Willard and I went to the nursing home this morning for our usual Friday singing and Bible lesson. lol I truly believe that Willard and I are the ones learning from the experience. Mr Maynard has a way of telling the most wonderful stories of anyone I know. Some of which are just a few years old and some of many years ago. Today he was telling a story about a sheet, yes a white flat bed sheet. He told the story of when he came home from the army right after the war. Which war I couldn't tell you, because I did not want to interrupt his story by asking. He said he came home to a bed sheet hanging on his house with welcome home painted on it. He told of all his family,neighbors and friends that had signed the sheet. I could see he was mentally going back in time by the smile on his face. He told of how when he came to the nursing home,his son had taken care of the sale of his home and the dispensing of his belongings to different people. Then a puzzling look came across his face, as he seemed to wonder to himself, whether or not his son kept the sheet. He didn't seem at all worried about his house nor his belonging. It was an old sheet, decades old with no value except the sweet sentimental signatures of people now long passed. That was what he cared about.
As we live our lives, we seem to think that things are important. our homes, our furniture etc, etc. But as we lose all that we thought was so valuable to us, we start to realize just as Mr. Maynard has, that it's not the riches we had that we remember or yearn for. It's the love we shared with people, the sentimental things that touch the heart.
Today I was enriched my the telling of this story by this sweet gentleman. It reminds me too, that when we think all is lost. The love we carry in our hearts, and the sweet memories we have will be with us ever into eternity.
Until next time God bless and God save.

I remember when I was young, I thought I had the world by the tail, and that I would live forever. I started smoking at the age of 14. No one could tell me anything about health risk, because just like most young people, I was too stubborn, and naïve to listen. Because of my ignorance and foolishness I now have trouble breathing. I expect soon to be on oxygen. And I can blame no one but myself. I say to you people, young and old, if you're smoking please, please quit today. Please don't end up as many of us of my generation have. Be wise enough to stop now, so when you get my age, you can breathe.
Wisdom is not wasted on the young, because most young people don't have much wisdom at all. Wisdom comes from living and learning. A day by day process that cannot be hurried or rushed. Wisdom is not intelligence. Wisdom is intelligence used wisely. Just as book smart doesn't have anything to do with common sense.
I have learned so much in my life. I have learned that life is precious. Each minute of every day is a precious thing.
There are those young and old who risked their lives needlessly every day. Doing stupid things, daring anything to happen. It's almost as if they're flirting with death.
I think it takes going through an illness, and seeing others that you love, as they fight for their very lives, to really understand what living and what life is. It's at these times that we realize how we have wasted so much precious time doing nothing.
The old saying is, you never know what you have until you lose it. My friends, be wise enough to know how precious your life is.
As I write this, I think of so many people that are fighting for their very lives. My sister-in-law Janice Moore. A friend,Robert Scoggins. Another friend Leslie Jackson. There's many more that are fighting to live. Fighting cancer with every breath they take. There are some who have lost their fight. My sister-in-law Joyce Sanders loss her fight. She died just a few weeks ago.
No one is promised tomorrow, remember that as you go about your lives.
Learn to love each other with all your heart, and be there for each other.
Until next time, God bless and God save.

yesterday, I started bleeding. And since I did not have a uterus anymore, it was unexpected. So where is it coming from?
Well, anyway, I called the doctor's office in Chapel Hill, her nurse Becky said after pulling my chart, that since my biopsy came back clear, that I should just wait until the 15th of August, at my regular appointment. She reassured me that she did not think it was anything real bad.
This is wishing each and every one of you a great day. And may God bless you all.
Until next time, God bless and God save.

Tell me is this fair?
Meat packers injecting water into our meats to add weight.And there is no law against it.
Companies giving contracts that requires you to stay with them for one or years, while they change the amounts you pay at their own whim.
The government sending foreign aid to just about every country on the planet, while considering cutting medicare to it's own citizens.
Homeless Americans living in tent cities, while the government is building homes for people in Mexico and other countries.
Agencies feeding the hungry in other countries, while people in America go hungry.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the message.
OK so that's off my chest.lol
God bless and God save.

I took my synthroid 200mg this morning. The new strength. Well my heart starting beating 115 beats per minute. My blood pressure took a dive to 109/160. my vision became blurred, My head was dizzy. I called the doctor's office and left a message that I would not be taking it any more. The drug store will be calling him to get a refill for the 175 mg. Other than that I've had a great day.
I saw a woman yesterday at the doctor's office that I knew. It has been over twenty five years since I saw her last. As we talked about times gone by and people that we knew. Learning who did what, and who had died, etc. I noticed how old she looked. Her hair gray and her face wrinkled from all the years that had passed. And I thought of how really fast our lives past. It reminds me of what Solomon said. Life is like a vapor, here and done. It seems as if we turn around to view something, then when we turn back around ten, fifteen, twenty years have passed.
It's occurs to me that it's not how many years have passed, but rather what I have done during those years that matter. Did I enrich someones life somehow? Did I help someone in any way that really made a difference? I'd have to say that I fall really short of the gold that wish I had achieved. I remember the life Joyce Sanders, my sister in law lived. She never did any great thing that the public would take notice of. But she was a great lady. Her greatness was in her gentle spirit that she showed her love for all with. And I remember Naomi, Willard's aunt. Her greatness was also in the love she showed to others. How she worked so hard to please others. She never put herself before others. She was a great woman and not many could fill her shoes.
It's not the things we do that make us great that matters. It's the things we do that make others remember, when we didn't even know we were doing anything.
So don't try to be great. Just love and be loved. For the love we have in our hearts ""is"" our greatness.
Until next time, God bless and God save.

I had an appointment this morning with Dr.Vyas. My appointment was at 9:50 AM, it was after 10 AM that I saw the doctor, but we did not get out until after two. Dr. Vyas loves to run this test. He has most any kind of machine to run any kind of test. From EKGs to bone density test. This morning he wanted to do some blood tests. I asked him could I go home after they drew my blood, he said no, that it wouldn't take long, yea right! Makes you long for the good old days, when doctors made house calls. I remember many times Dr. Adair came calling for me or Jean. All grandmother Moore had to do was pick up the phone and call. Except one time I was real sick on my stomach. I was hurting with tremendous pain. Grandmother Moore thought I had appendicitis. So she rushes me to Dr. Adair's office. After questioning me, Dr. Adair realized that it was the mountain of collards I had eaten. LOL, you see that day at lunch I had eaten enough collards or five people. And I was bloated as you would imagine. Dr. Adair never forgot that. He would always remind me and laugh about it. Trouble is when you become an adult, and are still being picked on for something that happened in your childhood, it tends to get on your nerves. LOL.
Anyway, my potassium was low so he increased the dosage from two tablets a day to three.
I guess that's all about me for today. I do however have some good news about my sister-in-law Janice. Her daughter Angela sent us messages that the chemo tablets they had put Janice on, were working. How very wonderful that is! God's love, mercy, grace is always present in our lives. And I thank God for his wonderful mercy and grace that he rained down upon Janice.
Until next time, God bless each one of you, and God save. And if you would please keep these people in your prayers.
Janice Moore--cancer
Leslie Jackson--cancer
Robert Scoggins--cancer
The husband and family of Joyce Sanders.

As I told you, about having to take luncheon meat sandwiches everyday for school lunch. Well this was before I started working in the lunchroom to get free lunches. I remember it was right before Christmas vacation, because I remember looking at other people's lunches and seeing Christmas cookies. I remember there was fried chicken, string beans, potato salad and dessert was a Christmas cookie. I opened my lunch bag once more to see one sandwich with luncheon meat, no mayonnaise, no mustard just two slices of bread and one piece of luncheon meat. Well as usual I took it all in stride. I lifted it to my mouth to take my first bite when a hand grabbed my sandwich from my hands and walked over to the trash and tossed it in. It was my teacher, there I sit with no lunch and an empty stomach. I wanted to cry but held back the tears, because I did not want anyone seeing me with tears in my eyes. Especially over a luncheon meat sandwich, which I had already come to hate anyway. I sat there looking at the tabletop for what seemed like an eternity, embarrassed. I thought I had did something wrong, but I could not figure out for the life of me what it was. It seems like even today I can still tell you what that tabletop looked like, LOL. I felt a hand on my shoulder. And caught a glimpse of a lunch tray being set in front of me. Not only was it fried chicken, but it was a teacher's tray. It that two pieces of chicken instead of one like the student trays. And very large amounts of potato salad and string beans. And there was two Christmas cookies instead of the one that the rest of the students Had. That day, was the day that I learned that I could work in the lunchroom and received lunches. The thought of never having to eat another luncheon meat sandwich made me so happy. My teacher talked to the lunchroom supervisor, and arranged for me to work in the lunchroom at my recess. Which was all right with me, because to tell you the truth, I did not have that many friends anywhere to spend recess with. I can almost feel the hot soapy water that the dishes were washed in, before they went into the dishwasher. I remember there was a pump, pumping out the food particles that were in the water into a filter. I can remember the lunchroom staff, and how all of them treated me so kindly. I wish I could say thank you to them, but I'm sure they have long department this life on earth. But I can thank God for them. Nice people, doing nice things. As I said before, you never know the hearts you touch, by the little things you do. Some little thing that you do, may be so big to the person that you do it for. Remember that as you go through each day. Each smile that you put on the face, brightens the world.
Until then God bless and God save.

I remember one day, sitting on a rocky dirt driveway. I was playing jacks with the stones. You see Jean and I didn't have many toys. So we entertained ourselves with whatever we found. It was a little after three o'clock, and the mill had just let out. Looking down the dirt road, as I sat there playing Jack's, I saw grandmother Moore limping down the road. Her plaid dress stuck to her body from the sweat. Cotton lint all in her sweaty hair, and stuck to her body like glue. She walked as if she did not know where the next step would come from. This was in July, and at that time I don't believe the mill had air-conditioning. I can't imagine how hard it was to work all day in temperatures like that. I kind of felt sorry for her, until she took off her belt and started to give me a good old-fashioned whipping. You know, I never knew what that whipping was for. You see while I was sitting playing jacks in the driveway, my sister Jean had a fire built between the stumps of a big tree in the backyard. Now, I truly did not remember Jean getting a whipping, but she said she did.
It was right at this time, that my granddaddy Moore died. I dearly love him. I remember sitting on his lap many times singing old songs. One of the songs was David Crockett. I had a problem speaking clearly then, and I would always pronounce Crockett with the C AND R left out. So it sounded like ockett. I believe the more I tried the worse I got. It was only after he died, that I learned to say it properly. Back then, families that were not well off would keep the bodies of the dead at home rather than a funeral parlor. So granddad's casket was in the hallway. Lying in bed that night, I thought of how I missed him. Now don't ask me whether real or imaginary, but that night I saw my granddaddy standing at the foot of my bed. He was standing there, not saying a word, but looking at me as to say goodbye. I never told anyone this then because I did not believe that anyone would believe me. There are certain people in your life, that you tend not to forget, and he was one of those.
I remember a lady that worked in the cafeteria at school. Back then, you did not get free lunch unless you did not have a car, and many other things. Dad had a car, so free lunches were just out of the question. And I was really tired of that luncheon meat sandwichs that I was getting for lunch every day. So I started working in the lunchroom for free lunch. One of the ladies for some reason took me under her wing. I remember I went by her house one day and she let me cut her hair. I couldn't have been no more than 11 or 12. This Lady was very kind, but very foolish. I gapped her hair up real bad. I noticed the next day, she had gone to the beautician and gotten her hair cut short. But she never said a word to me, and was still very kind to me. This world needs more people like her. Someone to fill empty spaces in hurting hearts.
Tomorrow, how the teacher took my lunch away from me.
Until then God bless and God save.

My grandmother Moore was a differcult woman to understand. She could be the most loving and protective person, or she could be mean and hateful. You see, my dad took us one day from our home in Virginia, while my mom was at work, and brought us down to North Carolina to where his mother, Molly Moore lived. I don't even want to know what my mom must have been going through, as she returned home from work and found all her children gone but one . You see, my younger brother Danny, was sickly, so dad left him there. I don't know what happened or how. I don't know whether Danny was alone all day by himself or not. Most likely, he was, left there alone to fend for yourself, until mom came home.

Well anyway, once we arrived in Erwin, we were to stay with dad and grandmother Moore at her home in Erwin North Carolina. Grandmother Moore worked in the cotton mill that was there in Erwin. The house that we lived in belonged to the mill. It had only two bedrooms, so my sister Jean, and I slept on a double bed in the room with grandmother Moore, while my older brother Jerry slept in the room with dad.
You see, my grandmother Moore despised my mother. I never understood why, and as a child on five years old, I was not mature enough to understand much of anything. All I remember was how grandmother Moore continually talked negative about my mother. I think in the back of my mind, that keeping us was her way of hurting my mother. But I'll never really know. After a few months, my mother got in touch with my dad, and pleaded with him, to please send my brother Jerry back so my younger brother Danny would not be alone. Don't ask me why, but they did send Jerry back. I believe that it was just too much on my grandmother Moore to keep him.
It would seem as if my grandmother Moore didn't have a heart at all. But as I grew and matured, year by year I realized that she indeed had a lot of love in her heart. You see my dad, although he did work, did not help support the family. He wasted his money on whatever. I watched grandmother Moore as daily she would slave away keeping a neat, clean home. Work eight hours in the mill, come home and cook, and clean some more. Every Sunday Jean and I were at church. There was never any question of asking were we going to church, we just automatically knew to get dressed to go.
Continued tomorrow, God bless and God save.

Do you remember when you were a little girl or boy? How the biggest problem you had was having to go to school, or do a few chores around the house. I know that some had to work in the fields on the farm, and feed farm animals. But still, that wasn't like having to work 8 to 10 hours a day, then coming home to find more work to be done. Bills the pay, doctors appointments to keep, shopping to be done, etc. etc.
When we were small children, our minds were on ourselves, and what kind of fun we could have next. But now as an adult, we have others to think about. Now it seems that our own welfare is pushed to the back, while others, and their welfare come ahead of our own. Now it seems like our fun is watching our children or grandchildren play. Our joy and happiness comes from the well-being of the loved ones in our families.
I guess that's why, when people run across a selfish and self-absorbed person. The usual remark is ''grow up''.
With maturity, comes responsibility. It's taking that responsibility on, that makes heroes, great parents, and great grandparents. Our understanding that each person is a creation of God, and special. No one person is greater or lesser than any other. It doesn't matter how fat, how thin, how tall, how short a person made be. We are all in it together. But sometimes we do wish it could be as it was when we were all children, don't me?
Until next time God bless and God save.

Casey Anthony. We've heard alot about this over the news. It is such a sad situation. Caylee was such a beautiful little girl. Her life taken, whether by accident or on purpose, we will never know for sure. I was watching the news when they announced the not guilty verdict. And mine you, I really am not judging Casey Anthony, because I don't know what happened, and no one else does. Casey Anthony is the only person that truly knows what happened to her daughter. But I did notice when they announced the verdict, a grin across her face. To my opinion it wasn't a grin a relief, what I saw was a grin as if to say I got by with something. It was only for a split second, but I saw it.
The judges gavel sounded, and she was freed. Casey Anthony, may have gotten by with murder on this earth. But Casey Anthony, will have to face another judge one day. That judge holds little Caylee in His arms, where she is safe from harm. That judge knows the truth.
I pray to God, that He will take the hate from people's hearts and turn that hate into something more positive, like helping other children that may be abused, or neglected.
Until next times, God bless and God save.

Joyce

I’m going to miss her and that shy grin that she had.
With all she’d gone though I never saw Joyce sad.
She always put on his best face, that was her way
And when she spoke to you, she’d always have something nice to say
She never met a stranger, even though she was shy.
She’d make each person a new friend, or at lease she’d try
Every task God gave her, she did with success.
But there was no more work for her to do, I guess.
Because God took her, Her work here was done.
Yes Joyce’s life eternal has just begun.
She’s up there in Glory, feeling healthy and strong.
And I just have this feeling, she‘s singing that new song.
A song of Joy and contentment, No more pain or strife.
As she walks though the streets of Glory with eternal life.
I’ve always wanted to go to Glory, and see it’s streets of gold.
And see my Savior Jesus, and His hand I will hold.
But now I have one more reason, why I want to go there.
Because of a person and a loved one we all share.
Yes I want to go to Glory, and see my dear friend.
Yes, to be with Jesus, and see Joyce once again.

By Joan Glover

God bless and comfort us all. We all will miss her much.