and relax so their
bodies and minds could be refreshed, and they could continue their travels and
work later. Imagine that…a private
cruise with Jesus on a special vacation!
Our Bible lesson says the disciples went away
to a quiet place. Their main purpose was
to rest and renew their strength. Some
people plan a vacation that is so full of activities that when they return
home, they are more tired than when they left.
BARBARA: In
fact, Mr. Little, sometimes people are so busy on vacation that they forget to take
Jesus with them. They never give Jesus a
thought. It’s like they just leave him
in church while they get away from everything.
But as Christians, we need to include Jesus in everything we do, even
when we are on a vacation from our regular daily lives.
We hope you have had a great summer vacation,
but please don’t forget to take Jesus with you wherever you go, and don’t
forget to set aside some time for rest and relaxation. Then you refreshed and renewed!
Our special treats this morning are small raisin
suitcases to remind you to take the sweetness of Jesus with you wherever you
go.
Mr. Little, would you please lead us in a
prayer.
JIM: Let’s
bow our heads. Heavenly Father,
thank you for vacation time when we can rest and renew our strength. Help us to remember to include you wherever
we go and in whatever we do. We pray
this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Following church we drove to Sulphur Springs to join our friends the Hutchins family at Roma's for a pizza lunch. The photo in the upper right corner is a crumpled straw wrapper that Rivers put in Barbara's clothing.
We drove back home, took a nap, and then returned to the evening service at Yantis before going with our friend Eve to the Dairy Queen in Quitman for treats and conversation.
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Monday, July 22
Today was a little (no pun intended) out of the ordinary. Alecia came to clean house while I went to the church to count and deposit money.
When I got back to the house I found that Barbara had been busy rearranging the kitchen counters and cabinets...(But some things just never seem to get put away since we don't have much storage in our kitchen and we have no pantry! (As Barbara reminds me often!)
And, she had been playing photographer outside...witness this panoramic view of the front porch and plants...
Once I was in place, we started work on rearranging furniture to accommodate a meal for the church Pastor Search Committee tonight.
While Barbara worked on the staging of furniture and how we would operate the serving line. I prepared the main dish, our recipe for Brown-In-Bag Chicken and fresh-baked jalapeno bread...
Team members would later bring desserts and fruit trays.
After everyone was gathered, we said the blessing, and then Barbara took her tray of food to the bedroom to eat, listen to music, and chat on the phone, as a search committee meeting is open only to the elected members.
All of our meetings have been much like any church committee meetings in a church or school, but this gave us an opportunity to relax and reflect on the job ahead of us and get some focus about where our search wants to go under the leadership of a new pastor.
When all was said and done, we probably got more said than done tonight, but we had a good time and a good meal, and that's a big part of being a Baptist!
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Tuesday, July 23
We had a very different and fun morning. There was quite a bit of food left over from last night's meal...more than we would care to eat in the next few days, so we bagged up several meals and delivered them to some of the widows in our church. They were so grateful and said they were blessed, but we were the ones who were truly blessed through the time spent with these ladies whose families are such an important part of our church history and present.
It was too hot for a Taz ride, but we enjoyed the drive, especially as we took in the scenery crossing one of the many forks of Lake Fork...
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Wednesday, July 24 - Thursday, July 25
These were two "home-bound" days for us. Not that we were sick or disabled or anything like that, but I was busy working on church committee business and Barbara was sorting through photos and creating collages for this edition of the journal/blog. We waited too late to get started, but we're making a mad dash to the finish line!
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Friday, July 26
Today was much the same as yesterday. By evening we were going stir crazy from staring at computer screens and having phones stuck in our ears, so we decided to climb on Taz, take a ride to somewhere, and get a good dose of wind therapy.
Part of our ride took us through the Lake Fork country near Alba and Emory. We stopped along the way to visit Charlie Teague, one of our church deacons and a very dear friend. Charlie shares our sense of humor (he has working parking meter that accepts only nickels and dimes). Charlie is also a huge Oklahoma Sooner and Dallas Cowboys fan, but we have long since forgiven him for those transgressions. LOL!
The lighted cross is here in Mineola. It is mounted on the top of a transmission tower near the intersection of Highway 37 and Loop 274, and serves as an unmistakable beacon to those approaching Mineola from the north and west.
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Saturday - July 26
This was just another regular Saturday...too hot to go anywhere, so we stayed inside until...until...until we figured out that we absolutely had to go to Wally World for some necessary things. Barbara suggested that we empty the trunks and saddle bags on Taz and ride over there, since it's just a few blocks away. I looked at the list and said there was too much there and it wouldn't fit. She said she was pretty sure it would if we packed just right. Just to prove that I was right, I agreed, and we took off in the heat to do some shopping.
When we finished filling the basket, I knew everything wasn't going to fit and I had won the bet, except that also would mean I'd have to make two trips to the house.
We went through the check stand with me gloating and shaking my head...Barbara was still smiling... then paid out and left the store with me still gloating but worried about making two trips...
We started stuffing bags into trunks and saddlebags, moving them from place to place for the best fit...Barbara was smiling...
And then climbed on Taz with Barbara holding the lone holdout, a package of paper towels that just wouldn't fit anywhere...and we were both smiling! (If only I had brought one of the bungee cords I took out, we would have had nothing to hold on to! LOL)
Lesson learned...again. Don't tell Barbara what won't work until you can prove it! LOL!
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Sunday, July 28
Because we were having a special service this morning, observation of The Lord's Supper, we didn't have a children's sermon. That didn't mean, though that we weren't busy. I had praise band practice...
Barbara was busy photographing the newly-elected deacons and Chad and Melaina for the bulletin for next week's ordination service. That was happening during praise band practice, so there was no photographer to photograph the photographer.
We attended our Sunday school class, and then returned to the sanctuary for what may have been the most beautiful and meaningful observance of the Lord's Supper we have ever experienced.
This afternoon was nap time (it was Sunday, after all), and then evening we returned to the church for the evening service. We had hoped to ride Taz this evening, but the temperatures were brutal again today...maybe tomorrow (hope springs eternal when Taz is even close to being in the picture).
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Monday, July 29
It was just another normal Monday with the usual scheduled activities, but most of the day was spent with Barbara creating collages and me writing text for this edition of the journal/blog.
We were pretty much brain dead by the evening when I returned from a church committee meeting, and hadn't had anything to eat for supper. Barbara was talking to our friend Diane and she told Barbara about a chicken and rice place she and Jerry had gone to in Emory, so we decided there was just enough daylight left to make a Taz run to Emory, get some food, and then return home. It was a gorgeous evening for a ride ...maybe a little warm yet, but the wind therapy was wonderful!
And the food was beyond delicious. The portions were large enough that we knew we'd been eating leftovers for several meals.
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Tuesday, July 30
We've often said that some days are just days. Other than a Taz ride to Yantis to check on supplies for the upcoming back-to-school backpack mission, and a late night car Sonic run for milkshakes, this day was all about laundry and journal/blog preparation.
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Wednesday, July 31
We wrapped up July today with absolutely nothing of interest...just taking care of business around the house and trying to avoid the heat. (At least nothing of interest to me; but...Barbara was impressed with how much her "air plant" had grown since we bought it in Natchitoches back in April.)
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"We should "not look at the stars as bright spots only [but] try to take in the vastness of the universe," because "every formula which expresses a law of nature is a hymn of praise to God." - Maria Miller, First female astronomy professor in American history.
Ending July in the peace and comfort of our home in Mineola, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
