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This coming week we celebrate the Fourth of July, our nation’s birthday.

Growing up the Fourth meant the biggest celebration of the year in our small town of Aberdeen, NC, located along the Norfolk/Southern railroad line & next door to Southern Pines. My uncle, editor of the local paper and Speaker of the House in the ’60’s, came up with the idea & was a proud supporter of the festivities, helping in organizing and carrying out the day long activities.

A huge parade through the small business district began mid morning & was followed by speeches given by the mayor, the Jaycee’s, & local politicians, and usually Miss N.C. would appear. Then games of all sorts, including horseshoes, sack races, a greasy pole contest, tennis, and so forth, would commence next to Aberdeen Lake & continue through the afternoon. Refreshments galore were available; hot dogs, cotton candy, drinks, ice cream, etc. In the evening, along with a street dance, the Miss Aberdeen pageant would be held at the nearby school, and for the finale, as everyone congregated by the lake once again, fireworks were set off over the lake, bursting into diamonds & sparkles & glitter, sealing a grand day of community fun & revelry.
We came & stayed all day & into the evening:)

The Aberdeen celebration has dwindled to fireworks & refreshments.
But my love for the Fourth and especially fireworks over a lake sends me to Regency here in Cary any time I can convince my family to brave the crowds.
I love the patriotic music and the sparkles in the sky:)
Our nation’s birthday!
Glorious!

Thursday morning I traveled to the little white church where my mama spent her childhood & where my Stewart, Blue, Cameron, etc. ancestors are buried, Cypress. The funeral for my mama’s dear friend & cousin, Sarah Black McFadyen Barnes, was being held at 11 am. For the first time I was the only representative of my family, my mama Catherene’s family, and it was an eerie feeling…

Sarah Black was always part of my mama’s childhood life & storytelling, and I ran into her every now and then at reunions & weddings, anniversary parties & funerals. An elegant, pretty lady, never without a twinkle of ‘mischief’ in her eye, always laughing & telling some tale or adventure she & “Catherene” had or had instigated.

Bagpipes led us to the graveside. I stood apart from the group, standing on my daddy’s grave, as the pastor gave his final words to Sarah Black’s family before lowering her casket into the ground. Two uncles & a cousin of mine are buried between my daddy’s grave (& my mama’s in the future) and Sarah Black’s. Sadness overwhelmed me. It was the ending of an era when cousins were your neighbors and closest friends & your history was a powerful bond. The end of lifelong friendships for my mama’s generation. Sadness that Mama’s memory can’t fathom that Sarah Black has died. Sadness that Mama doesn’t know who my sister & brothers & I are anymore.

But, I came away with another adventure story. Sarah Black and Catherene were in the tobacco barn one Sunday afternoon rolling cigarettes for a trial run with smoking. Evidently Sarah Black went to light the cigarettes, & set her hair on fire! I bet neither of them ever tried cigarettes again!

Haven’t written in a while. Time flies by so quickly! Today is Father’s Day which promises to usher in hot weather, summertime weather. This past week seemed long & tiring but while walking this morning I realized it would be a good thing to jot down some of my blessings lately–to give me a better perspective.

Gardenia’s are blooming:)
Every morning last week was cool:)
We had rain:)
My coffee tastes so good every morning:)
Wyatt LOVES his morning walk–he leaps & jumps & sniffs & greets everyone:)
My family is healthy:)
My mama didn’t fall all week & I had a good visit with her Saturday morning:)
My manager Yvonne & I had a tasty (but wet) lunch in downtown Apex Wednesday:)
Peace softball ended last Tuesday but what a wonderful time we had all season:)
My friend Angela moved into her new house this week & her dad bought her a lawn mover:)
Skye & I took Wyatt to get his nails clipped & a shampoo–we walked to Target, then ate supper at Qdoba’s. Wyatt had a good time. Skye & I had a good time:)
My friend Kathy & I had lunch Thursday. She is in Vt. this morning enjoying a vacation:)
My friend Lorraine is in Pa. celebrating a family wedding:) She & I met for a brief visit Tuesday:)
My friend Nancy just returned from Fla. where she attended a family wedding:)
My family is celebrating Father’s Day at The Loop today:)
Seth & Skye took my garage junk to the North Wake landfill last Sat.:)
I have a new (old) cabinet for my pottery & a new bench for my bay window:)
We had rain:)
Skye watched CSI with Keith and me last night:) (Her friends are out of town:))
My friend Lou gave me good advice twice this week–she’s such an encourager:)

Have a wonderful warm June week. Take comfort that God is in charge & He is good:)

I heard about a new book just out called “Why Don’t Penguin’s Feet Freeze?”:)
Have you ever thought about that??
Well, when the scientist explained that a penguin’s feet have a unique circulation system that keeps them at a temperature just above freezing—the exact temperature he needs for his environment—I just couldn’t help but praise God. He’s such a god of detail & perfection, even how those cute little penguin feet can function so perfectly–whoa!
Ponder that one today!

I haven’t written in a while because of difficult events in our church family.
A gentleman who plays on the church softball team got into a scrape at a local school recently and was arrested; felt bad for all involved:( Our sweet pastor & other men were on hand to support him through the initial court proceedings & to help navigate him through the media.

A tragedy involving one of our church youth occurred this past Sunday evening. He apparently accidentally killed himself, although at first it appeared to be a suicide:( How devastating to lose a young man only 16 years old. Words fail during a dark time. This comes on the heels of a girl among our college/career age group attempting suicide a few months ago.
We all feel so helpless:(

Christians need one another, as all people do. And we need to comfort one another and forgive one another and realize we are all vunerable & weak at times. We hope and pray our sins are not on the front page, but they could be at any given time…..

The sad part is when a talented, smart boy gets involved in things that have consequences that cannot be reversed. Or a young woman cries out for help in such an extreme way. Or a man needs support during a very stressful time in his life & he may feel out of control.
We should listen to those around us, truly listen, and be there for them through thick & thin.

Our church family is made up of many strong people of faith who are sinners, no exceptions, but who know where their strength comes from.
May we never forget to pour out mercy and forgiveness and grace to others, and daily ask for the same for ourselves.

“Sooner or later you figure out life is constructed specifically & brilliantly to squeeze a man into association with the Owner of heaven. It is a struggle, with labor pains & thorny landscape, bloody hands & a sweaty brow, head in hands, moments of severe loneliness & questioning, moments of ache & desire.
Life is a dance toward God…”
And the dance is not so graceful as we might want. While we glide & swing our practiced sway, God crowds our feet, bumps our toes, & scuffs our shoes. So we learn to dance with the One who made us. And it is a difficult dance to learn, because its steps are foreign.”

Donald Miller/Through Painted Deserts

Update:
Decided to paint. Will visit my mama next Tuesday.
Cool weather and working this evening swayed me:)
Planning to turn on my new Nano (compliments of my children:)) and go for it:)
Rustic Adobe is the color of the day!

Tomorrow do I visit my mama, or begin painting my guest room?
That is the question for me tonight.

I face the question of when to go see my mama every week……

I haven’t been to her Assisted Living residence in Pinehurst for a week and a half:(
My guest room has been primed for a month or more, waiting to be painted:(

I work tomorrow evening & traveling to see/visiting Mama is exhausting.
I can’t get to Pinehurst again till sometime next week.

Mama has Alzheimer’s. She’ll never remember what I do.
I promised her I’d do my best for her.

Gas is outrageously high:(
We can drive out to my sister’s.

Maybe the answer will come in the morning.

I noticed this week the honeysuckle is blooming–what a heavenly, delicious, smell to me:) It reminds me of my childhood, when my brothers and sister and I would try to eat the minute droplets of honey contained in the honeysuckle flowers. What a lot of effort for so little, but time meant nothing then, and we thought the taste was worth it:)

Years later Keith & I annually welcomed a dear, ” New England Yankee”, Catholic, friend who fell in love with the smell of honeysuckle and the friendliness of the South, and would plan his trips to NC in May. (BTW, he was the last Allen in the line of the famous Nathan Allen)

He loved our area so much he even tried living in Raleigh for a brief time, but he was legally blind and, in the end, Raleigh didn’t offer enough mass transit for him to stay:( He died some years ago but I think of him this time of year and feel blessed to have known this good friend, George Allen.

Wonder if there’s honeysuckle in Heaven? I know George would be sitting nearby:)

Tomorrow, May 9th, is the second anniversary of a friend’s death.
Bruce, a tall, soft-spoken, philosopher from Texas, died of brain cancer in 2005. My dear, dear, friend Kathy & her husband Bruce were married for over 25 years. They were one of the first couples we met when we came to Peace church. We all attended a Sunday School class taught by precious folks John & Carolyn Clark.

Dealing with such a devastating disease is exhausting for everyone, but Bruce dealt with his suffering with grace and great faith. He never complained, I mean never. His only worry was for Kathy. His last words to me were “take care of Kathy”.

Bless you, Bruce. You endured to the end. We rejoice to think you’ll be waiting to greet us in Heaven:)