I can never thank Jeff enough for making this trip possible – I will never forget it. I’ve not heard any details from my niece regarding the time Art services will be – back in his hometown of Albany, Georgia – but one thing I know for sure, his request, as is mine, that no flowers be sent, or cards, or anything for that matter, but if you wish to do something, spend that money on items for your local food pantry.
Art spent over the last half of his life working with his outreach center, food pantries, Society of St. Andrew “feeding the millions” projects, the shoebox project, blankets and coats to Indian reservations out west, traveling to Mexico to build churches and drill wells, and to hurricane hit islands and lands hit by tornados to help rebuild churches and schools. This does not include the millions of pounds of produce he helped glean and deliver to people in need throughout Georgia. There is no doubt he will be sorely missed by many. I am thankful for the closeness he felt towards Ron and me.
On a much lighter note, I want to comment on some of the wonderful things experienced during my trip south to Alabama to visit Jeff and his wife Karen, including our trip to Florida to visit Art where he was staying in a hospice house for a couple of days. On our trip to the Gulf Coast on Monday we went through a quaint little town filled with shops that were surrounded by gardens full of blooming daffodils, tulips, hyacinth and pansies.
Can you believe it? It was breathtaking – especially knowing back home here it was barely out of the teens. The temperature that day was in the 70’s, so we decided to take a quick stroll along the beach, and found the beautiful turquoise water very, very chilly, but the white sand nice and warm.
Folks, it was awesome. And apparently it’s been the only day since with weather that nice – like it was arranged especially for me to enjoy a special time with my brothers. I am reminded to count my blessings.
It seems like the few short days I spent down south were spent eating – something I do very well – and so much seafood! At Popeye’s, LuLu’s, Oyster Shack, and Cravers, and most of it deep fried, and all of it scrumptious. We’re talking shrimp, scallops, oysters, crab and fish. There were several things I did pass on: grits, fried green tomatoes, pickled okra, red beans and rice, and the crawfish tails. Oh – and I’d be sure to ask for “unsweetened” ice tea as opposed to “sweet tea”.
I’m sure I told you before I am not a big fan of flying, so needless to say I was quite nervous & anxious on the flight going down, but much more relaxed on the flight home, knowing it, too, would be uneventful.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, airport was extremely busy on the trip home, and I am still amazed at the mass number of people with their eyes zeroed in on their electronic devices and phones etc.
It was like a segment out of an old sci-fi movie of long ago where it was predicted that people would act like robots – oblivious to their surroundings. It’s true! It’s happened!
But, I for one was glad to be able to stay instantly connected to my husband Ron whenever I wanted – and needed. Another fun thing that involved the amazing technology of the day was when Jeff took my picture, cropped out my face, and super-imposed it on the body of a Sports Illustrated swim suit calendar girl sitting on the beach, put it on my cell phone, and I forwarded it to Ron’s phone because he said he wanted a picture of me at the beach in my bikini.
No problem! It gave us all a good laugh when we most certainly needed it.
I would like to catch up on some rather late messages of sympathy to folks that lost loved ones right before I left or while I was gone. Condolences to the family and friends of Dottie Kuyper, Helen Ayers, Betty Rockwell and Mable deBruin. Mable was a fellow Minnequa Granger and very dedicated to our cause. She, too, will be sorely missed.
I had to laugh when I got home and Ron handed me the pile of mail that had come. One was a political piece, addressed to my mom, Lucille Shoemaker, who passed away over 9 years ago. They’re obviously quite desperate for money.
Of course the topic of discussion around here is the bitterly cold weather. Well, the good news is, “it’s not Boston!” However, I have to say the 30 below wind chill on Sunday was just about the limit. I know we’re all anxious for spring-like weather. The birds are really digging into the seed in the bird feeder, and I saw garden seeds on display for sale at a local store over the weekend. Hooray!
On February 20, 1962, John Glen became the first American to orbit Earth. The first President of the United States, George Washington, was born February 22, 1732.
February 21st marks the birth anniversary of Erma Bombeck (1927-1996). Bombeck was a writer and humorist whose books included Eat Less Cottage Cheese and More Ice Cream, The Grass is Always Greener over the Septic Tank, and If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I doing in the Pits? One of my favorite quips from Ms. Bombeck is: “If God had meant for me to clean under my refrigerator He would have given me yardsticks for arms”. Amen
Food for thought: Heaven goes by favor, if it went by merit, you would stay out, and your dog would go in. Amen to that, too.