The Preacher's Masterpiece

at 01/15/13 7:43PM

I found a worn old copy of this poem in my room today while I was cleaning and going through old memories. This poem was written about my Dad. He is now 84 and has been a preacher his entire life. He is also a musician and artist, but most of all, he is the friendliest man I know and he especially knows how to talk to total strangers about his Lord. The author of this poem, Sister Georgia Gold has long since past, but she wrote this about my dad back in the 1970's when he was "her preacher".

THE PREACHER’S MASTERPIECE

He is no ordinary preacher - he’s a man of many talents;
Talents that have brought pleasure and happiness,
or comfort to the distraught.
He is a learned man, possessing artistic qualities
Displayed most effectively,
Be it with palette and brush, with pen, music or
Expressing a provoking thought.

With his keen sense of humor he can converse
With utmost ease;
Making in-roads into lives marred by worldly strife.
Whether in oils, or on parchment, or oratorically
delivered,
Somehow, the preacher makes an imprint on
Somebody’s life.

The preacher, with the help of his family, has painted
a lasting picture;
With vivid colors and bold, masterful strokes its
beauty will never cease.
It depicts a Christian walking tall among men,
Unscathed by association;
A lesson of love and understanding -
Truly his Masterpiece.

~ Georgia Gold

She had a way with words! Good to hear from you, Friend! I'm imagining that your family is all grown up by now???!!!

by aleta at 01/15/13 8:35PM
What a wonderful tribute to your dad.

It's a good thing you updated. I have a policy about Pleonast. I delete folks that haven't updated in a year. You pushed it pretty close. :)

by didow at 01/16/13 9:07PM
^^^ Laughing at Diane.

Lovely thoughts. Now I know where you get YOUR friendliness.

by lori_in_pa at 01/19/13 9:09AM

Newly Licensed

at 02/21/12 9:28PM

Emma is driving. And she is doing a very good job at driving. I’m finally starting to feel comfortable having her behind the wheel. She has been one determined girl and asks at least once a day if she can drive. She is anxious to learn and get comfortable with her skill so that she can be a fully licensed driving by this summer.

I’m very proud of her.

We live in Tampa, FL. Tampa is renowned for it’s crazy drivers and we see wrecks here on a DAILY basis. She actually had to avoid one today. (Just moving into another lane while the tow truck tried to manage getting the car up on his truck to transport it to the dump, or wherever cars like that go) She did a great job maneuvering around it.

But the thing I wanted to write about here is her special “Newly Licensed” magnet that we clearly display on the back of the family mini-van each time she drives. I saw one of these magnets and thought it was a good idea for our area, even though I surveyed several young adults before ordering it and they said things like, “Please don’t do that to your daughter”. The drivers here have a tendency to be angry and impatient and I thought that having a sticker like this might give Emma a little leeway from folks like that. I explained to our young teenage driver how I thought it would help and she (even though she is a teenager) gladly agreed to use it! She wants people to know she is learning. She is not ashamed of that and is thankful that the person behind her is less likely to honk while she tries to check out a major intersection before she decides to proceed.

So far it has been a big help and I have seen it have the affect we want. She has even had a few older more experienced drivers smile very nicely at her as if they are saying, “Good Job! Keep up the Good Work!” But today, while were traveling south on Dale Mabry (one of the busiest wide 3 lane streets in Tampa (it goes by the Buccaneer stadium, etc) a young couple passed Emma on the left. They were in their 20’s and were driving a cute little volkswagen, but as they passed I noticed the girl, in the passenger seat, smirking at us. She had obviously seen our sticker and thought, “Wow, how embarrassing for that poor teenage girl!”. The young man even turned back to look at us as they passed, as if to say, “Check it out, that poor girl! Aren’t you glad our mother didn’t torture us like that?!” And off they zoomed, giggly at us.

Emma did not see them thankfully :) But I really don’t think it would have bothered her anyway. She is focused! Focused on the road and her she is taking her responsibility behind the wheel very seriously. I wish I could have expressed to those passers by that it is Emma who remembers to put the magnet on the car every time, and not her overly domineering mother ;) And I also wish I had had the opportunity to tell them how proud I am of her, for not letting what other people think get in the way of her learning a new skill and learning it well (and without incident, which the most important reason to warn these crazy Tampa drivers to give her some room!)

I’m very thankful to have a teenage driver who is so willing to express that she is a novice at driving. Thank you, Emma. For being willing to admit that you are inexperienced and for being willing to learn in front of the whole world (or at least in front of a bunch of rude Tampa drivers). I’m SO proud of you!!

Love, Mom

Good for Emma. Good for you, Mom. That is the hardest thing I've had to do as a mom - teach 3 kids to drive. I don't trust anyone else on the road when my kids' lives are at stake. I put it off as long as possible. I probably got the "worst mother of the year" award as far as my kids are concerned for not letting them go earlier. I still have a hard time with it and they're 26, 24, 21. :-) If I had known of those stickers, I would have gotten one and used it!

by harbermama at 02/21/12 11:13PM
My three oldest didn't get their licenses until they were past 17. It's possible that a couple of them were nearly 18. Now my daughter is 15 and has her permit. Yikes! I'm not sure we'll make her wait until she's 17. We'll see.

by nchantment4u at 02/22/12 8:37AM
We also put this off until long past most people. That is so true!

by sallyanne at 02/22/12 10:09AM
I love everything about this post!

by lori_in_pa at 02/22/12 3:04PM
I'm sure she's going to be a wonderful driver. We need to get things started with Timothy. He's wanting to drive so much but we're dragging our heals. Neither one of us enjoy teaching the kids to drive. One reason I don't like it is because it's hard to find time to let them practice when the younger ones aren't in the car. You're post has prodded me to try and get the ball rolling.

by didow at 02/23/12 8:34AM
I think that's a great idea! Good luck to Emma. :-)

by derbydi at 02/23/12 3:03PM
wonder if i could sneak that onto my car?! i bet boys are different! ha

by rainout at 02/23/12 3:07PM
Love, love, love this!

by mommysteph at 02/25/12 7:54PM
I want one of those bumper magnets. Brian just started driving, too. I don't think he would mind "warning" people with a bumper magnet. We would get lots of use out of it, since we have at least 3 maybe 4 more drivers to go. (We have Zachary back. Pray we get to keep him, please.)

by thejoyoftom at 02/27/12 9:28AM

Focus! (Okay, this post is basically "all about me". Sorry! It's an update for my folks and anyone who has wondered where I am)

at 08/31/11 7:34AM

I haven't been on here in a while. I have been focusing on many other needs and responsibilities (so I guess that is a good thing).

It's that time of year again :) Schooling has begun at our house.

Emma takes Algebra II on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 am pretty far from our house (25 min. drive)

I take Sadie with me and we sit at a nearby Super Target cafe and do some of her work and reading. If i left her at home she might not wake up :) She is my sleeper, so she gets up and gets going with us and so far it's worked out really well. I can pick up apples, milk or toilet paper if needed so that is an added bonus ;)

On our way to Algebra II and Target we drop Hailey at USF for her class in Chinese. She is really loving this class and is delighted with the teacher. He has won many awards for his skills in the language (storytelling and speaking) and co-wrote the curriculum they are using. It's an immersion style of learning and so far it's been very enjoyable for Hailey. She has lots of studying to do, but has really enjoyed having her FC friends back in town and had lots of great evenings and bible studies with them so far. AND... she turns 21 tomorrow. Where did the time go?

I have been teaching some at church for our summer ladies' class and that kept me busy, busy.

We had great company the weekend that FC started. The Youngs brought their sweet daughter, Camille.

Lot's of Emma's camp buddies are here at FC now and her time there (in two years) is getting real to her. She is very close to several of them and so we have been busy having kids over for snacks, and Sunday dinners.

I am still busy at the birth center too. 2-6 days a month and teaching some evening classes in September.

Joe is VERY busy with church responsibilities and his new position at AT&T. We have to make time to get together and talk. This is kind of new for us so we are trying to manage our time better and keep calendars updated so that we can spend some special time together.

On top of all of that, or maybe I should say under (as a foundation), I'm planning a new Bible study time with my girls. I'm looking forward to that.

Whew, I'm sure there is more to say, but now I better get to some schooling of these precious girls and get ready to drop one at USF.

Love you all!!

Happy birthday to Hailey tomorrow - can you believe she'll be 21? And how wonderful that Emma is getting to see her camp friends and get excited for going to FC when it's her turn. I have to LOL about Sadie being yoru sleeper - we are lucky that our middle school doesn't start until 9:30 so our almost-14 yo 8th grader can sleep a bit more. His 10thGrade brother isn't happy about having to be up at 6:15 each morning for a 7:25 start. And it takes us about 25 minutes to get from our house to drop him off in the mornings. We use the time to listen to WedWayRadio podcast (all things Disney history!). It's always good to see a post from you.

by nzmom at 08/31/11 8:51AM
Your target only sells apples, milk and toilet paper? Very strange, indeed! ;-)

by nchantment4u at 08/31/11 3:10PM
Enjoyed hearing all about you and yours!

by aleta at 08/31/11 4:52PM
sounds nice. miss you all and all who are there.

by mullenpatch at 09/01/11 7:16PM
Sounds like an un-boring life to me! Chinese??? I can't imagine how difficult that would be! Go, Hailey! And, Happy Birthday to her!

by derbydi at 09/01/11 8:59PM
It was great to see you at the play last night. It sounds like your school year is off to a great start. Hope we can squeeze in a visit or two this semester. The boys miss getting together and so do I. :)

by thejoyoftom at 09/03/11 11:22PM
Sounds like your school year is off to a good start.

by didow at 09/03/11 11:44PM

Oh my :)

at 07/27/11 3:05PM

There is so much to tell of the wonderfulness of our vacation! Sightseeing, tours, museums, ferry rides, subway rides, bus rides, train rides, wonderful visits with Christians, staying with special people, eating delicious food! Today is the first day back that I'm actually feeling energetic enough to resist laying down to take a nap! Once the girls and I get done with our "review of the trip" project, I will be writing a play by play. Hope it's not too boring, you know, like when your neighbor invites you over to watch home movies of their trip to ... "you fill in the most boring place you can imagine" ;) Ours definitely was NOT boring to us, but you will have to let us know once it is officially posted ;)

I'm going to have to figure out how to post pictures on here again I guess...

Thanks for all of the great help and hints you all gave me before our adventure! It was a great help!

Love you all!

Juline

Glad you guys had a wonderful time! DC is on my Bucket List!

by derbydi at 07/27/11 3:35PM
We loved our time with your family! Can't wait to hear the trip report.

by lori_in_pa at 07/28/11 5:48AM
I am never bored reading people's trip reports nor looking at their vacation pictures. Bring it on!

by nzmom at 07/28/11 3:57PM
I can't wait to hear the stories!

by jenkegley at 07/29/11 4:34PM
I journaled our trips to NYC, and am really glad I did. It has helped me remember specifics of the trip when others have asked for ideas for their own NYC visit. Can't wait to read all about yours and compare notes!

by iloveponds at 07/29/11 9:20PM
I'm so glad you had a good time. We'll be headed your way in a week.

by didow at 08/09/11 4:51PM

It's getting close!!

at 06/29/11 8:03AM *

We received our e-mail confirmation yesterday - we are scheduled for a White House tour! We are also scheduled for a US Capitol tour! I'm making lists and checking them twice. Lots to remember! Train tickets to NYC, ferry tickets to Liberty and Ellis Islands, movie tickets to see Harry Potter ;), tickets for Mt. Vernon....

BTW, it pays to make a call! The web-site for Colonial Williamsburg vaguely offered "discounts for homeschool families" but did not mention tickets. I called to ask and sure enough, the adult ticket price goes down from $41.95 to $15.00!! And the children (7-16) get in for $7.50! That's a savings of $100 on one day of sightseeing! All we have to do is prove that we are homeschooling (our county office will be sending me a letter - another thing to put in that file!). I'm very excited about that savings! We have never been to Colonial Williamsburg, and we hear that it is lovely, but the tickets we were going to have to buy were pricey to me.

The kids are going to camp next week. Hailey, Joe and I will have time to finish up our packing then, but for now we have to get Sadie and Emma all ready for both vacation and camp. It's going to be a crazy few days. The washer and dryer are busy as I speak. Today we will be doing some last detail shopping and then I think we will be ready to pack!! Yay!!

I generally don't have anything quite this exciting going on in my life so I'm a little overwhelmed by all the things to do! But so far it's under control ;)

Counting down!!

So excited for y'all! The homeschool discount is great! I will have to remember that when we go.

by jenkegley at 06/29/11 8:19AM
yay! for vacations! for discounts! for busyness! my room is painted. more cleaning today! Ready?

by nchantment4u at 06/29/11 9:17AM
Sounds like an awesome trip! Way to go on saving on those tickets. That is a HUGE discount. I'm surprised it's that good. Most places just cut $2 or $3 off the price. Very nice for you guys! Frederic told me about your note on facebook. I wish we would have had a minute or two to chat at the wedding too. I was hoping for it. Would love to catch up with you and Joe.

by crazy_mama at 06/29/11 10:14AM
Oh, oh, oh -- did I ever respond to your last FB message????? You just jogged my memory. Yes, to all of your questions, I'm sure. I was intending to share it with Kevin to be sure the van pickup was a go, but I'm sure it is, so count on it.

by lori_in_pa at 06/29/11 11:23AM
Happy, Happy, Happy!

by textilet at 06/29/11 11:26AM
Sounds like an awesome trip! I love Williamsburg! We went once with AAA deal which expired soon afterward and got about the same type deal for the week! That is a major savings! Someday, I'll have to get you to tell me just how to get the tickets for the White House and Capitol. When I was a girl, you just stood in line and then got to go. Times have changed. My boys are heading to camp next week in New Jersey. Sounds like a lot of camps are going on next week....NJ, GA, TN....

by theaunt at 06/29/11 12:49PM
Mike wants to know if you painted your door yet!

by nchantment4u at 06/29/11 11:06PM
I am so excited for you all - and so glad you get to do both the White House and Capitol tours! We enjoyed both when we were in DC a couple of years ago. My boys still talk about our trip there. They were a bit younger when we did Colonial Williamsburg. That's awesome about the discounted tickets! Have a wonderful time - can't wait to hear about it!

by nzmom at 06/30/11 8:27AM
that's awesome!! don't you just love a discount?? I was looking online this week for reservations for a couple of nights at DW while we are in town for the Huckabee thing and they were just killing me with the prices! so I decided to call and talk to someone in person and what do you know??! the room price was $50 less than anything they offered online! I was super excited! Contemporary here we come!

by rainout at 06/30/11 2:02PM
I went to Colonial Williamsburg on a trip (post-9/11) with People to People...it was absolutely AMAZING!! We spent the entire day there and I felt like there was SO MUCH MORE we could have seen! Enjoy the Capitol and White House tours! I went pre-9/11 through the White House and President Bush and his wife were leaving, so we got to see them and wave to them. I went pre- and post-9/11 to the Capitol and what a change they have made in the tours! You can't go through half the stuff anymore that they used to let you do! I know ya'll will have fun!! See if you can check out the Newseum while nearby the Capitol!! It's so incredible to see printed newspapers from all over the U.S., some from around the world, but from our countries MAJOR events as they occurred in history! They have a piece of the top of one of the towers from 9/11 too...now that whole exhibit is humbling!

by brianne at 06/30/11 9:31PM
Fun, fun, fun! We went to Montecello and Va Beach last Spring break and liked it so much we are going back this summer! Your discount makes me wish we were homeschooling! Have a great time!!!

by derbydi at 07/01/11 1:10PM
Have a wonderful trip! DC is the next place I would love to visit. I'll be checking back here if I get the chance to go! Have a great time!

by auntjennywren at 07/02/11 8:29AM
Sounds like a wonderful time! I'd be excited too!

by mrs_rosshead at 07/02/11 11:18PM
Looks like you are going to have a wonderful trip!

by sallyanne at 07/14/11 7:37PM