And the point of this is...

April 30, 2012

I used this sign as inspiration a couple of days ago.  This morning as I drove by it, it didn't look quite the same as it did on that day.  Vandalism is something I simply do not understand.  It shows a complete lack of regard for other people and their property, and is such a senseless thing.  How, exactly, is it fun to destroy something? I wonder if this was an act of disagreeing with the sentiment, being angry at the business to whom this sign belongs, being angry at someone else and taking it out on this sign, or someone just out having "fun".  Whatever brought this about, it makes no sense to me.

Love, Second Time Around

April 29, 2012

Today was a special day, as Frankie and Paul celebrated the beginning of their new life together.  Each of them had gone through a period of sorrow and loneliness until, out of the blue, they found each other.   Today's celebration was a blending of two families and friends and there was plenty of hugging, kissing, and laughter, mixed with happy tears and an abundance of food and drink.  Frankie said, "I'm so happy I don't know what to do!".  Enjoy, my friend, enjoy.

Firsts and Lasts

April 28, 2012

This is my beautiful niece, Natalie.  Natalie is the baby of our family, and this is her Senior year of high school.  It's been her year of "lasts", and tonight is her Senior Prom.  It's so easy to still see her as the littlest one:  the one the others sent to ask for snacks because they thought she had a better chance of a "yes" response, the one who decided at about age 3 what her "style" was and what she would and would not wear, the one who carried snacks in her play purse just in case she needed them.  Natalie is our artsy creative one with an eye for beauty and design, and, like the other two, an excellent student.  She will be a Gator beginning this summer.
In the summer of 1989, my sister, Diana, and I began our adventure of firsts and lasts when I became pregnant with Catherine.  Two years later Diana was pregnant with Robert, and two years later Natalie made her appearance.  First teeth, steps, words, days of preschool, kindergarten, loves and heartbreaks, music lessons, sports, school dances, Honor Society, college applications and acceptance letters.   Two years apart we've seen three different first days of Middle School, three first days of High School, and, soon, the third first day of College.  And, the lasts...the last soccer game, the last band/chorus performance, the last Prom, and the last graduation.  It feels sad, until the realization sets in that it's the start of a whole new set of firsts...college graduations, jobs, houses, weddings, grandchildren, and so much more.
So, here's to firsts and lasts.  And beautiful sons, daughters, nieces,and nephews.

Interested?

April 27, 2012

Love.  We all want it, and most of us want to give it.  But, we also have a tendency to take it for granted and begin to neglect it.  Love takes work and attention in order to thrive.  In order for a relationship to survive, the love that was there in the beginning needs to be nurtured and fed.  How many of us, after a period of time in a relationship, stop doing the little things that made it special in the beginning?  We begin to believe that the love will always be there and we stop paying attention to the details...the listening, the positive comments, the expressions of appreciation and gratitude, the flowers or cards for no reason other than "because", and all those other things that happen in the beginning of a relationship and then begin to fade away.
Express your love - verbally and non-verbally - as often as you can, and keep that love alive.

A Fresh Start

April 26, 2012

As Eddie Rabbit sang, "I Love A Rainy Night". I also love a rainy day. It's a comforting sound to be safe and sound inside my house and listen to the rain fall.  I especially like waking up in the night or early in the morning and hearing the rumble of thunder, the rush of wind, and the splatter of raindrops while I'm snuggled under the covers.  And, then there comes the fresh beauty of the world when the sun breaks through the clouds and shines on the rain-soaked flowers, trees, and grass.  The raindrops sparkle and shine as if to say, "Hello, there, Sun, it's a brand new day!".

Mine, Mine, Mine...

April 25, 2012

Whenever I am at the beach I find myself watching the seagulls and taking an abundance of pictures of them.  On our most recent evening at the beach, the seagulls were particularly plentiful and quite vocal.   They were raucous and seemed almost frantic.  My take on it is that it was mating time.  They appeared to be chasing each other and doing quite a bit of standing in groups and crying out.

Light

April 24, 2012

This picture shows a beautiful contrast of light and shadow.  As I take pictures, I find that I look for interesting light patterns, shadows, contrast, reflections, and silhouettes. Those add so much interest to a picture.  Many of my pictures are taken in the same place, but no two look exactly alike because of the differences in the light and shadow.  Quite a few years ago Catherine and I spent two days at the Grand Canyon.  While there we took advantage of two tours - one at sunrise and one at sunset.  I was fascinated at how I could look at the same section of the Grand Canyon for 15 minutes and see what appeared to be many different places, all because of the way the light shined on it.
Another favorite is sunrise at the beach.  It's eerie in the dark.  Then the first few rays of light appear, full of hope and promise for the day.  Then more and more light shines until there is full sunlight.  It's beautiful and different each time.  A true gift.

Look Out For That...TREE

April 23, 2012

This looks like an adventure waiting to happen!   Or, in some cases, an accident waiting to happen.  A tree with a homemade ladder, and a rope hanging from the other side looks like a childhood dream.  A place to climb and swing away.  A spot to sit and think or dream or read.

Just Sittin' and Rockin'

April 22, 2012

One of my dreams for the future is to have a house with a big porch on which I can have several comfortable rocking chairs.  There's nothing quite so pleasant as sitting in a rocking chair with a cup of coffee or tea and a book early in the morning.  Or, an evening spent with friends enjoying a glass of wine while we sit and rock and share our lives.  Someday...

My Little Songbird

April 21, 2012

Tonight was Catherine's Senior Voice Recital for her degree in Music.  It.  Was.  Amazing.  I've been listening to Catherine sing since before she had words, as she made singing sounds as a baby.  She made up songs as she played and made up words to tunes she had only heard once.  As we drove down the road running errands or taking trips, Catherine would sing about the things she saw along the way.  In Elementary school she wrote an abundance of songs and performed them for me.  In Middle School she continued writing songs and performing them.  Two of those performances were particularly memorable.  The first was when she and a friend performed one of her songs at the school talent show.  The second was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.  Catherine wrote a song after September 11.  On the year anniversary of 9/11, Catherine and her friend sang this song A Cappella in the gym in front of the entire student body, faculty, staff, and guests.  The poise she displayed humbled me.  There were numerous performances throughout high school and college, all of which I sat through with a goofy grin on my face.
I was so proud of Catherine tonight.  I laughed.  I cried.  I did the goofy Mom grin.  And she sang.  And sang.  And sang some more.  My hope for her is that she'll always have a song in her heart and on her lips.

Rest Stop

April 20, 2012

Over the past four years we have made many trips from Bradenton  to Sewanee.  We've learned that if we leave right after work, we can usually get about halfway before we have to stop for the night (if we leave early in the morning we can go the whole way).  Halfway is Tifton, GA and we have often stopped at the Hampton Inn there.  However, that one very popular so we've also become frequent flyers at the Hampton in Adel and, occasionally, have gone as far as Cordele.  Always the Hampton Inn, though.  They're friendly, the rooms are always big, they have the most comfortable beds, and the free breakfast is great!  Yeah, I sound like a commercial, but personal recommendation is the best!

Growing up Fast

April 19, 2012

In just a few short weeks, the tiny little fuzzy chicks have become children well on their way to teenagers and then adults.  As I was watching them this morning, I wondered if the parents have the same feelings human parents do (in a much shorter time span).  Feelings of love, fear of bad things happening to our "chicks", indulgence as they do the crazy things they have to do in order to learn what is and isn't acceptable, pride in their accomplishments, joy in their cuddles, a mixture of gladness and sadness as they leave the nest, and all the other feelings we know so well.

Are We Done Yet?

April 18, 2012

When you get to the STOP sign, you have come to end of this session.  Finally, we got to the last STOP sign this afternoon and we are done with FCAT.  Well, 7th grade is done - 6th and 8th have a little more to complete.  So, tomorrow we'll take a little break and do something that is educational but not strenuous.  Then, we'll get back to the business of learning Math.  Sadly, at least five of my students will say to me, "Why do we have to do this?  FCAT is over!".  We seem to be to the point in school where students think that the only reason they learn things is for FCAT and not because the LEARNING is actually important.  But, I will keep on teaching and pulling them along in the hopes that someday at least a few of them will look back and realize that they learned math that they are using in their adult lives.

I Wonder

April  17, 2012

When I was in 5th grade I decided that I wanted to become a teacher.  From then on, that was my goal, and only one person that I can recall tried to talk me out of it.  Mr. Pete Smith, my high school Biology teacher did his best to convince me that I didn't really want to be a teacher and that there was something else out there I could do instead.  He gave me many compelling reasons, but when I finally asked him in exasperation, "If you're so against anyone becoming a teacher, why are YOU one?".  His reply was, "Because I love it."  His advice to me went unheeded and I continued my quest to become a teacher, never considering that there might be something else I would enjoy doing for a living.
Don't get me wrong - I love teaching.  There's just something amazing about watching a a child/young teenager learn something new, especially when s/he struggles and struggles and then, suddenly, that lightbulb of awareness comes on and his/her face lights up and there is that declaration of "OH, I GET IT!", accompanied by a huge smile.  But, still, I wonder what I would have done if I had not chosen to become a teacher.
I truly don't know what other field I might have pursued.  At the time I was in high school and college, I didn't think I had any other marketable skills.  But, I knew I could help people by being a teacher.  I have a lot of interests - scrapbooking (a business, yes, but not one I've been able to turn into a career), photography, writing, baking, traveling, and others - but none of them are things I feel I could do full time.
And, so, I continue to teach and to try to make a difference in my little corner of the education world.

FCAT

April 16, 2012

Today was the first day of the 2012 FCAT.  I have a variety of feelings about it.  I am not against standardized testing.  In fact, overall, I think it's a good idea to test students on a yearly basis to see how they are doing academically.  The first year I taught in Florida was the year of the pilot test for the FCAT. The idea of the math portion of this test was, in my opinion, a good one.  It consisted of three types of questions:  multiple choice, gridded response, and extended response.  I was particularly pleased to see the extended response questions as these questions required students to show work and explain how they arrived at their answers - a practice I was already using with my students.  The test was rough around the edges and needed quite a bit of improvement, but it was a great concept.
Over the past 15 years, the test has morphed into the monster it is now.  The extended response questions have been eliminated due to the time and cost of grading them.  The other questions are now so involved and convoluted that it has become more of a reading test than a math test.  The security surrounding the giving of the test now makes me feel anxious and as if I'm doing something wrong when I know I am not.  Students who have been in this country for less than a year and speak very little English are required to take the test IN ENGLISH.  How, exactly, does this show their math skills when they can't read the questions?
I can remember taking Standardized tests as far back as Elementary School, but I don't remember it being such a huge deal or such a media circus.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it was never reported on the local news that the schools were giving tests during a particular week.  We were lined up and taken to the cafeteria where we sat in every other chair at the long cafeteria tables.   Someone stood up in the front with a microphone reading the directions and we then proceeded to take the test.   Then it was over.  And, it was ONE way of evaluating us rather than the ONLY way of evaluating us.
Standardized testing (now called High Stakes Testing) has become big business for test makers and scorers.  It has also become a way for the media, parents, administrators, all levels of government (local, state, and federal), and anyone who has ever set foot inside a school (which, as we all know, makes one an expert on education) to beat up on teachers and students.
Standardized testing is a good tool, but it is only a tool.  When a student doesn't perform well on a test, it is as a result of a variety of factors including, but not limited to, their emotional state on that day, the number of days they've been absent from school (20+ days of absence in a semester probably makes a difference in what you know), their attitude each day in class, their effort each day in class, their behavior each day in class, how many schools they've attended in the current school year, parental support (of the child, of education in general, of teachers), and much, much more.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

April 15, 2012

This morning I had the privilege of singing an offertory solo in church - "How Can I Keep From Singing", which includes the chorus, "No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I'm clinging.  It sounds an echo in my soul.  How can I keep from singing?".  As I was reading over the words, it occurred to me that my soul has every reason in this world to sing all the time.  I live in an amazingly beautiful place in an even more beautiful country.  I am surrounded by flowers and beaches and year-round sunshine, and have easy access to other types of scenery, land forms, and weather.  Also surrounding me are loving, caring people - my family, friends, church family, co-workers, people I've known my whole life and those I've known for only a short time.  But, more than any of that, I have a God who loves me and Lord and Savior who said, "I am with you ALWAYS" and died for me.  God, the Rock to whom I cling, is the one who makes is impossible for me to keep from singing.

Mom's Time Out

April 14, 2012

Saturday morning...a time for quiet, for coffee that can be consumed slowly while enjoying every drop, for reflection, and for gearing up for the day.  I'd like to say that every day begins like this, because it SHOULD, but it doesn't.  Most days begin with a rush to get ready, trying to gulp down enough coffee to jumpstart my system as I run out the door.  In my reflection time this morning (which includes time on Facebook catching up with everyone), I read a plea from a friend that got my brain revved up on overdrive about how we, as women, have been trained by society to think and behave.
Basically, we have been raised to believe the old adage that "idle hands are of the devil" and that we are not allowed time to ourselves.  For many women, this is what a typical day looks like (realizing that many of us don't do ALL of this, but we do a lot of it):  get up, perhaps throw in a load of laundry or clean some part of the house, wake up child(ren) and get them ready for school, fix breakfasts and lunches, pay bills, take child(ren) to school, go to work, spend lunch time working out or running errands, leave work, work out or run errands, buy groceries, pick child(ren) up from school or activities, fix dinner, help with homework, take child(ren) to activities, supervise bathtime, read books with child(ren), put child(ren) back to bed, take care of sick child(ren), clean house, sign permission slips and fill out other papers for child(ren), plan weekend activities, plan summer activities, do more laundry, and so on.  Now, to be fair, many have husbands/significant others who take charge of some of this (and some of us are lucky enough to have a husband who takes charge of a LOT of it).  The difference is that when something doesn't get done, men don't have the same feelings of guilt and remorse that women do.  Women tend to take care of everything and everyone else while neglecting ourselves and our need to have quiet, alone time to do NOTHING.  Yes, I said NOTHING.  Think about it.  When was the last time you allowed yourself to send the child(ren) to another room, ignore the chores that were calling your name, pour yourself a cup of coffee/tea/wine/whatever and just BE?  We, as women, don't do that very well because we feel guilty if we do.
Here is my contention.   It is our duty to do this and to tell our child(ren) that this is what we're doing.  They need to know that when they grow up, it's OK to have alone time to do something they enjoy or to simply do nothing, and that this will make them better, more productive people.  We need a balance of alone time, play time, and work time.  

Rocks

April 13, 2012

All of my life I have had a fascination with rocks and stones (what IS the difference, by the way?).  When I travel I usually bring home a rock I have found.   There are rocks sitting on my bookshelves that I collected as a child and that have moved with me from place to place since then.  I think it probably frustrated my parents that there was often a rock in my suitcase when we packed to come home from a trip!  I don't just pick up any rock I see, though.  I look for rocks that are unusually colored, patterned, or shaped.  This picture was taken in Arizona in the hills behind my dad's house.  The green on the rocks is copper.  At one time this area was a copper mining area.  Several of these rocks came home with me!  I put them in my checked luggage so I didn't have to try to explain to security why I was carrying rocks!

Love

April 12, 2012

Today is not special in any way...it's not our anniversary or his birthday, Valentine's Day, or another day that usually evokes messages of love.  It is, however, a special day at my house, and that's because every day is a special day.  I know that no matter what kind of day I've had (good or bad), what kind of stress there is going on for either of us, how busy we are, or anything else, I am going to come home to a man who loves me, takes care of me, tries to make me feel better even if there's something he can't fix for me, and makes me laugh.  Wayne is the BEST and I feel very blessed to be married to him.

Laptop

April 11, 2012

When I first got my laptop computer 4 1/2 years ago, I had no idea I would become so attached to it/dependent upon it so quickly.  It is my biggest entertainment and communication tool (most of you who have known me for long know that I have an incredible reluctance to call people on the phone) - email and Facebook.  Most of my Creative Memories business is done here - contacting customers and placing orders.  Pictures are scanned or downloaded onto my computer, edited as needed, and stored here.  I do some of my scrapbooking here with Storybook Creator Plus.   Research and shopping are so much easier, faster, and more convenient this way.
Those of you who are my age or older remember when none of this was possible - most of us never even dreamed of it (thank goodness someone did!). Here are some things you will probably remember and appreciate:   spending entire days in the library doing research for papers and projects, writing letters and then waiting weeks for a reply, and registering for college classes by going from professor to professor to get a "punch card" and then sitting in line waiting for it to be your turn to have your cards fed into the computer to get your schedule (and then the inevitable delays when a card didn't feed through correctly and got stuck).
I love this new world!

Share???

April 10, 2012

I will confess to being a chocolate fanatic.  This has been true for my entire life.  For my birthdays my request was always for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (lots of frosting) and chocolate ice cream.  While I like all different types of chocolate, my very favorite is just plain Hershey's Milk Chocolate - pure, simple, sweet.  Recently Wayne and I were having a conversation about chocolate Easter bunnies and I made the comment that it was always disappointing to me (keeping in mind the confession that started this post) when I bit into my chocolate bunny and found that it was hollow.  So, he made sure the Easter Bunny knew that this year I was really hoping there would be a solid bunny in my basket (bag)!  In fact, there were two!  One of them is named "Snapsy" because it is a Snap-Apart chocolate bunny, making it easier to break off particular pieces in order to consume them.  Hmmmm...is it really as satisfying to "snap" off the ears rather than biting them off??  I'm not convinced.  The part I find most entertaining about this bunny, though, is the statement on the box that says, "Easy to snap and share".  What?  Share?  My CHOCOLATE??  Are they serious??

Bring on The BJBs

April 9, 2012

As Easter nears (and for a week or so afterwards) I scour the candy aisles looking for bags of black jelly beans. It's funny that when jelly beans apprear in the stores, there are bags of mixed flavors/colors and bags of black ones, but not bags of any other single color.  I find that people either love them or hate them.  In this household, we are all big fans of this particular treat and go through bag after bag of them in a short period of time.  And then, we wait for the next year...

He Is Risen...Alleluia

April 8, 2012

The Easter celebration today at St. George's was glorious!  There were flowers everywhere and they were breathtaking.  We had more people in the pews than had been there in quite a long time, everyone dressed to the nines.  Our choir was the biggest we've had in many, many months.  We had a baptism (the 20-year-old great-granddaughter of one of our most beloved parishioners).  In addition to more children than usual and extended family members of many of our parishioners, we had an abundance of visitors.  And why?  Because, "Jesus Christ is Risen today; Alleluia!"

Good for the Soul

April 7, 2012

An evening at the beach was just what I needed today.  I needed the chance to breath the fresh air, walk on the sand with Wayne, and enjoy some down time.  My two favorite times at the beach are sunrise and sunset (depending on which coast I happen to be on at the time), and tonight was pretty much perfect.  It was warm but not stifling hot and there was enough cloud cover to add beauty to the sunset.  The seagulls were particularly entertaining tonight -  very vocal and social (at one point I wondered aloud if perhaps it's mating season as there seemed to be a ritual going on).
Any time I'm at the beach, seeing the spectacular sunset, and hearing the power of the waves I stand in awe of what God has created.  Thank you, Lord, for another beautiful day in your creation.

Good Friday

April 6, 2012

Good Friday...the day we commemorate the gift of sacrifice.  Good Friday is the day Jesus was crucified to save ME (and you) from my sins. I have been attending Good Friday services in the Episcopal Church for 30 or so years now.  For the past few years I have merely endured this service as something I was "supposed" to do, rather impatiently I must admit.  This year was different.  I went to the services today because I wanted to go; because it was meaningful to me.  The service was beautiful in its simplicity, and spoke to me.  For the first time ever, the veneration of the cross was something I felt comfortable enough in which to take part.
Over the years there have been many, many Good Friday services that have been meaningful, beautiful, odd, funny, or uncomfortable.  Following are some of the highlights (lowlights?).
Although I don't remember it, Good Friday of 1964 is quite memorable to my parents.  We lived on Kodiak Island, Alaska (where Daddy was stationed at the Navy Base).  On that day, Alaska was hit by a 9.2 earthquake that was followed by a Tsunami.  We evacuated to higher ground and were fine, as was our house. Others were not so lucky.  There were more than 10,000 aftershocks associated with that earthquake.
In 1984 we were at Nashotah House for Good Friday.  Holy Week activities were quite extensive and I found much of it to be intimidating as I was a relatively new Episcopalian - intimidating but beautiful and meaningful and quite a learning experience.
During the years we lived in Bainbridge, Georgia there were several standout Good Fridays.  One year our choir was to sing "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" at an ecumenical service.  The plan was for us to sing it in unison.  However, one of the choir members (Cathy?) suggested to the rest of us that we practice the harmony and, unbeknownst to Steve, sing it on one of the verses as a surprise to him.  We did and he was surprised!  Another year, and this is still one of my favorites, the weather was beautiful so we had the doors and windows open during the service.  A dog from the neighborhood decided to visit us - he ran in, up the aisle to the top of the steps, and lay down with his head on his paws looking out at the congregation.  This was pretty comical, but then we started to read Psalm 22, in which dogs are mentioned twice.  At that point, the entire congregation lost control to the point that most of us could no longer speak.  It took quite a while for us to regain our composure!  In 1992 or 1993, Catherine (who was normally very well-behaved in church) was off her rocker - she refused to sit with me and several times ran away from me and up to the altar to talk to Steve who sent her back to sit with me.  I finally had to take her out of the church for a Mother-Daughter Stand Off - it wasn't pretty!
When Catherine was 4 or 5 she took the message of Good Friday to heart.  During bedtime prayers after the service she had a complete meltdown because Jesus had died and she didn't want this to be the case!  It took almost an hour and a lot of fancy footwork from her Dad to get her calmed down.
Good Friday...the day Jesus died for our sins.  Three days later...

Poet...Not

April 5, 2012

In honor of National Poetry Month I am dedicating today's blog post to poetry.  In December when we were going through boxes in the garage I found this book.  In it are poems I wrote as a teenager.   Most of them are truly awful!  A few of them are decent.  None of them are good.  But, they are mine and they came from my heart.
I'm not really a fan of poetry as I find most of difficult to comprehend.  If, when I am reading something, my brain keeps saying, "WHAT?", then I find it a waste of my time and energy.  Having said that, there is some poetry I enjoy...many of the Psalms, songs, Dr. Seuss.
Ten years or so ago I spent two years teaching 8th Grade US History.  When I was first assigned to teach it I was not at all pleased, nor was I sure it was a good subject for me to teach.  Although my first choice is always to teach 7th grade Math/PreAlgebra I found myself enjoying teaching stories from our country's past and connecting them to who we are as a people today, and created several research projects for my students to complete.  One of those projects was to research songs (poetry) that were written as a result of any wars/conflicts in which the USA had taken part, and then to write a poem/song about the current War on Terrorism. As any good teaching project should, this one taught me as much as it taught the students.  I was amazed and humbled by what my students produced; the poems ranged from light and funny to deep and full of pain.   Some made me laugh, some made me think, some brought tears to my eyes.  The discussions that came from sharing the poems were some of the best discussions we had the entire year - full of raw emotion and honesty.

Home, Part 2

April 4, 2012

This morning on the The Joy FM I heard an interview with Dara Maclean, an up-and-coming new singer.  One of the songs on her newly released CD is titled "Home" and talks about how when everything else is gone, we still have our Home in God.  He's there when it feels like all is lost.  He's there when everything is the best it's ever been.  And, He's there for everything in between.   Thank you, God, for this season of Lent; for the searching and preparing and learning in order to celebrate the Glory of Easter - the ultimate Homecoming.

There's No Place Like Home

April 3, 2012

This is my house.  It's the only house I've ever owned by myself and I love it!  But, it's just a house.  Where is my HOME?  My home is wherever my people are - my family, my friends, my friends-who-are-family.  Home is a place where I can be myself; a place to laugh and cry, to decide and to question, to sing off-key, to be silly, to be serious, and to share my insecurities.  I have lived in many houses/apartments/dorms in my life (somewhere around 30 different dwelling places in 10 different states) and each of them has been a home because of the other people who were there.
One of the quirks I've had for as long as I can remember is that I am entirely comfortable with "my people" (and this includes both family and friends) traveling around and being places other than at home, as long as I know where they are.  If I don't know the whereabouts of someone close to me, I tend to get very "antsy" about it.  A strange quirk, I know, but one that my family has lived with for as long as I can remember and they try hard to make sure I know where they are if they aren't going to be at home.

Fed at St. George's

April 1, 2012

This is no joke...these birds were all over the yard at St. George's this morning.  There was apparently an abundance of food for them.  Many of us gather at St. George's every Sunday to be fed in many ways.  We are fed the Word of God in the scriptures and the sermon.  The Body and Blood of Jesus are given to us at Communion.  There's time to feed our need for other people before and after the service.  There are many opportunities for us to feed our desire to serve the Lord and each other through music, reading, prayer, service at the altar, fellowship, hugs, smiles, conversation, Sunday School, and more.

Celebrate

April 1, 2012

This morning at St. George's we celebrated a special occasion...John Sircy became our newest nonagenarian!  John is a sweet man who always has a smile for me.  What's funny is that I had a terrible time getting him to smile for a picture - I took this one while we were singing Happy Birthday to him so I don't think he was aware that I was taking it.  John volunteers at our food pantry and spends part of his Sundays at St. George's and part at St. Mary's.