Cactus Flower

Well, boys!  Today I imagine you will be in South Carolina with your grandparents there.  I'm not sure if you will see this post on Friday since it's actually Christmas, but sooner or later you will.  I was very glad to hear that you would be able to travel and be with family for the holidays.  Today I'm going to share some memories that Uncle Byron and I have from childhood Christmases of years ago. Grandaddy's house in Virginia, maybe 1988 or 1989 Uncle Byron remembers his Grandma Sternburg (his father's mother) flying up from Georgia for Christmases.  They would go to the airport in Greensboro to pick her up.  Uncle Byron's sister, Waulene Fay, and he were the only grandchildren.  Although Grandma Sternburg gave several small gifts for both children each year, she had a policy of giving one a large gift one year and the other one the next.  Uncle Byron remembers when he got a shot gun one year and and a rifle on another.  He said that he r...

Have you ever heard the story of when Aunt Michele ran away from school?  It was all a big mistake actually but let me tell you how it came about....  When I was in the first grade, I went to a neighborhood school called Bear Creek Elementary.  Grandma and Grandaddy were still living in Baltimore, Maryland where your father and I were born.  When I was in kindergarten I walked to school with my mother every morning and she had to come and get me before lunch since it was a half-day class.  When I started going to school for first grade, Grandma figured she had taught me how to get there and it was time for me to walk to school by myself.  It wasn't a long walk and it was a straight-shot from our house with no turns at all. One morning Grandma told me that she would be coming with Daddy to pick me up early for a doctor's appointment.  She gave me a signed note to give to my teacher.  Now, you have to understand that I was very afraid of my teacher ...

Two years ago this week my family and I left our house on a bumpy road to the big city and the airport.  We were tired and worn out.  We were confused and not sure of the future - near or far.   We were heading to the States for a scheduled furlough.  It was close to Christmas and I had high hopes that the land of plenty would have some resolution, some help, some anything.  As we headed down the country road to my parents' house, I prayed that the love of family would wrap us up with warmth and help bring on the healing we needed. For a year it felt like we were running here and there,  looking for answers everywhere we traveled. In all the hurrying about, I wasn't sure if we didn't need to just stop and enjoy the ride, so to speak... Somehow, somewhere along one of those long roads, we made some big decisions which including stopping some of the hustle and bustle and realizing that we couldn't hunt for answers...

  Did you know we have a cat now?  Yup, an orange one.  She waltzed into the living room one day before the dogs went on to that great beyond of doggie heaven or wherever it is that dogs go for the afterlife.  Uncle Byron  probably says, "in the ground."   Anyway, the dogs were not feeling real swift and when the cat just walked right in the front door, they were a little shocked and not moving fast.  Tiny lifted up her head from the chair she was lying on and gave a little growl.  Girl did stand up and growled but didn't run after the cat.  Uncle Byron picked it up and put in on his lap.  The cat purred and purred and purred.  We weren't quite sure what to do.  We weren't really thinking about getting a cat, our dogs were on their last legs, but the cat just kept coming back.  So we gave it some dog food.  It would hang around every day for a bit, but I kicked it out the door at night since the dogs were sleeping ins...

Well, well, well... I heard that someone in Texas is having a birthday today!  I wonder who it might be?  Hmm... someone with the last name of Beckner and the first name of George?  Well, well, whoever it might be today's story is dedicated to a great fellow who often has a smile on his face and a funny story to share.  May your special day be a great one with lots of cake and maybe some ice cream, too! HERE'S YOUR STORY ON THIS HAPPY DAY! When we first arrived in Bahia after our big move from Fortaleza and a furlough, we began to think about getting another dog to keep old Blackie company during our many weekends away with retreats out on the island.  He was always very sad to see us go and didn't eat well while we were away.  So we let a few people know and began to look around.  Dogs are everywhere in our little interior town - strays, that is.  So, we didn't think it would be too hard to find some dog somewhere. One Wednesday night when we arr...