Brothers

Many of you have heard me talk about my sister and have seen pictures of us growing up. But it occurred to me that I have not shared pictures of my brothers. I was the second child in a line of four. When I was 2 years and 4 months, Mom brought my brother Jack home from the hospital. I do have early memories of him. I can even describe the way the living room was laid out the day he came home. Mom says I'm right, even though she can't figure out how I knew. We don't have any pictures of the day he came home. But I remember it fondly. Jack and I were very close growing up. Me and Rachel would bribe him to play house with us. Then I would play cars and trucks with him. He taught me how to play marbles, baseball, and kick ball. We had invisible pretend ponies as pets and we would spend literally hours "romping and riding" are horses around the yard and up and down the hills at home.

The year I was turning 10, Mom surprised us with a new addition to the family, my baby brother Andy. We were so excited. Here was our very own baby doll we could help dress and feed. Back then, Mom had a wringer washer and hang clothes on the line. Let me tell you, the joy of playing with our own baby wore off fast when we had to sit on the couch and help fold all those cloth diapers. But we still love our baby brother.

When he was 6 and I was 16, I started taking him with me everywhere I went. It's amazing how easy it was to get the family car when you volunteer to take the baby with you.

When we were young, me and Rachel were the "big" sisters. Something happened along the way. I'm only 5' and Rachel's around 5'2 or 5'3, but both of my brothers are pretty close to 6 feet.

When I go in and see the family and those tall, muscled, good looking men give me a hug, it's hard to believe they are the same little boys I used to love on and play with.

Happy April Fools Day

As I woke up at 6:00 this morning, I lay there in that land of half up and half not. In my mind, I think of the many years my phone would ring at 6:00 on April Fools Day and it would be my Daddy with some prank to pull before we were completely up. After years in the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard and working for the railroad, he was used to being an early riser. Every morning he was up at 5:00 ready to start the day. My mother would get up and fix him bacon and eggs and homemade biscuits for breakfast every day. I get my morning personality from him. The minute his feet hit the floor, he was wide awake and ready to face the day. You would get up stumbling to the bathroom or kitchen and Daddy would be smiling and giving you a hard time. Ready to have entire conversations when you barely had your slippers on your feet. He has been gone for 11 years now and I still miss him dearly every day. But April Fools Day holds a special fondness. He loved this day. He would call each one of us early in the morning, knowing we wouldn't remember what day it was and he had a better chance of "getting" us. My favorite was one year when he called and I answered the phone, still groggy because I wasn't even out of the bed yet. It was around 6:00. Daddy said "Have you looked outside yet? It dumped a big snow last night." Living in West Virginia, we had snow up into March and on occasion we would get a late March, early April snow, but it was rare. His words popped my eyes open. I jumped up out of bed and ran to the living room, screaming "Oh my gosh, your kidding!!" I slid open the living room drapes to see the front yard. As Daddy heard the slide of the drapery rings on the current rods, I hear a boisterous, laughing "APRIL FOOLS". You just had to laugh with him. He had so much fun with it, you just couldn't get mad at him. But you didn't call your siblings to warn them. If you were going to be the fool, let Daddy get them, too. The angels better watch their wings and halos today, because I'm pretty sure Daddy hasn't changed and it's hard to tell what he's getting them with today.

Where did March go?

Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31, except for February which has 28 except in leap year when it has 29. We have all grown up with this little ditty or a version of it. We were taught the rhyme to learn how many days are in the month. Some of us were also taught the “knuckle” version. Make a fist. Start with the knuckle on your pointer finger as January and say your months as you touch a knuckle or the groove between the knuckles. On your end knuckle, you start the process backwards. Each month landing on a knuckle has 31 days and each one landing in a groove has 30. You just had to remember on February, it was only 28 days. Then of course, you have to remember that in Leap Year you add a day to February. That meant you had to divide the year by 4 and if it is divisible by 4 with no remainder, it is Leap Year. Wow! Is it in wonder we grow up confused. The one thing that has always amazed me is how long 31 days “feels”. Depending on the season, 31 days can feel like more or feel like less. January – Long bitter cold days, icy winds. Dark by 6:00 and you want nothing more than to curl up with a good book in front of the fire. Those are the longest, darkest 31 days. They seem to stretch on and on. Snow…no snow…more snow…less snow. It just makes you shiver to think of that long set of 31 days. March – Blustery days, but there is a warmth to the sun; a shine that perks you up. We are starting to think our spring thoughts…flowers blooming, kites flying, spring cleaning, yard work. It’s a time of rebirth. We are so excited to see March arrive and then before you know it POOF, it is gone. May – A little more mellow than March because the sun is here to stay. We have the occasional rains to keep the grass green and the gardens growing. We celebrate our Mothers and what they mean to us. We purchase flowers to put on graves in remembrance of those gone on before. May is a calming month. We can sit outside in the late evenings, watching the lightning bugs as they dance across the lawn. July – A time of picnics at the lake and vacations at the beach. July is fireworks, hotdogs, cold lemonade and watermelon. While we love July, we don’t always love the humidity. The heat can reach unbearable heights and you just want to be indoors. You find a place to cool off (a nice cool shower, laying over the air conditioning vents, standing in the open freezer). You just long for the days when the temperature will cool down some and you can get some relief from the heat. August – While most of August is a repeat of July, we start to see some relief. The storms start brewing in the ocean as September and hurricane season starts approaching. We see a few days that are not quite as humid. As August rolls to a close and school starts, cooler evenings will occasionally come our way and we learn to appreciate August and her mild relief. October – Oh, how we enjoy October’s warm days and cool nights. Fall is in the air. Apple butter is being made in old copper kettles. The old horse walks round and round processing the sugar cane for some good old sorghum. The leaves change their colors and provide a kaleidoscope of beauty. Pumpkin carving, cornstalks and gourds all bind together to make October a very special month. December – The temperatures are in that bundling up stage again. But we brave the cold and the December winds as we scurry about preparing for the festive holiday season. Hustle and bustle is everywhere. Mankind is preparing to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We just don’t have enough time in the day to do everything we need to do. But we try anyway. Knowing that after the 25th, we can relax until next year. But then January rolls around and we are right back at it again for another year. So where did March go? She has gone back into hibernation. But she will be back next year to bless us with the relief from another winter. So goodbye March. Thanks for bringing us through. We’ll see you again next year.

Through the years....

Over the years, we recall our high school days with fondness. We remember our teachers. We recall the classes we took, where we ate lunch, where our locker was. But as time dims our minds, it is hard to recall all the friends we made; the lives we touched and the lives that touched ours. When someone first recommended I join Facebook, I thought "Whatever for? Who would I become "friends" with?" But I took the challenge and opened me an account. It has become such a blessing to me. I've been able to reconnect with friends from yesteryear. I now "talk" regularly to people who have been my friends from the time I was two; people who have been my friends since first grade; and people who are my friends now. Friends from up the hollow where I grew up. Friends from high school who shared many classes with me. My friends from church. I now have daily contact with my siblings, my cousins, my nieces, my nephews. I get to see pictures that my friends and family post from days gone by that touch my heart and cause a tear or two. I get to see videos of my newest great-nephew as he learns to sit up alone. I get updated on what is important in their lives. Their new cars, their new jobs, their new refrigerators. I get to share grandmother stories with other grandmothers who are experiencing the same joy I'm experiencing. I get to pray for their misfortunes and celebrate their accomplishments. I get to hear how God is working in their lives and how He has blessed them through the years. Sometimes I think that we have become TOO dependent on technology; cell phones, iPods, Blackberry's, laptops, netbooks, etc. But then I stop and think about all the people who are touching my lives daily that I would not have contact with if it wasn't for technology and I have to stop and be thankful for progress. As we grow and our technical world gets even bigger, I know I'll still have many friends and loved ones that I'll not lose contact with again.

What a lovely surprise

I was walking through the foyer at church yesterday morning and saw the most beautiful flower arrangement. It was so springy and cheerful, it just drew me over for a closer look.

The neck of the vase had pretty pastel raffia tied around it and held a beautiful plaque. There was a card and it said "Brenda Keefer". I couldn't believe my eyes! This beautiful bouquet and plaque ensemble was for me!

I thought immediately about where I would sit the flowers. On my end table away from all heat vents to insure a longer life. The plaque is perfect for my bathroom that is decorated with birdhouses, butterflies and dragonflies in the colors that were in the plaque.

After church, I took my beautiful present and hurried to the car so I could open the card. It was a Happy Anniversary card for me and Allen from my Secret Sister.

Of course, I don't know who she is and I have no way of thanking her until the end of the year. This was the perfect ending to a perfect anniversary weekend.

It's not the grand gestures we make that brighten someone's day. It's the unexpected. The little moments of thrill that happen when somebody does something nice just for you.

Thank you my dear, sweet secret sister. You made my whole weekend!

Stand Still

In Sunday School class this morning, we were studying the crossing of the Red Sea. When we read the verse, "Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord" I thought of a song I used to sing in church when my kids were little. It has an important message and I would like to share it today.

My God Delivers Again Standing there at the Red Sea God's people began to complain, that Pharoah and his mighty army would take them in bondage again." "Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord!", Moses cried. Then, God parted the waters and they crossed to the other side. Chorus:

God delivers again! Yes, God delivers again! When it seems that all is lost, He reaches out His hand. Then all the forces of evil have to flee at God's command. And just when things look hopeless, God delivers again.

How many times in our lives has God "parted" our Red Sea and let us cross over to something better. How many times has he fought our battles and filled our needs. Those precious words "Stand still and see the salvation" should be constant reminders to us that we need to put our trust and faith in Him and let Him part the waters that keep us from living the fulfilled life He has planned for each of us.

Happy Anniversary

Today is mine and Allen's 29th wedding anniversary. We met on a blind date. He worked out in the shop on night shift at a company that I worked in the office on day shift. The receptionist knew both of us and thought we would be a good fit. We started dating on January 17th, 1981. We went to see Urban Cowboy on our first date. My twins had just turned 3 and my best friend, Becky, was keeping them at my house while I went out on our date. He was such a gentleman. Opening doors, helping me in the car, walking on the outside of the sidewalk, just wonderful. I came home from the date and he walked me to the door and kissed me good-bye, making plans to come back the next day and cook me supper. WOW. I went in, shut the door and leaned against it and told Becky that I was in love and I wanted to marry him. She laughed at me. We spend every moment together from then on. In just one short month, we both knew it was the real thing and he asked me to marry him. We got married on March 27th and it has been one thrill after another for the past 29 years. Do I believe in love at first sight? Oh yeah! We've all heard the famous words "You had me at hello". He had me the moment our eyes connected and he smiled. I cannot imagine my life without him. He is my sweetheart, my lover, my friend, my soul mate, my helper. I would not trade him for all the tea in China or all the oil in the Gulf. So, honey, happy anniversary. I love you!!