Very early on the morning of March 16 we woke up, stretched a bit, and asked ourselves if we really wanted to rise and shine at such a ghastly hour! Now, for you dairy farmers out there and those of other noble professions, rising at 4:30 a.m. is not so early, at all! But we were excited to get going on our trip to visit family and friends in Texas and Louisiana, so that anticipation catapulted us from our slumber and got us going in the right direction: straight to the coffee pot! We finished packing and checking around to see what we might have forgotten, and crept out of the neighborhood at 6 a.m.! Right on target!


Our first stop was at our son’s house where Bill tiptoed into the garage to retrieve our camera that Art had put there for us to pick up before our trip. Noticing that Art was already up and in the kitchen, Bill said a quick hello/goodbye, and turned to leave. That was when we had an unexpected surprise! Art mentioned that we might like to take Garmin* along with us – remarking that we might have a lot of fun with him/her/it. Being gender-specific is not necessarily my strong suit, particularly with a name like Garmin! At any rate, we said, Sure, why, not? Come on with us! There’s always room for one more, right? Especially in Texas!


Garmin was apparently sleeping for the first few miles. Then I decided, hey, if we have to be awake so do you! So I found his/her/its on-switch and began to answer the questions! Nosey little devil, it wanted to know right away where we were going! What did it matter? It was getting a free ride, after all. It wasn’t long until I realized Garmin had to be a girl! Why, she started barking out firm instructions: do this, do that, turn here, make a U–turn, and other orders! Now, I’m a woman, so I understand and appreciate changing my mind when I please! But Garmin did it with such an air of authority, as if she had been there, done this before!


Well, sir, Art said we might have some fun with Garmin, and sure enough we did! The first thing I did was change that plain looking vehicle that Garmin had us riding in, to a hot rod! Yes, mam! With the flip of a button, I could change the mode of transportation! We were now rolling down I-20 in a hot rod! Eat your heart out, Nascar, you don’t hold a candle to my Garmin hot rod. (Now, it could’ve really been a go-cart, but it is all in the eyes of the beholder, right?) I thought I detected a slight prompt from Garmin to exit the Interstate as we sped by Talledaga, Alabama! Probably just my imagination, though, because Garmin did not raise a big fuss about U-turns and all that stuff. Maybe hot rods don’t travel in those circles!


Amazingly, Garmin agreed with us and brought us safely to my sister’s house which is nestled deep, deep in the piney woods of East Texas! How on earth she knew how to guide us right into the interior of the earth is beyond me! She was quite the passenger – required no potty breaks, small feedings along the way, or anything! Amazing! She was so much fun, and I told Art that she can go on trips with us anytime she pleases! She only let me down one time when I was trying to nail down a route from Henderson to Tyler to a medical facility and Bill said she was confused most likely by extreme weather conditions. Those satellites really got their wires crossed! She put her foot down and refused to move off her last location! But a nice receptionist guided me right to the doctor’s office as I prayed and followed her explicit directions via cell phone as I drove along the highway and maneuvered the city street. I forgive you, Garmin.


Now, if you are not into family news and details of our gatherings, stop here and go do something productive. You are excused from enduring any further punishment.  For the brave of heart, proceed.


Early on Tuesday morning, March 17, my sister Bea and I went to her weekly Bible Study. Ironically, they were studying Genesis and were at the almost exact spot that we had left off in Bill’s Genesis study at Covenant! I had to let them know that answering some of the questions with such clarity was NOT because I am a biblical scholar – not at all. It was merely because I had just been exposed to the same Scripture the previous Sunday! Don’t you just love Joseph, by the way? What a wonderful account of unconditional love and forgiveness.
 

Later on Tuesday the kinfolks started comin’! First was niece, Judy, who has a darling summer/retreat place just up the road from Bea’s place. We exchanged lots of hugs and all the warm fuzzies we could hold. Then her daughter, Rebecca, came with her precious little girls, Hannah Grace and Tessa Lynn! They live in the Dallas area, about 120 miles from where my “roots” are in East Texas. Hannah especially loved playing with Toto, Bea’s heart; the cutest, sweetest Pomeranian doggie in the whole wide world. He is Bea’s best friend and protector and anything else she needs him to be at any given moment! As an aside, Toto had been under the weather and is still recuperating from a broken femur, which is another whole story for another time.


Of course, we had been in Texas just a short time when the dominoes just had to emerge! After dinner at Bea’s on Tuesday night, brother Claude, Bill, Judy, Bea and I all played Texas 42 (a domino game played almost exclusively in Texas or by Texas “transplants”), switching the mix around so we all had several turns at the table. Bea and Claude are “old pros” and play twice weekly in nearby Henderson – and on game days at their church, etc. The only show stoppers for them are a blizzard or other weather phenomenon that make it too hazardous to travel!


More fun time was spent with Judy’s son and his sons: Mark and Alex and Andrew! Cutest kids ever! And so well-mannered. Smart, too! We enjoyed a delicious spaghetti dinner with them; also joining us was Judy’s hubby, Hoyt, and son David (who lives in Oklahoma and works for the U. S. Forestry Service). A great time was had by everyone! Judy had plenty of Blue Bell on hand, and the rest, as they say, is history!


Wednesday night Betty and Howard Anderson treated us to a catfish dinner at the original David Beard’s fish restaurant (like Catfish King) in Ore City, TX, a short distance from Longview. It was down-home good – thin fresh catfish filets, fried to just the right crispness and seasoned just perfectly! We always enjoy spending time with Betty and Howard, getting caught up on all the news in Betty’s side of the family. (Betty is my cousin and we had some grand times together growing up in East Texas.)


On Monday, March 23, Bill and I went to Dallas to visit my niece, Arlyne Harrison. A few years ago Arlyne was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and has done remarkably well since then. She lives at a wonderful place, Grace Presbyterian, where all her needs are met, physically, socially and spiritually. Located in an older part of Dallas, the setting is beautiful, woodsy and welcoming, and there were beds of blooming tulips and other spring flowers everywhere. Her daughter, Kamilia, along with little Cooper (who will be 3 in August) met us there, and we enjoyed a brief time together, hugging and loving on each other. Cooper was quite the entertainer and enjoyed visiting the live bunnies just outside Arlyne’s area and keeping us all smiling! He is precious, AND in just a few days he will welcome a little baby brother or sister! Yes! Kamilia and Ryan are a bit old-fashioned in that they prefer not to know the sex of the baby ahead of time! Remember when everyone waited? Kamilia is a busy OB-GYN doctor and we chose Monday for our visit because she is off on that day. Her visit was cut short due to a meeting at her office that she needed to attend. Kamilia, we all send love and prayers for a safe delivery of your little one on April 17th!


After saying a tearful good-bye to Arlyne, Kamilia and Cooper (Ryan, we were sorry that we did not get to see you and other family members), we decided on the spur of the moment to drive by our first apartment in Dallas. It was still there! AND it looked much same, although the general area had deteriorated over these 45 years. We moved from Dallas to Kentwood in January 1964. It was quite nostalgic, though, just passing by 2425 South Vernon, which was once a busy, thriving mixed residential/business section of Oak Cliff.


Another fun day was spent with Bea, Judy, and Betty cruising all over Longview. We got to Betty’s house around 10 o’clock and hit the streets! “Junking” was raised to a whole new level. Our plans were to go to Gladewater, TX – a mega antiques place, purportedly; but Betty had scoured the Longview News Journal and determined that there were enough estate sales and yard sales to whet our appetites right there in Longview. After we had our fill of hopping from house to house, we settled in at McAlister’s, had a delicious lunch, and called it a day! Fun, fun! The big spenders!


Bea and I had lots of “together” time and I had a time keeping up with her! She has quite the schedule: Texas 42 on Monday and Wednesday evening; Bible study on Tuesday morning; game day at church on Thursdays, and on and on it goes! I hope I can move around like she does at 81! She’s amazing, and it was so hard to say goodbye to her when we set out on Thursday March 26 to head to Louisiana.


We arrived at Bill’s Aunt Cheenie’s house around noon. Cheenie lives in Crowley, Louisiana, and is quite amazing, too! The same age as my sister, Bea. Well, Cheenie had a delicious lunch waiting: yummy shrimp casserole, tossed salad, crusty rolls, AND fresh blueberry cobbler served under a healthy (?) mound of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream! Groan, groan! Cheenie is such an inspiration, so young at heart and you’d never guess she is in her 80s!


From Cheenie’s we headed to Hammond, LA where we made a quick stop at Robin Jordan’s house, took a quick look at her place (recently moved from California), and headed to Catfish Charlie’s. Gail was already at Robin’s, so here we go to eat: Robin, Clare, Colin and Connor (Can you tell we try to get good catfish when we are down in the real South?). Soon we were joined by Beth, Maryanna and Macy; Eddie, Darby, Tess and Reid; the fun level was escalating, along with the noise and laughter of several little ones! Soon Becky and Rusty and their close friends Terry and Jeanette Tucker of Baton Rouge joined us for supper. There is a lovely lake outside the restaurant and a surrounding deck from which the children enjoyed feeding the ducks their dinner! It was a wild, fun, happy, crazy evening and I am already wishing we could do a repeat. We really got caught up on our Morris-family tree hugs!


Then it was on to Kentwood and a couple of great days with Gail. We always enjoy going back to Kentwood and even though it has changed so much in appearance, the folks there are still just as warm and wonderful as ever and many friendships are forever etched in my memory. The town is just a ghost of what it once was as a thriving dairy-center-of-the-south town. One side of Main Street is a collection of falling – or fallen – brick stores, and it seems that the landowners have little or no pride in removing the debris. This is very sad, especially to Bill who knew a different Kentwood. If I were a rich girl, I would try to do something about the rubble, but I guess one cannot fix everything!


On Friday we returned briefly to Baton Rouge to attend the funeral of a beloved lady, Louise Humphries, the mother of Bennett Humphries, a very close friend of ours. She was in her late 90s and had lived a beautiful Christian life, leaving a wonderful legacy to her family. The minister did a beautiful job of weaving her life’s passions – children and missions – into his message. Mrs. Humphries had been in a facility for several years and suffered from Alzheimer’s, an unfortunate condition which robs the memory! She is now whole and healed and enjoying the beauty of heaven and being reunited with her beloved husband. Bennett and Pat are doing well. Pat is one of our “forever” friends who has always been there for our family from the day we landed in Kentwood in 1964, so we go back a long way and have a treasure trove of memories.


On Saturday we had a HUGE treat that we had looked forward to for several weeks. Anna Lee and David Alford hosted a gathering of several folks from Kentwood at their unbelievably beautiful cabin in the woods, just inside St. Helena Parish. It is so much more than a cabin: large enough to live quite comfortably in and perfectly furnished with furniture that no doubt has many precious memories attached, or ones that this unusual couple has accumulated through the years. It is filled with antiques and quilts and all sorts of relics that take you back in time, all displayed in that wonderful setting in the woods. The most outstanding thing about David and Anna Lee is the love they exude, literally, when you walk into their home. Anna Lee is the faithful creator of the Kentwood prayer link, where each day she lists prayer needs, progress of those who are recovering, obituaries, praises, and anything else that needs to be spread. You will be blessed by the inspirational items she includes. Visit the website: www.theprayerlink.com sometimes and you will get a taste of the “flavor” of Anna Lee Alford. She is a teacher at Kentwood High School and how she finds the time to do all that she does is just a mystery. I think she must be the only person on earth who never sleeps and yet keeps going! Amazing!


It was just a huge blessing to get caught up on hugs from so many folks we knew and loved from First Baptist: Tyrone and Glenda Harrell, Aunt Irene Morris, Kathryn Sanders, Kathryn Kuss, Ernest and Ruby Dillon, Barbara Hutchinson, Debbie Miller, Mickey Cade, Kathy Bryan, Smiley and Carol Jean Conerly, Barbara Erwin, Rita Tate, Hellen Morris, Eleanor Morris, Robbie Lynn and Kevin Kirby, Robert Callihan, Ferrie Gene Blackson, and of course, Gail and the Alfords! It was a wonderful evening. I could write a book about each one of these dear people and recount the many ways each has enriched and inspired my life. Thank you, David and Anna Lee, for making this such a memorable evening! Oh, I must not forget the continual “grazing” that went on! An assortment of dips, chips, sandwiches, desserts and drinks were strategically placed all over the large den area and everything was simply scrumptious and prepared with lots of love! Bill and I felt so honored by everyone who took time from their busy schedules to come and spend a few minutes with us and to David and Anna Lee for the labor of love that they showed by hosting this happy time!


On Sunday we worshipped with Gail at First Methodist Church which was followed by a lovely meal on their usual 5th Sunday eatin’ meetin’ following the worship service! Gail cooked a pot of butterbeans and made a scrumptious corn casserole and both vanished! There was the usual fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, casseroles of every description, cakes, pies, you name it! More visiting took place with lots of friends. We were thrilled to see Luther and Eyvonne Ricks of Baton Rouge, formerly of Kentwood; Nick and Peggy Saladino, Jeff Blackmon (the church’s faithful organist), and so many others who have touched our lives in times past.


As you can see, we had a busy time, a virtual flurry of activity at all times. We are thankful for your love and prayers, thankful for your steadfastness in the faith, and thankful that in these uncertain times there are some things that will not succumb to downsizing or falling stock or anything else that deteriorates. To all of you who have blessed us so richly, we are grateful!


Oh, and lest I forgot to let you know, Garmin was with us every step of the way! He was an excellent traveler, and although at times he tried fervently to change our directions, we still love and adore him/her/it! Love and blessings, and may you and your families celebrate this Easter season with great joy and gratitude that we serve a risen Savior!

Velta

*Global Positioning System device, also known as Garmin - brand name of the device)