In Honor of My Dad on Father's Day!

I have a busy weekend coming up and am afraid I won't get this posted in a timely manner. So, therefore, I am posting it this evening. I know I will have additions -- I always do. I guess in our day, we call it 'post scripts' or P.S. Those were the days! So, I am going to share some of my thoughts about my dad -- coming from his oldest daughter.

I am not sure the first time I really remember my dad. I think as a child, all at once you have memories that include your dad and you just know that he has always been there. My first “real” recollection was my kindergarten graduation and a tradition which had already been started during my parents’ dating years – and continues to this day!! My mother was in the hospital so my dad took me to graduation. I wore a lavender dress of an organza type of fabric and my dad presented me with a corsage in honor of my graduation. An orchid was the primary flower in my corsage. Many years later, I would carry orchids in my wedding and several of the granddaughters incorporate orchids into their planning.

My dad came from a home that was very much ‘across the tracks’. He grew up with an alcoholic father and a mother who died when my dad was just 8 years old. Imagine the Mother’s Day after her death when in the school program, my dad was asked to sing the song about Mother’s … “M is for the million things she gave me ….” Not a dry eye in the house, I’m sure. During his teenage years, it was typical for him to go to the bar to bring his father back home. The one bright spot in his life were his siblings. From his oldest sister (who gave birth to her first child just a week after my dad was born) to his little brother, just two years older than him. They became his lifeline. At 83, you will find my dad each night about 10pm (eastern time) on the phone with his sister, Dorothy. She and his brother, Bob, will be coming next week to visit him which will be an awesome treat. My dad’s sister, Florence (Aunt Flo to us!) helped raise my dad. They became a close family and even if we haven’t seen other family members in a while, it’s like no time has passed.

My dad was drafted into the service and after marrying my mother in December 1944, he headed overseas convinced that he would never come home again. He has told us stories of war and how those memories are still vivid in his memory! After the war ended, he toured through Europe with an Army singing chorus until his time was ‘up’ and he came home. God had given him a call to preach so attended Olivet Nazarene (College, at that time) University and became student body president in 1950-51. In 1949, I made my presence known and he became a father. One that I would look up to for the rest of my life. However, since my dad’s health problems have caused him to stoop, I now am taller than he is. But, he is still tall in my mind and in my heart!

At this Father’s Day, I thought I would just write down some of my many memories of my dad in a ‘bullet’ sort of fashion and what makes him special – besides being MY dad! (I better not say ‘bullet’ around my dad – I’m sure it would transport him back to wartime!)

My dad ...

• taught me to ride a bike -- "Look, Dad, no hands!"
• always checked to make sure the sashes on my dresses were neatly tied and that everything matched. He usually added a spit-shine to my face and hair for good measure.
• took us to Long View Park after dinner when we lived on 16th Street in Rock Island. (Supper, as it is known in the midwest!) I loved the underpushes and requested them over and over. Somehow, he never tired of doing that.
• awoke us each morning to his rousing rendition of "Good Morning to You ... We're all in our places with sunshiny faces; And this is the way (hit a high note!) to start a new day."
• introduced us early in life to Mr. Silas Pookenheimer -- a gentleman who seemed to arise from behind billows of shaving cream on my dad's face. We couldn't quite figure out where he lived the rest of the time but we sure lived those visits.
• treated my mother, my sister and me like ture ladies. He always opened the car door for us (and especially for my mom) and taught us that if we were walking with a man on a sidewalk, the man should always walk beside the road for protection.
• spent much time in prayer -- especially with my mother. We had family altar but I always knew they spent special time together with God.
• taught us more grammar lessons than we ever cared to learn about in an entire lifetime. (And don't grade me on this post!!) I think I have learned more about "can and may", "shall and will", "lie and lay", etc., etc. And adverbs -- oh, they were his pet hobby, I think. And my kids -- they still remind me of how I reminded them of adding those "ly's" when it was appropriate to do so!
• listened for our voices during the night. He told my mother early on that the nighttimes were his for the care of the children. She would take care of us during the day and he would all night. There were many nights when I poured out childhood fears to a dad that listened with all his attention. I stood at the top of the stairs many times as a young child - not able to go to sleep and knew that he would never turn a deaf ear. I was just one of six to whom he poured out his love. As a child, I often had leg cramps and I knew that my dad was only a call away .. he would come to massage those cramps away.
• took us on lots of trips that incorporated campmeetings into those travels. I loved the trips for the most part -- except when, on occasion, I was given the task of keeping track of three cute little guys. Did I think they were cute then? Probably not -- maybe a little irritating ... okay, so I did love them ... and still do!
• wasn't terribly concerned if part of our house didn't look exceptionally neat -- as long as the living room did. Where the front door was located! He said as long as the area near the front door was straightened up, we were okay! I remember many times when he would come home and grab a few things on his way through the living room.
• introduced us to Harker's Island campmeetings and we knew we would never again be the same! You have to visit there at least once in your lifetime! There is a whole different culture and you will treasure those days! Of course, my dad thinks part of the reason I treasured those days was that there were a few young men attending, too.
• also poured himself to many, many other young people across the country who came to attend either the Bible Missionary Institute or Francis Asbury Bible College where he served as president. I think one of the sad things now is that he feels that he was too rigid in rules, etc., and wishes he would have done things differently. However, there are many who are still caught up in that mindset who haven’t done as my dad has done – come to each of us personally to say, “I’m sorry.” We have to assure him that we are all okay no matter what the circumstances were. We knew he loved us unconditionally and also loved those young people he served!!
• understood me for the most part. It was quite amusing (and perhaps a little frustrating) when I would go to my mother with some sort of emotional problem I might be facing and about three words into it, she prodded me with, “Can you talk to your dad about this? He understands you so much better than I do.” The tables have now turned – and I understand him so well – better than he ever wants to admit. I have now begun to take on a parental role with him – and in a sense, my heart aches for those years gone by.

Dad still listens ....

The spiritual legacy my dad has given me is my greatest treasure. I don’t remember a time when serving God wasn’t a top priority in my dad’s life. Even though there are times when he questions himself as to whether he has been everything God has wanted him to be and beats himself up for past failures, we haven’t doubted his motives. He has operated out of a heart of love.

My dad is one of the two best preachers in the world according to me (and I know that I am prejudiced!) The other one is, of course, Bob! I remember when my dad would preach and he knew how to incorporate humor into his messages until you would be crying with laughter – and then he came home with the real point of the sermon. It is difficult for him to share now and I’m sure that’s frustrating to him. However, on many evenings, you will find him directing his scooter along the hallways of Glenn Oaks Health Campus (where he calls home) and singing and praying with residents along the way. We assure him that his ministry is not over – not just to his own children but to those he meets every day who needs the message of the gospel!

So, while I know I have not nearly included everything I would like to, I just want to say that I consider myself to be very blessed by having a father such as mine. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!!

If you've never had a toothache ...

... don't even bother to read this post because it probably won't mean a thing to you. I have had one -- I've had an abcessed tooth that was more painful that I can begin to describe. (I associated the pain a little with childbirth! Actually, a whole lot!!!) So when Roxanne showed me her swollen face today, I knew there was need for immediate attention and action. However, when you don't have dental insurance and money is not growing on trees in your yard, getting treatment can be somewhat of a challenge. Our county health department has a dental clinic -- for children! And since Roxanne is over 35 (a little ways), we didn't think she qualified for treatment as a child.

We began making calls -- we have a friend who is a dentist down in Lake Wales (about an hour from here.) But, Roxanne would have difficulty getting there and they couldn't work her in until tomorrow. Her face was swelling almost moment by moment ... Chris was finally able to get in touch with a parent of students at Northside (where Chris is the dean of students). The parent is a dentist and was able to work her in immediately with a "No charge" at the end of the appointment. She does go back on Friday for a root canal but for tonight, she is supplied with antibiotics and Tylenol 3. That has already begun to give her some relief.

I did not plan to post photos -- as soon as I saw her come back in from the dentist (and also having empathy for her), I grabbed my camera so she could look back on this after she felt better. She immediately stated firmly, "This better not show up on your blog!!" I assured her it wouldn't and didn't plan to. But, the more we looked at the photos and the more tickled I got trying to take the photos -- I tried not to laugh and she was trying not to laugh but couldn't help herself --so, it was, "Go ahead and put 'em on there!!" So ... here they are ... the whole 'tooth' of the matter!

Swimming for Survival

Here in Florida, I believe the #1 cause of death in children is drowning. So many homes have pools and while many also have the "childproof" fences around them, it is still a danger. So, when Rudy (Teri's son) was born, she was determined to get him into swimming lessons as soon as possible. I was intrigued by the lessons -- although watching the lesson was not a fun time. Rudy was not happy although he did what he was supposed to do after being put under water -- turn over and float! While he is learning to "swim" now, he is prepared to "survive" if he falls into a pool. He just turned 13 months ... so I'm sure he will be a great little swimmer soon!

Today, we - Roxanne, Kasi and I, visited friends, David and Amy Balty and their three boys, Zachary, Samuel and Seth. We only planned to stay 30 minutes and Kasi's comment was, "Well, we know it will be an hour." Well .. she was partly right -- what started as 30 minutes stretched until almost three hours that breezed by more quickly than I dreamed time could fly. We were greeted by four year old Seth who is so much fun -- and remembers more than you can believe! He was on the other side of the door calling to us, "Come into our home!!" I barely got in the door and he was in my lap reminding me of the last time I saw him "at Cracker Barrell on Hampton Road" and that I had been in my 'white car' which he had climbed into and sat in the back seat -- and I had a bag in the car. Neither Amy nor I could necessarily remember the 'bag' but figured he was probably correct!

David served us to strawberry shortcake ... wow!!! Melt in your mouth kind of food!! It's always a delight to be with their family and this was no exception. Kasi had actually met them the same time I did and Roxanne had been with me on another occasion so we didn't necessarily need any more introductions (except that Roxanne had not previously met David.) . It was nice just to visit .... and then ... they got to talking about text messaging and Roxanne and Kasi decided to give Amy a crash course in 'texting' -- which brought much laughter as the photos below show.

Oh, by the way -- Seth is part of their family but he decided he would rather sit beside me than to join his family photo ... since he wanted to make sure he was a part of the family, he made sure I got a close-up!!

The afternoon finished with Zachary entertaining us with stories of classmates ... he has quite a gift of sharing and may be a stand up comedian someday. On second thought, he already is!! (I doubt that is what his parents have in mind for him -- but it may help him to open doors in the future!)

It was good to see Amy feeling well again .. she had a rough go of it for a while!! But, God is good and she is getting back to 'normal' -- whatever that is for a busy mom of three boys!!

Where has it gone?

I'd like to know where the first five plus months have gone this year. It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming in a new year and now it is June! I've traveled so much that I'm sure that has made time seem to fly. Which brings up another thing -- who likes to live out of suitcases? Well, I have made it an art this year! Or, I should have ... I probably haven't since I keep forgetting where I left things. Then again, I remember where I left something -- but not exactly "where" at the place where I left it. Okay -- have I completely confused myself? Partly ...


Case in point -- I bought a new digital camera this year and with it was a charger thingy. Pull out the little battery in the camera, stick it in the charger and before too long, the green light comes on telling you that the battery is ready to go back into the camera. Great .. as long as you remember where the charger is.


I arrived home from one of my many trips and looked in what I thought was the normal place to keep the charger. Not to be found anywhere! Then I remembered -- I think I left it at my mother-in-law's house but I wasn't going to be there for a while so pulled out the trusty old digital camera that is much bigger to lug around, has lesser mega-pixels (whatever that means) but takes better pictures than many cameras with 8+ mp's (for short).


Soooo, on Monday, I was at my mother-in-law's house again and I went to where I thought my charger should be -- on the bookshelf in her room. Yes, that is definitely where I left it -- I was sure -- well, pretty sure? Maybe??? Nope, nowhere to be found. But, I had this nagging reminder that it was indeed there ... somewhere. Then I remembered I had left a suitcase there in her closet. Pulled out the suitcase -- zipped open the top compartment and voila!! There it was just waiting for me to find it? Wonder what battery chargers would say if they actually had a brain? "Why did you put me in this dark place and then leave me here for so long when you knew you really needed me??"


Okay .. that's enough!! I need to get up early tomorrow to head to Atlanta! Better get good sleep -- I'll be traveling up I-75 and glad I am not going south -- after the accident down near
Bradenton, it looks like noone will be traveling that area for a while!! A tanker truck tried to avoid an accident on I-75 and in doing so, went over the edge down onto Route 301 and exploded. It 'compromised' the bridge structure so not sure how long it will take to get it fixed. The driver is alive but severely burned. As you can see, this was a challenge for drivers until they were able to put both directions of traffic on the one side not affected by the crash.




So ... I guess I'd better get some rest.

A special birthday!!

My dad told my sister, Rachel, that he was feeling sad and a little lonely. She reminded him that today would have been my mother's birthday. While his mind is very alert, he sometimes loses track of what the actual date is. He immediately recognized the date and I'm sure spent the evening reminiscing as he often does.

So, a happy birthday in memory of my mother. I thought I'd add just a few photos here as I remember the special lady who gave birth to six of us. I'm sure she wasn't sure what she had gotten herself into with four boys and two girls! We were the bookends -- four boys between us! I think there were even times when all she could do was shake her head -- especially when my brothers got old enough to know exactly how to 'push her buttons'. Actually, I think her sons-in-law, Allen (Southerland) and Bob learned how to master that! But, she seemed to be a pretty good sport for the most part!

So ... lest I ramble too much, here are a few photos just for the memory ... happy birthday, Mother! You are never out of our minds and hearts! And you would be amused at some of the times we remember you most ...

(I've also included a photo of my mother, her brother, Cecil, her mother and her sister, Wanda. We are blessed that even though my mother and my grandmother have gone onto heaven, both Uncle Cecil and Aunt Wanda are very much a part of our lives!)

I'm home ... for the moment anyway!!

Well, believe it or not, the plane was on time (arriving) and we were on time (leaving). Actually, we landed early! With all the storms in Indiana I was certain that there would be delays as there were for others who were in the airport -- some had been waiting on planes to arrive for several hours. I felt quite blessed that our plane was on time!! Needless to say, I had a very warm greeting when I arrived - temperature, that is!

I talked to Rachel and she told me that another line (or maybe more than one) of severe storms were headed their way ... again!!! They didn't have any damage at their home but north of them, it hit pretty hard .. again! I'll take our every-once-in-a-while hurricane visits any day compared to their tornadoes which can form in an instant it seems.

Now that I've shared that -- and no one probably gives a hoot about it anyway -- I'll get back to my everyday life. Well, then again, not everyday -- I sure don't like to go to the dentist every day and that is on my schedule today. Fortunately, it is not a long visit! Hurray!

So ... lest I bore anyone to tears, I think I'll stop while I'm ahead -- which actually was to share a little about absolutely nothing! Hopefully, tomorrow will be better!!

Small Towns USA

You'll notice I mentioned "small towns" .. I've seen a few of those in the past week! It reminded me of visiting my grandmother in a relatively small town -- nothing like how small these were I just visited. Spiceland, Indiana. Actually, I thought their only claim to fame was a four way stop in the middle of town -- and the small post office I had difficulty finding. However, I was sadly mistaken -- it's much bigger than that. It 'officially' boasts a population of around 750 -- my brother thinks it's closer to 800 but I have no idea where he came up with that idea.

Rachel and I took a leisurely stroll (by car, of course) through Spiceland as we needed to pick up a crock pot (no, I didn't say 'crackpot') from a friend. (Have I already posted this before? If so, please attribute it to my age!) I was soon to find out that Spiceland is also home to a fairly large company - Draper. Rachel tried to explain what they make and I'm not sure exactly what it is but they ship whatever product they make to all ends of the earth. Now don't you feel sufficiently educated about absolutely nothing! I did find out that they employ about 500 at that plant although Rachel thought it might be more than that. The 500 number came from one of the employees. We were told though that kids who grow up in Spiceland find a reason to leave as soon as they can manage it .. not sure why. Seems like a nice little town .. quiet, the neighbors stand out in their yards talking (in a small town, talking might be more akin to gossip), little kids are riding their bicycles down the street ... seems to be pretty safe! (The 'white' area in the photo below is Draper.)

Then there is Lewisville -- when I thought towns wouldn't get much smaller than Spiceland, I went with Rachel to a graduating senior's reception in Lewisville. I knew it had to be a small town when the only stoplight in town held a small sign pointing to the right ... "Lee's Open House". It has to be a small town when there is either only one Lee or everyone knows which Lee they are talking about. I think most of the town must have shown up at Lee's house for the hog roast -- or else many were driving from some distance -- I think the latter was the case since we saw friends we hadn't seen in a year or so since they moved away. Which meant they moved maybe an hour from here. In Florida, if you move away, we assume you have changed states.

All kidding aside, it was nice to drive on the highways of Indiana as it brought back memories of Illinois and heading to my uncle and aunt's farm. I'm not a 'farmer gal' at all -- probably more citified than I want to admit, but I sure loved the time we spent there at the farm. I still am amazed how farmers can plant such straight lines (corn, etc.) I've flown over corn fields and am so awed by this. I'm sure there has to be some simple equation .. then again, maybe it's a special art -- one that is way beyond me!!!

So ... I think I have rambled enough for an evening. I am winding down after a very full week finished by a video game with two nieces and two nephews -- there were only 'four' controllers so figure that one out! (Actually, Juliana and Jimmy traded off -- I told them ONLY ten turns and then I was off and running.) Of course, I didn't win -- although I won the first mini-game completely by default. Couldn't tell you what I did to win but got a 'high five' from Shaley who announced, "You won!!"

I haven't figured out why I only play video games at Rachel's -- I think I need to go home and play some of these with grandkids -- maybe I've learned enough that I can beat someone at some game -- some time -- then again, probably not! They are just tooooo good at it!

Goodnight ....

Graduation Day, etc.

Since Shara's graduation was to be held at 91st Street Christian Church on the north side of Indy, I decided to visit my mother's grave which wasn't too far out of the way. I'm glad I did -- Jene', Seth Mark and Shaley were with me. Then we headed on to Shara's graduation. Here are a few photos of that day, too. I will be heading to Indy today and then home to Florida tomorrow. I enjoy being here but will be glad to get back home, too.

We did do one unusual thing which used to be very 'usual'. We had dinner together at the MCL Cafeteria near the church. That was my parents' favorite place to eat and even though most of the siblings are from the Indy area, no one had eaten there since my mother had passed away. I think it was a fortunate thing that the room where we usually ate together as a family was reserved so we ate in a different section. So, it was a bitter / sweet time together.

"While the storm clouds gather" ... DRIVE FAST!!

Okay, so the title seems a little off ... but that's how we ended what was actually a very nice day. Great start -- scary end!! The day was very busy in preparation for Shara's reception. However, here are a few photos from the reception. Sandi designed this for Rachel -- we simply followed the instructions. Literally!! Rachel laid the 'map' of the table on each table -- and we followed the lead. It worked as these photos will show!

The 'stations' included -- Chocolate (white/dark) fountain table, Picnic table, Chips/Salsa table, Veggie table, Candy table, Cheese ball / Spinach dip table.

Here are a couple photos from the reception ... will try to post more later ...

Now, for the fun part of the evening (which will help to explain the photos below!)

The real excitement didn’t start until 11pm! Since the reception officially ended at 10pm, this seems a little contradictory. However, we were all in clean-up / take down mode and all was going well. Then, Allen makes an announcement – “There is a tornado in the ground in Greenfield – we have to leave NOW and go to the church. We have 20 minutes to get there before it arrives here! So, grab whatever you can and head there.” So, it was sort of crazy – all of us grabbing bags of this or a box of that and heading for the car. “Who’s going with me?” I yelled (after about 10 minutes) to whoever wanted to listen. Jimmy said, “I’m coming!” So, we headed down the road – watching the lightning which was illuminating the approaching storm. We only had about 2-3 miles to go but we were heading south and the storm was coming from the west. I was keeping the car within range of the speed limit – however, those behind us obviously had a little less time than we did. Allen told Rachel they needed to leave NOW, so she jumped in Jene’s car (with glass items in the back seat falling around) .. Allen was in the Suburban (packed to the gills), my niece, Jacinta, had Juliana with her. Jacinta asked what the speed limit was … “Probably around 50mph” Juliana answered. However, getting out of the storm was the primary thing on Allen’s mind so Allen was prodding Jacinta along with honking his horn and urging her to get moving .. and he also told Jene’, “Drive FAST!!!”

By the time Jimmy and I arrived at the church, Shara was there with the door open, urging everyone down the stairs and into the basement. Several of her friends were already there … ‘hunkered’ down in the hallway. Finally, all the cars arrived. However, my brother, Joel, and Allen decided to stay upstairs and watch the storm … Allen actually headed to their house to check the weather and see where the tornado was (or where 'they' were) .. he called the neighbors (got them out of bed) and they headed to the church, too. As the lightning illuminated the sky, Joel and Allen could see the form of the tornado headed straight towards us. By this time, the rain was pouring -- almost sideways!! And the wind was ferocious!

We did not leave the church until after 1am! Talk about tired – all the time thinking about what still needed to be cleaned up! Wondering when we would do it since Rachel, Allen and Shara needed to leave at 7:45am for the church to practice for graduation (in Indy!)

Every time we thought we could leave, we would hear another tornado siren or listen to an update on the radio in the basement of the church. The tornado did come pretty close and we’ve seen quite a bit of damage. Just a few miles east on I-70, a semi (driving) was blown over. That also happened closer to Indy on I-70. Billboard signs along the interstate were twisted and we saw barns demolished. Evidently there was quite a bit of damage just west of here in Knightstown and major damage on the northeast side of Indy. We were fortunate here – although there was a lot of rain in the front yard. We waded through a creek to bring things in from the vehicles.

Power stayed on until about 1:30am!! Then it went off … with several extra people staying overnight, it became interesting trying to find your way around the house without running into someone. Of course, it became very humorous also when the lights came on – and lots of lights came on!! So, it was turn off the lights and try to get some sleep before we started a new day – which actually had already begun in the basement of the church!

While it was a wild and crazy night, we had a nice graduation day for Shara -- Rachel and I went back and cleaned up within a couple hours! So, another one is over -- and Rachel will actually probably have two college graduations before the next high school graduation. I'll have my first graduation for a grandchild next year (Kasi) ... I'm surely not that old yet!!

Thanks to Sandi for walking us through what we needed to do at the reception by phone!!