Memory Nudgers

I started today with my simple spider and web head piece and stockings with glued on roaches (I had on regular clothes too, I promise) and headed to work. My decorations were subtle, but those that noticed smiled and seemed to just enjoy the playfulness of the day. Only a few of decorated ourselves for this 31st day of October.

I took a few minutes to check out a favorite site, and a recent post touched on a memory.

Picture from TheKitchn.com

Tootsie Rolls!!!

These are homemade, you can check it out at TheKitchn...

My Grandfather's birthday was October 31st. I remember tootsie rolls being among one of his favorite candies (and butterscotch).  I still have a tootsie roll cardboard bank that he gave me when I was a child.

Halloween was always spent trick or treating the neighborhood, followed by a quick treck to my grandparent's house at the end of the evening - just a mere four blocks away.

My brother and I would always go to the door, ring the bell and get to giggling at the thoughts of "tricking" my grandpa, by him not knowing it was us.  I am sure he always knew, and I am pretty sure we were always the last. And we always received the count - many times in the 100 visitor area. Our neighborhood was rocked with door to door candy beggers.

We would visit for just a bit, after collecting our candy. Then headed home, many times in the first flurries of the first snow for the season.

Tonight, as we prepared our plates at Wednesday night supper (in the South, many churches still have Wednesday night supper followed by a quick presentation), they had a dessert table set up. Ice Cream and toppings. I usually skip on the ice cream, but just could not as I noticed the caramel topping.

Another memory nudged of my Grandfather. Really, of my Grandparents - Grandma did the fixing, but I truly believe that Grandpa set the structure: ALWAYS vanilla ice cream and ALWAYS caramel topping.

So today, an easy day to remember to remember, had some subtle memories nudged beyond that of costumes and tricks and treats.

It was a good day and the vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup hit the spot!

My brother and myself, probably 1978ish...

My Grandfather, many years earlier, on a vacation to Texas

Hopes For Others

I have been working on a project lately. It is another blog. But not a blog for me.


A couple months ago, I shared the journey our niece and her son are on (and his dad – they divorced quite a few years ago, and I don’t want to come across as disregarding his part and his pain in this journey, but I notice I mainly refer to my neice). You can read that post Here or you can read his story here.

In reading online one day, I came across a foundation. Noah’s Hand’s of Hope. How beautiful some people are!!

They, too, are traveling this road that Leigh’s Syndrome is taking them down. In the process they have set up this foundation. In addition to accepting volunteers and donations, one can submit a child’s name. They support the family in many ways. From the child that is fighting the disease, to their siblings and to the family as a whole. Prayers, cards, calls, gift certificates. This foundation really touches suffering families in every corner of their lives.

I submitted Curt’s name and received a quick email from Kate. What a sweet person she is! One item was missing from the form though: a blog or a caring page or some way for the committee to verify Curt does exist and that his condition is real and this journey is true. A way to protect the foundation from being lied to.

It is sad that there are people out there, that will spend so much of other peoples energy scamming groups that are doing a wonderful act of reaching out to others.

The blog is up and posts are being made. Writing a post as if from a 6 year old is not all that easy. Our niece is busy with caring for him and two jobs and dealing with all the emotions that come with this journey, so extra time for her, well, needs to be spent loving on her Super C!

And while it has been a little odd and hard to post another's journey, there has been an award, other than having a way to share Curt’s story with distant friends, but in a way I would not have considered.

His mom told me she looks daily to see what is new with her and Curt.

Now I don’t share anything she has not approved or provided, but it seems that seeing the pictures and reading your story with someone else’s words can work. Can maybe give you another perspective? Maybe...

Another friend of the family said she had read it and oohed on how much more positive it was than the bits of a story here and a bit there.

It is so easy to hear the hurdles and miss those simple blessings that get lost in the less positive aspects of any day.

So while I struggled with the “should I have started it this way” I was encouraged to keep the pace.

You can visit Curt’s Corner here to read his story and maybe follow along with them. And if you will, include them in your prayers?

Also, there are few links on the side bar. One is Noah’s Hand’s of Hope, what a wonderful example of reaching out to others during one’s own time of crisis.

Another is the Tiny Sparrow Foundation. I stumbled upon it one day and was amazed by the photos. This not-for profit recruits volunteers that set up photo sessions with families whose children are terminally ill. Amazing pictures that will tug at your heart.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

He gently leads those who have young

~Isaiah 40:11

Fences: Andersonville

Living in the Deep South means many Civil War sites that can be visited. Not too far from our town is Andersonville. An area dedicated to the a part of Civil War history, to one of the largest Confederate military prisons during the Civil War. The prison was only in operation for about 14 months, but during those 14 months, such saddness, such inhumane conditions. . . more than 45,000 prisons came through this site, around 13,000 died in this camp.

Now, it is Andersonville Village. A state park with so many accounts and history of that time and that spots dark details. But they do a great job and sharing history that was beyond the fences of this one prison. There are battle reinactments, but there are also reinactments of what life was like during this time. There military funerals, still today. And many ceremonies honoring various aspects of our military history.

We visited on a quiet day, walking with the boys through the sections and stories of the once was prison. Reading about the hunger, the loss, the desperate attempts of escape. Realizing how different our world is, in some ways at least.

Joining in with "FENCES"

Thank you Jan and Jer

http://lifeaccordingtojanandjer.blogspot.com/

TP 214: Grounded

Grounded. Now that is a theme...not grounded as in grounded for life, but grounded as in the ground beneath our feet, or I suppose our back. Now that is an idea, lying on your back, watching the stars, getting stove up if you happen to be over the age 40. Or maybe I am just not in good enough shape. But now I am off on a tangent. I need to stay "grounded" here ...

In honor of our first fall like weather, here is my "grounded."

Visit Carmi here:

Smiles!!

Fences: Upon The Suwanee River

I enjoy going back through my picture files and seeing how the kids have all changed and grown over the years. I am not sure I like that I have grown thicker and older. But, hey, such is life. Glad to be here.

I also realize how many quick trips we do take. This particular one to was to visit family in Florida. As we drove through Suwanee, could not resist the stop. And the oldest was in a silly mood and actually had some fun with picture taking along that green fence. Who knew a few years later that would be watching a reality TV show about loggers on that particular river?

"Fences" is hosted by:

Jan and Jer

TP 211: Weathered and Worn, The Last of It's Kind

Several years ago, a true vacation was just not possible, so we did a couple day trips.

Not a true staycation, because we did leave town, but not the state.  This particular adventure was to check out some sights listed in various Cuirosities of Georgia type books.

About an hour from home, was the last remaining wooden confederate flag pole- dubbed "Old Woody" in the books. Now, I am not that into civil war and am not into flag poles, but thought that we would include that stop in with several other stops.

As we drove around the small town's square, I was unable to locate the flagpole that the book was describing. I parked the car the my sons and a nephew got out to walk around the old courthouse.

How hard could it be to find an old flag pole?!?

No luck, so we entered the courthouse to ask one of the employees.

Funny thing, they had no idea!  Had never heard about it and did not know their town square was listed in several books. I guess we were the first to show or the first unable to figure out a wood flag pole from a not wood flag pole.

As we talked to the ladies in the office, someone walked up that did, indeed, know about the pole and explained why we could not find it: it's encased in concrete to keep it from rotting!!

We headed out to find the pole on the corner. We had walked right by it before and had missed the marker covered by the holy shrubs next to it.

As you can see, my oldest was none to happy to have to pose for a picture by "Old Woody."

While it remains the only standing wooden flag pole from the confederacy, it has only stood the test of time by the casing of cement covering the wooden core. Guess it was getting too weathered and too worn and just did not stand up to the newer aluminum and steel poles used now.

Our trip was not quite complete though, that was just a silly stop along the way.  We continued our journey to find the Cohelee Bridge: the most southerly remaining "kissing bridge" (covered bridge if you will).

What the weather and age has not done, artist have.

No more wooden bridges these days, and I don't believe we need covered bridges to go "kissing" in either. I am glad it has remained. I am glad it shows the workmanship of days gone by, when people built and made things that were to stand the test of time.

And just so you know, I did not make the boys JUST looke at a flag pole and an old "kissing bridge," after burgers we checked out some Indian Mounds too.   

Now that is something that they don't make anymore . . .

Thank you to the host: Carmi!

TP 210: Parrellelism at the St. Pen

The curves and the arches and the old and the flaking is what I am sure caught my eye in the picture. We were moving my step-daughter to Philly and decided to take a tour of the St. Pentitiary. A very intersting trip.

The arches, while curved, also offer the parrellelism that is the theme this week.  I guess you could say it represented a parrellelism in life too. This site once housed beings in this cramped space. While it was dark and a spot of transgressions, well, look at those arches! Towards the bottom center of the picture, are some sort of cabinets. I am sure in their day they were beautiful. The stone work and architecture has, for the most part, stood the test of time. As have some of the stories and lessons from this structure.

And think, at one time, behind those doors dotting the walkway, lives lived in the confines of this building, stifling and tedious and not always warranted.

Meanwhile, outside the doors, the walkways, the walls, there was a parrellel life being lived. Kids playing, adults working, games being played, laughter and most importantly freedom.

I guess life is always full of parrellels...

Hosted by CARMI, go by and check out his site.

Smiles!!