Susan Wales

A THANKGIVING STORY

2010-11-21T09:49:00.001-08:00

Our family loves Thanksgiving, so we would like to share some holiday recipes and some fun Turkey Trivia!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons almond extract

1/2 cup English Almond Toffee International Delight Coffee Creamer(r) (If you are unable to find this particular flavor, you can substitute French Vanilla, or 1/2 cup milk.)

1/2 cup melted butter

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:
Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned. Serves 6 to 8.

Sweet Potato Cups

Ingredients:

8 oranges

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter

Miniature marshmallows

Slice top off oranges about a 1/2 inch from top. Hollow fruit out of the oranges and set aside in a container in refrigerator. (You will use the oranges later for ambrosia recipe I have added below.) Place empty orange shells in the freezer until frozen. While orange shells are freezing, combine the other ingredients. Remove frozen orange cups from freezer. Scallop orange shells at the top with small paring knife. This will be easy to do since oranges are frozen. Fill with potato mixture and bake 30 minutes, topping with miniature marshmallows and baking until brown, usually an additional 10 minutes.

Southern Ambrosia (The food of the gods!)

We serve this with cake, usually pound cake or coconut cake. It's delicious, and this recipe has been in our family for over 100 years and it's very simple to use!

8 oranges - remove fruit, membrane, and seeds.

1 cup shredded coconut.

1 8 ounce jar maraschino cherries.

Optional: 1-8 ounce can of pineapple chunks.

You can also spike ambrosia with sherry or Grand Marnier liqueur.

Mix the fruit from 8 oranges in a large mixing bowl. Add a cup of shredded coconut and chill in the refrigerator. Just before serving, add maraschino cherries. Serve in crystal sherbet dishes or champagne glasses with cake.

Southern Pound Cake

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 & 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
pinch salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

INSTRUCTIONS: Grease/flour/spray a 10-inch tube pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of pecans in the bottom. Set aside. With a mixer cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar gradually and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Next, add cake flour and salt. Mix; then, add vanilla and pecans. Pour batter into pan. Bake for about an hour and twenty minutes or until done. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Orange Date Nut Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
3 Tbsp. grated orange rind
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 packages chopped dates (8 oz. each)
2 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
6 cups flour

Glaze:
3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
2 to 3 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

Instructions: Cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light. Beat egg yolks until lemon colored and add to creamed mixture. Add buttermilk and grated orange peel; mix well. toss dates and pecans with 1 cup of the flour. Mix remaining flour with other dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture, along with nuts and dates. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold gently into batter. Pour into greased and floured Bundt cake pan and bake at 400° for one hour and fifteen minutes, or until toothpick or cake tester inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, invert on plate and glaze while hot with a mixture of 3 cups granulated sugar, orange juice and 3 tablespoons grated orange peel.

TURKEY TRIVIA

1. When, why, and where did the Pilgrims come to America?

Answer: In 1620 the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts to escape

religious persecution in England

2. What was country in Europe did the Pilgrims originally flee to prior to coming to America? And why didn’t they stay there?

Answer: Holland. Discovering Holland’s lack of morality, they arranged to come

to America.

3. What crop did the Pilgrims bring with them from Europe that failed to grow in

Plymouth?

Answer: The wheat that the Pilgrims brought with them would not grow on the

rocky soil.

4. After 102 Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620, how many people survived the

first year? How did the others die?

Answer: Only 56 Pilgrims survived. Of the original 102 Pilgrims survived, and 46

died of starvation and disease their first winter.

5. What Indian tribe helped the Pilgrim’s survive? How did they help?

Answer: Wamponoag Indians. They provided food for the Pilgrims. The Indians introduced them to corn and showed them how to cultivate the land for crops. They showed them how to tap maple trees for syrup. They educated them on the poisonous plants and plants used for medicinal purposes. They also demonstrated how to hunt for fowl and deer and how to fish.

6. Name of the two Indians who initially came to the Pilgrim’s aid?

Answer: Samoset greeted the Pilgrims and later returned with his friend, Squanto.

7. What did Squanto and Samoset do that shocked the Pilgrims?

Answer: They greeted them in English. The Pilgrims were terrified when Samoset

appeared, but delighted when he greeted them in English. When Samoset returned

he brought his friend Squanto with him, who spoke better English than he did!

They had learned the language from earlier explorers when they had traveled back

to England with them.

8. When and where was the first Thanksgiving?

Answer: Fall, 1621 at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. Exactly when the festival took place is uncertain, but it is believed to have been in mid-October.

9. Governor William Bradford, the Pilgrims’ leader, organized the first Thanksgiving

dinner for giving thanks for what?

Answer: The harvest. After a severe crop failure their first year in America, many of their group died, so a successful harvest was a cause for thanksgiving!

10. Name some of the foods on the first Thanksgiving menu?

Answer: Pheasant, duck, turkey, venison, pigs, chicken, lobster, clams, lobster, corn, squash, dried cranberries, boiled pumpkin, potatoes, corn mush, and wild blackberries. Some Pilgrims were afraid potatoes were poisonous.

11. How many Wampanoag Indians attended the first Thanksgiving dinner?

Answer: Their chief, Massasoit, and 90 braves attended the celebration.

12. How long did the Thanksgiving dinner last?

Answer: Three days.

13. Besides eating what else did the Pilgrims and Indians do at the first Thanksgiving?

Answer: They played games, ran races, marched and played drums. The Indians

demonstrated their bow and arrow skills and the Pilgrims, their musket skills.

14. What American statesman and politician argued on behalf of the turkey against the

bald eagle to become America’s national bird?

Answer: Benjamin Franklin proposed that the turkey to be named the national bird, instead of the bald eagle, because the turkey had saved the Pilgrim's for starvation. Ben, if we’d been there, we would've sided with you!

15. Turkey was on the Pilgrim's menu at the first Thanksgiving, but what did Astronauts

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin have for their first meal on the moon?

Answer: What else . . . Turkey!

16. What Sesame Street character’s costume is made out of turkey feathers?

Answer: Big Bird! His costume is made out of 4,000+ white turkey feathers dyed

yellow.

17. How did the American Indians use turkey feathers?

Answer: Indians used turkey feathers for their ceremonial clothing and headdresses, and turkey’s spurs on their arrowheads---OUCH!

18. Where do turkey’s sleep?

Answer: In trees, roosting upon the branches.

19. What time do turkey’s go to bed?

Answer: Sundown.

20. Do turkey’s fly?

Answer: Yes! Wild turkeys fly at speeds of 55 miles per hour to elude their hunters. And they can run up to 25 miles per hour.

21. How much did the world’s largest turkey weigh?

Answer: According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s largest turkey

weighed a whopping 86 pounds--the size of a large dog. Talk about leftovers!

22. Why do turkey’s have such good eyesight?

Answer: A turkey’s eyes are situated on the sides of their face, so their vision is

270 degrees, which enables them to see movement up to 100 yards away. This is why how elude hunters.

23. What is the most dangerous sport in America?

Answer: No, it’s not NASCAR racing or even football. Biking accidents send

more people to the hospital, but turkey hunting has more fatalities! Because of

wild turkeys' great eyesight and sense of hearing, hunters must stay very still,

quiet, and also camouflage themselves, so they are often shot by other hunts.

24. Is it true that turkey can drown if they look up in the rain?

Answer: Nope, that's a myth. Turkey's eyes are on opposite sides of greater field

of vision . . . so they don't normally look up.

25. What is a leading cause of death for turkeys?

Answer: Same as humans . . . heart attacks. When the Air Force was testing the

sound barrier they discovered literally fields of turkey's that had dropped dead of

heart attacks.

26. We're having turkey on Thanksgiving! Are you? What percentage of Americans has turkey for Thanksgiving dinner? Christmas dinner?

Answer: 90% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving and 50% eat turkey on Christmas Day.

27. How many dollars worth of turkey are sold in America each year?

Answer: $4 billion of turkeys are sold in America each year!

28. Which country consumes the most turkey's per capita!?

Answer: Israel.

29. What is a male turkey called? A female? A baby turkey?

Answer: A male turkey is a tom, a female is a hen and a baby turkeys is called a poult and what sounds do each one of them make?

30. What sounds does a male turkey make? The female? The baby?

Answers: The male tom gobbles, the female hen clicks or clucks, and

the baby peeps.

31. What sound does a turkey make when it is frightened?

Answer: When frightened, a turkey sounds like they are saying, "Turk, turk,

turk" . . . so this is where the name turkey originated!

32. Turkeys once became extinct in America. When? And why?

Answer: In the early 1900's, because of over hunting and cutting down trees to

make way for farmlands.

33. Age and sex are determining turkey taste factors, so which turkey . . . the young

turkey or the old turkey and male or female has the best taste and tenderness?

Answer: Old toms are preferable to younger male ones, because their meat is

stringier. Sorry ladies, but younger hens are preferable to older ones . . . sound

familiar? The old birds are tough, but not old toms!

34.Why do we get so sleepy after Thanksgiving Dinner?

Answer: Don’t blame the turkey! Although turkey meat contains an amino acid called L-tryptophan and it is known that this amino acid can make you sleepy, there is not enough in a turkey to make you snooze! The real reason is that Thanksgiving foods have a lot of carbohydrates -- those are nutrients found in things like bread, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. These foods can help make you sleepy. And you probably eat a bigger meal than normal at Thanksgiving. That makes your stomach work harder to digest the food, and more blood flows to your stomach and away from your brain. All together, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner is designed to make you sleepy!

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY!

2010-09-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

Another time. Another place. My latest book, Valeria's Cross, written with author Kathi Macias, is a historical novel about a young woman, who lived in 3rd century A.D.

Can you imagine if:

your father forced you to marry a repulsive man you did not love?

your husband forced you to make sacrifices to his pagan gods?

your husband brought home his illegitimate children for you to raise?

your husband went away to battle and did not return for years?

your husband granted permission for you to speak?

you were not allowed to pray?

And if you refused any of your husband's requests---you would be tortured; maybe even to death!

This was Valeria's life in 3rd Century B. C.

You've come a long way baby!!!

Oftentimes, women fantasize over the glamour of yesteryear. And yes, a woman of position such as Valeria would have pampered beyond belief! Bring on the scented baths and massages with oils, the beautiful silks, clothes, and jewels! But in reality, there has never been a better time for a woman to live than the 21st Century. The freedoms of women today would shock our grandmothers!

How so? Can you remember your grandfather telling your grandmother how to vote? And she would probably listen. But then my mother would not take voting instructions from my father. I can recall a conversation between my parents that went something like this.

"You should vote for so and so," my father told my mother.

"I'm not voting for him," my mother responded. "I like the other candidate. She is my friend."

"But so and so is more qualified for the position. And he's an honest man."

"But I promised my friend I would vote for her. A promise is a promise."

My father turned red at this point in the conversation as he said, "But your friend . . . well, she is crazy."

"Crazy because she's a woman?"

"Because she doesn't have any sense."

"In your opinion is there any woman who has enough sense to run for office?" My mother questioned him.

My father did not answer. Good decision, Daddy!

Mother voted for her candidate, and Daddy voted for his. Daddy's candidate won, but at least Mother exercised her right to vote! And later Daddy's candidate was indicted. And no, Mother didn't rub it in . . . she was a defender the politician.

Can you imagine that women have been voting for less than a 100 years? They received their voting rights in 1920. My great-grandmother voted for the first time when she was in her sixties. I wonder if she voted for the candidate of her choice or her husband's choice? Or perhaps they may have liked the same candidate?

The 15th Amendment passed in 1870 granting African American men the right to vote. However, not until the voter's right Act of 1965, did most African Americans fully exercise their voting rights. They were prevented from voting by poll taxes and literacy tests, especially in the South.

Progress is slow . . . 3rd Century BC to the 20th Century. You've come a long way baby, but what a long, long journey!

Celebrate your freedoms! Be sure to vote . . . it's a privilege. And if you really want to know how free you are, order a copy of Valeria's Cross on amazon.com.

The Last Days of Summer!

2010-08-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Summer gathers up her robes of glory,
And, like a dream, glides away.
~ Sarah Helen Whitman

When I was a child, I was saddened to blow a goodbye kiss to the last days summer. Even today, I am a bit melancholy when summer ends. Are you? Below are some summer plans for your family to celebrate the last days of summer! I have added some special summer memories that should explain why I am sad at the end of the summers. Share your precious summer memories with me!

10 THINGS TO DO

BEFORE SUMMER ENDS

1. Celebrate the end of summer! Throw an end of the summer party . . . a cookout, a swimming party, a picnic, or an outdoor tea!

2. Enjoy a family camping trip in your backyard under the stars.

3. Spend a day going through the closets and drawers to analyze the family's fall wardrobes. Remove any clothes and shoes that no longer fit to take to a charity. Less fortunate shoppers will be looking for school wardrobes for their families so get them your things there in time to benefit them! And don't forget any summer duds that were outgrown over the summer. Old backpacks are appreciated too!

4. Once you analyze wardrobes, schedule a back to school shopping trip. Even if your kids wear uniforms to school they will still need new Fall clothes, shoes, and accessories.

5. Take a 1-day vacation locally---drive to the beach of the lake or visit a museum, go to an outdoor concert.

6. Try an ethnic restaurant to introduce the family to new food. Or plan an ethnic dinner.

7. Plan a family end of the summer picnic, and have each family member be responsible for a dish. Even the youngest kid can suggest a dish.

8. Make a summer memory book together. Include photos and have each family member contribute one or more pages of written memories of "What I did this summer." Also, have each family member write a poem about summer.

9. Take the family to a garden or a farm where you can pick your own strawberries, blueberries, grapes or vegetables, and then make a special dessert together.

10. Schedule a night to make plans for the Fall. . . which football games you will attend, pick out Halloween costumes, choose a Family Fall service project for charity, etc.

I have made a list of all the reasons I've been sad to see summer fade away and all the things I enjoy and miss when the summertime is over. Do you have any lingering summer memories? Please share them with us!

50 THINGS MISSED WHEN SUMMER ENDS

SOME MEMORIES FROM MY CHILDHOOD

SUMMERTIME DELIGHTS

School's out! Summer vacation!
Warm sunny days.
Chilly air conditioning.
Daylight Savings Time.
Play outside until dark!
Lazy mornings/late bedtimes.
Nighttime frog and cricket symphonies outside your bedroom window.
Awakened to birds singing.
June bugs.
Bumblebees.
Squished mosquitos and dead snakes
Summer flowers and flowering shrubs.
Green trees and grass.
The smell of fresh mown grass.
Screened porches.
Summer breezes.
Sandals and flip-flops.
Shorts and halter tops.
White linen
Ice cold watermelon.
Frosty iced tea with a sprig of mint.
Tomato sandwiches.
Fresh corn on the cob or cut off.
Cherry Cokes and lime or lemon sours at Roanoke City Pharmacy.
Green plums.
Green apples.
Peaches
Fruit cobblers.
Lime sherbet punch.
Fresh-squeezed lemonade or limeade.
Fresh summer vegetables right off the vines. Picking them too!
Hand-cranked homemade ice cream.
Frozen Snickers.
Frozen Cokes that sometimes explode in the freezer when you forget them.
Ice cubes with salt on them.
Melon balls.
Barbecues.
Frozen Margaritas and Daiquries.
Strawberry Shortcake.

SUMMER MEMORIES

Opening day of the Roanoke, AL City Pool.
Dancing to the juke box under the stars at the Pavilion in Roanoke, AL.
Summer romances.
Cruising the Dairy Queen to see who's hanging out.
Climbing Potash Tower, even though we didn't make it to the top!
Overnight shopping trips in Atlanta.
Buying a new bathing suit each summer at McGilvary's Dress Shop in Roanoke.
Modeling bathing suits and shorts at McGilvary's and earning money!
Gay Braden's Roanoke, AL store for Coca Cola, Snickers candy bars, and ice cream.
Driving by your boyfriend's house.
Sunday afternoon drives in the country.
J.U.G. Club initiation.
J.U.G. Club Summer Trip to Panama City, FL.
Sliding down Big Rock in Big Springs at the spring fed creek.
Climbing trees and building tree houses.
Reading comic books and movie magazines in the drugstore.
Riding bikes on Allen Avenue day and night.
Cookouts with the neighbors.
Digging in the sandbox, but never getting never getting to China.
Cleaning the cemetery and placing flowers on the graves.
Swinging on the branch of the mimosa tree.
Catching lightening bugs in a jar at night.
Counting and wishing on falling stars.
Junior Garden Club meetings . . .Death to the Weeds . . .Life to the Flowers!
Summer slumber parties.
Sunday afternoon drives in the country.
Visits to grandparents' houses.
Cousins.
Badminton in the backyard.
Croquet in the backyard.
Watching summer football practices.
Swimming and golfing at the Roanoke County Club.
Flirting with the lifeguards at the pool.
Going off the high dive.
Floating down the river.
Vacation Bible School at Roanoke Alabama First Baptist Church.
Summer camp . . . not always good memories! LOL!
Callaway Gardens . . .paddle boats, the beach, the water ski shows, the FSU Circus, bike rides around the lake.
Playing in the sprinkler.

OTHER SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Planting seeds and plants in the garden
Putting up vegetables for the wintertime and making fruit preserves.
Afternoon summer showers and occasional thunderstorms.
Swinging in a porch swing.
Sleeping in a hammock.
Watching summer football practice.
Shelling peas and snapping green beans.
Fishing.
Tennis
Softball games.
Sitting on the porch waving at everyone who drives by.
Going to the beach, the lake, or the mountains.
Summer weddings.
Summer parties and teas.

What are you memories from the summertime? Please share them with us!

XOX

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

2010-04-04T03:58:00.000-07:00

BECAUSE HE LIVES

(c) Bill Gaither

God sent his son,

They called him Jesus

He came to love, heal and forgive

He lived and died

To buy my pardon

An empty grave is there to prove

My Savior Lived!

Because He lives

I can face tomorrow

Because He lives

All fears are gone;

Because I know

He holds my future

And life is worth the living

Hailey Blu in her Easter Bonnet Just because He lives.

When we first married my husband Ken introduced me to Bill and Gloria Gaither. What a delightful couple with a musical heritage. I was thrilled because my favorite Easter hymn is Because He Lives, one that Bill Gaither penned. Well, maybe Handel's Hallelujah Chorus is my very favorite, but Because He Lives is a close second. Even when it is not Easter and life becomes difficult, I sing the words and this song very comforting. You will agree that life can become difficult; even unbearable at times. But we can rejoice, because He Lives! Jesus said, "I have overcome the world."

Easter is my very favorite holiday . . . I love everything about it . . . the resurrection story, the hope of the holiday, the coloring Easter eggs with my granddaughter Hailey and making resurrection cookies, one of our favorite traditions. You can find the recipe and other family traditions in my cooks co-authored with Alice Gray, Grandmother, Another Name for Love, Simon and Schuster, Keepsake for A Mother's Heart, and A Christmas Keepsake. I have also posted the recipe below.

You can imagine my sadness when I heard that a young woman in my husband's cancer group died this week, leaving her young son and husband to grieve for her. How tragic to die at Easter. But after much reflection I realized that Easter is the perfect time to die . . . with our focus on the resurrection bringing the hope of eternal life! Also with spring bursting first, the constant reminders of rebirth surrounding us, trees budding, flowers blooming, and brown grass turning green! Just as God brings the earth to life after the dead of winter, He will bring gus to live . . . . He defeated death at the cross. He lives, and so we live! The message of Easter is a message of hope and life.

May you have a blessed Easter with your family and celebrate that He Lives! And when life on this earth becomes overwhelming, just remember He lives within your heart!

Baking these cookies is a great way to teach your children and grandchildren the resurrection story!

Resurrection Cookies
1c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
4 egg whites,
pinch of salt
1c. sugar,
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
The Holy Bible.

Preheat oven to 300 BEFORE BEGINNING.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.
Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 c. sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know this and how to belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt.27:65-66.

GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.

Take a bite and notice the cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty! Read Matt. 28:1-9

OUR TOWN

2010-03-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

Our Town

It's here I met my first love and had my first kiss.

I've walked down Main Street in the cold morning mist.

Over there is where I bought my first car

It turned over once, but it didn't go far.

Now I sit on the porch and watch the lightning-bugs fly.
But I can't see too good, I got tears in my eyes.

I'm leaving tomorrow but I don't wanna go!

I love, my town, you'll always live in my soul.

---Iris Dement

I love my hometown, and the friends I grew up with are so precious to me. Even the ones I have not seen for years, I know when I greet them, it will be as though we never parted. We'll take up where we left off. And many of my friends there I have kept in close touch. My best friend and I talk almost very single day, even if it's just a brief "how are you?"

Every time I leave my town after a visit, I feel sad and I cry. It is not because I do not want to return to California, because I adore my life here . . . it's simply because my hometown holds memories of a childhood filled with happiness. You have a history with the people you grew up with. There is a certain security that no matter what you do or what happens in your life, they will still love you and welcome you home with open arms, back into the fold. They know all your secrets and all your flaws, and yet they still love you. There is a familiarity . . . You know who lives in every house on the streets; their joys and sorrows. And the memories . . . my first day of school, my first kiss, my first love, my first heartbreak, the friends, the good times and the bad. Every old song or hymn I hear takes me back in time and evokes a lifetime of memories. Many people do not share this sentiment concerning their childhood, but mine was happy, which is one of the greatest blessings of my life. When life gets tough, my mind takes me there, especially when I feel sentimental.

Today I drink far too many Coca Cola's and eat too many Snicker candy bars, because it brings transports me to Saturday mornings spent with my father at Gay Braden's store. I miss my father, and I miss Gay Braden, and his wife Lessie, who always came out of their house behind the store, to say hello to my sister, Vickie, and me. But not all of the memories are sweet . . . like the summertime I invited all the neighborhood kids to Gay Braden's store and charged their Cokes and candy bars to my father's account. Back then a $48 monthly bill was pretty astronomical! Yikes! Daddy's lecture still rings in my ears. Another happy Saturday memory . . . Daddy took us to White Head's diner at Three Points. We loved spinning on the red leather stools at the counter. I can still taste the barbecue and hear White Head's teasing us.

When I was five years old, I learned to play pool! Seriously! We lived at Transco, and my first best friend and first love was a boy, Clayton Thompson. We played pool together at the company clubhouse. Today his older sister, Robbie, who guided us both through our early childhood is a dear friend. I had a terrible accident when I fell on a dog as we were playing in the yard. Robbie and Clayton rescued me and took me home amidst a shower of blood. Amazingly, I am not afraid of dogs today! Dr. McCrary, my friend Stacy's father, sewed me back together again. Even when I brush my hair today, my head is still tender from the dog's teeth marks and when I touch my ear, I feel cartilage, all chopped up by the dog's sharp teeth.

When I started the first grade, my parents moved to town. It was sad to leave Clayton behind, but we were reunited in Mrs. Quattlebaum's first grade class. Clayton sobbed the first day of school. He still remembers my mother as the angel who rescued him. She scooped him up in her arms and took him home with her. But Clayton broke my heart in the first grade too, calling me a sissy girl. He hadn't noticed the difference until we started the first grade.

My sister Vickie and I had an abundance of friends on Allen Avenue. I met my very best friend, Susan Henry on move-in day. She is still my BFF today, many years later. I miss the plays and concerts Susan, Sudie Bailey, my sister Vickie and I staged at our house. We forced the neighborhood children to attend for a nickel each! Thus began my entrepreneurial career. The junior garden club held in our garage was another favorite weekly activity. We mined for programs in our encyclopedias, and that's where I first learned of the danger of barracuda. Don't ask what those ferocious fish had to do with gardening . . . it was our president Sudie Bailey's program, but I always watched for the fish every time I visited the ocean, even though they were not indigenous to any particular oceans in which I have swum. I will never forget our garden club's motto, which was so good that I sincerely believe it should be included in Bartlett's Book of Quotes---Death to the weeds! Life to the flowers! Pretty profound for a couple of ten-year-olds!

I miss Dot and Doyle Benefield, who went dancing with my parents. We had fun Saturday night visits at their home and loved it when their son Larry brought his dates in to say hello. Dot survived a brain tumor and was with us for unexpected decades afterwards until the fateful day that she refused to relinquish her purse to a teenage burglar in an Auburn antique store. He shot and killed her, breaking so many hearts and condemning him to a life in prison.

I think of my pretty clothes that my mother had Dicie Gosden sew for my sister and me. Memories of going to Dicie's house to be fitted and visiting with her and her husband Blake, still give me a tug at my heart every time I pass their house on my way to Roanoke. Another special memories is the sight of Ruth Bartlett's profuse flower bed across the street from our house on Allen Avenue. But I don't miss the day that I innocently plucked her prize iris for a bouquet for my mother, who was ill. Ruth was unhappy but forgiving. She and her husband Wayne invited us over for popcorn and Cokes the next weekend, a Saturday night ritual we frequently enjoyed. When I think of the bicycles, my sister and I asked Santa for, I feel sad, because we discovered them in the Bartlett's garage, bursting our belief in Santa Claus. Just this year, Maureen Peek, our beloved next door neighbor, died. Maureen was family to me, my godmother, always dispensing advice and wisdom. I saw her most every day I lived on Allen Avenue. Maureen could be tough too, because her standards were high. She forgave me for locking her son Dan and his friend, Johnny Stevenson, in the basement even though we refused to tell anyone where the boys were. No one remembers the reason Susan Henry and I did this dastardly deed, but the boys had tied us to the mimosa tree with nylon cord, dangling us by our hands high above out heads. The little devils! Payback time! I loved the watermelons James, her husband, brought to our backyard barbecues. One of his greatest pleasures was watching my sister Vickie enjoy a sweet slice. I admired his quiet strength. Their sons Jimmy and Dan were our friends and enemies. Did I mention Dan shot me with his BB gun? He was shooting rocks and one ricocheted into my knee . . . an accident of whose scar I still bear.

I miss dinners at the City Cafe, especially their lemon pies. And the hamburger steak at the Ranch Cafe! I really miss the Baptist Church and St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, especially their Christmas Eve service. I miss the old hymns in church and the parade of women's stylish hats on Easter Sunday. I the miss white gloves and veiled hats we wore. I remember our youth choir, especially the time we won. And how could I forget afterwards when my sister Vickie threw up in the backseat of our choir director, Mrs. Hammer's, new car on the way home. I remember my best friend Susan Henry singing a solo of Jesus Savior Pilot Me, an sitting down in the slap dab middle of the song when she missed the high note, bursting into tears. Since that night, every time I hear that song, I giggle. Sudie, our "older" motherly friend escorted Susan out of the church, but her peers, myself included, giggled shamelessly. I miss G.A.'s and its leaders, Miss Mary Morgan and Miss Shila Corley. We learned so much scripture and had so much fun. During a very difficult period of my life, Those scriptures I memorized came back to me giving me strength and hope. Raise up a child in the way they should go!

After school we meandered to town, our destination---City Pharmacy. There we sat at the counter or in booths, sipping cherry Cokes and lemon freezes from the soda fountain. The owners and pharmacists, Mr. Harris and Mr. Neighbors, pretended not to notice that we snuck a peek at the latest issue of the forbidden Photoplay Magazine, even though our mothers would have objected. Probably because we spent our allowances on dozens of comic books . . . Archie, Veronica, Katie Keen, and Richie Rich!

I miss Sunday dinners at my grandparent's house, especially my grandmother's fried chicken and chess pie. All my cousins gathered there. I can still taste the apples from grandfather's trees. He regaled us with wonderful tales, many that frighted us! He made a special treat for us, chocolate milk on ice. The Varsity Drive-in Atlanta made it famous . . . they called it the P.C. I also remember eating tomato sandwiches with tons of mayo and salt and pepper. Plums, both green and ripe from Daddy's trees were the best and loved by all the neighbors! I miss the quail breakfasts at my Huey grandparent's big house on the hill. After they died, their house burned down. Like them, it's gone taking a lot of happy memories with it. I remember playing Chinese checkers there and picking scuppernongs and muscadines from her vineyards. I also recall they always had a glass of Wild Turkey with Coke that they loved to sip and that made my grandmother a subject of gossip in this Southern Baptist town, but she could have cared less . . . it was not against her religion.

I miss all the adventures with my friends in the nearby woods, getting lost and vowing to become a missionary to Africa if God would show us the way home. He did and we didn't. I cringe when I think we lost one of my father's war medals in the woods and the day we tipped the boat in the lake and lost Susan Henry's father Bill's prized tackle box filled with his fishing lures and treasures. it is still on the bottom of the lake somewhere.

I miss the mimosa tree in our front yard. We climbed and swung on its branches, and made treasures with its frilly flowers. And how I miss those summer nights on Allen Avenue, when all of our neighbors brought a dish and Daddy would fire up the grill and turn the crank on the ice cream maker! I had to sit on the top of the ice cream freezer to hold the top down while Daddy made the last few turns to ensure it was frozen solid.

I miss the ice storms when school was cancelled and Mother would cook on her gas stove and bring the food to Bill and Inez Henry's basement where we gathered with our neighbors to stay warm in front of their gas heaters. I can still taste the cherry tarts left over from Sue Bailey's bridge club earlier that week. In her mid eighties today, Sue still plays bridge! I long for bike rides with my best friends under the street lights on Allen Avenue on hot summer nights. Or catching lightening bugs in Mason jars in the backyard that I would light up my room after the lights were out. Buck Bailey loved to fish and he taught us how to dig for worms and clean his prize catches. I impress my husband as I expertly filet a fish today!

Saturday afternoons were spent at the movie theater watching double features, never dreaming I would one day meet and become friends with many of the stars I watched up on the big screen . . . Pat Boone, Debbie Reynolds, Ali McGraw, and Mickey Rooney, among others! I do not miss the nights we sweated under mounds of covers after having watched horror movies. I still cannot look through a pair of binoculars without wincing after watching Horrors of the Black Museum, with Vincent Price. In the opening scene the man who lived in gothic castle high on the hill received a gift, a pair of binoculars. When he put them up to his eyes and turned the dial to focus, two nails plunged into his eyeballs. I lost an entire night's sleep over that scene, as did my friend Susan Henry, with whom I spent the night. When we heard a noise we ran for the guest room and jumped into bed with her grandmother, Mama Fuller, who was visiting.We snuck in the theater for forbidden movies too, A Summer Place and Imitation of Life! For special movies like South Pacific, we traveled to Atlanta and saw them at the fabulous Fox Theater. When Sound of Music was released, I was sick and missed the movie. It would be almost 30+ years later that I finally had the pleasure of seeing the movie for the first time with its director, Robert Wise. He enthralled me with stories about making the film, while I, in turn, entertained him with stories of my town.

Weekends shopping trips in Atlanta are among some of my best memories. We loved to shop downtown Atlanta at Rich's Department Store, where we rode escalators and lunched in the renowned Magnolia Room and ate chicken pot pie with pecan torte cake for dessert! Yum! I can still taste it. At Christmas we rode the pink pig. We stayed at the Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta for the weekend. We would come home with the latest fashions not just for ourselves, but for our Barbie dolls, as well! And one weekend when the fabulous Rivera Motel opened, we convinced Daddy to stay there. We enjoyed dinner at Aunt Fannie's Cabin and sometimes, steaks at Dale's Cellar. I can purchase Dale's steak marinade at Gelson's Grocery store in California.

One of my best memories are the Beatles. Each of my friends had their favorite. My friend Susan Hodges loved the Beatles more than anyone, and she particularly loved George! he was my favorite too, but my devotion paled in comparison. Our parents took us to see the Beatles at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta. We stayed at the Henry Grady Hotel and they put on "Beatle buses." I still have my ticket stub. We loved the Beatle's concert, but we were seated so high up in the stadium they looked like "beetles!" Still it is a history making that memory I will cherish forever. They opened the evening with "She Loves Me," their first big hit and the crowd went berserk.

I miss the library in our town, where I discovered the world of books, traveling the world as the pages unfolded. I have been blessed to travel to many of those places I read and dreamed about, as an adult. People were surprised that this flirty flighty gal was such a studious bookworm, devouring four books a week. I miss Mrs. Annie Awbrey, the librarian who prepared a reading list for me, and guided and encouraged my love of literature, like she did so many of my classmates. We all have fond memories of her. Even though some of my friends poked fun at this passion of mine, I was unashamed. I read Stuart Little and became worried that my mother who was pregnant might birth a mouse and wondered if I would be able love it if she did?

I miss weekly Girl Scout meetings at the Scout hut under the water tank, where each class scrawled their senior saying in red for the whole town to see. Should I dare mention that it was the girls in our class of 1968; not the guys, who climbed and pained the water tank our senior year. I do not miss the Girl Scout camping trips! My ideal camping is still a weekend at the Ritz Carlton!

The week the fair came to town was the most exciting week of the year! They let school out early so we could go. I never managed to get the balls in the holes to win a stuffed animal, but I won a few junky prizes playing pick up ducks! I loved the rides, except when they stopped us at the top of the ferris wheel. The thing my sister Vickie and I always won was the Halloween Carnival contest for best costume. The first year it was the cat costume with the tails that Mother stuffed, and then the next year we won for our witch costumes. Mother made us wigs of gray yarn. I get every ounce of my creativity from her. What we wanted to win at the Halloween Carnival was the cake walk with yummy cakes, but we never won. Our neighbor, Sudie Bailey, won all the cake walks until she was banned from them. Seriously! We bobbed for apples and had our fortunes told by Rosalyn McMurray, dressed as gypsy, but we always knew it was she in the red bandana and big gold hoops that dangled from her ears!

I miss Mother's chocolate pies and banana pudding with mile high meringue for dessert. I miss our maid, who was like a second mother to me. She would make my bed for me, and tell my mother I did it, where I could go out and play! Her cooking I do not miss . . . Mother was a much better cook. I miss her sons who worked in our yard with Daddy every week. Nice boys who grew into exemplary citizens and wonderful men, who have made a difference in our town. Another thing of my youth that I do not miss is segregation, and I'm glad it is in the past. Its injustices always made me terribly sad as a child. I miss the homecoming parades and the Christmas parades in our town. I miss all the pranks our crowd pulled on upperclassmen! I really miss our sorority trips to Panama City and stolen kisses at the amusement park in the haunted house, out of sight of our chaperones. I love the memories of our Girl Scout trips with Mrs. Hodges and Mrs. Neighbors, especially the trip to Juliette Lowe's home in Savannah. Susan Henry and I set her kitchen on fire as we tried to bake benne seed cookies. We drew slips of paper from the jobs we were supposed to perfom . . . what bad luck that the two of us would draw cook! Never one for the kitchen, I along with Lucy Lane became infamous in our home economics class for years to come. We melted the double boiler in which were heating the hot chocolate! Who knew you were supposed to put water in the bottom? "Every girl should take home economics," our teacher, Mrs. LeSeuer told her classes, long after we had graduated. "It has been proven in this very class," she told her students, "That some girls do not even know how to boil water!" Sad but true!

I recall the joy I felt when I returned home from camp in the summertime. The air conditioning and the Hershey Bar pie mother made for me for my welcome home dinner are such pleasant memories. I miss my room that Daddy painted blue, my favorite color! I miss the view of our yard from my bedroom room and Kathy Kirby, the older girl next door, whom I sometimes talked through the windows on the side of the house.

In our early teens, we exchanged our bikes for riding in cars. I miss circling the Dairy Queen in Mrs. Prestige's white Covair, to see which cute guys were out and about, and eating chili cheeseburgers that we all loved. Naturally Kathryn was our favorite mom. She was drive us to out-of-town games and anywhere we want to go.

I miss the City Pool where I learned to swim and flirt with lifeguards. It took me years but I finally mustered up the courage to jump off the high dive. I miss the Pavilion where my friends and I danced the night away listening to our favorite 60's hits from Sitting on the Dock of the Bay to My Girl to Blue Velvet. I miss the Country Club pool and playing golf with all the cute boys! Thank you Daddy for teaching me how to play! I miss my friend who drove away from the Club and never made it home killed on dead man's curve on Airport Road. I miss the slumber parties where we stayed up almost all night with our hair in humongous pink curlers and gossiped about boys,clothes, and experimented with the latest beauty rituals from Seventeen Magazine.

I still remember the first day of school and trying not to cry when my mother left me there. I remember the day I thought she had forgotten to pick me up and feared I would never see her again Her friend, one of my classmates had volunteered to take me home, but had forgotten to tell me when she became engrossed in a conversation with our teacher. first grader's mother pick me up. I still miss my teachers who taught me valuable lessons from books and about life. I miss my high school sorority and what fun we had and also, who much we learned about various subjects in our programs. I really miss Friday night football, cheering for our team and twirling or cheering at the half-time show. The night I remember most is when I asked my boyfriend to make a touchdown for me before the game. My boyfriend played a position that didn't normally make touchdowns . . . I knew it was just for me when he intercepted the ball and made a touchdown! He not only did this once, but twice! I miss basketball games in the gym, where we were once put on probation for cheering too loudly. The referees had mistaken our enthusiasm for heckling.

I am sad for the unfulfilled dreams . . . like my sandbox, where I never reached China, despite my many hours of digging. I miss daydreams in our treehouse in Sudie Bailey's yard. With Daddy and her dad, Buck's help, we installed a dumb waiter so we wouldn't have to climb up and down the tree for our snacks. It is place I spent hours thinking about life, God and my future. I prayed there, because I felt closer to God . . . it was closer to heaven! And I miss sitting in front of my mother's make-up mirror, experimenting. My reflections gave me hope that I could one day be a pretty and glamourous woman. I miss my first high school love and occasionally wondered what life might have been like if we were still together.

There were sad times too. Losing my grandfather, the first person I loved who died, and then two years later my grandmother, and then my young four year old cousin, a victim of childhood cancer. I can still feel the softness of grandmother's cheek and the fragrance of her rose water and glycerin. I miss my friend, Jimmy Pounds, who was killed on Airport Road. I never got to tell him how sorry I was that I refused to get in the car with him that day . . . would that have changed things? Would it have prevented his death or would I have died in the accident too? Another poignant memory was the day Susan Henry and I put away our Barbie dolls. We had finally decided that we were too old to play with dolls in the 8th grade. It wasn't that we didn't want to continue playing with dolls, it was just a foolish pride we had that it was time to grow up. I'll never forget how much we cried as packed them away for the daughters we would have one day. After we put away our dolls, came boys who broke our heart and even more boys whose hearts we broke.

But the saddest day of my teenage life was when we drove away from our home to move to Atlanta when I was 15 . . I can still recall the pain of my last backward glimpse of home; my friends sitting on the curb in front of my house, sobbing as we drove away from a idyllic life filled with memories.

Years later Mother and Daddy moved back from Atlanta to our town, and I was able to visit and go home again! There is truly no place like home! And Thomas Wolf was wrong . . . you can go home again! When we lost Daddy tragically last year, who was waiting for me in front yard when I arrived . . . old friends, who had come out in the middle of the night to grieve with me.

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Make a Smilebox greeting

TURKEY TRIVIA, THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS AND RECIPES!

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

First Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock by Bunscombe

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities;

Who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit;

Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. ---Psalm 103:1-5

LET'S TALK TURKEY!

TURKEY TRIVIA

Benjamin Franklin argued on behalf of the turkey. He wanted it to be the national bird, instead of the eagle. This same bird saved the Pilgrim's for starvation on the first Thanksgiving. Ben, if I had been there, I would've sided with you! Below is some turkey trivia for you to share with your family on Thanksgiving Day!

Everyone knows that turkey was the Pilgrim's menu at the first Thanksgiving, but did you know that Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's first meal on the moon was what else . . . Turkey!
Sesame Street's Big Bird's costume is made out of 4,000+ white turkey feathers dyed yellow.
American Indians used turkey feathers on their ceremonial clothing and the turkey's spurs on their arrowheads---ouch.
The dance the Turkey Trot, which was the rage at turn of the 20 century, emulated the bobbing head and the short jerky steps a turkey makes.
Wild turkey's spend their nights in trees, roosting upon the branches. They head to bed at sundown.
Yes, wild turkey's fly! They fly at speeds of 55 miles per hour to elude their hunters. And they can run up to 25 miles per hour.
The Guinness Book of Records, records the world largest turkey weighing a whopping 86 pounds . . . the size of a large dog. Talk about turkey leftovers!
A turkey has a great sense of smell, taste, hearing, and eyesight. Their vision is 270 degrees enabling them to see movement up to 100 yards away. This is why turkeys elude their hunters.
What is the most dangerous sport in America? It's not NASCAR racing or even football. Biking accidents sent more people to the hospital, but turkey hunting has more fatalities! Because of a wild turkeys' great eyesight and sense of hearing, hunters must stay very still, quiet, and also camouflage themselves so they are often shot by other hunts.
Do turkey's drown if they look up in the rain? Nope, that's a myth. Turkey's eyes are on opposite sides of greater field of vision . . . they don't look up.
Turkey's have heart attacks. When the Air Force was testing the sound barrier they discovered literally fields of turkey's that had dropped dead of heart attacks.
We're having turkey on Thanksgiving! Are you? 90% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving! And 50% of Americans eat turkey on Christmas Day too. In fact the turkey industry sells over $4 billion of turkey's each year!
Which country consumes the most turkey's per capita!? Israel.
A male turkey is a tom, a female is a hen, and a baby turkeys are called poults.
Male turkey's gobble, hen's make a clicking or clucking sound. When frightened, a turkey sounds like they are saying, "Turk, turk, turk" . . . so this is where their name came from!
In the early 1900's because of over hunting and cutting down trees to make way for farmlands, turkey's became extinct.
Abraham Lincoln was the president who designated the last Thursday in November as the Thanksgiving holiday.
Which president tried to move Lincoln's holiday to the third Thursday of November in order to extend the holiday shopping season? Franklin D. Roosevelt . . . but he was unsuccessful.
Age is a determining taste factor. Old toms are preferable to younger ones, because their meat is stringier. Sorry ladies, but younger hens are preferable to older ones . . . sound familiar? Old birds are tough!

OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPE

OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE PUMPKIN DESSERT

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE SQUARES

Great dessert to complete any meal. Makes a great dessert for holiday parties.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or instant oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
2 large eggs
2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Whipped cream

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

COMBINE flour, oats, brown sugar and butter in small mixer bowl. Beat at low speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until crumbly. Press on bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

BAKE for 15 minutes.

COMBINE granulated sugar, pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs and pumpkin pie spice in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes; pour over crust.

BAKE for 20 minutes. Combine pecans and brown sugar in small bowl. Sprinkle pecan topping over filling. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Top with whipped cream.

Estimated Times: Preparation - 10 minutes; Cooking - 1 hour.

Yields 12 servings.

Submitted by: LIBBY'S® Pumpkin

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons almond extract

1/3 cup marshmallow creme

1 egg, well beaten

1/2 to 1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preparation: Combine sweet potatoes, butter, milk, salt, almond extract and 1/3 cup of the marshmallow creme. Beat in egg. Pile sweet potatoes in a lightly buttered baking dish. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Top with miniature marshmallows and brown under broiler for about 3-4 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

THANKSGIVING HYMN

WE GATHER TOGETHER

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,
Sing praises to his name: He forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, wast at our side, All glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Amen

--Traditional Thanksgiving Hymn

(A translation by Theodore Baker)

Thanksgiving Prayer

For each new morning with light,

For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

May you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving! Invite the guests at your Thanksgiving table to tell what they are most thankful for in 2009!

MAKING AUTUMN MEMORIES

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Memory is a child walking along a seashore. You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things. ~ Pierce Harris

Left - My granddaughter Hailey far right in the red sparkly shoes, enjoying Halloween with her friends.

My mother made every holiday special for us . . . even when she worked, she always managed to make mealtimes pleasant every day of the week. Just a little extra thoughtfulness, and you can do it too! I learned so much from my mother and my grandmothers. But making memories for your families is one of the greatest activities you can do for your family.

Just yesterday my best childhood friend and I were reminiscing over all the fun we had on Halloween! Remember the old fashioned cake walks at the Halloween Carnival . . . the music would play, and when it stopped everyone scrambled for a seat! You were eliminated if you didn't have a seat when the music stopped. Finally the last round only two people were left standing vying for a cake. And then, do you recall apple bobbing?

And the costumes you wore each year! Yes, I still remember mine, because my mother made our costumes. Whether my sister and I were dressed like a cat (The CATS Broadway designers could not compare with my mother's cats!) we won the Halloween Carnival "best costume award" every year! It's not so much the time, but the creativity!

So how does today mom with all her activities, career, and responsibilities make holidays special for her children? Impossible you say? Look below at these simple ideas to do with your children. Remember the memories of the "little things," you do with your children, will last forever! I am so blessed to have a grandchild, so the tradition continues. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could give your child special traditions to pass down for generations to come!

WITCHES HATS

from Betty Crocker

32 Hershey's(r) kisses, unwrapped (Great job for the little kids to unwrap the candy!)

1 package (11-1/2 ounces) fudge-striped shortbread cookies (32 cookies)

1. Turn cookies over and attach the candy kiss to the bottom of the cookie, usin

g decorating icing.

2. Pipe decorating icing around the base of milk chocolate candy.

Voila!

HALLOWEEN PIZZA

Call Domino's for a pizza or bake a frozen pizza. Buy yellow or orange peppers, and slice them lengthwise! They are the exact shape of a pumpkin. Arrange them atop the pizza and slice a green pepper for its stem. Ask your kids to decorate the "pumpkin" faces with black olives, green olives, cherry tomatoes, red and green peppers and grated cheese. Adorable!

PUMPKIN PIZZA DESSERT - No worry! I'm not suggesting that you add pumpkin to your pepperoni pizza!

1 can pumpkin pie mix

1 3-ounce package of cream cheese

Tube of decorating icing

Whipped cream in a can

Pizza crust

Prepare pizza crust Soften cream cheese and cover pizza with a layer of cream cheese and then cover with a layer of pumpkin pie mix. Give the kids a tube of chocolate decorating icing and let them make lines that will look like a spider web. Decorate by circling pizza with a border of whipped cream. Yummy and fun!

HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES

Buy plain chocolate cupcakes and have your children decorate them with candy corn or using the tube of icing create spider webs atop the cupcakes! You can add licorice spiders or make them with the icing.

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About Concordance™

SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO 30!

2009-10-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday I was turning 30, but something happened along the way . . . I woke up one morning, and I was almost twice that age. Where did the years ago? And where did my body go? I was one of those skinny girls, which was not as fashionable back in the day as now.... then, curves were in! I could never gain weight no matter how much I ate. Now I can never lose weight . . . no matter how little I eat. Ironic isn't it? Age has a way of doing that to you.

Turning 30 never bothered me; neither did 40, nor did 50. I'll not deny that I'm old . . . I have my little granddaughter, Hailey, around to remind me and to tell everyone else. When she recently commented that I was a little bit fat, her mom scolded her, but she lovingly replied, "It's okay, Mommy, because GaGa's really, really old!" Kids are brutally honest, aren't they! I'm also reminded of the time my little godson sat in my lap, and exclaimed, "Wow! Aunt Susan's got two stomachs!"

And then there was the time when Hailey and I took a plane trip together, and she dropped a bottle of chocolate milk, just as we were settling in our seats. I quickly dove down to retrieve it before it spilled everywhere. WIth my head down and rear up in the air, Hailey, in a loud voice, issued an alert to the passengers, who were still boarding the plane: "What out everybody or Gaga's big bumper's gonna get you!" You should have heard the chuckles, and seen the smiles that were directed at me. When we finally reached our destination, everyone who passed me gave me a sympathetic pat on the back! And then another plane trip that we almost missed since we were stuck in Mardi Gras traffic, was the even more embarrassing! Because her dad was an athlete, everyone in security already knew Hailey, and they rushed her on through. When I finally got through security, I told her to run to the gate, and she didn't have to wait on GaGa, to tell them I was right behind her. When we got on the plane, everyone applauded. Hailey said, "Thank you for holding this plane . . . my GaGa is so old that she can't run very fast!" Everyone burst into laughter, and then . . . more sympathetic looks!

But the comment that topped them all? On a recent trip to Washington, we were rushing from a causal event to a black tie party. Normally, I am modest in front of our granddaughter, but we were in a bit hurry, so I quickly changed my clothes in front of her. "GaGa!" Hailey gasped in horror. "How did your boobs get down there . . . Mommy's are up here," she noted, pointing just under her chin! My husband Ken and I fell on the floor and dissolved into laughter. There's just nothing like an innocent child to tell you the truth! Of course, she's so innocent that she has no clue that she is insulting me, so I find great humor in her little comments . . . obviously or I wouldn't be writing about them in a blog!

I have friends who would have taken to their beds for a week had they been the recipients of these comments! But truthfully, Hailey showers me with so many compliments that they far outweigh her other observations and comments. When I visited her class, she told her classmates. "Just touch her hair . . . it's so soft. GaGa doesn't have grandmother hair!" And then she told me she loved to sleep with me, because I was so soft . . . so much for the hard body I once had! Ha! And I love it when she tells me, "GaGa, Mommy's plain, but you and I are fancy!"

There is just nothing like an innocent child to tell you the brutal truth. Grandchildren are definitely God's compensation for growing old! Ken and I rarely stop laughing when Hailey is around.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON!

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The beat goes on, the beat goes on

Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain

La de da de de, la de da de da

---Sonny and Cher

The lives of our family drastically changed a year ago when our 91-year-old father died in October. After a 65 year marriage, my mother was understandably inconsolable. Trying to salvage our first Christmas without Daddy, our family met at my daughter's home in Scottsdale for the holidays. We had hoped that getting Mother away from her home would make her first Christmas without Daddy more bearable. We kept her busy and it helped some, but the overwhelming sorrow remained.

When Mother returned to her home in Alabama, she mentioned that her right leg had began swell, and because of the long plane trip, we immediately suspected that she may have developed a blood clot. Unfortunately for Mother, her doctor was out of town for the New Year holiday, so on the afternoon of December 31st when the swelling grew worse, my sister-in-law took Mother to a nearby hospital; not the hospital in her hometown, but a dozen miles away, because she had heard of an amazing Pakistani doctor there. This was truly fate!

Upon my mother's initial exam, the doctor also expected to find a blood clot, but after numerous tests, he solemnly informed us that he had found a large mass on my mother's ovary instead. He that the mass appeared to him to be ovarian cancer and the swollen leg was likely caused by ascites, which meant the cancer was likely in the the late stages. The doctor told us to immediately find a gynecology oncologist. We were devastated.

Thus our journey began to save our mother. It began with prayer and prayer requests. And throughout the journey we have prayed without ceasing. Since Daddy had died, my mother felt it was her time to go and she announced that she did not want to fight the cancer. Having lost our father tragically, we persuaded Mother that we children, the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren could not cope with losing her too.

Finally, she gave permission for my brother to set up an appointment with a surgeon for a biopsy followed by surgery hospital at this hospital, while my sister and I researched the best possible treatment options. I found a impressive group, South East Gynecology Oncologists (SEGO) in Atlanta. I read where a doctor in the group had an ovarian cancer research lab at Georgia Tech, funded by one of the Home Depot founders. But because our family has a history with Emory University, my sister wanted to get Mother admitted there, but the head of ovarian cancer was retiring and was not taking on new patients, and his replacement was not arriving for another month and a half. The search continued. My sister called a friend, who worked at a hospital in Atlanta and she also recommended the group I had discovered, but they had no immediate openings. And then fate intervened, the day before the biopsy, SEGO had a cancelation, and said they could see Mother the following day!

We canceled the biopsy, and on January 9th, Mother had her first appointment with a doctor at SEGO, who is a great part of our miracle!

At the first visit, the oncologist gave Mother some hope, explaining the many advances in ovarian cancer treatment. He agreed with the Pakistani doctor that because of the ascites that she was likely in Stage 3(c). Also, he determined that she was in no condition for surgery, or she would likely end up in ICU. He ordered a C.A.T. scan and then removal of the fluid from her abdomen. The fluid was tested and it was determined that Mother's CA 125 was 379; normal is 1-35. Next he ordered 9 chemo treatments.

By February during Mother's monthly exam, the tumor could not be felt at all. Had prayer and the few chemo treatments dissolved it? We would not know until surgery. After Mother completed the 9 chemo treatments, she was at last scheduled for surgery. The oncologist had hoped to do robotic surgery, but because he wanted to do exploratory surgery so he could investigate if the cancer has spread to other sites. Because of the ascites he suspected that it had spread to the omentum but it had not. Mother's tumor was confined to one ovary, so instead of STAGE 3(c) or worse, the oncologist staged Mother's cancer at Stage 1(a)! We were overjoyed!

After Mother's surgery, her CA-125 had dropped to 88. The oncologist then ordered 9 more chemo treatments. For the first time Mother had problems with her platelets, so chemo was delayed a couple of times. By the end of the second 9 chemo treatments, the results of the C.A.T. scan were clean, and the CA 125 was normal at 27. Hallelujah!

The first of September, after 9 long months away from home, we packed up the car to take Mother back home and headed for the doctor's appointment for what we thought would be her last regular appointment, and that we would only return once a month for check-ups for a while. We were praising God!

You can imagine our shock and disappointment when we heard the doctor wanted Mother to undergo 9 more chemo treatments. He explained that she had responded so well to the chemo that he wanted her to continue, but at a lower dosage, for at least 6 more, and then, he would reevaluate. The oncologist explained that he wanted to make sure that Mother's cancer would not reoccur in her lifetime. Mother has the advantage of having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 81, and she has since turned 82. The doctor said based upon Mother's excellent health for a woman her age she could live to be 95! We were shocked and disappointed he wanted her to continue the treatments, but we had committed to follow doctor's orders, so we readjusted our attitude, especially since he predicted that her cancer would not likely reoccur in her lifetime.

Next week, Mother will complete her 6th treatment, (She couldn't have chemo last week because of a low platelet count, but she has had an injection to elevate the count so she can have it next week.

And then, Mother will begin a new round of chemo. The oncologist changed her chemo protocol to different drugs, and instead of every week, Mother will have chemo every other week. We aren't sure how long these treatments of every other week will last, but we will find out more at her doctor's appointment in mid-November. Mother is hoping to be home by Thanksgiving!

If the oncologist continues to order her chemo for every other week, we are hoping that she can have the treatments at the Emory Hospital in LaGrange, Georgia, only twenty miles from home, so she can return to living home. Mother will continue to see her wonderful oncologist once per month for a while and then he will reduce her visits to every 3 months.

God has guided Mother's treatment every step of the way. He, along with the help of the doctors, nurses and prayer has healed her. Mother is cancer free, and we believe and pray that she will remain so! The oncologist also added that the love we had surrounded her with has been so healing for her. It's one day at a time.

For now, the beat goes on . . . .

A LICK AND A PROMISE

2009-08-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

John 15:4-5: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing’.

How does one tap into the power of God? To realize the full value of this union we have with our Creator, we must ‘abide’ in Him . . . meaning to dwell or remain; so that we are always in a conscious union with Jesus. He not only becomes a part of us, but when you abide in Him, you can feel his presence in your life. Personally, I talk to God like I talk to my husband. I ask Him for wisdom and guidance, and in all sorts of supernatural ways, he provides it. Then there are times of silence . . . there can be many things occur in your life that cause you to ask, "Where are you, Lord?"

When my father died so tragically last October. I was on my way to visit him. After our 2,000 mile journey, we were only 20 miles from my parent's home when he died. Why couldn't I have gotten there sooner? I had an uneasy feeling but circumstances prevented me from getting there in time. Why? I have asked God this question 100 times! Yet in spite of the tragedy, our family has experienced the presence of God like never before during our time of grief. Through this I have understood the supernatural power of abiding in Him and Him in me, like never before. Knowing he was there . . . in every detail has brought us great peace. He has certainly been in the details of my mother's illness, from the diagnosis to getting her to the right doctors to her remission.

But lately I have been very, very busy . . . trying to wrap up my real estate business before I returned to Atlanta to take care of Mother. My niece and I have flexible schedules and have been taking turns. Hey, something's gotta give . . . it was my prayer life that was giving. But I knew that God understood.

Over the past few weeks I have hit some bumps in my life . . . just little things, but distressing things. Why? I realize now it was because I was not tapping into this holy union . . . to his power. I have been so busy that I have felt overwhelmed. Oh, I didn't stop praying altogether, but I have been too busy to really concentrate on my prayers. They were became perfunctory, not earnest. In the last few weeks, I complained that God seemed far away . . . distant. But guess who moved? Not him!

And things happened when my intimate conversations with him were cut off. An example is my granddaughter's school tuition. Each year I pay for it because it is more important to me than it is to her parents that my granddaughter attend a Christian school. Since California real estate has slowed down this year, my available funds for her tuition were extremely low, so at the first of the year, I asked my nephew to suggest a stock that might provide the money by August.

Sure enough the stock he suggested soared, even in this dismal market. My $1,000 investment grew and by the first of August, I had enough money to pay the tuition. The very morning that I was taking the stock out to pay the tuition, I was stunned to discover that the stock had dropped drastically the last 24 hours, due to a loan not being funded for the company. By the next day 50% of the company's work force had been laid off. I couldn't believe it . . . . I just missed the money for the tuition by a day. Why Lord? Why couldn't have you prompted me to take it out earlier? Maybe I wasn't listening?

Then the next few days brought disappointment in other little ways. Nothing as drastic as the tuition loss, but I lost little things, had a car problem, missed a deadline, things didn't work, a minor error on my taxes resulted in my paying a penalty . . . just little irritations that suddenly became insurmountable.

Yesterday was the worse! A friend of mine had lost some very expensive diamond earrings in her condo, her second home in California, that I was selling for her . . . we're talking $25,000 earrings, here. Anyway, I found them when the movers were there. She asked me to hang onto them until she completed another move on the East Coast, so I put them away in safe place, and I was still holding onto the earrings when I finally spoke to her a couple of weeks ago. She gave me her new address and asked me to mail them to her.

Since I was leaving to care for Mother, I was trying to get everything done before I left, so I found a box for the jewelry and dropped it in my purse to take to FED-X. As I was going out the door, I realized that I forgotten the earrings. I ran back inside and grabbed them in my hand to take them to post office. I had planned to put them in the box when I got in the car, but outside my door my phone rang . . . always a major distraction for me, because for a real estate agent, the telephone is my lifeline. My conversation continued as I got inside the car. I put my call on the speaker in the car and drove away, still talking.

A few feet down the road, I suddenly remembered . . . the earrings!!! Where were they? Not in my hand! I slammed on the brakes and stopped the car. I looked everywhere inside the car. Still no earrings. I turned the car around and went back home, and checked all around the place where the car was parked in front of my house . . . the earrings were nowhere to be found. Although I was late for my appointment, I took the steps up to home, and there in the middle of one step was an earring . . . but only one! I looked everywhere for the other earring . . . all around the sidewalk, the steps, in the grass, and the ivy. The second earring simply wasn't there. I had to leave for my appointment with only one earring in the box. Keep in mind there was no way, I could afford to replace the earring that I had lost. I didn't even have enough money for the school tuition, which was due in a few days.

I completed my appointment and later met friends for dinner. The evening was not enjoyable for me because I was distracted and worried about the earring. Sarah, my dear friend offered to come home with me to search for it, but i knew she needed to get back home to her little daughter. When I arrived home, I searched for the earring until 2:00 a.m. with no success.

Before I went to sleep, I begged to God to help me find the earring. I set the alarm for early the next morning. First, I looked around the house, retracing my steps, looking under the bed, furniture, and in the trash cans. Maybe, I had dropped them in the house? When I didn't find the earring, I went outside, begging God to guide me. And guess what! I found the earring! It was as though I had a radar in me . . . I went right to the earring. And believe me it was not easy to find, but it was for me. I found it at the bottom of the steps, at least two feet from the steps on a hillside, covered in ivy hidden in the dirt at least a foot down in the ivy. I literally found it in less than 20 seconds! Talk about praising God!

I came back in the house thanking him. And then I checked my stocks and guess what? No, not enough to pay the tuition, but it had recovered enough to pay for the first semester! And I am confident that God will provide the rest of the money by the time January arrives!

Without him, I realize I am truly nothing. Just like the branch when chopped off from vine, I cannot bear fruit if I'm not abiding in him. Just like the baby who cannot live outside her mother's womb. The message to me is . . . SLOW DOWN, SUSAN!

I am convinced that the greatest detriment to our union with him is busyness! I had been really busy wrapping up my real estate business since I was leaving for the East Coast, so I hadn't taken the time to focus on my prayer life or really listen to him. I can remember as a small child washing my face, my mother would order me to give it more than a "lick and a promise." That pretty much sums up my prayer life of late . . . a lick and a promise.

And to think that I asked "Why?" DUH! If we do not take the time to plug into the outlet if how can we expect to have the power? So my prayer is "help me slow down, Lord . . . help this hopeless queen of multi-tasking slow way down!" The meaning of the Scripture, "Seek you first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added until you," resonates within my soul today. First things first! And the first thing in my life . . . God! Amen!

Remembering Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

Recently, my cousin Jane Dickson from Alabama visited me, and we hit all the Hollywood hotspots, including the movie star homes. Our guide was brimming with the news that reporters had gathered in front of Michael Jackson's home in Holmby Hills. It was rumored that Michael was due to arrive at his home at any moment now! A large group of fans and reporters had clustered outside his home to get a tiny glimpse of the legendary and eccentric pop star as he emerged from his car to walk into his home.

But on the morning of his funeral, it is not the Michael Jackson sighting that I recall, but I think of my friend, Terri McFadden. God had blessed Terri with a talent for songwriting, but like any dream in the arts, earning money from your craft can be a challenge. But for Terri it didn't matter because she had a wealthy husband, who afforded her a great lifestyle. When her husband dropped dead unexpectedly, Terri found herself in a midst of a raging financial storm. While the bills piled up in front of her home, Terri did what many women do . . . . besotted with grief and hopelessness, she "took to her bed," as we say in the South! Terri had recently become a Christian, so she kept calling out to God. Yet he seemed far, faraway.

Finally a friend came to Terri's rescue. She filled a laundry basket with the mail, and brought it inside. One by one she opened the bills, as she sat with Terri and they devised a plan for grieving widow to dig out of the mess. What a great friend! May God bless us all with such a friend!

"But His plans are not our plans," the Scripture tells us. Unbeknownst to Terri as she griefed in her bed for weeks, God had heard her cries, and He had answered her prayers. In the laundry basket was an envelope . . . . with a six figure check in it just waiting to be opened! Terri, an aspiring Motown songwriter, had sold the lyrics to a song for the Jackson 5! Terri has won two Grammy's, and when she co-wrote the theme song for the movie, Men In Black, she used the money to get her Masters in Theology at Fuller Seminary. Today, she is a renowned Bible teacher in the Los Angeles area, and speaks nationally, encouraging women everywhere.

Is there an envelope in your life waiting to be opened? Sometimes to the answer to our prayer is right under our nose, yet we are too overwrought with worry to have the eyes to see it or take the action to open it. Look around! For one thing I am sure of is that we can trust our Heavenly Father to provide our needs in such miraculous ways!

THE GIFTS OF CANCER

2009-06-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

THE GIFTS OF CANCER

Today is Monday, and I have finally let go of my worries. My mother and my granddaughter's worlds are still turning without me! Miracles never cease! It feels good to realize that I am indeed dispensable. I speak with Mother every day. She says is feeling so well and strong and that she's sailing through chemo this time, which she attributes to her new protein supplements, AS10 drink, and Kifer a liquid yogurt. Mother feels this round is much easier and the affects are lessened. It seems it would be the opposite, but I am eternally grateful for this, whatever the reason. Perhaps it is because her body so filled with fluids and the tumor that was so large has now disappeared. Or maybe it is because she's been there, done that and much of the fear and apprehension has vanished? As I was preparing to buy my airline ticket to return to Atlanta again to relieve my niece, who took over for me last week, I called my sister so she could suggest the best date for my arrival. She prefers to wait until until Mother sees the oncologist on July 8th, because she has an inkling he may stop the chemo at six treatments, which would change everything. Initially, the oncologist went back and forth on his decision on whether to order 6 or 9 rounds of chemo. We want to be safe and not sorry, but if it is his opinion to stop at six, we will celebrate! This means Mother can return home and begin her life again with a monthly trip to Atlanta for checkups. With mother's return home, another concern has surfaced. Diagnosed only two months after losing tragically losing my father, mother's grief was interrupted by the cancer. She was suffering so much over his loss that the cancer in many ways was a blessing! It changed her focus on her grief to staying alive. Following my father's death, I stayed with Mother for a month, and then we met in Scottsdale at my daughter's home for the holidays. In January she moved to Atlanta and has lived there for the past six months, except for a few 2-3 day visits home and three weeks to recover from surgery. Mother has had tons of company during those visits, so she has not really had time to experience the reality of living at home without daddy. Honestly, the cancer was a great distraction for her grief, but now she must face that she is alone after being married for 63-1/2 years. This may be her greatest challenge. Yet she will be so happy to be at home, and as she has said many times, so grateful for the simple of things of life that she took for granted, which is another gift of cancer. So this morning I am reflecting on the gifts that God has brought into our lives through the cancer. Yes, it is possible my friends!1) Distraction for Mother from her overwhelming grief over the loss of my father. No longer was she was able to dwell on his death, because she had to fight for her life. 2) Mother gained an a new appreciation for the simple things of life from driving her car, attending church to working in the yard. 3) Drew our family closer together as we rallied around our mother to provide support and assistance in her battle against cancer. Never before have I realized how important family is, especially in times of illness. When I poured my heart out to my family physician who is also my friend, she smiled, and said, "Susan, your mother is so blessed. Do you realize how many times I have to tell a patient they have cancer, and I ask if there is there is anyone I can call, and their family members are so self absorbed in their own lives, they do not even return my phone call?" This comment was chilling to me.I want to work harder to strengthen my relationships with my family members, even though we do not always agree on things, it is still important to work through the trivialities, because without family you are so alone! 4) Gained a new appreciation and a fresh perspective on our good health. We have never had cancer or any serious illnesses in our family, so we have take health for granted. All our relatives lived long lives and died in their 80's or 90's. We never really realized what others who had problems with illnesses went through. 5) 5) Growing up at last! Even in my 50's I have still played the role of the daughter. When I visited my parents they would insist of taking care of me in every way. I was still the little girl. Now the roles have reversed and I am taking care of my mother. This has been difficult for her to accept, and we have had a battle of the elbows in the kitchen and throughout the house. She never wanted us to help her, but now she has no choice. Although I must admit she still tries desperately! 6) United our church, our hometown and our friends in prayer. My father died so tragically that our entire town rallied around my mother, especially after she became ill. It sort of pulled them together as a community as they prayed for my mother and others. The church now has an email prayer list where you can send in your concerns. They are praying for everyone in the county! The prayers they have prayed for my mother and others is bringing about so many miracles! It is exciting. 7) The grace for dying. Through the cancer, not knowing how things would turn out, my mother has been blessed with an abundance of grace for dying. Our family has been able to discuss death as a normal part of life. Most people fear death but Mother accepts it stoically, and has passed this onto her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When I took my granddaughter with me to care for her this past trip, Mother told my granddaughter "Please do not be be sad when Mimi dies." She explained to her that Mimi had lived a long and happy life and she was ready to go to heaven! Hailey looked at me and said, "You remember that Gaga, when Mimi dies and don't cry so much like you did when Papa (my father) died." So precious! 8) Experiencing the power of prayer. We have seen so many answers to prayer throughout my mother's cancer journey, and have seen God in all the details each step of the way. It has been exciting and has strengthened our faith. 9) New friends! How precious are Mother's fellow sufferers! We have been so blessed by the women in the chemo lab and in the different groups and organizations. They have lent such support as well as vital answer to questions that have given us peace and relief plus the much needed knowledge. This is a very special community that has truly touched our lives. 10) A better understanding of cancer. Cancer was a thought or word I had taken great strides to avoid throughout my life. But now I know that it is not necessarily a death sentence. There are great things happening in cancer treatments and in the research. 11) Learning the importance of checkups and healthcare. Being face-to-face with cancer has motivated my family members and me to get check-ups, tests and other exams that I used to procrastinate setting up. Knowing the importance of finding the disease early has turned me into an advocate of timely and thorough medical care. I have been poked, prodded, and stuck dozens of times in 2009! 12) The importance of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. With such good genes and family history of excellent health, I was never attentive to my diet and exercise as I am now. Now I am wisely choosing my foods, and making sure I get the proper exercise. 13) I am reevaluating my life. When you have a family who is facing a serious illness, you immediately considering how precious life is and you consider your own mortality. Suddenly, I am conscious that I am older, and I only have so many years left, so I want to make those years count. I want to get closer to meeting my goals. 14) Strengthened our faith in our God. God has been in every detail of my mother's cancer. He has ordered our steps, and miraculously opened and shut doors to point us in the right direction for her treatment. But the greatest gift of God has been the peace . . . the peace that passes all understanding that he given us, especially my mother. After a devastating few days and sleepless nights, we suddenly felt enfolded by his loving arms, and just rested in the peace that he had everything in his hands. No one wants cancer to afflict there family, but when it does, look for the gifts of it, and unwrap the presents you are given throughout the journey. XOX

LOVE HEALS A MULTITUDE OF ILLS

2009-03-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up in my bed in California with my husband for the first time in a month. For the past month I have been in Atlanta, caring for my 81-year-old mother, who is undergoing chemo for ovarian cancer. Although this was a devastating time in our lives, especially since we just lost my father tragically less than three months before, we found that love had an amazing healing effect for all of us. "All" included my mother, my sister, my nephew, and my niece and her two toddlers. Mother's care is truly a joint effort. Mother had to leave her home in Alabama and move in with my sister in Atlanta for the best treatment possible.

My niece took the month of January and I arrived in Atlanta mid February. My duties included cooking three meals a day, shopped for groceries, ran errands, drove my mother to her chemo, her blood tests, her doctor appointments, and her visits to the hospital for her injections. My nephew pitched in whenever he could. Mother thrived! We were a family! Each night I prepared dinner for my mother, and my sister and nephew, when they arrived home from work. By the third chemo treatment, the physician assistant who examined mother, was surprised she could no longer find the grapefruit size tumor on her ovary! She warned us not to celebrate until the doctor examined Mother the following month.

Last week they concurred that the tumor had shrunk . . . it was gone! What a miracle! As the wonderful Gaither hymn, Because He Lives, says, "I know who holds my future!" Mother's chemo was completed in half the time the doctor predicted prior to surgery. Another miracle! Thanks to a great God and prayers from friends, family, and loyal churches throughout the country, this cut her chemo in half. After surgery we are facing only six more chemo treatments, and then Mother will be cancer free to live out the days of her life at home with her friends and family. She is ready to go to heaven now, but how blessed her children and her grandchildren are to have her here upon this earth.

Now I am home for a month, and then I return for Mother's surgery in April. What a privilege to care for my mother, who has cared for me my entire life, with such love! Love does heal a multitude of ills. Jesus said, "Faith, hope, and love . . . .the greatest of these are love!"

Have a blessed day!

Susan Wales