MY CUP RUNNETH OVER!
Good morning everyone!
Well, we have had a whirlwind weekend and what a joy it has been! But before I go into detail, I will tell you that I am gaining strength each day! Thank you for your many expressions of love and concern. I am making great progress and getting back to normal, whatever that means! Scary, huh?
As you may have heard, the LSU Tigers came to pay a visit to the South Carolina Gamecocks this past weekend. That meant that Rusty and Becky Purvis, along with their close friends in Baton Rouge, Terry and Jeannette Tucker (also rabid Tiger fans!), headed to South Carolina! (Becky is Bill’s niece, for some who may not know.) So, on Friday we were thrilled to have the group land at our house for a brief visit and settling in with us for the weekend. Our good friends here, John and Ann McManus, who are well seasoned Gamecock fans, joined us for dinner on Friday evening, along with Art, Merritt and Max, the McManuses’ daughter Julie Dutton and her sons Justin and Drew! Julie’s husband, Pete, had to work. Bummer! We had a wonderful time together, sharing past memories and making lots of new ones! Last count was 15 of us. Good thing as Baptists we all had “Close Communion 101” We had a good bit of wholesome football rivalry going on. Bill did his SEC football trivia thing prior to the meal, and the winner was a tie: Becky and Justin Dutton each got the same amount of right answers! Thankfully, we had brand new LSU and Gamecock ball caps for each winner.
Around noon on Saturday they ALL boarded the magnificent motor home of John McManus and headed to Columbia, SC for an afternoon and evening of tailgating and nail-biting football! Bill and I cheered on both teams (yeah, right?) from the comfort of our den! I guess Becky prayed harder than anyone else because those Tigers did prevail! Thankfully, John McManus let those Tiger fans ride back to Lancaster, rather than walk! It was great having everybody! It is rumored they got home and in bed around 2:45 a.m. Bill and I were in snoozeland and never heard a peep! One of the major highlights of their visit occurred on Saturday morning, when the guys gathered in Bill’s office/den/ham radio room! Rusty and Terry are both ham radio operators, too, and they were all ensconced for two hours around Bill’s radio! They participated in the Southcars VOIP (voice over internet protocol) net and listened to people from all over the world! Talk about boys and their toys!
Then, as if all of that flurry wasn’t enough, we were blessed to have Chris and Kathy Wales visit us for a few hours yesterday afternoon. Even though I am very good at arm-twisting, I could not persuade them to stay over with us! Next time, they promise! Chris and Kathy are our dear friends from many years ago when we were all living in Kentwood, Louisiana. They were both so instrumental in the lives of so many of our youth in our church and their place was a known hang-out for our kids to go! Only eternity will tell just how great their influence was and still is on Art and Andy and all the other kids that grew up in our church in Kentwood. We were thrilled to see them. They are both retired now and live out from Kentwood where they have made a cozy retirement home and are enjoying it immensely. Every few months they travel to Jacksonville, NC where their son, Kirk, and daughter, Kristen, live. Kirk and Kristen’s husband, Jeff, are both in the Marine Corps and they each have a beautiful family. They shared pictures of all their family with us and they are amazing. When did their kids grow up? I’m sure Bill and I aren’t any older, are we? Their son, Kory, lives in Baton Rouge so they get to see him and his family more often.
Chris and Kathy promise to come see us again and spend more time with us. Art and Max came down (after attending a Panthers’ victory) and Art and the Waleses enjoyed exchanging memories of such good times in Kentwood! We understood their wanting to get further down the road, though, so that today would not be such a long travel day.
That brings me to this morning. We awoke to a wonderful, brisk, Monday morning. A great day to pull the covers up a little tighter and burrow a bit deeper under those patchwork quilts! I think today confirms that fall is definitely here, and it is wonderful! A ride through our neighborhood will provide you with lots of falling leaves, each one different in its shape and size and color …. many still hanging on for dear life. In some ways they remind me of US! In our uniqueness, God brings us all together where we are – and as we are – as we have been becoming – and enriches us with the overflow of love and blessings from each other. Memories and reflections are great and cause us to press on. I’m sorta guilty of dwelling on them – which is not a good or bad thing, necessarily – but today, I’m looking onward and anticipating the good things that lie in store for each of us! God is good. God loves us right where we are. Let’s move on, though, and see what He’s got for us, just around the bend! This past weekend He brought the past, the present, and the future, and presented it to us in a beautiful package whose label read: “We love you and thank you for being who you are!” Truly, these friends and family brought us so much joy and we are grateful. I love you all.
Thank you for enriching our lives. And, it’s not too early to start your list of blessings for which you are thankful. Thankfulness is in season, all year long. Get a long piece of paper! I regret we did not get photos of all the gang when they were here. I do have a copy of the Wales family from their Christmas card last year. Aren't they beautiful!
Well, we have had a whirlwind weekend and what a joy it has been! But before I go into detail, I will tell you that I am gaining strength each day! Thank you for your many expressions of love and concern. I am making great progress and getting back to normal, whatever that means! Scary, huh?
As you may have heard, the LSU Tigers came to pay a visit to the South Carolina Gamecocks this past weekend. That meant that Rusty and Becky Purvis, along with their close friends in Baton Rouge, Terry and Jeannette Tucker (also rabid Tiger fans!), headed to South Carolina! (Becky is Bill’s niece, for some who may not know.) So, on Friday we were thrilled to have the group land at our house for a brief visit and settling in with us for the weekend. Our good friends here, John and Ann McManus, who are well seasoned Gamecock fans, joined us for dinner on Friday evening, along with Art, Merritt and Max, the McManuses’ daughter Julie Dutton and her sons Justin and Drew! Julie’s husband, Pete, had to work. Bummer! We had a wonderful time together, sharing past memories and making lots of new ones! Last count was 15 of us. Good thing as Baptists we all had “Close Communion 101” We had a good bit of wholesome football rivalry going on. Bill did his SEC football trivia thing prior to the meal, and the winner was a tie: Becky and Justin Dutton each got the same amount of right answers! Thankfully, we had brand new LSU and Gamecock ball caps for each winner.
Around noon on Saturday they ALL boarded the magnificent motor home of John McManus and headed to Columbia, SC for an afternoon and evening of tailgating and nail-biting football! Bill and I cheered on both teams (yeah, right?) from the comfort of our den! I guess Becky prayed harder than anyone else because those Tigers did prevail! Thankfully, John McManus let those Tiger fans ride back to Lancaster, rather than walk! It was great having everybody! It is rumored they got home and in bed around 2:45 a.m. Bill and I were in snoozeland and never heard a peep! One of the major highlights of their visit occurred on Saturday morning, when the guys gathered in Bill’s office/den/ham radio room! Rusty and Terry are both ham radio operators, too, and they were all ensconced for two hours around Bill’s radio! They participated in the Southcars VOIP (voice over internet protocol) net and listened to people from all over the world! Talk about boys and their toys!
Then, as if all of that flurry wasn’t enough, we were blessed to have Chris and Kathy Wales visit us for a few hours yesterday afternoon. Even though I am very good at arm-twisting, I could not persuade them to stay over with us! Next time, they promise! Chris and Kathy are our dear friends from many years ago when we were all living in Kentwood, Louisiana. They were both so instrumental in the lives of so many of our youth in our church and their place was a known hang-out for our kids to go! Only eternity will tell just how great their influence was and still is on Art and Andy and all the other kids that grew up in our church in Kentwood. We were thrilled to see them. They are both retired now and live out from Kentwood where they have made a cozy retirement home and are enjoying it immensely. Every few months they travel to Jacksonville, NC where their son, Kirk, and daughter, Kristen, live. Kirk and Kristen’s husband, Jeff, are both in the Marine Corps and they each have a beautiful family. They shared pictures of all their family with us and they are amazing. When did their kids grow up? I’m sure Bill and I aren’t any older, are we? Their son, Kory, lives in Baton Rouge so they get to see him and his family more often.
Chris and Kathy promise to come see us again and spend more time with us. Art and Max came down (after attending a Panthers’ victory) and Art and the Waleses enjoyed exchanging memories of such good times in Kentwood! We understood their wanting to get further down the road, though, so that today would not be such a long travel day.
That brings me to this morning. We awoke to a wonderful, brisk, Monday morning. A great day to pull the covers up a little tighter and burrow a bit deeper under those patchwork quilts! I think today confirms that fall is definitely here, and it is wonderful! A ride through our neighborhood will provide you with lots of falling leaves, each one different in its shape and size and color …. many still hanging on for dear life. In some ways they remind me of US! In our uniqueness, God brings us all together where we are – and as we are – as we have been becoming – and enriches us with the overflow of love and blessings from each other. Memories and reflections are great and cause us to press on. I’m sorta guilty of dwelling on them – which is not a good or bad thing, necessarily – but today, I’m looking onward and anticipating the good things that lie in store for each of us! God is good. God loves us right where we are. Let’s move on, though, and see what He’s got for us, just around the bend! This past weekend He brought the past, the present, and the future, and presented it to us in a beautiful package whose label read: “We love you and thank you for being who you are!” Truly, these friends and family brought us so much joy and we are grateful. I love you all.
Thank you for enriching our lives. And, it’s not too early to start your list of blessings for which you are thankful. Thankfulness is in season, all year long. Get a long piece of paper! I regret we did not get photos of all the gang when they were here. I do have a copy of the Wales family from their Christmas card last year. Aren't they beautiful!
Comments