Joshua 1:9

Joshua 1:9 (New King James Version) says:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Good question. So why do we worry? Why do we let fear into our lives. The bible is full of passages such as this. God has instructed us time and time again "Do not be afraid." "Put your trust in the Lord." "Fear not."

One of my favorite quotes that I heard many years ago and it stuck with me is "Worry is like a rocking chair...it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere."

So the next time you worry, quote one of your favorite bible verses and hand your problems to God to handle. He's on duty 24/7.

Country Roads

(I took this before crossing the bridge at the dam on Douglas Dam Road)

Country roads. They are the lifeline of America. For all the interstates, highways and byways, it is still the country road that leads us where we want to go.

You wonder how many horses and wagons have graced our country roads before paving and automobiles came into existence. How many young barefoot boys walked across her dusty path to reach the riverbank for an afternoon of fishing with hand made poles and worms dug from their yard.

How many little girls skipped along beside their Mommy as chicken soup was delivered to some elderly neighbor that was feeling poorly.

How many families donned their Sunday best and walked a mile on Sunday to hear the traveling preacher on his one stop a month in their town.

How many picnics were held in the shade of the oak tree as two young lovers sat quietly, holding hands, and just enjoying being together.

It was a slower pace. Times were tough, but people got by. They didn't need the glitz and glitter that we all seem to have today. They didn't have any place to rush off to or anything that had to be done right that minute. There was no satellite TV, no cell phones, no computers. It was simpler times. It was the smell of fried chicken for Sunday dinner and the Grand Ole Opry on the radio on Saturday nights.

The next time life gets to you and you get tired of the hectic pace we live, gas up the car and drive out into the country. Pick a road and see where it leads you. I'm sure you will enjoy the drive.

Have you ever noticed how styles change over the years, but some things reappear with new names. I remember in my younger days laughing at some of the clothing worn by my mother's generation. I remember my children doing the same to me. And I'm sure their children will do the same. No matter how much humor we find in fashion changes, some things keep cropping back up with new names. The very things we laughed at are created with new names and become all the rage. Here are some examples: Farmers would stick them in their back overalls pocket and call them handkerchiefs. Women would tie them around their hair to clean house and call then kerchiefs. They even showed up around necks as bandannas. Now cyclists tie them in a new fashion and call them doo rags. In the 50's they were known as floppies. They were cheap and made of rubber. You'd run and play or wear them around the house. If they tore up, they were easily replaced. In the late 60's and early 70's they were more stylish and had adornments and were called thongs. In the 80's and 90's they became flip flops (some still call them that today). Now they come in all colors and styles. Some have added small heels to give them a dressier look. Some have added doodads and beads and call them sandals. Flip flops that were once used for play are now considered acceptable for work, church, school or just everyday comfort.

Back in my day, we called them coulottes. They had big, comfortable legs. They were more comfortable than a skirt. You could wear them for play or for dress, depending on how they looked. Some were shorter, some were longer. Now they call them gauchos. I really can't see any difference other than the name.

The one that cracks me up is pedal pushers. We wore them growing up and we loved them. They were all the rage. But let your kids see a picture of you in pedal pushers and here you say that name and they die laughing. But in the late 70's to mid 80's, they reappeared as crop pants. EVERYBODY had to have a pair. They were THE thing to dress up in. I remember my daughter and I having crop pants and you just HAD to wear them with jelly shoes (remember those). That fad faded and was buried away. Crop pants were no longer "the thing." Now, here we are in the 21st century with Capri pants. Is it just me or are we right back to pedal pushers again? I can't see a big difference.

I didn't even cover mini-skirts, the midi, hot pants vs. daisy dukes. But you get my drift. The very things we saw our mothers wearing in public are the very things we rush out and buy off the rack. I even saw some flip flops this year that are made out of the jelly shoe material.

Do designers really think they have come up with a new fad or do they just sit around looking at old photos until somebody says, "Check this out. Pedal pushers. Hey, let's reinvent those and call them capri pants."

I've often heard the saying "The more things change, the more they remain the same." If you don't believe that, look at fashions.

Why grandchildren are so cute

Have you ever looked at your grandchildren and thought, "Oh, I just have the cutest grandbabies in the world." I think that every time I look at mine. You can see their Daddy's eyes, their Mommy's smiles. Certain ways they look at you, you will even see distinct features of your own grandparents. I was contemplating the fact that my children gave me some pretty cute grandkids to love. Then it dawned on me, what did I expect. I had adorable children. As our kids grow up they become beautiful women or handsome men. So when we look at their adult faces, we tend to forget that they, too, were once beautiful little babies and toddlers who made our days shine. I want to share some pictures of my twins when they were little. Looking at these pictures makes it easy to see why I think my grandbabies are so cute.

You CAN go home

Whoever said "You can't go home." was so wrong. Home is not a place. It's your family. It's the love you share. It's the place where you are accepted for what you are and how you look. It's no make-up and comfy clothes. It's flip flops and pony tails. It's pizza night and shopping sprees. It's the pride of driving down those old winding roads and through the small town and seeing that there has been progress, but that some things are still the same. It's seeing people taking walks and riding their bikes around the same streets you traveled as a kid. It's taking a walk again and seeing your Aunt Dee Dee and Aunt Frances in the yard. It's showing off your grandchildren to people you grew up with.

It's swinging on Mamaw's porch swing. It's little boys playing games and little girls going to the little girls room in groups. It's a toddlers first taste of Gino's Pizza.

It's the love and compassion of being within the family fold. It's the reliving of memories of all the times before. It's seeing your nieces and nephews and watching how their kids are growing. It's the laughter of spending three hours trying to find a ring tone only to have your nephew-in-law come by and do it in 5 minutes. It's missing your turn on a road you've driven for years simply because you were too busy laughing and talking. It's watching the great nieces and nephews playing with your grandkids the same way that your kids played with their cousins. It's a peace and contentment that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It's putting your worries aside for a few days and simply enjoying life. So can you go home again? Yes, you can as long as the people you love are there with you.

I had the best trip and got to see the entire family except my brother and one of his daughters who are both at the beach and one of my nieces who lives in another town and couldn't come in.

I've laughed until my sides hurt. I've eaten until I was about to pop. I've gotten up early and stayed up late. I am past exhausted, but I am so extremely blessed that we had a wonderful time.

Coal Mining Memories

The above picture is my Grandpa & Grandma Garretson in 1935. They were from a little town called Brushton, WV. They were a coal mining family. They are with four of their 10 children in this picture. The littlest one is a grandson. The teenage boy is my Daddy.

Grandma Mary Garretson, Grandpa Coy (Poppy) Garretson, and my aunt Stella Garretson.

My uncle Sebert. He was 16 years old in this picture. He died in the mines when he was still a young man, leaving behind a wife and small daughters.

My heart goes out to the families of the WV Coal Mine disaster this week. My family has worked in the mines for generations in Boone County, WV. That is about 27 miles northwest of the mine in Raleigh County that suffered the explosion.

My Grandpa Garretson (Poppy) and my Uncle Sebert worked in the mines. Daddy worked in them awhile but did not like it. When he got older, he worked for the C & O Railroad which hauled the coal out of the mines. My Uncle Kenneth hauled coal out in a big coal truck. My husband even worked for a machine company that repaired equipment for the mines. He used to go down into the mines and repair the equipment on site. I thank God daily that he no longer does that.

I have always felt a deep respect for miners and the work they do. To a miner, it is more than a job. It is a way of life. They understand the dangers, they know the risks. Yet, they do it day in and day out because their fathers and grandfathers worked in the mines. In some cases, it is the only way of life they know.

My father, my grandparents, my uncles and aunts have all passed on. But I remember visiting Grandma Garretson and seeing all the mining towns. My Uncle Kenneth would wash his coal truck on Friday's and then take us on rides around town in the back of it after dark. I dedicate my blog to the miners who have lost their lives and to the families that will miss them. Let's keep them all in our prayers.

I don't believe I'd a told that....

Lewis Grizzard once did a presentation called "I don't believe I'd a told that. How many times in your life do you hear someone giving you a blow by blow detailed accountant of something they experienced or did and you think "I can't believe they just said that." One of the best examples is when you pass someone in the store that you barely know and politely say "Hey, how have you been?" Then they proceed to tell you EXACTLY how they have been. They will go on an on about their neighbors' kids, their family, their co-workers, their health ... anything they can find to complain about. I'm okay with hearing how you are doing when we are friends or family. But for somebody I barely know to tell me every little detail of thier life, ARRGGHH. A simple "Fine, how about you?" would suffice. I was at the store today and a lady put her groceries on the counter to be rung up. I was waiting on my bagger to get finished. The clerk had been greeting everybody in line the same way. She would say "Good morning, how are you doing?" Well she said it to the lady behind me and the lady responded heatedly "Well, I'm just X#$@ing #%@*#ing. I will not repeat what those words were. I was so offended. I thought, "Why in the world would you ever answer ANYBODY with those words, much less somebody who is just making conversations in the grocery line. I definitely could not believe my ears. It did make me stop and be thankful that my life, while not perfect, is so great to me that it would never enter my mind to answer a simple "How are you doing" question with offensive language. You just have to whisper a prayer and go on.