"Sensing Life"

My friend Alison and I were sitting at the soccer field yesterday afternoon just enjoying the sights and sounds of the kids around us playing soccer. I love watching them run up and down the field kicking and passing the ball. I love to hear them laugh and cheer each other on. I love to feel the warm sun on my face and feel a little breeze blow through my hair. I love to smell the grass. Have you ever heard a song on the radio and it bring back memories of a long ago time and place? Whenever I smell burgers grilling I remember back when I was a little girl and Daddy would be home, maybe for a week-end, hopefully longer. He was a truck driver and he was gone a lot of the time and when he was home in the summer we would always grill out burgers. I love to hear the big tractor-trailers going down the interstate and smell the diesel. I grew up around trucks and so those sounds and smells remind me of my Daddy and good times. Fresh cut grass reminds me of ball games and watermelon. Burning leaves reminds me of swinging on our swing set and jumping in to a big pile of leaves. Listening to my family talking and laughing in the evening is the sweetest sound. All of these sights and sounds and smells make me feel safe. I can smell onions cooking and it reminds me of being outside as a little girl and smelling Mama's supper cooking through the open windows. We didn't have air-conditioners back then. Lord! I'm old. But I don't care cause I don't feel old. I feel blessed and happy. I love life and I enjoy the "sense" of belonging. Of loving and being loved. We need to slow down people. We need to "sense" life. To smell life. To reach out and touch it and listen to the sounds of life. We need to taste life.We need to be thankful for all that the Lord has given us to enjoy. We need to practice life. This is just a rehearsal of what's to come. I Cor. 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. We can only imagine the sights and sounds of our glorious eternal home. I know there will be music. Hymns of praise and worship. There will be beauty beyond description. Streets of purest gold. Who knows..., there may even be watermelon! How about potato salad? I can dream, can't I?

Family

I usually end my blog on Friday but I'll be pretty busy tomorrow and I may not have time to post. I'm so excited because we're having The Parris Family Reunion!! This is my Mom's family. Margaret Elizabeth Parris was born on July 5, 1934 to Alex and Ruby Harrison Parris. My Mama had (3) older brothers and (1) younger. Her brother Ralph died when I was 4 years old (1958). He and his wife Doris have two sons..., David and Steve. You may remember David from an earlier blog. He's the oldest Parris cousin and he's the one who tries to keep me in line. Next is H.L. "Charley" Parris (wife Ann). He passed away in 1996. His children are..., Nina, Frank, Tim and H.L. Jr. Her next brother was Alex Jr. He died before my Mom was ever born. I've seen pictures and he was a cutie. Next in line is my Mom..., Maggie. She and my Dad (Johnny) were blessed with (3) children, Megie, Cookie and Mark. My Mom's youngest brother was Dean Parris ( another Ann). He passed away in 1991. His children are Larry, Mike and Libby. I remember when I was a little girl and we would get together at Nannie and Papa's for Thanksgiving. All of the aunts and uncles and cousins would get together and eat and laugh and play and of course fight. Steve and I always fought. I remember listening to the grown-ups talk about "the good old days." Those times were fun. They were safe and comforting. My kids..., like most kids today..., don't enjoy family reunions. They don't realize that through these family gatherings you learn who you are and where you came from and what makes you who you are. Family is a sense of belonging. There's love and caring and acceptance. On Saturday, those of us who will be there will remember fondly our loved ones who are no longer with us. We'll talk about the funny things Papa would say or Nannie's sweet smile. We'll laugh about the time we had to help bottle feed Papa's baby goats (kids) or the time the rooster flogged my Mama when she ran up the back steps. How about Nannie's fresh cut corn and her fried okra? How we sat on the back steps and helped her shuck and silk corn and cut up the okra. Food even tasted better at Nannie and Papa's. The smell of Papa's cigar and Nannie's Jergens lotion as we rocked on the front porch after having a big ol bowl of vanilla ice cream. Family..., strong and grounded. Standing proud. Ties that bind us to one another in sweet and lasting memories.

SEPTEMBER 20TH

Tomorrow is a very special and wonderful day in my life. On September 20, 1991 I married my best friend in the whole wide world. 16 years ago I entered into a committment for a
lifetime with the most precious man..., my Ronnie. "Ronnie from the Group." I call him that because for years that's who he was..., Ronnie from the group. My sister and brother-in-law and I had formed a singing group..., "Redeemed" and we were minus a bass singer. Cookie and Pudge(David) knew Ronnie from Mountain View (Chesnee..., not Cowpens) and asked him to join us. I knew of him. I actually remember seeing him years before when we sang at a Homecoming at Mountain View. He was just a teenager then but I remember vividly seeing him. I thought he was the "cutest" guy with beautiful blue eyes. Now, you have to remember I'm a good bit older (11 years) and I was married but..., I still thought he was a "cute kid." Suddenly the kid was all grown up and man could he ever sing. We soon became good friends and "sparring partners." For those of you who know us you know we always carry on with a one-on-one repartee..., always in fun. He was funny with a quick wit and he was always amazed that I could keep up. I believe he must have dated "dumb" girls cause he wasn't use to a smart woman with a quick wit and a smart mouth!! Of course I was married with a young son and Ronnie had a girlfriend. In fact..., they use to sit behind us during the worship service and Ronnie would always pick at Justin trying to get him to giggle during the service. Anyway..., a couple of years later my marriage ended in a very heart-breaking, devastating divorce and for months I closed myself off from everybody. I took care of my son and I worked but I just couldn't bring myself to do anything else. I prayed earnestly for God to put my family back together again and to take away the pain. One day while I was reading my daily devotion and having my prayer time..., the Lord told me to get up off of my knees and put 'feet' on my prayers. I started back to church and started back practicing and singing with the group again. In the beginning it was very difficult but I knew that I had to keep focused because I owed it to my son. In the meantime Ronnie and his girlfriend had broken up..., around the first of the year. I was upset for him but he seemed to be well adjusted. So much so..., that on Valentines we sang at a senior citizens banquet and he actually persued me around the fellowship hall. He had this gleam in his beautiful blue eyes and I was running scared. Eventually, I quit running and let him catch me. A few months later he asked me to marry him and on September 20,1991 we were married at Cowpens First Baptist Church. God answered my prayers..., maybe not in the way that I had in mind but He did put my family back together. Now it's better and more wonderful than it had ever been before. Fours years later..., July 20,1995 the Lord blessed us with a beautiful little girl, Meredith, and now our little family is complete. On our wedding day he sang the song from the group 'Alabama' "Forever's As Far As I'll Go." "I've thought about how long I'll love you..., Forever's as far as I'll go." Happy Anniversary "Ronnie from the group."
I LOVE YOU!!

" Dancing With God"

My cousin David sent this to me the other day and I thought I would share it with you. When we look at the word GUIDANCE, we see the word "dance" at the end of the word. Doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. When one person realizes this, and lets the other person lead, both begin to work together and move in the right direction. Dancing takes surrender,willingness, and attentiveness from one and gentle guidance from the other.

The "G" stands for God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance." We need to be willing to trust God..., to dance together with God, and let Him lead and guide us through each day.

Let us dance the dance of worship and praise to our Lord, as David did. Of course being Baptist, dancing is frowned upon but, sometimes I'm so filled with joy and emotion that mere words can't always express what my heart is feeling.

Let us dance before the Lord with thanksgiving and in adoration of who God is and how He loves us and has blessed us.

My prayer for you is health, happiness and the peace that can only come from our loving God.

Le't continue to love one another and encourage one another and pray for one another.

AND I HOPE YOU DANCE!!

I AM A BAD GIRL

Most of you who check in on my site know me. Some of you know me very well. Actually, if you have spent any time with me at all you are aware of one thing. I am..., what I am. There is no pretense with me..., what you see is what you get. I am not a patient person. Some people have told me that God gave me my children later in life because I would have more patience with them. Just ask my kids how that's working out. One place I have the most trouble being patient is in my car. No doubt about it..., I HAVE ROAD RAGE!! Meredith always tells any of her little friends that ride with us..., "Watch out! My Mama has road rage." I don't like stupid anyway and some people when they get behind the wheel of a car just go all stupid. I have a sneaky suspicion they're that way most of the time but it really comes out in their driving. Even Ronnie, who travels in his work and drive thousands of miles a month, makes me furious. My Daddy was a truck-driver and he taught me how to drive. I'm not talking about the modern day truck drivers who think they are King of the road, I'm talking about a safety conscious, knows the rules, all time great, truck driver. People use to say..., "Johnny Easler can drive anything with wheels." Having learned from the best I try to do my best. I play a little game sometimes. Go from point A to point B and drive like you are being tested. When I get in my car I stop and think about where I'm going and what way I'm going. I know people who have lived in Spartanburg all of their lives and they don't know how to get from one place to another. One guy has to go home and start from there! Men say that women are bad drivers. Well let me tell you..., I have seen some pretty stupid men drivers too. Kids don't know how to drive only because their parents can't drive. When some people get into their car..., their eyes glaze over and their brains turn to mush. I don't think they need to be behind the wheel of a moving vehicle and out on the road with other people. When I have the misfortune of sharing the roadway with these idiots I would love to have a boxing glove with one of those extendable arms mounted on the side of my car and just knock them right in the head a couple of good times. I usually yell and call them idiots and yes..., I have even told them they were number one and where they could put that cell phone along with a few other choice words. I'm not proud..., but I am honest. We all have our problems..., our dark side and road rage is mine. I've told some of you this before. Ronnie made me take my JESUS magnet off of my van because he said I wasn't being a very good witness. He's right. I'm not. I need for you guys to pray for me. I need to work on this problem area in my life because I am a representative of Christ in ALL things. I need to do less talking and more walking..., closer to Him. I love you guys. Thanks for letting me vent and for letting me be honest. Thanks for keeping me humble and for loving me even when..., I AM A BAD GIRL. Have a good week-end and I'll check in with you on Monday. If you visit my site..., please leave me a comment.

Disconnected

HEY!! I'm ba-aack!! I've been disconnected from the internet. Do you know how upsetting that can be? I've been disconnected from all of my friends and some of my family members for a day and a half. This was a good thing in that I was able to catch up on the laundry and clean the kitchen and chase the dogs. Oh yeah..., by the way I'm still chasing dogs. But I really had some stuff to do on the computer and I couldn't. Before computers we talked on the telephone and visited our family and friends. If we had business to conduct like letters to write.., we either wrote them by hand or typed them on a typewriter. Now we do EVERYTHING on the computer..., even pay bills on-line and shop. As Christians we need to stay connected. That means worship, fellowship, daily Bible reading and prayer. If we don't seek God's guidance through worship, fellowship, daily Bible reading and prayer..., then we are disconnected. That's a lonely place to be. Everything is out of kilter and nothing seems to go right. I'm glad to be back on-line because I really do have stuff to do but..., being off-line gave me a time to reflect and to count my blessings. It gave me time to re-connect with my Heavenly Father because I was quiet and I could listen. Unfortunately I had to call Ronnie so he could tell me what to do to find the problem. He always says that I get on the computer and start jumping around and moving my feet and I pull something lose. I tell him that if he would clean this mess of wires and cables up underneath the computer I would be less likely to pull something lose. He has some things tied together with wire ties but it still looks like a bunch of snakes down there. Also, sometimes when I'm on the computer the dogs like to come in and lay at my feet. They have a bed in here behind my chair but they still like to lay at my feet. When Sophia was younger she actually chewed one of the cables in half and Ronnie had to replace it. We were disconnected big time then!! Anyway..., I'm glad to be back. Maybe you guys missed me as much as I missed you.
Have a wonderful day and stay connected. LOVE YOU!!

How To Leave Your Comments

I have had so many of you visit my site but you don't know how to leave a comment. At the bottom of my 'musings' will be a line that reads: Comments- click on that. Unfortunately my blog page won't allow anonymous comments so you have to have a Google account. There's a place to click on: Set up Google Account. All you have to do is type in your e-mail address as your User Name and for your Password type in an 8 character word that is easy for you to remember and that's it!! I hope you guys will stop by and leave me a comment. I really enjoy the feed-back. Well-gotta run and get ready for Meredith's soccer practice. I love you guys. Be safe and remember our fallen heros. We owe our freedom and security to their sacrifice.

How to Leave your Comment

I have had so many of you tell me that you visit my blog but you're not sure how to leave a comment. At the end of my 'musings' there will be a line that reads: Comments- click on that.
Unfortunately my blog won't let you leave annymous

Patriot's Day

Six years ago today I, like so many other Americans, sat glued to the television in shock as we watched the horror unfolding before our very eyes. We weren't watching another country being attacked.., WE were being attacked!! The United States of America, the greatest country in all of the world, was being attacked by terrorist. Those beautiful Twin Towers in New York City crumbled to the ground and with them our assurance of living fear-free from terrorism. So many precious lives lost in a senseless attack. We have since then gone about out daily lives but it's never been the same. To millions of people all over the world America is a magic place. With schools, parks, playgrounds; peaceful living and the freedom to choose our jobs and plan our lives. A way of life that we readily assume to be a natural right. But every freedom has a price.
When we think of the cost paid for our freedom, we should realize that living in such a great land is a responsibility as well as a prviledge. As we honor the millions of American Patriots who so willingly gave their lives for the priviledges we enjoy, let us find new reasons for wanting to keep our country the home of the brave and the free and the good.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!


Honoring The Fallen:
September 11, 2001

I'm Late- I'm Late- For a Very Important Date!!

I'm going to make this a short one guys cause it is so late. This has been a typical Monday. Nothing bad happened..., I've just been so busy. After I took Meredith to school this morning I went and had coffee with my Mom and my sister..., Cookie. My sister had several doctor's appointments so I stayed with Mama until lunch time. Of course Ronnie is out of town again and I'm still chasing my crazy dachshunds. I'm trying to train Sophia to come when I call her. Of course none of our dogs have ever been trained but they would at least come when I call..., not So-So. At first I thought she wasn't coming to me cause she hadn't learned her name yet but now she just doesn't come. Anyway..., this afternoon she and Odie were running in the neighbor's yard and when I came out to call them Sophia ran under their car. At first I was trying to bribe her with a snack but she wasn't having any of that. I finally had to run her out with a fly swatter. Don't go into a panic I mostly just waved it at her and yelled for her to go home. I'm so glad my new neighbors weren't home. I think they are kind of concerned about what kind of people we are anyway. I'm sure if they had been home and saw me running around flapping a fly swat and screaming they would know for sure what kind of people we are..., NUTS!! I'll try to post earlier tomorrow and until then..., remember I love you guys. Hey- if you visit how about leaving a comment. I want to know how I'm doing. My sister thinks I should write a book..., HA! my life is a book..., a comic book!

Hey- it's Friday

Hey guys- it's Friday. Ronnie is home for the week-end. Justin is feeling some better and when I pick up Meredith this afternoon at 3:15 our week-end officially begins. I love Fridays. I love any time my family is spending time together. My favorite time of the day is when everybody is home and I can hear them laughing and talking. It makes me feel so safe. Meredith has a soccer game tomorrow. GO ORANGE HOT TAMALES!! I don't know that much about soccer even though Meredith has been playing for awhile. I guess all that matters is that she knows and she is having a ball. I love watching the girls play and this year Meredith's age group is playing with high school age girls. The little ones Meredith's age are keeping up with the older ones. It's a blast. Oh yea..., I'm the Team Parent this season. I didn't realize how much responsibility goes along with the honor but so far I've been up for the challenge. I'm doing a Team newsletter every week so everybody will know what's going on. If they don't know what's up it's because they haven't read the newsletter. Of course we have a busy week-end planned and then the best way to end a week and begin another is attending Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church. I love my church. AMRBC is definately a God touched- Spirit-filled church. The fellowhip-the music-the message-the love. I'll end with this;

Beautiful is the church if God is worshiped there.

Have a wonderful and safe week-end. Love and encourage one another. Praise God for who He is and for what He has done. I love you guys. You're in my special thoughts and in my prayers.
I'll check back with you on Monday. God Bless you.

Friendship

I'm really late posting today. It's been a good day. I took Odie back to the vet and this time he gave them a good specimen. Hopefully this is a good sign. We should have his test results next week. All you pet lovers..., PRAY!! After I dropped Odie off at the vet I met a friend for coffee. I've known of my friend Alison for a long time. Our daughters have gone to school together since kindergarten and Alison (Super Mom) was PTA president for three years!! However.., I didn't actually get to know her until last Spring when our girls played on the same soccer team. I love this woman!! She is funny and out-going and just so bubbly. I love out-going people. Quiet people make me self conscious. If I have known you for more than five minutes you are no longer an acquaintance but a friend. That's because I love everybody and I'm just a huggy-kissy-lovey kind of gal. Of course this makes me an oddity in my family cause nobody else is like that. I'm sure I bother some people. I hug you when I see you and then I hug you bye. I have lots of friends.., of every size,shape, sex,age and race. The friend that I have had the longest is Gretchen. We met the first day of the 7th grade (40 years ago). The second longest friendship is Carol. We've been friends for 39 years. Of course I have my buddies from church..., just too many to mention. My friendship also includes guys. My brother-in-law David (Pudge) has been my dearest guy friend since 1974. You can even have family members that you count as friends too. This is double huggy-kissy-lovey..., cause we're family. My cousin's wife Amanda and I are really big buddies and my cousin David and I are "kissing cousins." Nothing kinky guys..., he's just the oldest Parris cousin and a pretty neat guy. He tries to keep me straight. Pray for him cause he's got his work cut out. You can have good-loving friendships that last for many years even though you may lose touch. This was very evident a few months back. My friend Wendell and I were the greatest friends back in the early seventies but we lost touch some time in the mid-eighties. Over the years I have thought of him often but wasn't sure where he was. A few months back I made a few inquiries and now we're back in touch..., after 20 years!! My very best and dearest friend in the whole wide world is my hubby..., Ronnie. We will celebrate 16 years of marriage on the 20th of the month. As I've said so many times..., Ronnie is the love of my life and my kids..., Justin and Meredith are the joy. I am so blessed. I thank God for all of my friends. You are very special to me. You bring joy and laughter and good times. Thanks for always being there in the good times and the bad. Thanks for making my days a little brighter and the journey through life a lot easier. God Bless You.

Not my day!!

Well- since my other favorite color is green..., I'm choosing to write in green today. Green like the grass is suppose to be. Ronnie said something about weed-eating but very little about cutting the grass or mowing the lawn. Funny..., the grass is brown and withered from lack of rain but the weeds are flourishing nicely. I don't have a green thumb really so I don't know weeds from little sprouts. That might be why my suppose to be flower bed is really a weed bed.

Yesterday wasn't a very good day but I tried. Today isn't much better and I'm not sure I want to try!! Whenever Ronnie is out of town everything can and does go wrong. Not that I can't handle it but somehow the decisions I make in a crisis aren't necessarily the decisions Ronnie would make. I don't mean a major crisis..., one dog is in heat (joy-joy) the other dog may have prostate cancer and both of my kids aren't feeling real swift at the moment either. Justin called me earlier and told me to make him a doctor's appointment. This means..., he's sick. I'm suppose to follow Odie around with a cup to get a urine speciman. It seems he didn't give them enough at the vet's office yesterday. Now how am I suppose to do that and try to keep a diaper on Sophia? Which by the way she has lost!! We live on 11 acres and of course the dogs have free run. Odie..., being a male..., runs from bush to tree to blade of withered grass to "tinkle" and I'm suppose to run after him with a cup to catch it!!

Oh Lord!! Give me strength. I'm also suppose to keep Odie and Sophia apart. That's kind of hard when they live in the same house. Oh yea..., according to our breeder..., Sophia wasn't suppose to come into heat or season for a few more weeks. Well Surprise!! Her surgery is scheduled for the end of the month but until then I'm chasing her and Odie around like some crazed lunatic with a cup and a diaper. Well..., that is if I find the diaper.

Okay- I know you're probably laughing hysterically or you're probably even offended at my choice of topics today. Sorry..., that's not really what I intended. I guess I said all that to say this..., "the grrass is not always greener." I may be having a "bad" day today but I know there are so many people who have real crisis and real probalems.

I visited some of my CaringBridge Buddies this morning. My friend..., Susan. She's just lost her soul-mate of 30 years to cancer. My sweetheart..., Nicholas Deyo from Minnesota. He had a spinal stroke at birth. He has lots of problems but he's a cutie and a real tropper. Meredith Grace Dyer is 9 months old and has neuroblastoma. After her chemo treatment the other day she threw up in the hallway but turned around and gave her Mom (Ginger) the biggest grin. She's a beauty too just like my main man Nic. This morning I got an e-mail from my Aunt Jessie. It seems there is a very special young man..., Nick Vujicic..., who was borned with no arms or legs. He has a genuine love for young people and he travels around as a motivational speaker.

WAKE UP CALL!! My little problems seem very insignificant. It's very humbling. I find that if I try to be encouraging to others then it makes my little "bumps" not so very difficult anymore.
Find somebody today to be encouraging to. It may be a phone call or a card or even a hug. It may give them the boost they need to face the day and it will make you feel better too.

Give thanks in all things. Our Lord is a great and mighty God and greatly to be praised.
Have a Jesus-filled day and remember I love you guys.

Thankful

Since my favorite color is purple and since this is my page..., I'm writing my 'Musings' for the day in purple. I titled today's thoughts Thankful because I am so truly Thankful for all that the Lord has given to me and done for me. In one of my devotions this past week it talked about worship. Worship God with thankfulness and sincerity. Praise Him! Adore Him. All that we are and all that we have comes from Him. I feel so thankful and so blessed. It's been a very busy morning for me. I dropped Ronnie off at the airport at 6:00am. He's flying to Kansas City for the week. By the time I got back home..., it was time to wake up Meredith and Justin. I took Meredith to school and took our 8 year old dachshund Odie to the vet for routine blood work. Odie has seizures and is on Phenobarbitol so he has to have periodic check ups. We may have a major problem. During Odie's exam the doctor detected an enlarged prostate. He had this same problem last year but they never found anything. However..., he was very swollen and the examine was VERY UNCOMFORTABLE to say the least. I had to leave my baby boy so they could do x-rays and get a urine specimen. What we are praying for is inflamation of the prostate but the doctor said that it could be cancer. They are starting him on antibiotics and medication for inflamation. So all of you pet-lovers know where I'm coming from. Please pray that all will be well with Odie. Our pets are just like our babies and most of the time they mind a lot beter than our kids. Anyway..., on the way home I cried and of course I prayed. I'm thankful for the 8 years that we've had this sweet little guy. I'm praying for many more healthy years with him. My cousin sent me an e-mail the other day. It was an intereview with Rick Warren ("The Purpose Driven Life") and he talked about the struggles that he and his family have been facing recently. His wife's cancer. This is what he said in the interview and I'm going to close with this;

In happy moments; Praise God
In difficult moments; Seek God
In quiet moments; Worship God
In painful moments; Trust God
In EVERY moment; Thank God

I'm sure we all are at different 'moments' in our lives. Facing our own struggles..., even the sickness of a beloved pet. No matter the 'moment'..., BE THANKFUL. I love you guys.

I did it!!

Hey guys! I finally did it. I took the plunge. I bit the bullet. I set up my blog. This is so exciting!!
Now I have my very own page with my name on it. You long time bloggers will have to be patient with me cause I'm new at this and I still don't know what I'm doing. If you have any advice please share it. Eventually I would like to post some pictures of my family and my dogs. If you know me at all you know one of the most important things in my life is my family. I want my 'Musings' to be positive and encouraging. I want you guys to be my accountability partners. Keep me on the straight and narrow. You know how I can get sometimes. Anyway..., here it is!!
Let me know what you think. I love you all dearly. Have a Jesus filled day.