How not to spend a Christmas vacation!

This the historical home I fell for!
Having fun at Bev and Bills Saturday night before my disatrous Sunday!!
Have you ever been asked if you had one thing to do over in your life, what would it be? I have several and the latest one is: I would never had said, " I know ! Let's go to Georgetown and drive through the historical district!", when we started driving down IH35 that Sunday morning after Thanksgiving in Round Rock. We had had a wonderful Saturday afternoon and night at Bev and Bill's house in Round Rock, eating, laughing and talking and visiting with kin folk and then playing and fun dominoes game called Chicken Foot! We had a nice breakfast Sunday morning with Kristi and Chuck, my daughter and her fiance from Belton. Now we were on our Way back to Floresvillle! So we turned back around and headed north to Georgetown. We found the historical district and began driving down this street lined with beautiful old historic homes. I saw one especially lovely and Liz stopped the car so I could get out and take pictures. Suddenly the front door opened and a sweet old lady invited us in to look at the house! We went in and she and her husband took us all through the downstairs and showed us how they had restored the old 100 year home. It was beautiful. It was so gracious of them. We went out on the porch and we chatted for a few minutes more and then I shook their hands and bid them farewell. I turned to go down the steps which there were about 4 or 5 down to the sidewalk, lost my balance and found my self on the sidewalk with big knot above my eye and my left foot swelling turning black and blue so fast! I felt no pain and insisted I could get up and be on my way. Mrs Herbert kept saying. "No I think I should call the EMS" and she did. They arrived put my neck in a brace and took me in an ambulance to the Georgetown Hospital E.R. There they decided to take me to St David Trauma hospital in Round Rock.
In Round Rock E.R. they took me to get CT scans of my head and foot. I was told the scan of my head showed I was still bleeding from the impact, because I was on a blood thinner called coumadin (because of a stroke I had 2 years ago.
They put me in ICU to watch it and began to reverse the effect of the coumadin.
I stayed in ICU three days and finally the bleeding stopped. Then the doctor told me about my foot. I had a heel fracture which was very serious. I could not put any weight on it for 6 weeks! Now what to do. The doctor said I should go to rehab place. I wanted to go home to Floresville. I decided to go to Floresville Nursing and Rehab.
They took me by ambulance to Floresville that Friday.
I got settled in my room. That was the dreariest room I had ever been in. I sensed a spirit of death in that room from the moment I entered i.
The next 4 days I became depressed, lonely, abandoned, isolted and scared. I wanted to go home.
The next Tuesday morning I noticed something wrong with my left hand. It wasn't working right and didn't do what I wanted it to. It just lay there in my lap!!!!!
I called the nurse. She called the doctor. H said for them to send me to Connaly Memorial Hospital here in Floresville to get an MRI of my head.
So off I went to yet another hospital.
Coming back to the nursing home I saw the doctor who informed me they were sending me to St. Lukes Baptist hospital in San Antonio to meet with a neuro-surgeon.
So off I went in an ambulance to another E.R in another hospital.
It seemed the large hematoma in my head had caused swelling to my brain, and they had to do surgery to drain the old blood and fluid.
So then I had that done, and spent a few more days in ICU.
Then went to room on the neuro floor.
I was getting very tired of hospitals and nursing homes! I wanted to be home for Christmas. That was my prayer.
Hospitals tend to make one spoiled and lazy!
I missed my computer!
Then praise the Lord. Dr. Floyd, my handsome surgeon who looked like Matthew McConnehy (though shorter), said I could go home that Wed. Dec 21! After almost a month in hospitals and nursing homes!!!
I was free. Out of prison!
So that was how I spent most of December 2011.
Never want to do that again!
And being in wheelchair and not being able to put my weight on that foot is not fun!
But thanks to all the prayers of many loved ones, and thanks to my Lord Jesus for healing me quickly, and I shall be back good as new sooner than you can blink an eye.
But like several people have said to me, "Look maybe you going to Georgetown saved you from something even more serious happening later on the way home!"
And they are right. I am an optimist at heart. Always look for that silver lining and you will find something to be happy about.

The Evening Star -was it a sign?

It was a cool fall afternoon in Floresville when I went to the Ortiz home on Plum St., not far from our house. I had met the sweet couple about a month ago. My friend Liz Lopez took me by to meet them one day. I started out wanting to write a story about El Mesias Methodist Church and it’s origin and had contacted Liz who was the historian of that church. As many know, my grandfather founded the church about 1908 as little mission church. It then joined the Methodist Episcopal Church South around 1914.

I am still working on that story, but I got sidetracked when I met Lillie and Liborio Ortiz that day. They are such a special, sweet interesting couple I had to write a story about them.

One part of the story has already been published in the Wilson County News. The second part is going to be in the paper next week. I wanted to let them look over the story before I sent it in.

Liborio was sitting in a chair on the porch and he invited me in. Lillie and Liz Lopez were sitting at the kitchen table playing cards. The game was like a double solitaire type of game. They finished playing the game. Lillie won, laughing delightedly.

Then we sat for about an hour talking. I read the story to them. They loved it, and I made a few corrections. But in that hour I found out things about those two women, I didn’t know before. Both Lillie and Liz have a mentally challenged sons. I met Lillie's son when he walked through the kitchen with his laundry. He does his own laundry. He is quiet and doesn’t talk much. He is in his 40’s and has a job with the city of Floresville. He loves his job and the city says he does a good job. He drives a car, but prefers to walk everywhere. He walks miles a day. He is such a sweet man.

Liz’s son is autistic. He is about 18, I think. He loves video games and spends his days playing video games. As Liz told me about what his life has been like for 18 years, the challenges she has had with him, and what his gifts and talents are,(they never knew he could read so well, he read the bible in the church and he read it so fluently the whole church was amazed).

As she told me about the time when he was in Head Start, and she found out that he had not been eating his lunch because he didn’t like it and would only eat chicken nuggets for every meal, and was getting skinnier and skinnier, she wept as she remembered that time. But they had not told her that he was not eating. She took him to get chicken nuggets every day at McDonalds. When she found out.

Both Liz and Lillie are such strong Christians and they love the Lord and don’t say, “Why us Lord?”

They laugh and love God and love their family and their church.

As I sat there talking to these women in the warmth of that kitchen I felt so much love and kinship with them.

We walked out to our cars in the twilight and we saw the evening star bright in the sky, and one of them said, “What is that bright light?”

I said, “It is the evening star”.

And they remarked how bright it was and maybe it was a sign that Jesus was coming again and soon.

I said to them, “I feel so at home on these streets on Old Lodi Town, like I am coming home, and I feel a warmth that I don’t feel on the other streets of Floresville.”

Liz said, “Maybe it is because you feel your grandfather and grandmother’s presence here, because they used to live on 2^nd St for all those years. (almost 100 years ago).Their spirit still lingers on.”

I think she is right! That Evening Star was a sign for me, that I am in the right place at this time my life.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving

When you get my age, and it is Thanksgiving time, you begin to remember so many past Thanksgiving Days. I have written about them all I think, my favorites especially. I haven't had Thanksgiving dinner at my house for several years. Since 2007. It has been four years. But I am so happy because this Thanksgiving I will have Derek and lil Red and Kristi and Chuck here along with Julie.
I have been feeling very sad and lonely lately, I don't want to go anywhere, just hibernate at home. I don't know if it is me, or the time of year, the holidays.... when I feel so ...I don't know what it is...alone, and for some reason I am missing Eddie more and more .... I wish I could cry...but i can't ...
I am so happy when someone comes to our house to visit. Makes me feel like old times, when our house was a gathering place for so many events, for our family and friends. I will have my kids home for Thanksgiving, that is all except Trent and Chary who is far away in Bolivia. Wish they could be here too. Kristi and Chuck will come Thursday morning, I think.
I hope it will be Thanksgiving weather. It is so warm and yucky and cloudy and oppressive today.
Other than going to church Sunday, I didn't get out of the house, all weekend, or all week, except to go to HEB for some things Friday. Which I detested! So crowded. I do not like crowds.
Bob called me Saturday night to tell me Poth High Girls Volleyball, won State!! They are #1 in the State of Texas for 2A girls. And also the Poth Boys Football team won in the playoffs! They will play Refugio next Friday in the quarterfinals. He and my brother Sammy went to Victoria to the game. My brothers are avid fans of Poth High School sports. I am too! ha. But I don't travel that far to watch games!!! If the girls play in Poth I will go ...it is only 5 miles away.
Now I am going to follow the Poth Girls Basketball team.
My column in last weeks paper about Lillie and Liborio Ortiz was a big winner. People evidently liked it very much. Their daughter wrote me on Facebook to say how she loved it and thanked me, and Lillie Ortiz called me to say her phone had not stopped ringing. I am so glad. It makes me feel so good, to know that people read it. I have the second part of their story ready to send today. I think I will go to their house and have them proof read it today.
I have not been in the mood to start another story these days. I have so many leads and people to interview but I just don't have the energy...I just want to go back to bed.
So, looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I thank God for my children and my grandchildren. They are the best!
And I thank God for my brothers and sisters who are all still alive and kicking. My brother Donny just got back from a cruise. Good for him.
I was thinking of how Lacey always said Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday. She loved it so much she didn't want to miss it that Thanksgiving day she and her aunt Susan flew to Paris and her grandma brought her to Julie's house for Thanksgiving Dinner with the family, before they went to the airport. Was that her last Thanksgiving with us? I forget. I wonder if they have Thanksgiving in heaven?
Kristi's kids are having Thanksgiving together at Stephanie's boy friend, Trent's house. I know Kristi will miss being there, but I am so grateful to the Lord that she and Chuck will spend it with Julie and me. and Derek and Laura.
She is a wonderful daughter. And her kiddos are jewels, and they love each other so much and I know that is because of the way they were raised. They may have their differences but they always work it out. Kristi and Bill did a wonderful job. Eddie and I spent so many wonderful Thanksgivings at their house and Trent and Sandra's house too. O God I have so many good memories...enough to last a life time. OK I am having a nostalgic moment.....
So, now I wonder what the future holds? Well, I won't go there. I will just live for today. Next year I will be 80 years old by Thanksgiving. WOW, that is old!. No I am going to be 79 from now on. 80 seems so old!!! I am always going to be 79 and holding!

Times they are a-changin'

Come gather 'round people, wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth saving

Then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'

Wonder if anyone ever feels like this? I seem to be waiting for something to happen. It is sort of an apprehension of something bad, but yet something good. It is so weird. Good things are happening all around me, in my family, my town, my life, and I am in good health, so what is wrong? I am not as interested in the things I usually do, like watching TV (most everything is boring, except maybe old movies), and Parenthood and Survivor and Amazing Race. Other than those three, yuck!!! I still like reading, and I have three books I am reading. Two are about women who write about the hol0caust, their diaries and one I read in one day, called "Heaven is for Real" about a little boy's story about going to heaven and back. It is so real and makes me want to go to heaven.


So I wonder what is going on? What does God have in store for me, for us? I am thinking something. I often think how I wish things were like they were before, like when my kids were little, and my life was so simple and I loved being a wife and mother. You should enjoy your life and don't think about tomorrow. I didn't. If I had known what was ahead of me I would have been very unhappy. So now I won't think about that. I want to enjoy each day. Do what I want to do, don't worry about everyone else, just love them and let God handle their situations. Trust God to know what is best. And have hope for tomorrow. And keep praying this darkness lifts from me.
But I sense things are changing. That is what I keep hearing this morning in my head. "Times they are a changing". Like this Bob Dylan song. I looked up the lyrics and it really hits the nail on the head as far as my America goes. I think that is what God is warning me about. America is changing, and many of the changes are not good. So we need to be prepared. Stay close to God, and lean on Him....and I know Heaven is for real.

Come writers and critics who prophesies with your pen
And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'

For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'

Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'

Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'

Come mothers and fathers throughout the land
And don't criticize what you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly aging

Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'

The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'

And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'

Old collectible books are jewels

I was reading my one-hundred-and-twenty-five old book that I have in my collection of old out-of-print books.

The book is called Higher Lessons in English, a work on English grammar and composition. It was published in 1877, and the copy I have was published in 1885. It appears to be a textbook for higher grades like colleges. There are 165 chapters and the last chapter is “How to write a theme”. I gently hold it in my hand and look at the name written on the inside cover … or names. The names are W.M. Adair, Antonito Cola, May 15 – 1894.

This is one of my treasures. I looked through it this morning and had a great time remembering when I loved school and anticipated the time when we would have grammar - as it was called in Kasper School, the little country school I attended for 9 years. I went to Poth High School for three years and graduated there - a little high school with 52 students total in Poth, Texas!

As I read through the book today, it got me to thinking. I wonder why people do not use good grammar these days. I notice that so much. The high school kids these days do not know good grammar, and don’t speak good English. Is it because they don’t teach it any more? It has been so long since my children and grandchildren were in high school, I don’t remember. I think my children were taught good English and grammar. All four of them like to read and are all good writers. The four of them could write a book, I am sure. But my grandchildren, I don’t know. A few of them like to read books. But do they like to write? I hope so.

I have several pet peeves. I imagine lots of people have their pet peeves. One of mine is that people do not like to read or write or know how to write with good grammar. Why is that?

And the young people that talk on cell phones, or by texting or even on Facebook, do not use good grammar or English. They shorten words by abbreviating them, so they look gibberish. I guess it is a sort of shorthand. Good Lord, we are becoming an illiterate people here in America! And no one writes letters any more. Even my e-mail letters from people are getting few and far between. I loved it in the old days when we so looked forward to the mailman to see if we got a letter! It is so personal to read a letter that the

mailman has delivered to your mailbox.

Maybe it is because I loved books and reading. English was my favorite subject in school. Both literature in high school and grammar in grade school were my favorites.

Do they still teach kids how diagram sentences? I loved to diagram sentences. Does anyone still remember the difference between a subject and predicate?

Do you remember what is the meaning of a noun and a pronoun? Noun is the name of anything. Pronoun is a word used for a noun.

A verb denotes action, being or the state of being. Words like walk, dance, talk, and work are action verbs. Adverb is a word used to modify a verb. Or describe the verb. It is so interesting to me. I guess I am strange that way. Probably people think it is boring. But I don’t care. I love it.

I think I will go diagram a sentence now. Hope I remember what a prepositional phrase is or a dangling participle! But I do know how to conjugate a verb! And diagram a sentence! But that may be a mystery to some people.

Was Mary Todd Lincoln's marriage happy?

I just finished reading three books about Mary Todd Lincoln. I remember reading abut Abraham Lincoln and Mary Lincoln when I was in school. But I didn't really get interested in Mary, before I saw a documentary about them and their marriage. It was so fascinating I wanted to know more. So I looked them up on the internet and saw there have been hundreds of books written about Mary Todd Lincoln and Abe Lincoln. Finally I selected three to order.

O my, the books were so interesting! I read all three books in three weeks. And two of the books were long, one being over 400 pages and the other nearly 350 pages.

Abe Lincoln was a different kind person than Mary. He was prone to melancholy and depression and was not an outgoing person. Of course we all know he was of poor circumstances and raised in a long cabin. She was of rich, aristocratic families in Kentucky. She was smart, outgoing, and made up her mind to marry him before he wanted to marry her. She pushed him to be president. She yearned to be a president's wife.

She was prone to anger fits and sometimes embarrassed Abe in a crowd of people, when she was angry with him. She was bossy and domineering and made many enemies when they were in the White House.

But it seems Abe loved her till he died. He was gentle, kind, and never raised his voice at her. He had a way to handling her tirades and anger.

The third book about the Lincolns was by Elizabeth Keckely who was a African American seamstress who came to be Mary Todd Lincolns best friend! She kept a diary all those years (about 4 years) and there are lots of pages from that diary in this book. That was my favorite. It is not long and more personal And she tells it how she saw it, and heard it ...their marriage. I loved that book.

And what happened to Mary Lincoln after Lincoln was killed, what happened to her, was the most interesting thing and surprising things that I never knew. She never got over her husband's death. and didn't have much money to live on.

She also had three sons die, the third one, her baby, died when he was 19, after he and his mother came back from living in Europe for a year or two, where she went to escape the newspapers and the terrible things they were writing about her. She was a sad woman and I don't really think she was ever happy most of her life.

Her one surviving son, Robert, had her committed to an insane asylum when she came back from Europe and then her third son died. But she wasn't crazy, and later was released from the asylum. Mary Todd Lincoln she died a lonely woman. Not many friends or family left that liked her. That made me so sad.

Abe Lincoln always wanted the simple life. Living in Springfield and being a lawyer, and having a home and a wife and children is all he ever wanted. But Mary and others kept pushing him to be more, and when he was president, he fought for the black people to be free. Maybe that is what God wanted him to do. His wife was from Kentucky and people accused her about always "sitting on the fence" as far as slavery was concerned. She had brothers who fought in the Confederate army and lost their lives. But a black woman ended up being the only good friend she had.

Mary thought being the President's wife would make her happy. But did it?

Leaves of gold

Words are powerful things and they can do wonderful things, but they can also do hurtful things. Words well spoken can be like leaves of gold. I hope and pray I can stand on these words, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6:45)

When one is worried about something he is afraid, apprehensive, bothered, concerned, distracted, distraught, distressed, disturbed, fearful, frightened, uneasy, uptight, upset…and my Thesaurus goes on and on.

I fool myself if I tell myself I am not worried about such-and-such – my health, my children, grandchildren, my finances, family matters, friends, and all sorts of things – and if I say I have faith that every thing is going to work out the way it should – but still talk about the situation to people around me all the time, saying “I am not worried, but – “.

So why am I talking about it? If I turn it over to God, why do I still have to talk about it?

I was just thinking, why do I do that and why do I hear people talk that way? Words are so important, they can either be positive or negative.

I guess it is because we lie to ourselves that we trust God. I think it a negative thing, to always talk about things that are worrying us…oh, I am not worried…I am just bothered…uptight…upset…concerned.... same thing, isn't it?

So after all these years of worrying, fretting, being distraught, etc, I have learned not to talk about those things that are “worrying” me. If I really trust that God is going to work everything out for good, I don’t want to speak those negative things out into the air, words that go on forever and ever, negative words that pierce the heart.

I want to be an encourager, to speak words that uplift, lighten the hearts and give people hope and I want to see the person as God sees them.

Jonathan Edwards, a theologian in the 1700’s, said in a sermon called “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks” said “Words not thought out before spoken can cause you to veer off the path of righteous ways of being and doing. Often times, words are spoken in relation to observations made about circumstances and situations you encounter. Just because something looks one way on the surface doesn’t mean it is as it seems or that it has to stay the same. Choose not to come into agreement with visible negative facts but release the truth of My Word (God’s Word) over the situation or person. Let the inherent power of My Word (God’s Word) have its way. Agree with Me (God) and not supposed facts.”

A message from God

I always wake up feeling expectant and hopeful. Sometimes the day turns out not good, but at least I was hopeful and kept on expecting something good will happen. Better than having fear and negative thoughts. I always read a devotional and my bible, some times two, and this morning I read this!
"Up to this time you have not asked a single thing in My Name as presenting all that I AM; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete." John 16:24
So I will do that. and another thing I saw...the word 'hitherto" which is OLD King James for "up to this time". So hitherto I will ask God for wisdom, joy, love, in JESUS name,and hitherto I will go forth with joy.
Then I looked out in the back yard and saw my giant Esperanza shining like gold in the morning dew and sunlight...and I knew God was still talking to me. Esperanza (Spanish word) "hope" of course in English.
I always encourage people to look for God in everything! Sunday church was an awesome time of worship, praise, and preaching. I will come in and expect to hear from the Lord ...talking to me...just me...sometimes I don't get a word from the praise and worship or the preacher, which is always good, but sometimes He wants to talk to me personally. So Sunday I got a Word from God...from a banner that hung on the wall...how come I didn't see that before? Was it always there? Or was it new? I don't know. But it said "Encounter God". What does that mean really I thought? Encounter means to come to, arrive at, get to, reach, attain, come up with, join, or rejoin...etc...etc..So God was telling me that we need to come to, get to, attain, come up with, join, or reach up to God....
I want to encounter God today and everyday, and hitherto I will have hope...Don't you just love life, God and people?
And of course I just love the Texas Rangers who won that game in the World Series...now on to St. Louis. You know I like the St. Louis Cardinals too...if they were not playing the Rangers I would be cheering for them to win the Series...but not this time...
These pictures are of the Banner in church on Sunday and my Esperanza this morning ... a giant message of HOPE.

Remembering other Friday nights

Well, last night was a lonely night for me. I remember the days when Friday night football was the highlight of my week...high school football that is. When I was a teenager, then when I was a young married girl and Eddie loved high school sports too, we still went to the high school games, like Robert E. Lee High in San Antonio, who we followed all the way to state one year, going to San Angelo for the Final Game, which Lee lost..that was a sad trip back home!!
Then in later years we always played bridge on Friday nights, first with Patty and Charles Flocke our best friends, and also with good friends in our church, St. Marks Methodist in San Antonio.
It was always the day, Fridays, that we always went out to eat too. The only day of the week we went out to eat. If it was payday...
When Eddie would come home from work, especially when we moved to Hurst, we would head to a local restaurant to eat...C.A.'s Restaurant on Pipeline Rd was a favorite, or Chow Soon across the street from them. When we were in Hurst last weekend, we drove down that street and all the good old restaurants are gone. It made me nostalgic going down that street. Or maybe we would go to Wyatt's Cafeteria in the Bellaire shopping center near the Bellaire Theater. I think that was the name of it...I know it was a cafeteria...
Not many place to eat then, so it was easy to pick one that was our favorite.
Then in late 70's and until August 1982, we would play bridge with Mike and Julie on Friday nights, either at their house in Roanoke or our house. Mike loved to play bridge almost as much as Eddie. Julie and her daddy always played against me and Mike. I think they beat us quite often! Duh! Eddie always beat everyone at card games. Especially bridge and gin rummy!!
Then in the 90's on Friday nights we were going to a Community Group meeting at somebody's house or an all night prayer meeting at the church, led by Wanda and R.D.'s group, they were our best friends then, and we were always together, at our house or their house. Praying together, or praying for someone, we never knew when someone would show up at our house or their house asking for prayer. We sometimes would spend half the night praying ...lots of people were saved, delivered, or healed on Friday nights. I looked forward to Friday nights back then.
So, now I have all these memories and I am so glad. I focus on the good times and not the bad times...and there were many of those too...but I always look for a silver lining in the darkness. I focus on that.
So now it is Saturday morning and the darkness is over and I look forward to a wonderful sunny day and wonder what the Lord has for me today.
Rocia is here with Julie and I am going to Curl Up and Dye to get a perm, and then afterward maybe I will just start driving...and wind up some place fun, awesome, and exciting...you never know...just follow Holy Spirit...and He will lead me to some place interesting...I just know it!!

A family that plays together stays together

It is so good to be home again! We came home yesterday afternoon after being gone to Ft.Worth (the DFW area) for six days. Last night our house felt so good. Sitting in the living room watching the World Series, Julie said, “I just love my house don’t you? It feels so comfortable”. And it did feel so good. Even when the Rangers lost, we still felt blessed to be alive…and home.

The week was awesome. Every day was filled with family, fun, and fellowship! We tried to cram as much in each day as we could, and I wanted to make memories that every one could keep forever..good memories. So I took lots of pictures so I could look at them in the years to come and remember that time!

Friday after we had checked into the LaQuinta Hotel in Hurst, we met my kiddos at a little restaurant near the ball park, called Rosa’s. We sat out on the patio/porch and ate, while the kids frolicked on the patio.

Then we all went over to the ballpark nearby, where the whole family plays on a co-ed softball team. Nine of them!!! Only two people on the team were not family! Haven’t you heard the saying, “A family who plays together stays together?” Well, I believe that.

They kept most of the their kiddos in the dugout with them! Some played at the nearby playground, and Liz and I tried to make baby Allie happy but I think she was tired and wanted her mommy! At about the middle of the game Kendall had to come out and hold her. It was such fun to watch them play. They are all good players, but when Jessica missed the fly ball in right field, she fell on her face and tumbled in a somersault as every one laughed. She took a long time getting up and I was worried about her. But she couldn’t get up for laughing so hard! That girl!

I know Kristi is so happy playing with all her kids on that team, and also her fiancé Chuck plays too.

I asked them who was the coach, and they all looked at each other and said, “I don’t know. Who is the coach? Taylor? She did the line up. We don’t know. Just whoever…”

I guess it is sort of like we used to do in the olden days. You just get together and play baseball. No one argues, no one fights, no one fusses when someone misses the ball, just have fun!

Later we went back to the hotel and crashed about 10:00 PM. We were tired after the long day, but my heart was full of love and contentment. I thanked God before I fell asleep­ -for my family and for keeping me alive to enjoy them.

I was looking forward to the next day and what He had planned for us on Saturday. All I knew was were going to watch the Rangers play Detroit for the American League pennant Saturday night over at Brad and Kendall’s house. The bed felt so good as I drifted off to sleep.

What will unforgiveness do to you?

What does unforgiveness do to you? Well, it makes you sad, angry, sick, and you think about that person who hurt you or your loved one all the time. It eats at you and makes you so unhappy. You think about them more after you have been hurt or taken up an offence for some one else that they have hurt, than you did before the incident happened.

Some people are not very forgiving. Some people forgive easily. I don’t know why that is. But it is so. When I see someone who has gone through life with all kinds of heartaches and tragedies and “bad luck”, and they are happy, friendly, even to the person that hurt them, I am so amazed. I have known people who had a child murdered, and then later was able to forgive that person, and even go to the prison and face-to-face tell him that he was forgiven. And then the man became almost like a son to them. Now that is forgiveness. I don’t know if I could forgive like that.

I have always been told if you think about a person that you have held an offense against, and say you have forgiven, but you still get angry when you think of them, you have not forgiven in your heart. Sometimes you have to forgive yourself more. Sometimes you have to forgive God. If you haven’t forgiven God, talk to Him and tell him how you feel, out loud. He knows! Even before you tell Him. I did that many years after the stroke happened to my daughter. I didn’t even know I was mad at God. But during a women’s retreat, I realized I was so mad at God. I knew I had to forgive GOD. When I finally released the anger and unforgiveness I was so free!

Do you know harboring unforgiveness makes you ill? I remember when my mother was visiting us one time, and we took her to a Full Gospel Business Men’s meeting in Ft. Worth, and she went for prayer for pain from arthritis. She couldn’t even kneel at altar she told the evangelist that was the main speaker that night. He prayed then asked her if she had any unforgiveness for someone. She told him no that she had forgive everyone in her life. He insisted she must have. She told me later that she was so irritated at him, and he prayed for her. Later that night after she went to our house, she went back over the people she had forgiven, and remembered a person who had hurt her so much, my aunt who had taken me when I was 5 years old and refused to bring me back, after 4 months, said she wanted to adopt me because Mother and Daddy had too many kids anyway. She finally brought me back after Mother threatened to get the sheriff after her. Then she wrote my mother a letter telling her to let her adopt the next baby who was in my mother’s womb! Mother said after all those years she thought she had forgiven my aunt. But she had not! That night she was able to forgive her. The next morning when she went to church with us, she was able to kneel at the altar without any pain.

And maybe you will have to forgive someone over and over again. Doesn’t Jesus say we need to forgive not seven times but seventy-times-seven? That is almost 500 times!

And God doesn’t distinguish between big sins and small sins. They are all the same in His eyes. A sin is a sin is a sin.

Offenses most often occur in families and churches! So sad isn’t it? I have seen families that have gone almost 20 years not speaking to someone. I say life is too short to hold offenses against loved ones or friends and people in your family. Think of all the years that were wasted. But if you do forgive or are forgiven, God will make up the time that was lost. He will restore the years the years.

If someone has offenses against someone in the church or in their family, read this and be assured it is from God!

How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!
It's like costly anointing oil
flowing down head and beard,
Flowing down Aaron's beard,
flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.
It's like the dew on Mount Hermon
flowing down the slopes of Zion.
Yes, that's where God commands the blessing,
ordains eternal life.

Psalm 133 – The Message Bible

Don't rain on my parade!

After the parade, the Royal Court doesn't look very happy do they? They want someone to help them take off those hot clothes. It was hot, and the humidity was about 99%... Later they all got casual in shorts and the King was very hungry!





Since I moved back to Floresville I have been going to the Peanut Festival Parade here. When I was little I loved the parade every October. I even wrote a story about that is in my book, Rainy Days and Starry Nights. But since I have grown up and gotten "old", I don't like parades much. But I love the marching band music and also people watching. So I go when I am in town.
This morning I signed up to work for the Historical Society to give tours in the Jail House Museum which is next to the courthouse downtown. I had to be there at 9:00. The parade started at 10:00. The downtown area was swarming with people. Some had been there before the sun came up, to get a good spot. They staked out their places with chairs and little canopies or tents.
There was a sense of excitement in the air.
I talked to a man sitting in his chair with an umbrella. He was very comfortable. His son was on the Floresville Tigers football squad, and their float had not come yet. All I remember was his name was Erickson. Wilson County has many trail riders' associations and there were lots of children riding horses. What fun for them. I remembered when my granddaughter Stephanie was in elementary school and she rode in the Lovelady Parade on a horse. She was sooo excited. Now she is 29 years old!!
The last picture is of Ralph Gerhardt who likes playing sheriff and giving tours at the jail, talking to a friend who was holding his granddaughter.
I saw our good friends, Eric and Karen Travieso and their kiddos (he is Pastor Jeanette and Pastor Benny's son who is the Chaplain for Nurses in Touch.) And I saw several other friends. But I didn't get a funnel cake! A tradition of mine. Next year maybe.
Julie, who does not like parades at all, never did, informed me last night she was going to the parade this morning! I asked why in the world would she want to go now! She said, because she loved being with Rocha family (her caregiver and children). So I told Rocia this morning, I hoped she knew what she was in for. She nodded yes.
Well, the parade started at 10 and I didn't see them anywhere. I had told them where to park and where do find me (Julie was going to be in her wheelchair). I told Rocia to get there early, because even an hour before the parader, I had to park a block away, and pay $5 in the American Legion Halls parking lot.
But everyone know what it is to get Julie to hurry. I found out later they arrived 20 minutes late for the parade, had to park 3 blocks away in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church, and then got there too late to get a good place, they couldn't see, they were on a back row, somewhere, and then Julie fell asleep during the parade! And they left the parade for home, after staying only 45 minutes, they missed half of the parade. When I got home about 12Pm, Julie was asleep, taking a nap. I had to say, "I told you!"

But I had fun talking to people and taking pictures of people parade watching and of interesting people going by. It is so fun to people watch. That is my parade.
And it didn't rain on my parade. There was a dark cloud when it was all over, and a few minutes ago, it came a hard rain shower. Supposed to get showers all today.

I don't want to spoil the rest of the day for the Peanut festival events and the carnival and the food booths, but I wouldn't care if it rained all afternoon, because I love rainy days and starry nights.

I love a small town

It’s time to get to work on a story. I have many notes, and a tape to listen to this morning. Yesterday I decided to stop by Lillie & Liborio Ortiz house in the old Lodi neighborhood near here. I had met them when Liz Lopez and I tried to find the gravesites of the Trial family in Old Lodi. (Remember we found it and took pictures?). My grandparents used to live in the old Trial home for about 10 years in the early 1900's.

She took me by to meet the Ortiz family that day. They have been in the El Mesias Methodist church all their lives! They are in their sixties. They were so happy to see me! They remembered me. They are so sweet and friendly! I just love them. I wanted to interview Lillie by herself, so we went into their living room. Periodically she had to call Liborio in there to ask a question. That was such a sweet visit, and I found out her aunt and uncle live on the Business loop 181 (which we live on), farther north from here, and they are in their 90’s. I have to visit them and interview them sometimes.

I spent over 2 hours with the sweet couple and even got to meet a man who had come to visit them, who is 85 years old and still goes to El Mesias Methodist church and is very active in it. Then Liz Lopez came by to visit, and I got to visit with her some more. She is the historian of the church (which was founded by my grandfather Zook in 1908). Also she works with the youth in the church! She is a very busy woman, with several children and grandchildren!

In my quest for how her life was when she was little, I found out Lillie’s mother died when Lillie was 1 year old. She had a sister 2 yrs. and a brother 3 yrs. Her mother was only 21. She was raised by her grandparents. She said she doesn’t know how her mother died. She was told she was very depressed and didn’t get out of bed and didn’t want to eat. Probably post-partum depression. How sad! In those days they didn’t know what to do for that. It breaks my heart to think about that. So, I got her whole story, and now I am going to listen to the tape and write it today.

A few minutes ago, Julie and Liz and I had a prayer meeting for Angel Herrera, the pastor’s daughter. They now know that it is a staph infection and she still is in great pain and now has started throwing up. Jeanette is asking everyone to pray …and pray at 7 PM tonight in unity for her. I think she is very scared. So anyone who reads this will you please stop and pray for Angel? My heart hurts for Jeanette, because I know what it is like when your daughter is critically ill in a hospital. You are in shock.

On a brighter note: I’m going to Poth to meet Bob tonight to watch the Poth girls play volleyball. Yay. They are still undefeated in district play. We are hoping they make it to State again. I am praying for a safe trip there and back…even if it is only 5 miles to Poth!! I don’t drive at night very often!

October 1 - Saturday driving in the slow lane

I love October. And when it is cool like today it is a wonderful Oct. 1. Good things keep happening starting with talking to my sweet granddaughter on the phone at 8:15. All the way from the Dominican Republic where she is a missionary for Makarios International. We had so much to talk about, so I asked her questions first. The first 2 weeks were hard for her with the impact of another country, a culture change, a climate change (it is hot and humid there all the time) and moving into her own place and having to buy appliances and furniture... and all kinds of challenges. She is still sleeping on a mattress on the floor. But she will be writing her blog in a couple of days and then everyone can read first hand, what her life is like down there. But It was so good to hear her voice. I feel so much better now.

Then Rocia and her daughter Damariz came to help Julie today,since Liz is off. Rocia made us fresh corn tortillas for breakfast. So I had delicious breakfast tacos with homemade tortillas!!!!

I asked Rocia if she would make us some more salsa, since the jar she made last, was eaten up by all of us at the Family Reunion! And it was soo good. Wasn't it? I had everything but the cilantro, so went to HEB to get it, and I asked Damariz to go with me. It is so fun having a teenage girl hang around with me. Reminds me of Sierra when she was living with us.

We passed by a large yard sale on 4th St, and of course turned in. There was furniture scattered all over that property. Old furniture and stuff. We stayed there a long time, getting to know the ladies there as I asked a lot of questions. Yes, I asked a lot of questions. I was taking notes too. I think maybe they were suspicious, so I told them I loved to get people's stories and hear about their history, especially if they were from Floresville. Mary Esther was the lady having the sale, and I met her two sisters and her mother, Crisanta, who is 85 years old. Crisanta married a Flores, but was born in Canada Verde in north Wilson County. I had such a good time talking to them and getting to know them. I insisted on taking pictures of them. When one sister learned my name, she exclaimed that she knew who I was, because she read the paper all the time and loved to read my columns.

But then she said laughing loudly, "You better not put these pictures in paper!!"

I said I would not, but I didn't promise them I wouldn't put them in my blog! So here they are.
I bought two items. I was excited. I bought a tall wrought iron plant stand for $10 ( she was asking $15)...and a wicker footstool for the patio/deck for $5. Damariz loaded them up for me and we went to HEB for the cilantro and to the Farmers Market for more tomatoes to make Tomato Preserves next week and some fresh okra.

We stopped by two more yard sales but didn't find anything interesting, so came home. Rocia had made the salsa. And it was heavenly!

So then, this afternoon Julie asked her to make quesadillas. She asked if we wanted soft tortillas or crisp. We decided on crisp. Omy Goodness! We were in heaven as we ate them later, covered with the fresh salsa, we ate every bite. I never ate anything that good in an expensive restaurant. We are so blessed.

Pictures are of my great yard sale finds, Crisanta and her 3 daughters, Rocia's quesadillas and salsa.

So it is almost 6:00 and the sun is getting low in the western sky, and think this day was just about perfect. I love driving in the slow lane of life.

The family reunion comes to an end

This will be my last blog about the family reunion. I need to write it down, before I forget what happened that weekend. But I have my pictures and access to everyone's pictures to help me remember. But I didn't take my camera to Kristi's cabin Saturday night for the "finale"...our traditional "all-get-together-for-games-singing-talent show-or- whatever". So far, I have not seen any pictures from the event.
There was singing - by Sammy and Liz Tilley - Jessica sang with the Karoake, before someone played a trick on her...I didn't get what happened - but everyone roared with laughter!! So it must have been funny. A few people went to the microphone and shared a little of what has been going on in their family this last year...I say "a little" because these last two years have been difficult for several families, with bad health problems, deaths, broken relationships, and lost jobs, etc. but this family keeps going on and facing each difficult thing, taking one day at a time, and we all have each other's back and will be there when they are needed. That is a loving family. So we mostly shared the good things, and looked for the Silver Lining to give us hope and there was much laughter, and love and we were all together under a canopy of love. It made me feel so warm and happy inside, because I knew what everyone had experienced - some I didn't know - because despite what Julie always tells me, "Mom you know everything!", I do not!!! Sometimes I would rather be in the dark! And just pray!
The highlight of the night was the game we played, "The Zook/Wauson Chinese Gift Exchange". Everyone brought unusual gifts, funny gifts, family treasures, and there was so much fun and laughter, I nearly fell out of my chair, because my family is so hilarious - funny - drama queens - we all laughed so much, our sides hurt, as everyone fought over the 'treasures'.
To end it, my precious great-granddaughter Dylan, age 3, performed for us as she did a tap dance to music. She loves to dance. She takes dancing. She kept dancing and dancing...as long as the music played...if it had played for an hour I think she would have danced for that long and not get tired. She was a doll. Hope I get pictures soon.
The night ended about 11:00 PM and we all went back to our cabins, and Derek and Lil Red drove back to San Antonio. Several families had already left after dinner that night. and Helen and her family didn't come over, they went to bed. So we missed all those people.
The next morning everyone packed up and cleaned out their cabins so as to be out by 12 noon. I had coffee over at Beverly and Yvonne's cabin outside. Then several people gathered on our front porch to chat before leaving the site. They young people had a "tattoo party" over at their cabin...someone got a tattoo kit last night at the "party". Everybody got tattoos, including me! And Gerry and Margaret! The ages ranged from 12 to 79!!!
As people said goodbye, hugging and kissing, and talking some more, I realized no one wanted to go home. I sure didn't. I would have liked to stay a few more days.. I think we were the last ones to leave the River. The day was cool, after the rain, and the place was silent again. With a lump in my throat we headed back to Floresville.
In fact I had a dream the day after that.... that we all were still at the reunion, and it was Monday. And everyone was still there. They all gathered around talking how they didn't want to leave, so they had called their work to say they were not coming in till Wednesday...they were taking another two days off!! Everyone was sooo happy and hugging and laughing because we were going to have two more days together. Wasn't that a nice dream?
The weekend was one to remember. Maybe I will take these four blogs and make them into a book with pictures ...a story...for the next family reunion...a remembrance for people of what our family was like ...back then...

Rain, food, karoake, swim, bbq supper...doesn't get any better than that!

I finally got to sleep Friday night after the excitement of the night before. Saturday morning I got up and had my coffee out on the porch. It was nice and cool, as Cindy, Steven, Helen and Norman joined me on the porch. One by one people appeared on the porch next door, so I went over to talk to them and have coffee. I love the Hill Country in the morning. Such fun laughing and talking and catching up with everyone's news and what is going on with their family. Later on we all had breakfast that Scotty prepared ...eggs,sausage,potato casserole, with salsa, picante, or whatever, and huge biscuits with butter, jelly, and preserves. And orange juice and coffee...I think everyone went back for seconds, or even thirds!
The morning was spent talking, singing Karoake songs, taking pictures, taking a walk down to the river, kids playing....and then it started to rain...when it first started up, since I had stated if it rained i would dance in the rain...I had to do what I promised. I got Liz to dance with me. And then it started raining more and more...finally we had a gully-washer as they say in Texas...with thunder and lightning! It was awesome. Later as the storm passed and it was still raining...the children went out to play in the rain and waller in the mud puddles...and make mud pies and cover themselves with mud. No one minded! It was such a rare thing to see rain. Let 'em have fun.
People sang with the Karoake, then some played dominoes, and many cousins gathered in our cabin to play Scattergories...
It was a wonderful Saturday after the rain...cool..partly sunny. Some went to the cabins to take naps, others went to the River to swim...and some of the men watched the Texas Longhorns play football..on our TV or Scott's. These were the only 2 cabins that had TV's.
I think Scott went on cooking. Bless his heart!!
Then up drove Derek and Lil Red from San Antonio. Yay! My son and beautiful daughter-in-law were there! They were surprised to see Rusty too. Derek, Rusty, and Scott and Kristi grew up together, but Derek and Scott were close in age, and I remember they teased Kristi unmercifully as boys! We took a vacation to Pt. Aransas with Mother and Daddy and Scott one time. Those two boys had a blast fishing with Eddie and Grandpa. Now here they were almost 50 years old, and still close cousins. That is family!
I went down to the river with a bunch of people...to take pictures...someone helped me down the steep steps to the water, and I sat on one bank of the river, cause I was afraid to go out on the rocks...I wish I had worn my tennis shoes or I would have!!! It was beautiful down there. I couldn't find my camera, someone obviously had taken it, so I picked one up on the table, no one knew who it belonged to...and took it with me. along with Lil Red's camera. Surely I could get a lot of pictures with those two extra cameras!!
I
It was almost surreal down on the river. I felt like I was thousand miles away from real life...the colors of the trees, and the water, and the sunlight playing on the water as the kids splashed in the knee deep water, and the shadows of the trees, mixed in, and the colors of the people with different colored shorts and swim suits...I felt like it was not real...it was almost like I imagined heaven to be like...laughing, murmuring, squealing kids....vivid colors..

It was such fun watching everyone. Especially Cindy, Steven, Carly, and Carson as the walked all the way down the river toward the swings ...the other swimming hole...I couldn't believe they were here with us. I have missed them so much all these latter years...as we all have gotten older...
I was so happy they were here! I got a lump in my throat as I thought about it!! And watching the little kiddos as they splashed and played with rocks and sticks!!!

When we left I could hardly make it up the steep bank, and as we walked back to our campsite...Yvonne walked with me, slowly, thank goodness, because I was out of breath from all that exertion. It makes me so mad that I am old!! I want to be young again! I am so glad we have pictures to look at to remember this weekend.

A starry night in Texas

It was about dark Friday evening and Gerry and I sat in Scott and Karen's cabin around the kitchen table at Criders on the Frio River in Concan. Scott was cooking for tomorrow's breakfast, preparing the potatoes that was going into the sausage, egg & potato casserole he was gong to make. He had informed us that he had a surprise for everyone later on that night. He wouldn't even give a hint. Then he said it was in the freezer and he would get it out about 8:00 or 8;30 and show us. We were not to look in the freezer!!

At about 8:15 he reached in the freezer and got a bag of frozen hash-brown potatoes...and said, "Well here it is! The last bag of hash-browns that I have to cook!"

We sat there dumbfounded! That was not a surprise. That Scott Zook. Scott roared with laughter and we laughed too. Just like a Zook to pull a stunt like that, I thought. That was not too funny.

About 20 minutes later, Gerry walked over to their cabin, and I was out on the porch at our cabin, and I saw a car coming in the area and stop. The driver rolled down the window and Gerry walked up to him, and I heard Gerry scream! Who was it? I ran over to the car, and then I saw Rusty, my nephew from Phoenix in the car! Then the other doors opened and there stood Jade, his daughter and his fiancee Lali! We had no idea they were coming. Rusty wanted to surprise everyone! Scott and Karen knew, but they had kept it a secret. That was Scott's suprise. It wasn't the potatoes after all!!

They parked the car and all got out. There were Jade's two little boys, Tristan and Gabe too. What a joyous time we all had hugging and kissing, and hugging and kissing some more! We had not seen Rusty for 3 years, and Jade since she was a little tiny girl. And we finally got to meet Lali who we all knew only on Facebook! She was as beautiful in person as she is in pictures. Inside and out! And Jade has grown up into such a beautiful wife and mother and especially a woman!

And Joshua, Rusty's son, was so overjoyed because he had not see in daddy and sister in so long. He was crying tears of joy. It was a happy time for all the family.

The evening meal was heavenly, hamburgers and hot dogs cooked by Scott on the grill outside and my hamburger was just the way I like it; Thick meat, melted cheese, onions, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce between a bun, I ate the whole thing! O and I forgot to mention with the hamburger I drank the most amazing cold beer...I forgot the name, Beverly gave it to me, I think it was called Octoberfest or something like that.

The stars that night were big and bright. We all went out to look up in the dark sky covered with millions of stars, and the Milky Way was so bright it was like a brilliant sparkling white gold carpet across the sky from end to end. The stars were so close I could almost touch them. Some of them were so big!!!

Then about 11:30 two cars drove into the area and there were my other kids!!! Kristi, her friend, Chuck, and then Taylor, Brett, and their little kiddos, Zayne and Dylan, and Jessica and her little boy Ayden. My heart was swelled with love and joy. My cup runneth over! They had driven from Ft. Worth, and had finally gotten there! More hugging and kissing, and surprised reunions with loved ones...Kristi was so happy to see her cousins ...Beverly, Yvonne, Rusty, Scott, Cindy, and Steve...who were all still awake....I finally went to bed about 12:30 am, and Kristi and her crew went on to their cabins to rest and put the kids to bed...but I think the cousins sat out in the dark talking till 2:00 am.

And that was just the first day of the reunion. Lots happened to make it a very full day!
And we still had Saturday ahead of us! I was too excited to go to sleep that night! My mind kept going over everything that transpired. I was glad to be alive. Finally I fell asleep.