Barbara Walton
January 27, 2011
Brrrrr!!! It has been cold in our little Village of Spearsville with the sun so seldom seen that we hardly recognized it Saturday and Sunday; however, we have little to complain about when we see pictures of the Northeast. My granddaughter, Helen, is in college in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and the temp was -19 (wind chill -30) last night and the high would be 7 today. She walks about a mile down a winding mountainous road from her dorm to the main campus. I haven’t checked on Melanie Barron Brooks in Kazakhstan, but you can bet your boots it’s cold, really cold there, too. Aren’t you glad we don’t have that to face each day — Spearsville’s 18 sounds better all the time, right?
Mary Gene Rhodes’ family has not let her get Cabin Fever for they have kept her real busy. Lou Ellen & John Russell came for lunch at Hollis’ on Sunday, Susan Spears came for the day, on Thursday, and had lunch at the dining sit with us, as well. Michelle Spears Bell, Mary’s granddaughter, came on Saturday and then Beth Lawson came on Sunday for lunch out and an afternoon visit. As you can see this family is taking care to see that Mary Gene does not get bored or lonesome.
On Saturday, Oda Rockett and her daughter Kim, took in a movie, “True Grit” (the new version) and then went for dinner at Mel’s in El Dorado. Afterwards, Kim spent time working with Oda on learning how to work all the bells and whistles on her new, smart phone. It is a really fancy phone that even our gadget guru, Bonnie Rhodes, couldn’t figure out. I told her that I don’t need something like that; I just need power on and off with a button for talk and send.
Bro. James has started a walk through the Bible and he began Leviticus on Sunday, explaining that this book of rules was written for the Levites (priests) by Moses as inspired by God about 1445 B.C. The four themes are: God’s Holiness, God’s justice, a Covenant relationship between God and man, and Thankfulness. These are still rules for us in the year 2011, as well, but thank goodness, brunt offerings are no longer needed because of the spilled blood of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful gift Jesus made on our behalf, and a wonderful message to remind us of God’s love for us.
While Wilbur Upshaw, as well as 99% of the men in Spearsville, was watching the big football game on Sunday, Nell Upshaw and I were sitting around her table enjoying a great cup of coffee and an even greater visit. We caught up on all the kids, grandkids and the major events of our lives in a most delightful way. I caught up with Bonnie Rhodes later, a native of Chicago, and found a very sad Bears fan. She cheered on the Saints, her adopted team, 2 weeks ago and they lost the opportunity for a Super Bowl win; now the Bears will not be in the Super Bowl either. Bonnie is not a happy camper and has lost all her enthusiasm for the Super Bowl this year.
Ella Adkins, Jennifer Barron Adkins’ daughter, celebrated her fourth birthday. There were decorations inside and out with balloons on the highway to direst the out of town folks — everything was pink. Clyde said she had a blast with all kinds of food, games, and lots of gifts. Ramona had prepared for everything to make it an enjoyable and fun event; even taped plastic down on the floor so crumbs on the floor would not be a problem for the adults and kids. Visitors included family and friends from Downsville, as well as Spearsville.
Tim and Denise Clement have just returned from a visit to NJ to welcome a new granddaughter into the family. Her name is Mary Evelyn and she weighed in at a little over 7 lbs. From the pictures I saw on Facebook, she is a real cutie and they are some proud grandparents. I know they hated to leave her and not be able to see her growing up. Skype on the computer, however, will be the next best thing to seeing her in person. These new inventions are simply marvelous for grandparents — worth the price of the computer, believe me!!. Tim, also, got to visit with his old co-workers at teh fire dept. in NJ and they gave him so much stuff-radios and all kinds of gear, that he had to rent a Uhaul to cart it all to Spearsville. The Volunteer Fire Dept. of Spearsville will think that Santa Claus has made another trip down South. We are grateful to this group in NJ for all this equipment and gear. Thanks!!!!
Thought for the Day
I am not what I might be, I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I wish to be, I am not what I hope to be; but I thank God I am not what I once was, and I can say with the great apostle, “by the grace of God I am what I am.” – John Newton
Shiloh to Canaan 