tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86813397073730574142024-02-08T05:33:03.647-08:00Joyce GodwinThis is just a collection of things I like - comments welcomejoycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-2278867261101445062011-05-25T20:05:00.000-07:002011-06-01T10:38:50.418-07:00Come to Hobart<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Geneva"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Nimrod MT', serif;font-size:medium;">Veterans and their families will flock to Hobart, Oklahoma this weekend to spend the time with retired, four-star Gen. Tommy Franks for the third, annual Celebration of Freedom.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Geneva"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Nimrod MT', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The event has a host of sponsors dedicated to providing activities for parents, grand parents and children of all ages. The parade down Main Street will be led by a Native American color guard and will feature everything wonderful about small town, America, including Miss Oklahoma 2010, Emoly West, as Grand Marshall.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Freedom Motorcycle Rumble parade through downtown Hobart will take place around 2:30. Onlookers will see Franks leading hundreds of motorcycle riders through town stopping at the Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sunday night will host a concert featuring country-western singer Aaron Tippin.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Since Franks’ 2003 retirement Franks and wife Cathy have put together a stunning museum displaying scenes from Franks’ military career and much education about Middle East countries. In association with the museum, Franks has begun a leadership institute to bring together youth of varying countries to learn to debate, and discuss the tough issues of multiple cultures on the same planet.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum has grown exponentially since its “soft” opening for Veterans Day weekend Nov. 8, 2008. Friend of the Franks have come from around the world at various times to attend a Celebration of Freedom and to tour the museum.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Franks is a leader revered by privates as well as colonels. He as wounded in Vietnam and led the Allied forces to Baghdad in 2003 before his retirement in July. When he autographs his book “American Soldier” for Vietnam veterans, he almost always writes “Welcome home” because a large number of Vietnam veterans did not have the experience of a joyful homecoming.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The small town of Hobart, Oklahoma will transform itself for the Memorial Day weekend to host thousands of folks who come to celebrate freedom with the general whose troops call him “a Soldier’s General.” Hobart will also be celebrating its heritage and honoring local veterans. It’s a place with patriotism is common and military individuals revered.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hobart is located in the heart of southwest Oklahoma, 40 miles south of Interstate 40 on U.S. Highway 183 and about 40 miles north of Vernon, Texas.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For a schedule of events or more information about the festival, visit the Website at www.celebrationoffreedom.net</span></i></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-452237884154824472010-08-23T20:49:00.000-07:002011-09-26T10:33:58.342-07:00Back to school<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;">I did a similar story that ran Monday in the <a href="http://www.heralddemocrat.com/">Herald Democrat</a><br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;">Recent stories we ran in the paper about the first day of school triggered flashes of my own first day more than 50 years ago.<p>I went to a parochial school in Toledo, Ohio and my first day was for kindergarten. I remember other kids in the classroom crying and I didn't understand the why of that. There were mothers out in the hallway peeking through the glass window in the door to get one last glimpse of their little prince or princess, all grown up for kindergarten. I'm not sure if my mom was one of those.</p><p>As I recall, I was pretty "matter of fact" about the event. I was excited because I was going to learn to read. I couldn't wait.</p><p>Up to that time, my dad read to me. It was especially fun on Sunday mornings before church when he read the Sunday comics from the Toledo Blade. I stood behind him to follow along with the pictures in the comic strip. When I saw a frame that looked more interesting that the one he was one, I would point to it and say "Read that one, Daddy," in the middle in the middle of whatever he was trying to read.</p><p>If he was reading a book to me, I sat in his lap but whenever he was reading the comics, I stood behind him and sometimes combed his hair. It strikes me as I write these words, my dad was a really patient man when I was little.</p><p>For weeks I told my brother and sister, 12 and 13 years my senior, over and over that I was going to school and I would be able to read. I'm sure I gloated to my younger sister by one year, the same brag to let her know I'd have something she wouldn't have.</p><p>I was dressed in a little pleated skirts with matching suspenders, a white blouse, little white socks and black patten shoes and so was each of the other girls. We wore uniforms. But that never bothered me. That day, everything was right for me because I was going to learn to read.</p><p>The disagreeable part of the day for me and my big disappointment, came when I went home from school that first day and I still couldn't read. My parents hadn't understood that I expected to be able to read as soon as I went to school until they were trying to reason with a wailing 5 year old to help me understand -- it's a process.</p></span></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-23124124220834063102010-06-22T13:38:00.000-07:002010-06-22T13:44:13.195-07:00A special father<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I wrote the following for the Herald Democrat Life section for last Sunday:</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When I think about Father’s Day, I always remember my own father first. Luckily he was serious about his role in raising my brother and two sisters and me. He spent time with us, shared himself with us and taught us about life and more. His last words to me came as I was leaving his hospital room before he had surgery from which he never recovered. “I’m going to love you all of your life,” he called to me. He was my special knight in shining armor who could fix anything for me.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I know another special father who lives in Van Alstyne. You might think I’m going to write about my husband Billy Wayne here, but although he is a special father, he’s not the subject of this writing.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This special father is younger and has more children — all girls. He always thought he would have a son and teases about it now, because he has four beautiful girls who were born to him and others he’s adopted emotionally.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’ve been blessed to be close to this family almost from their beginning. When Griff and Kristi Servati came to Van Alstyne, they were two youngsters themselves just starting out. Kristi was a coach and teacher at the high school and Griff was the youth minister at First Baptist. They made a difference in the youth of Van Alstyne almost immediately. My daughter is one they influenced.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I remember her saying she wouldn’t get married until she found someone just like Griff. She eventually found her Griff, but that is another story.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Over the next 13 years or so, Griff became a father to Raigan, then Kerrigan, then Jaidan and finally Kailan. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One special thing I remember is a Valentine surprise Griff orchestrated for Kristi. It was nothing elaborate, but he did it all himself. It was a portrait he had made of the girls, I think there were three of them then. He had to fix the girls’ hair for the picture, and although he didn’t do it as well as Kristi would have, he did it for his family.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">He says now, he’s happy having just girls. A boy child in their house might upset their balance at this point. As Raigan began to participate in youth league sports, Griff always stepped up to be a coach for softball and then soccer. He didn’t know anything about soccer when he started, other than he wanted his girls to play because it would be good for them. So he set about teaching himself. He has coached Raigan’s team and Kerrigan’s team and will, no doubt, coach Jaidan’s and Kailan’s teams if they decide to play.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">All of the things I’ve mentioned are wonderful, but there’s more.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Griff and Kristi have both mentored countless teenagers over the past 13 years. Some of the young men who’ve grown up watching the Servatis have said they know how to be a father by watching Griff.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One young woman who is about to have her first baby told me just the other day that she wouldn’t be the person she is without the Servatis’ influence. They took her into their home for her last few years of high school and she learned by watching them. She said doesn’t want to think about who she might be now if not for the way she was influenced during those years. Now she knows how she wants to raise her children.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This year the Servatis have opened their home to a foreign-exchange student. JaJa has been a wonderful addition to the family and they will all miss her when she leaves for Thailand this week. So will I.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There is yet one more dimension to Griff’s fathering abilities. He will say he’s not doing anything special. He will say he’s just doing his job, and that’s right. But one of the things that impresses me is his faithfulness to his mission. There is no fanfare, he just does what needs to be done. He will never know how many lives have been changed because of the lifestyle demonstrated to and shared with the teenagers in Van Alstyne. When Raigan was little, she referred to the youngsters in Griff’s youth group as “Daddy’s kids.” </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">That’s exactly what they are.</span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-2346153539082079812010-04-04T14:35:00.000-07:002010-04-04T14:41:09.260-07:00Easter morning brings Christians together<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Charlie and Gloria Morton of Denison will go through the motions many of us go through on Easter morning. Wake up, maybe have breakfast and probably take in a church service before heading back home to take care of regular duties at the Inn of Many Faces in Denison.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But this Easter will be like no other for the Mortons. No matter what they do, they will not be able to nor want to let go of thoughts of their son Airman 1st Class Dimitri Morton, who is on the first day of his deployment to Iraq.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I know Gloria because she and I are in Bible study together so we, as a group, have prayed for Dimitri the past couple of years — this is not his first tour to a war zone.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Mortons are not the only family in this area with loved ones in dangerous areas. There are many young men and women from Texoma who serve proudly and whose families are proud of their service, just as the Mortons are. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Gloria has the worried heart of a mother whose child wakes up every day in danger, and it’s likely, she won’t draw a relaxed, free breath until her son is back on U.S. soil. But she has faith in a redeemer who takes care of our lives here on earth and so do her children.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This day (Easter) is the most important in the Christian faith because it celebrates the day Jesus emerged from the tomb after being laid there three days before. Jesus suffered three hours on the cross, gave up His life, spent three days in the tomb and rose again for the next chapter of His earthly ministry.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Last week our study was in John 17 where we saw how Jesus understands what we feel and our difficulties because He came from glory to live in an earthbound body. He suffered and died as the redeemer of mankind.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This faith is often what helps people get through tough times whether it be the loss of a loved one, a long illness, any illness, the struggle with finances and more.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Morton family will have ups and downs in the months Dimitri is away and they’ll rely on a strong faith to carry them when they’re down. Today, I’m praying for the Mortons and all the families in our area with empty seats at the dinner table and I’m worshipping the Prince of Peace and Risen Redeemer on this holiest of holy days.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Happy Easter.</span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-67992513816185363342010-02-21T21:10:00.000-08:002010-02-21T21:15:45.585-08:00Sunday worship at the Boot Camp<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Nimrod MT';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sunday morning had a different start for the Godwins than usual. Instead of attending our home church, we were out the door and on the road by 7:30 a.m. to join the young cadets at the Grayson County Juvenile Boot Camp.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Nimrod MT';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Billy Wayne and I were among a small group of adult volunteers granted admission to participate in a church and worship service with 50 or more young men.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Our group of volunteers was organized through the Air Chapel Academy, a non-profit agency in Grayson Couny that, among other things, appeals to local ministries and churches to help with the religious services every Sunday and Wednesday at the boot camp. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sunday it was Pastor Sammy Garcia of Iglesia Bautista Camino Real Church in Denison who spoke to the boys while music was provided by Paul Garland of Sherman.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We were there to help serve those young men, but we were the ones who were blessed. One of the highlights of the morning was a loosely organized choir of cadets who came to the front of the room and stood behind Paul as he led the group in a song called “Peace Speaker.” Some of the boys played percussion instruments while others simply used their voices. The result was spine tingling.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The song talks about experiencing storms in life. “But even in the storm, I can feel the calm, and here’s the reason why,” sang this group of about 15 young men. “I know the Peace Speaker, I know Him by name...</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“There’s never been another man with the power of this friend; by simply saying ‘peace, be still’ He can calm the strongest wind...</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“And that’s why I never worry when storm clouds come my way... I know the Peace Speaker...”</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As I watched these youngsters sing loud and strong and thought about the lyrics, I considered this special group. Each one is there because of storm clouds in their own lives. They are there because of legal problems of many levels and the boot camp program is their last chance to turn around.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In a small prayer group, some of the young men shared feelings of being homesick, one asked for prayer to help him stay focused on the goal to make the achievements necessary to get out and go home. Another shared concerns about his family.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was a special time for us and we’re looking forward to going back.</span><br /></span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-57851692147580462892010-02-14T00:08:00.000-08:002010-02-20T18:36:17.334-08:00Sledding down memory lane<div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Recent photos on Facebook, a popular Internet social network, of several Van Alstyne families sledding on our snow-covered hill, brought back fond memories of when I was little and living in Toledo, Ohio.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My dad, like the three Van Alstyne dads in the picture, took my sister and me, and often as many of our friends who wanted to go, to area hills when the snow was right. We had a long 4-person sled that you could steer. My dad would get us situated on that sled and then give us a rousing push to help us get the most out of our run (because it was a long walk back to the top). There were usually others sledding on the hills so a certain amount of etiquette was needed. Of course, since we were only about 8 or 10, sometimes the other sledders suffered because we weren’t really good about knowing or practicing the necessary etiquette.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I still have a picture in my head of an older teen-age boy who did all he could to get out of our way. We could steer our sled — just weren’t very good at it. The picture I have is that young man resting on his toboggan in front of us and as we went through the place were he had been, he was suddenly in the air above us to avoid us running him over.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My dad took us ice skating during those times, as well, and taught us how to skate. He didn’t ice skate but somehow, he was able to teach us. I always marveled at that. Lake Erie was at the end of our street, so we often walked down the street to go ice skating. Sometimes, the winters were so bad, we could simply put our skates on sitting on the front step of our house and then ice skate down the sidewalks to the lake. It also was pretty common for a neighbor or two to flood their vacant lots so everyone in the neighborhood could go ice skating. It was a Norman-Rockwell-style event, minus the music. </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I remember that we went to school no matter how much snow fell. We didn’t learn about snow days until we moved to Gainesville, Texas. I was 12, and that was a long time ago.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; line-height: 10.5px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We may all get another shot at playing in the snow this year because snow is predicted for Tuesday. I hope to see all those Van Alstyne youngsters having fun on our hill again. I may join in this time.</span></span></p> </div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-25758668857853771402009-12-10T13:41:00.000-08:002009-12-10T13:43:14.973-08:00Have you ever had a song stuck in your head?<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I attended a church service last week and one of the songs we sang was “Marching to Zion.”</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well, the tune stuck in my head. I was humming it, singing it and hearing it in my head constantly. So much so that by the end of the week, I was ready to catch a new song.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I shared that with the music minister at my church, Ron Ethredge, who assured me there would be a snappy line up of music that Sunday so I might catch on to a different tune. He was true to his word, and when I left church, I was humming a new song. This was great.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On my way home from church, I admired some of the beautiful yard decorations on display in the front yards of homes around Van Alstyne. In one of those I saw a penguin. I think it caught my eye because, the night before, I watched the movie “March of the Penquins” — and, by the way, loved it. If you haven’t seen that movie, you should. The photography is stunning and the story engaging. It gave me a new concept of parental dedication and sacrifice for the sake of offspring.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The story is about thousands of Emperor Penquins in Antarctica that walk 70 miles over ice to their breeding ground every year. One particular detail caught my attention and made me wonder how scientists can believe in the theory of evolution. The penquin father is the only parent present when the chick hatches. He has had no food in months and there is no food available near the breeding ground. The mother has not yet returned from her walk back to the ocean to be able to feed and store up food for the chick before wallking a third time over ice to the breeding grounds. The chick needs to be fed but sometimes the mothers don’t return for a couple of days after the hatching.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The creator in all His wisdom provided for the new chick to be able to get life-sustaining food while waiting for the mother’s return. There is a small compartment in the back of the father’s throat that holds just enough nourishment for the chick to have one feeding that sustains him until the mother returns. I marvel at the details our creator has built into all our lives.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But, back to my original story. After seeing the penguin yard art, the movie title went through my mind.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Once I heard the word “march,” the whole morning of reprogramming my brain for a new song was gone, gone, gone. In an instant, I was again singing “Marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. I’m marching onward to Zion...”</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I’m delighted to think about seeing the “beautiful city of God,” but I REALLY need a new song. I’m taking a different route home from church this Sunday.</span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-41279768463210260642009-11-18T10:42:00.000-08:002009-11-28T23:18:43.934-08:00A Local Hero<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Lucida Grande"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I took this picture in 2007 and it's one of my all-time favorites. Airman Bill Long stands in salute as a mournful "Taps" sounds from a single trumpet at the graveside services for Long's brother, Spc. Braden Joseph Long Sunday afternoon at Cedarlawn Memorial Park in Sherm</span></p><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SwRGw0BiPyI/AAAAAAAABQI/DNzkxwi17_8/s320/Braden+Long+funl+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405523257164185378" /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Lucida Grande"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">an. Spc. Long was killed in battle in Iraq Aug. 4, 2007. In the background is an honor-guard detail from the Sherman Police Department, also standing in salute and further back is part of the line of Patriot Guard surrounding the grave site holding U.S. flags. Member or the Sherman Fire Department were also present to honor Sherman's fallen warrior.<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Lucida Grande"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Lucida Grande"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The story of Spc. Braden Joseph Long, by Joyce Godwin:</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Lucida Grande"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A 2005 graduate of Sherman High School, he is remembered for his infectious smile, love of cars, love for his family and the intense desire to serve his country. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Spc. Long died of injuries sustained when his Humvee came under grenade attack in Baghdad Aug. 4, just three days shy of his 20th birthday. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">During his short military career, Spc. Long earned the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Badge, Iraqi Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal. He served as a gunner.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Chaplain Ken Sorenson told mourners at Faith Church of Sherman that one of the outstanding features of Spc. Long was his smile. His father added in a later telephone interview that his son's smile was always there. Sorenson used the letters in 'smile' to describe Spc. Long to family and friends who flocked to his funeral. 'S' was for Specialist, Braden's army rank. 'M' was for military. He said Spc. Long wanted to join the military since he was a little boy. 'I' was for his intelligence in choosing a supportive wife like Teresa and for choosing the Army. 'L' stood for likeable. Sorenson said Spc. Long was an incredibly loving person. "I can see why Teresa would fall in love with him," Sorenson said. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lastly, 'E' stood for excellence. He described Spc. Long as determined to do the right thing. He would always fulfill his commitments. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sorenson referred to the scripture Romans 5:7-8. "Christ died for us," Sorenson said. "There is something about a man who is willing to die for those he doesn't even know...day after day, a willingness to sacrifice his all for people who didn't know him, much like his Savior did 2,000 years ago." </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Later in the service, Sorenson said, "Freedom is never free and his (Spc. Long's) death serves as a reminder of the cost." </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Following the final prayer of the funeral, the cadence of marching military began to echo across the auditorium and grew louder as the military honor guard advanced through the church isle to retrieve Spc. Long's casket. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mourners poured from the church and the unmistakable roar of motorcycle engines could be heard as the Patriot Guard prepared to escort Spc. Long and his family to Cedarlawn Memorial Park for the final farewell. This was the third part of the Guard's mission for Spc. Long. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Riders met the plane bearing Spc. Long's casket at Grayson County Airport last Thursday and escorted him to Waldo Funeral Home in Sherman. Then the Guard stood in a protective formation around the funeral home during the family's visitation Friday. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">With flags unfurled in the wind, the motorcycles escorted Spc. Long and his family and friends to Cedarlawn. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As the procession passed each police sentry at various intersections on the procession route through Sherman, the officer sentry boarded his unit with lights flashing and joined the end of the procession until there were 10 cruisers bringing up the rear.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sherman firefighters also honored the fallen hero with a U.S. flag suspended between two ladder trucks for the procession to pass under as it turned into Cedarlawn from Texoma Parkway. From that point, the procession stretched west on FM 691 all the way to U.S. Highway 75. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Inside the funeral tent, the awards earned by Spc. Long were each presented to his wife, Teresa, his mother, Melanie Thrasher, and his father. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When a mournful "Taps" sounded out from a single trumpet, military and police alike raise their hands in salute. Then Airman Bill Long, Spc. Long's older brother who was sitting with the family, stood slowly, turned toward the ceremony and raised his salute. Airman Long, served as escort for his brother's final return to Sherman. He was his mother's support along with her husband, Bobby Thrasher, throughout the services. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hours after the funeral, Spc. Long's father described their son as a normal teen while he was growing up. "But then, when you look back, you see a teen that almost never caused trouble," William Long said. "He was focused in wanting to go into the Army and that's what he did. He was a fantastic kid and a wonderful husband for his wife, and we are really going to miss him." </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">William Long commented on the military honors during his son's service. "The amount of people that showed up was way beyond our expectations," he added. "We knew the Patriot Guard was coming but we didn't know how many there would be." </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sparky Cox of Sherman served as one of the Ride Captains for the Patriot Guard along with Mike Grove of Bells and Gary Winters of Sherman. Cox reported there were 129 motorcycles and several cars carrying Patriot Guard members who came from as far away as Waurika, Okla to the north and Fort Worth and Garland to the South. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">William Long said his son was doing what he wanted. "He wanted to join and signed up and enlisted right after his 17th birthday, but couldn't go in for basic training until eight months later," William Long said. "He was unbelievably proud to wear the uniform and his whole family was very proud of him." </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Spc. Long was sworn into the Army Oct. 2, 2004. He left for basic training June 28, 2005 and did his basic training at Fort Knox, Ky. A Web site set up in his memory states he left for his first duty station, Ft. Riley, in Nov 2005. He was deployed to Iraq Feb 8, 2007. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He is the fourth military personnel, and the fifth over all, from the Texoma area to die while serving in support of the war against terrorism. </span></p><p></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-48583162681746776842009-11-12T17:03:00.000-08:002009-11-12T17:08:44.670-08:00Using shorthand<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Nimrod MT'; font-size: 9px; ">Sitting next to a friend in my Wednesday morning Bible Study recently, my friend noticed an element in my note taking that is something she doesn’t often see. I still use Gregg shorthand that I learned in college. In the same session, I took out my iPhone to make some adjustments on upcoming dates as they were announced.</span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT">My friend commented on my use of technology as well as my use of shorthand in the same conversation, and it struck me later the dichotomy of the two.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT">I love to stay up with technology and have the latest to work on, but most times can’t afford it. I did splurge to get an iPhone, though, and now I think I can’t live without it. It’s really a hand-held computer for all the things it does.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT">On the other end of the technology spectrum, I also use shorthand when I’m taking notes, and I’m thankful I never stopped using it.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT">To the unfamiliar eye, my scrawling looks much like a foreign language, and in a way, it is. People often look at what I’m writing, and I’m sure they wonder if I know what I’m doing. The use of shorthand has diminished greatly in the business world with the increased use of dictation machines, and later, computers. It seems to be a dying art, and therefore, not as many people are familiar with or know about shorthand as in the 1960s.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT">I was surprised to see, through a quick look on the Internet, there are still some courses available where someone can learn a shorthand system, but they don’t seem to be very plentiful.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT">I learned shorthand in 1968 but have never used it in business until the past 10 years working for the Herald Democrat. The system made it easier to take more complete notes in college, but then I couldn’t lend my notes to someone who missed class. That also meant there were fewer people willing to lend me notes when I missed. Everything has a trade off.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT">I do enjoy the quizzical glances I get as those who aren’t familiar with shorthand try to decipher what must seem like hieroglyphics scratched across my pad. </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><br /></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-13664800672608680772009-11-03T08:13:00.000-08:002009-11-03T11:43:56.124-08:00For new moms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SvCFqtBXRYI/AAAAAAAABPc/5aSTy0PsjPQ/s1600-h/IMG_1786small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SvCFqtBXRYI/AAAAAAAABPc/5aSTy0PsjPQ/s320/IMG_1786small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399962921903539586" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Tiffany is a family friend who went to school with our daughter Jamie.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I wrote this to her on the day she went back to work after becoming a new mother.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Dear Tiffany,<br /><br />Today you leave your sweet baby princess for the first time of any length to return to work.<br /><br />It’s a tough day for most new mothers and many repeat new mothers — that first day back to work — and today it’s yours. It will continue to be a tough separation for a while but it will get easier with time.</span></span></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /><br />Soon you’ll be a pro at managing all the little details involved with leaving that special bundle who sleeps in her room under the letters of her name. It’s a room that shows a mother’s love in every detail.<br /><br />We all understand what you feel today because we’ve been there. But that doesn’t lessen your anxiety or stress.<br /><br />Remind yourself and take solace in knowing, she is not going to change while you’re gone and she’s always going to know who you are, i.e., the most important person in her sweet life. Remember also that God has his hand on you and her, and when God is in control, we get only the VERY best in our lives.<br /><br />There are many more disappointments in store for you as your little one grows up. That’s motherhood. But those disappointments will melt away through the joys you will feel as you share your life with this new little one who’s taken over your every waking thought.<br /><br />Your love will grow exponentially day by day, year by year, and a life of joy will totally overshadow the sadness of days like today.</span></span></span></span></span></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-54839560936662268062009-09-22T22:52:00.000-07:002009-09-22T23:11:46.474-07:00Cowboy pre game 9-20<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm8Edns8KI/AAAAAAAABPM/PATm4AlA0wg/s1600-h/IMG_9567-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm8Edns8KI/AAAAAAAABPM/PATm4AlA0wg/s320/IMG_9567-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384541614354788514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm8EN7KORI/AAAAAAAABPE/eh9AUUWQkq0/s1600-h/IMG_9568-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm8EN7KORI/AAAAAAAABPE/eh9AUUWQkq0/s320/IMG_9568-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384541610141432082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7k2MgFrI/AAAAAAAABO8/NZJue7vFFnE/s1600-h/cheerleaders-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7k2MgFrI/AAAAAAAABO8/NZJue7vFFnE/s320/cheerleaders-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384541071195772594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7kYCHIdI/AAAAAAAABO0/a6R-09wNJ2I/s1600-h/high+kicks-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 121px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7kYCHIdI/AAAAAAAABO0/a6R-09wNJ2I/s320/high+kicks-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384541063099130322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7jztlfDI/AAAAAAAABOs/IZi-YEFj62o/s1600-h/The+coin+toss-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7jztlfDI/AAAAAAAABOs/IZi-YEFj62o/s320/The+coin+toss-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384541053349362738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7jYytSMI/AAAAAAAABOk/QB3ErnZBJ7U/s1600-h/The+coin+toss+2-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7jYytSMI/AAAAAAAABOk/QB3ErnZBJ7U/s320/The+coin+toss+2-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384541046123088066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7i8CWjLI/AAAAAAAABOc/_kajjxuHsuQ/s1600-h/Bush+1+-+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm7i8CWjLI/AAAAAAAABOc/_kajjxuHsuQ/s320/Bush+1+-+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384541038404078770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6pJtlAeI/AAAAAAAABOU/Rg-Wf-ETsS4/s1600-h/Bush+2-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 254px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6pJtlAeI/AAAAAAAABOU/Rg-Wf-ETsS4/s320/Bush+2-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384540045642629602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6o-iOLOI/AAAAAAAABOM/99mK4Y52CmE/s1600-h/Bush+3-+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6o-iOLOI/AAAAAAAABOM/99mK4Y52CmE/s320/Bush+3-+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384540042642205922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6oVnL06I/AAAAAAAABOE/yVVr1HKuvi4/s1600-h/Bush+4-+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6oVnL06I/AAAAAAAABOE/yVVr1HKuvi4/s320/Bush+4-+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384540031657169826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6n29qEpI/AAAAAAAABN8/EKJ9qplNXuI/s1600-h/flag+1-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6n29qEpI/AAAAAAAABN8/EKJ9qplNXuI/s320/flag+1-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384540023429927570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6ne56LlI/AAAAAAAABN0/VNzqbPJtrfA/s1600-h/flag+2-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 136px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm6ne56LlI/AAAAAAAABN0/VNzqbPJtrfA/s320/flag+2-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384540016971755090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5w2GdeVI/AAAAAAAABNs/VCF7s1UqkHg/s1600-h/flag+3+-+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 136px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5w2GdeVI/AAAAAAAABNs/VCF7s1UqkHg/s320/flag+3+-+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384539078305610066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5wdEE4YI/AAAAAAAABNk/sO-wQ_MYPTo/s1600-h/flag+4+-+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5wdEE4YI/AAAAAAAABNk/sO-wQ_MYPTo/s320/flag+4+-+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384539071584723330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5v9D3Q1I/AAAAAAAABNc/FIYPpP2jhs8/s1600-h/flag+wave+1-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5v9D3Q1I/AAAAAAAABNc/FIYPpP2jhs8/s320/flag+wave+1-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384539062993896274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5vSxqtSI/AAAAAAAABNU/kHJznVCXNLM/s1600-h/flag+wave+2-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5vSxqtSI/AAAAAAAABNU/kHJznVCXNLM/s320/flag+wave+2-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384539051643286818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5u82kG9I/AAAAAAAABNM/KiH55oeudYY/s1600-h/sunset+-+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Srm5u82kG9I/AAAAAAAABNM/KiH55oeudYY/s320/sunset+-+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384539045758245842" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">As one might expect, the season opener for the Dallas Cowboys was one of grand spectacle and elaborate preparations. A video showing some of the Cowboy history from the beginning to today opened the official ceremonies for pre-game. “Texas, this is the time of legends,” a booming voice said to the more than 100,000-sized crowd. “It’s a new chapter for America’s team because tonight the Cowboys have come home.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; min-height: 20.0pxcolor:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">With the video’s final frame, shown on the world’s largest high-definition television screen measuring 160 feet by 72 feet, attention was directed to center field where the turf was pealed away to display the Cowboy blue and white star and the crowd erupted in cheers and standing ovations. Attendees were clearly thrilled to be a part of the Cowboys’ showing off a new home.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; min-height: 20.0pxcolor:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">A flag was carried out by military individuals of all branches of the service who seemed proud and excited to be selected to help display Old Glory, which by the time everyone was in place, stretched the entire width of the field.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; min-height: 20.0pxcolor:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Former American Idol winner Jordan Sparks led the crowd in the Star Spangled Banner. When she finished the phrase “Oh say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave,” the men and women attending the flag began to move the fabric up and down so it looked like it was waving.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; min-height: 20.0pxcolor:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">President George W. Bush and wife Laura were ushered onto the field from the western end zone for the ever-common coin toss which assigns the ball’s first carrier in every football game. At his introduction, the crowd began to cheer and applaud. One person yelled out “We love you George” and the phrase was picked up by others who repeated it. Bush tossed the coin and the small group gathered on the blue star immediately looked down to see it’s outcome. The Cowboys won.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; min-height: 20.0pxcolor:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Some might have claimed that win to be a good omen for what was to follow, but unfortunately, the Cowboys were upset by the Giants in the inauguration game for their new stadium home.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; min-height: 20.0pxcolor:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Nevertheless, a new kind of excitement filled the air as players ran onto the field with fanfare of cheerleaders waving pompoms, loud music and smoke.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; min-height: 20.0pxcolor:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color:#666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Even mother nature cooperated with a beautiful sunset sky to show through the openings at the western end of the stadium.</span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-83758997662493365552009-08-26T17:37:00.000-07:002009-08-26T17:45:49.057-07:00Informative weekOur "Good Morning" column appears on the front page of each paper. We (editorial staff) all write them at different times. I learned a few things last week and decided to share them in the "good morning" column. It appeared in our paper today and for any of you who may not be able to see our paper, I've posted it here. Hope you like it.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">By Joyce Godwin</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Herald Democrat</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I received an e-mail recently titled “Life’s Handbook for 2009” and several points expressed in the writings touched me. You might say I learned something from it, or was reminded of things.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In fact, last week was pretty informative for me on several levels.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">You know all those stories you hear about someone being victimized because an unscrupulous person got hold of their bank or credit-card account information? Well, I learned those stories are not just happening to “other” people. To my surprise, I now know it can happen to me.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The e-mail I mentioned instructed that I should not compare my life to that of others. “You have no idea what their journey is all about.” Is that something like don’t jump from the pan into the fire? </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also, “Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does,” and “don’t waste your precious energy on gossip. Dream more while you are awake, and envy is a waste of time.” All GREAT advice to include in a handbook about life.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I also learned last week (or it was my decision) that our City Editor, Gary Carter, is never again allowed to take a vacation. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have the power to enforce that one.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The last and maybe the most important thing I learned last week, at least for the immediate future, is those treadmills driven by electricity keep moving even when you stop walking.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My daughter burst into laughter at the mental picture that lesson presented her. Actually, I prefaced it with “You’ll never guess what happened to me,” and she guessed it. I think she knows me better than I thought. And, what my husband said first is, I hope no one there knew your last name.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">No one did, at least I’m pretty sure of that. Although, one really nice and considerate man removed his ear plugs and asked me if I was okay. I was, but my humiliation level was over the top.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of my Facebook friends said she has had a similar experience and then I didn’t feel so stupid. But, in all fairness, let me say I got distracted when I saw Pudge wearing a Ranger uniform again. Sweet!</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My daughter’s still laughing... and so am I.</span></p></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-21567949211878772042009-08-09T19:00:00.000-07:002009-08-09T19:14:33.378-07:00Sunday lunch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-BOSv0LKI/AAAAAAAABKs/UIDeo_8v8NM/s1600-h/IMG_8376.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-BOSv0LKI/AAAAAAAABKs/UIDeo_8v8NM/s320/IMG_8376.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368151363399462050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-BOdDWLXI/AAAAAAAABKk/WqNP7_mmueo/s1600-h/IMG_8375.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-BOdDWLXI/AAAAAAAABKk/WqNP7_mmueo/s320/IMG_8375.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368151366165736818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-BNwKrAOI/AAAAAAAABKc/Saf7rqIHonI/s1600-h/IMG_8374.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-BNwKrAOI/AAAAAAAABKc/Saf7rqIHonI/s320/IMG_8374.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368151354116866274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AgVKi_4I/AAAAAAAABKU/ud-HAL1DYE4/s1600-h/IMG_8373.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AgVKi_4I/AAAAAAAABKU/ud-HAL1DYE4/s320/IMG_8373.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368150573774471042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AgLTggOI/AAAAAAAABKM/11EUwJCiSV8/s1600-h/IMG_8372.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AgLTggOI/AAAAAAAABKM/11EUwJCiSV8/s320/IMG_8372.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368150571127701730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-Af8Vq84I/AAAAAAAABKE/JjAdnKS4Xqw/s1600-h/IMG_8371.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-Af8Vq84I/AAAAAAAABKE/JjAdnKS4Xqw/s320/IMG_8371.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368150567110243202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-Afgxd3mI/AAAAAAAABJ8/UK7NjKRBGWE/s1600-h/IMG_8370.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-Afgxd3mI/AAAAAAAABJ8/UK7NjKRBGWE/s320/IMG_8370.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368150559710633570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AfHVF-2I/AAAAAAAABJ0/XgcMS-w7peE/s1600-h/IMG_8368.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AfHVF-2I/AAAAAAAABJ0/XgcMS-w7peE/s320/IMG_8368.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368150552880741218" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AfHVF-2I/AAAAAAAABJ0/XgcMS-w7peE/s1600-h/IMG_8368.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jamie brought Langston and Hallie to church in Van Alstyne today and we went to dinner with the Servatis afterward. Here are some of our pictures. Kristi, Jamie and I are the only ones who didn't get in the pictures.</span></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AfHVF-2I/AAAAAAAABJ0/XgcMS-w7peE/s1600-h/IMG_8368.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn-AfHVF-2I/AAAAAAAABJ0/XgcMS-w7peE/s1600-h/IMG_8368.jpg"></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First is Umbi with Hallie then Umbi with Raigan.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Then we have Griff holding Langston and Jaidan and Griff holding Langston with Kaidan.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We had a great time.<br /></span></span></span><div><br /></div></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-22646985816693991382009-08-09T18:29:00.000-07:002009-08-09T18:47:10.800-07:00Cowboy Stadium<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97-4kRyBI/AAAAAAAABJs/ShPDyAfkvSo/s1600-h/IMG_8363.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 161px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97-4kRyBI/AAAAAAAABJs/ShPDyAfkvSo/s320/IMG_8363.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145601115572242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97-q3j6XI/AAAAAAAABJk/Z7Rj6efV2tg/s1600-h/IMG_8352.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97-q3j6XI/AAAAAAAABJk/Z7Rj6efV2tg/s320/IMG_8352.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145597438355826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97-Z9at1I/AAAAAAAABJc/B4B8mVbTobE/s1600-h/IMG_8346.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97-Z9at1I/AAAAAAAABJc/B4B8mVbTobE/s320/IMG_8346.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145592899516242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97gbUJyHI/AAAAAAAABJU/HcidGtjE43A/s1600-h/IMG_8338.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97gbUJyHI/AAAAAAAABJU/HcidGtjE43A/s320/IMG_8338.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145077867235442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97gL5XHpI/AAAAAAAABJM/uxDh5zvIRgo/s1600-h/IMG_8335.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97gL5XHpI/AAAAAAAABJM/uxDh5zvIRgo/s320/IMG_8335.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145073728331410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97f5CbxYI/AAAAAAAABJE/5FfCLG0bYaQ/s1600-h/IMG_8330.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97f5CbxYI/AAAAAAAABJE/5FfCLG0bYaQ/s320/IMG_8330.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145068666111362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97fcZpgwI/AAAAAAAABI8/sJnUkY5aPw0/s1600-h/IMG_8322.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97fcZpgwI/AAAAAAAABI8/sJnUkY5aPw0/s320/IMG_8322.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145060978852610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97fNKJQnI/AAAAAAAABI0/uuQGG5FVxgo/s1600-h/IMG_8314.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Sn97fNKJQnI/AAAAAAAABI0/uuQGG5FVxgo/s320/IMG_8314.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145056887292530" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, fantasy;"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, fantasy;"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Punctuated with chrome and glass, steel and mirrors, the new Cowboy Stadium is almost ready to go. It was unveiled to season-ticket holders Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the doors were opened and those with tickets were allowed to roam freely from level to level and section to section.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Billy Wayne said he’s never seen anything like it. The structure was massive. The sliding roof covers were closed fending off the days stifling heat from 100-plus-degree temperatures. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">A large array of event staff was on hand to make sure the tour was easy and interested individuals could see everything they wanted to see.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The jumbo-tron is huge and will surely enhance the football-watching experience of every seat in the stadium. </span></p><div><br /></div></span></span><p></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-25722620356857843452009-06-16T19:10:00.000-07:002009-06-16T19:28:29.374-07:00A tribute to Allie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SjhUxvKXjqI/AAAAAAAAA6I/U-tSXPGhTHg/s1600-h/Allie+1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 282px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SjhUxvKXjqI/AAAAAAAAA6I/U-tSXPGhTHg/s400/Allie+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348117770952740514" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Last week the Godwins said hello to a new grandson when daughter Jamie gave birth. This week the Godwins are saying goodbye to an old and very loyal family member. Our dog Allie has reached the point where quality of life is at an all time low so we need</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">to relieve her of her discomfort.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Allie is a black Labrador retriever who entered our home for the first time in 1994 in my sister-in-law Marylyn’s purse. Allie, whose full name is Allie Oop, made us all happy. Of course she was my husband’s and daughter’s dog, but I was the one who rose night after night and made my bed next to Allie’s pen so she could feel like she wasn’t alone (and stop howling). </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">She was their dog but she was my companion day by day. I trained her to walk on a leash though, sometimes I wasn’t sure who was walking whom. I trained her to sit but Billy Wayne trained her to shake. She was a smart, smart dog and training her to do things was incredibly easy.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> When she first moved in with us, the plan was to build a pen for her outside but that never got done and she spent all of her life inside. That is probably why she’s survived this 15 years — 105 if I understand the doggie-years calculations.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Allie stood guard over all of us and every baby or child who spent time with us. Her normal sleeping place was at the foot of Jamie’s bed, and when Jamie went to college, Allie continued to sleep in Jamie’s room,</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">until I finally began shutting the door to keep her out. Undeterred, Allie simply figured out how to bump the door just under the doorknob to make it slip the latch and open. It took me a long time to figure out how she was doing that.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> The youngsters of the Servati family of Van Anlstyne, where we live, spent a great deal of time at our house during Allie’s life. Allie was a constant companion to Raigan and Kerrigan (the two oldest of four beautiful girls) from their cradle days. It was common place for me to enter the living room and see Raigan watching television from the floor with the top part of her body lying on Allie, as if the dog was a bean-bag chair, and Allie perfectly content. Whenever any of the girls took a nap, Allie was laying next to them in such a way that no one could get to the children unless they went through the loyal Allie Oop.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> When Billy Wayne was found to have cancer, he began a year of arduous interferon therapy. Although he seldom missed work, he was sick many days and just plain drained most days. Allie knew. She frequently left her nightly post in Jamie’s room to lye on the floor next to Bill. During the days, she sat next to Billy’s chair in quiet vigil over him. She knew.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Our lives have been enriched by knowing Allie. I share this story today as a celebration of the life of a noble friend whom we will miss greatly. It’s a natural cycle for the generous people who share their lives with “man’s best friend” whose only desire is to please us.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Nimrod MT";font-family:";font-size:9.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On the Internet in a variety of places, one may find the story of the Rainbow Bridge attributed to an anonymous author. I love this story, and hope it’s appreciated here by others.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:21.0pt;text-align:center;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ComicSansMS-Bold;font-size:32.0pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rainbow Bridge </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ComicSansMS;font-size:18.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... Author unknown...</span></span> </p> <!--EndFragment-->joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-11666459411551513342009-06-11T09:18:00.000-07:002009-06-11T10:05:13.135-07:00Remembering D-DayWe've been pretty busy with our new baby and I feel bad I didn't post anything about the 65th anniversary of D-Day. It's important to me to honor our military men and women and our veterans. But, since I've been busy with family stuff, I'm just going to take a shortcut. I did a story in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Herald Democrat</span> for D-Day and I'm just going to post that story here.<div><br /></div><div>One thing interesting I learned while doing research for this. The D-Day memorial is in Bedford, VA because that small town lost the most soldiers per capita on D-Day than any other town in America. That is the town where my father was born and raised and we still have much family there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Several of my cousins appear on the list of soldiers from Bedford.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following is my story:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:18px;">Sixty-five years ago the Allied forces of World War II fought against insurmountable odds to attack from the sea along 50 miles of shoreline around Normandy, France. Brave forces stood in the gap for freedom against Nazi Germany, liberating untold numbers of everyday people caught in a Nazi chokehold. It was a time that earned today’s grandparents and great-grandparents the title “the greatest generation.” The youngest of those veterans of war are turning 82 this year.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:18px;"><br /></span></div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It was June 6, 1944 — D-Day. The size of the event, dubbed Operation Overlord, was unprecedented and remains the largest land, air and sea invasion in history. Planning for the orchestration began in December 1943 and the invasion served to be a turning point in the European campaign against Nazi Germany — a decisive day in history.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Allied forces were led by Denison native Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. A transcript of Eisenhower’s encouraging speech to the troops before embarking on the landing is found at the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va.. It follows:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>“Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>“But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>“Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies had gained a foot-hold in Normandy.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Staff Sgt. Carl W. Fulmer of Tioga was wounded in the D-Day invasion, his son Bill Fulmer of Whitesboro said. Staff Sgt. Fulmer survived WWII until Sept. 27, 1944 in France. During the battle, a machine-gun operator was killed and Staff Sgt. Fulmer stepped up and took over its operation. “He was the main officer with his group; he could have told someone else to do that, but he stepped up himself,” explained Bill Fulmer. It was in this battle that Staff Sgt. Fulmer was killed.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">During his military career, he earned two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star. He was one of five brothers who were in the war at the same time. He attended high school in Tioga, attended Indian Creek Church and is buried in the Tioga cemetery. He was a member of the 90th Infantry Division of the 359th Infantry Regiment attached to Fort Dix, New Jersey.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Another Grayson County son was Lt. Comdr.. James Earl Riley, a 1942 graduate of Sherman High School whose activity on D-Day was aboard one of the troop carriers. He was a “boat’s inmate,” reported his wife Wanda from Pensacola, Fla. He took the troops to Utah Beach. She said he never talked much about his experiences in WWII.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“He came back and went to Austin College and then became an officer,” she said. “He retired from the Navy after 28-and-a-half years.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Lt. Comdr. Riley also served in the Korean conflict as well as Vietnam. Mary Lueb of Sherman was a classmate of Riley’s and reported that he was a very dear friend. Others Grayson County boys she mentioned who were participants in the D-Day event are Pete Odum, Billy Painter and Billy Ray Fry.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Fry was a private first class for the Army when he departed the Higgins boat that delivered him to Omaha Beach in the first wave of the attack. His son, Judge James Fry of Sherman, said like so many other veterans of WWII, his father didn’t talk much about the experiences.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">A member of the 29th Infantry Division, Pfc. Fry was not injured during the D-Day invasion but he was wounded about 10 days later when he was captured by the Germans. He remained a prisoner of war for about nine months before escaping with another POW with the assistance of a former Luftwaffe pilot. Judge Fry remembers that his dad came home in 1945.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“He told me very little about D-Day,” Jim Fry said. “When the movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’ came out, I called my dad and asked if he was going to see it. There was a long silence before he said, ‘Son, I spent 50 years trying to forget what happened on that beach, now why would I want to see that.’”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Jim Fry said his dad did eventually see the movie and he reported the scene that was the D-Day landing was pretty realistic. Billy Ray Fry died on the 60th anniversary of D-Day.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">From the documentary movie “Voices of D-Day,” Thomas Valence, a rifle sergeant, tells how many of the troops got sick while moving toward the beach. He said the water was rough and choppy.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“As we came down the ramp, we were in water about knee high, and we started to do what we were trained to do — move forward, and then crouch and fire,” Valence said. “One of the problems was we didn’t quite know what to fire at.” He said men on either side of him were being “hit and put out of action so quickly that it became a struggle to stay on one’s feet.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">He reported how he abandoned his equipment that had become heavy and while floundering to get his balance he was shot through his left hand breaking a knuckle and again through the palm of his hand.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“I felt nothing but a little sting at the time, but I was aware that I was shot,” he said. “My rifle jammed, so I picked up a carbine and got off a couple of rounds. We were shooting at something that seemed inconsequential. There was no way I was going to knock out a German concrete emplacement with a .30-caliber rifle.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I was hit again, once in the left thigh, which broke my hip bone, and a couple of times in my pack, and then my chin strap on my helmet was severed by a bullet. I worked my way up onto the beach, and staggered up against a wall, and collapsed there. The bodies of the other guys washed ashore, and I was one live body amongst many of my friends who were dead and, in many cases, blown to pieces.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">More than 150,000 men were moved across the English Channel that day to the shores of France. Six parachute regiments, more than 13,000 men, were flown from nine British airfields in more than 800 planes. More than 300 planes dropped 13,000 bombs over coastal Normandy immediately in advance of the invasion.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">By nightfall on June 6, more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were dead or wounded, but more than 100,000 had made it ashore, securing French coastal villages and beginning the march across Europe to defeat Hitler. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Captured Germans were sent to American prisoner-of-war camps at the rate of 30,000 POWs per month from D-Day until December 1944. Thirty-three detention facilities were in Texas alone.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Saturday was June 6. It is a day to remember the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of this country’s “greatest generation.”</span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-19785790392305517442009-06-09T22:48:00.000-07:002009-06-09T23:02:56.244-07:006-7-2009 — To My daughter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si9MeoT2pxI/AAAAAAAAA5k/YlmVtWoz31M/s1600-h/IMG_7192small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si9MeoT2pxI/AAAAAAAAA5k/YlmVtWoz31M/s320/IMG_7192small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345575371812546322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si9KeHWzmhI/AAAAAAAAA5c/lOuJ2oog9RM/s1600-h/IMG_7432small+bw.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si9KeHWzmhI/AAAAAAAAA5c/lOuJ2oog9RM/s320/IMG_7432small+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345573163943303698" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Today, my sweet girl, you joined a new and noble club. <br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I watched you suffer the long pains of child birth, the end of which presented the sweet picture of you as a new mother.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">You planned for this moment and this time for nine months only to learn there is much you cannot plan nor predict. Welcome to motherhood.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Today you learned a new love. I saw it when you got your first glimpse of little Langston. Now, you’re beginning to realize how much you can love another person. This, my Himeeta, is only the beginning. Your love will grow exponentially day by day, year by year.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">You’re going to experience the joys of watching your little son grow, only to wish at every stage that he will stay just as he is. Do you remember me asking you to “stay just like you are — promise Mommy you’ll never change from the way you are right now.” You always said in your sweet little voice and with a big smile, “Okay, Mommy.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Every stage of growth of your little boy is going to be like that for you.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Now, my little girl, you have a glimpse of how much you are loved.</span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-11343631106332003762009-06-09T21:31:00.001-07:002009-06-09T21:35:33.187-07:00more of our little angel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si83u_g13iI/AAAAAAAAA5U/UlnbibOoesM/s1600-h/IMG_7448small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si83u_g13iI/AAAAAAAAA5U/UlnbibOoesM/s320/IMG_7448small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345552563174759970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si83uuIReQI/AAAAAAAAA5M/XgUNLB6GFYo/s1600-h/IMG_7430small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si83uuIReQI/AAAAAAAAA5M/XgUNLB6GFYo/s320/IMG_7430small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345552558508308738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si83uWARaQI/AAAAAAAAA5E/LzzPnzx4xHA/s1600-h/IMG_7422small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si83uWARaQI/AAAAAAAAA5E/LzzPnzx4xHA/s320/IMG_7422small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345552552032299266" /></a>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-67133191604522898682009-06-08T10:30:00.000-07:002009-06-09T21:39:36.954-07:00Langston Peck Wayne Roubinek<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1LdcvZmqI/AAAAAAAAA48/otvxYj8ed60/s1600-h/IMG_7246small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1LdcvZmqI/AAAAAAAAA48/otvxYj8ed60/s320/IMG_7246small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345011302061939362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1LdP5BDvI/AAAAAAAAA40/4lIdPSdoagQ/s1600-h/IMG_7223small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1LdP5BDvI/AAAAAAAAA40/4lIdPSdoagQ/s320/IMG_7223small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345011298612612850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1Lc7X7SzI/AAAAAAAAA4s/FEZe6okedfs/s1600-h/IMG_7187small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1Lc7X7SzI/AAAAAAAAA4s/FEZe6okedfs/s320/IMG_7187small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345011293105113906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1Lc9LMA8I/AAAAAAAAA4k/jSXWV5-DtsQ/s1600-h/IMG_7182small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1Lc9LMA8I/AAAAAAAAA4k/jSXWV5-DtsQ/s320/IMG_7182small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345011293588554690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1LcqkHj-I/AAAAAAAAA4c/P9z8dqhrIpo/s1600-h/IMG_0718small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Si1LcqkHj-I/AAAAAAAAA4c/P9z8dqhrIpo/s320/IMG_0718small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345011288592846818" /></a><br />Our family had a new arrival Sunday.<div><br /></div><div>Langston Peck Wayne Roubinek was born at 1:32 p.m. Sunday.</div><div><br /></div><div>He landed weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces and he's 20 inches long.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-45684127422559413452009-05-25T14:25:00.000-07:002009-05-25T14:35:21.400-07:00Celebration Freedom concert<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPC4uHDEI/AAAAAAAAA4U/t8Q1AZhYtOk/s1600-h/IMG_6916small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPC4uHDEI/AAAAAAAAA4U/t8Q1AZhYtOk/s320/IMG_6916small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339878325437795394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPC6ZOMHI/AAAAAAAAA4M/-NudONj7UyI/s1600-h/IMG_6985+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPC6ZOMHI/AAAAAAAAA4M/-NudONj7UyI/s320/IMG_6985+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339878325887053938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPCkc8hvI/AAAAAAAAA4E/YGtqkEl3mY4/s1600-h/IMG_6992+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPCkc8hvI/AAAAAAAAA4E/YGtqkEl3mY4/s320/IMG_6992+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339878319997093618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPCXEFBpI/AAAAAAAAA38/AilPyIBssrc/s1600-h/IMG_7011+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsPCXEFBpI/AAAAAAAAA38/AilPyIBssrc/s320/IMG_7011+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339878316403132050" /></a><br /><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsNFYmn70I/AAAAAAAAA28/XwcIQseIrW0/s320/IMG_6847small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339876169332813634" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:11px;">The rain threatened on and off all day in Hobart but at the beginning of the concert, this rainbow showed up...... Then it rained again.</span><br /><br /><br /><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsNrh4boiI/AAAAAAAAA3M/uwVpdotJM64/s320/IMG_6896small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339876824658453026" /><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsN20rAKxI/AAAAAAAAA30/JboWruihvaI/s320/IMG_7030+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339877018680961810" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsNsLKyGtI/AAAAAAAAA3k/SRyJgMYfE2U/s1600-h/IMG_6994+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 287px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShsNsLKyGtI/AAAAAAAAA3k/SRyJgMYfE2U/s320/IMG_6994+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339876835741276882" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;font-family:'lucida grande';">Wayne Newton was also a featured entertainer and took the stage backed by McCoy's band</span></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-60409046485114200982009-05-25T01:58:00.000-07:002009-05-25T02:42:59.668-07:00Celebration Freedom '09<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShpoGNeZmYI/AAAAAAAAA20/q9bCl8ygwLo/s1600-h/motorcycle+small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/ShpoGNeZmYI/AAAAAAAAA20/q9bCl8ygwLo/s320/motorcycle+small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339694764106815874" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Shpn6JjiBjI/AAAAAAAAA2s/2v-S7T6SyDA/s1600-h/Billy-McCoy-small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/Shpn6JjiBjI/AAAAAAAAA2s/2v-S7T6SyDA/s320/Billy-McCoy-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339694556896167474" /></a><br />We just returned from a weekend in Hobart, OK — some call it Hobart America. It's where Gen. Tommy Franks has built his museum and leadership institute and this weekend was the grand opening.<div><br /></div><div>It was a great time filled with laughter, new friends and old as well as new experiences, sights and sounds.</div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-63712898498361220652009-05-07T23:16:00.000-07:002009-05-07T23:40:14.841-07:00NFL Alumni Tournament<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPTEbRcEYI/AAAAAAAAA1k/fkS1oClCVxI/s1600-h/Dick+Anderson.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPTEbRcEYI/AAAAAAAAA1k/fkS1oClCVxI/s320/Dick+Anderson.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333338456730636674" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPSXTpYGDI/AAAAAAAAA1U/Berbnqvz2I0/s1600-h/Don+Maynard.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPSXTpYGDI/AAAAAAAAA1U/Berbnqvz2I0/s320/Don+Maynard.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333337681589442610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPSXIl3UAI/AAAAAAAAA1M/-pA0M4rPSxA/s1600-h/shane+Rawley.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPSXIl3UAI/AAAAAAAAA1M/-pA0M4rPSxA/s320/shane+Rawley.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333337678621921282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPSWwTkVtI/AAAAAAAAA1E/LUmNjE5-x6A/s1600-h/Too+Tall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPSWwTkVtI/AAAAAAAAA1E/LUmNjE5-x6A/s320/Too+Tall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333337672102729426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPQpFnh2RI/AAAAAAAAA08/ybo4wISH314/s1600-h/Alfred+Anderson.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPQpFnh2RI/AAAAAAAAA08/ybo4wISH314/s320/Alfred+Anderson.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333335788037986578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPQozVBdnI/AAAAAAAAA00/3OhWG2g2W_c/s1600-h/cliff+richey.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 315px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SgPQozVBdnI/AAAAAAAAA00/3OhWG2g2W_c/s320/cliff+richey.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333335783128528498" /><br /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We just finished the NFLA tournament at Tanglewood last weekend. In this economy, we probably won't raise as much money as we usually do but we still had a lot of participation. More than I thought we would.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The tournament was fun as always. The celebrities were gracious as always even though the afternoon flight was hampered and finally stopped by rain.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I met and interviewed June Jones, the new SMU coach.</span></div></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-67142434044399912342009-04-29T13:28:00.000-07:002009-04-29T15:12:52.719-07:00Texas Medical Board misbehaving<div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I think a new underground community has sprung up in recent years.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 7.0px Frutiger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I just returned from a hearing in which a friend was under scrutiny and in danger of permanently losing his medical license. It was suspended pending a hearing.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And what did he do to earn this trouble? He took care of his patients and lived by all the rules.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Texas Medical Board received a complaint from the good doctor’s son who had been working at the doctor’s clinic. The son apparently was angry because his dad would not pay him $5,000 and “give” him a percentage of the business. Oh, yeah, and this came while the son was a fugitive from the law, and himself, strung out on drugs. The family had already suffered greatly at the hands of the son before the complaint was made.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Based on the complaint from the son, which charged Dr. Richard Massey of Fredericksburg, Texas with all sorts of misconduct, the TMB wanted the Dr. Massey to send his files to be reviewed so it could be ascertained that the doctor did no wrong. Dr. Massey , whose patients — 100 percent of them — are private-pay individuals, allowed his patients a choice in case they didn’t want their personal information looked at by strangers. His patients, all of them, took their files and each patient decided to maintain his or her own.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">After the TMB letter “requesting” files was sent, it was followed by a notice of subpoena. By this time, the doctor no longer had possession of the files and couldn’t comply with the order from the TMB. After thousands and thousands of dollars spent on legal advice and assistance; even more dollars lost in revenue from his medical practice, the doctor was in official administrative hearings Tuesday and Wednesday in Austin and still no resolution.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">My concern is that a government agency has the power and the will to turn a man’s life upside down to the point he must now consider finding another place to live, on the basis of a capricious complaint from a known felon, fugitive and drug addict. The doctor has paid thousands of dollars to the TMB over the years in fees required to keep his license current, but the moment any complaint comes in, he is automatically suspect.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Why is no effort made to vet the person making the complaint? Perhaps this “confidential” witness business needs to be done away with. The doctor’s experience has caused me to do some research, and I’ve found his story to be only one of this nature, suffered at the hands of the TMB. That brings me to my lead-in statement. The new, under-ground culture is developing among people who’ve been oppressed and mistreated by the legal system. Individuals who’ve been forced to defend themselves against the TMB, probate courts or excessive and unnecessary law suites — many of them losing everything — are sharing their hard-earned knowledge with others who are beginning the fight and the Internet is assisting this community to assimilate its information and to organize.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">In a letter from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Inc. to the Sunset Commission in 2004, the question is raised of excessive fines imposed by the regulatory agency. The letter “Suggestion by AAPS for the Sunset Review Committee” may be seen in its entirety at www.aapsonline.org/testimony/txsrc.htm. Part of item No. 7 “Complaints and Sanctions” follows:</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Complaints are exaggerated to make accused physicians sound worse than they are; information inadvertently left off an application but indicated elsewhere leads the board to charge physicians with “defrauding the public;” a physician who removed the wrong lung during surgery received public reprimand plus a $2,500 fine while a physician failing to provide records within two weeks of the board’s request received a public reprimand plus a $10,000 fine. Fusing the spine in the wrong area resulted in a patient’s need for additional surgery and led to a public reprimand with no fine, but failure to provide requested information to the board in a timely manner resulted in a $5,000 fine.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">A further look into TMB’s financial status may reveal more about the mindset of the individuals who act on behalf of the people of Texas. On the TMB Web site under the “revenue” sub-head, it states “In FY 2008-2009, the agency will collect revenue of approximately $58.1 million, an excess of $39.7 million above the agency’s current biennial budget of $18.4 million. The agency projects revenue of approximately $60 million in the FY 2010-2011 biennium and is requesting a total appropriation of approximately $21.6 million including all exceptional items. One may read the entire file at www.tmb.state.tx.us/agency/TMB_LAR_FY_2010-2011.pdf. In light of the letter from AAPS to the Sunset Committee, I think I know where that “excess revenue” is coming from. The doctors are being indiscriminately fleeced. And, the agency is requesting to increase its enforcement staffing to be able to handle the “increased number of investigations in a timely manner.” Translation: So we can fleece more doctors faster.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">To add insult to injury, this government agency has never been audited. An audit would give us a picture of its revenue and the fairness of the fines imposed upon Texas doctors.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">If allowed to continue in this manner, Texas will have a great deal of trouble attracting good doctors. Before long, doctors who practice alternative medicine will be gone and that will be a great loss to the people of this great state. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If interested in more information see the following Web sites:</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">• Hall of Shame - Texas State Board of Medical Examiners (www.aapsonline.org/hallofshame/tx.php);</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">• Texas Medical Board Watch (www.texasmedicalboardwatch.com);</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">• The Texas Medical Board Vs. Doctors...More Corruption in Texas (http://theeprovocateur.blogspot.com/2008/05/texas-medical-board-vs-doctorsmore.html);</span></span></p><p></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">• or use one of the search engines and search for “Texas Medical Board.”</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">From Thomas Jefferson: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">WHEN THE PEOPLE FEAR THEIR GOVERNMENT ,THERE IS TYRANNY...</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Nimrod MT"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">WHEN THE GOVERNMENT FEARS THE PEOPLE , THERE IS LIBERTY. </span></span></span></p></div>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-89770679328635962072009-04-14T21:39:00.000-07:002009-04-14T22:46:09.015-07:00Donny Anderson's annual Sports Gala<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeV0kvlY96I/AAAAAAAAA0M/SrfNHdQxwPA/s1600-h/IMG_4756.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeV0kvlY96I/AAAAAAAAA0M/SrfNHdQxwPA/s320/IMG_4756.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324790309032884130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxjU7eFaI/AAAAAAAAA0E/JBExQ5U_NRg/s1600-h/Walt+Garrison.jpg"><span><span></span></span><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxjU7eFaI/AAAAAAAAA0E/JBExQ5U_NRg/s320/Walt+Garrison.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324786986162984354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYhzbxVI/AAAAAAAAAz8/ByDcBTgcrQg/s1600-h/IMG_4763.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYhzbxVI/AAAAAAAAAz8/ByDcBTgcrQg/s320/IMG_4763.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324786800640378194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYWA4wTI/AAAAAAAAAz0/Z71cK7n3hkA/s1600-h/IMG_4756.jpg"></a><span><span></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYRBdTRI/AAAAAAAAAzs/arrijIRcdXU/s1600-h/IMG_4721.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYRBdTRI/AAAAAAAAAzs/arrijIRcdXU/s320/IMG_4721.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324786796135795986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYH7yEOI/AAAAAAAAAzk/IZL8LGdGsP4/s1600-h/IMG_4566.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYH7yEOI/AAAAAAAAAzk/IZL8LGdGsP4/s320/IMG_4566.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324786793696071906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYGLiaQI/AAAAAAAAAzc/KyFnvB4oeac/s1600-h/Donny+with+recipiets+1+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 301px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9OAOHWysA2k/SeVxYGLiaQI/AAAAAAAAAzc/KyFnvB4oeac/s320/Donny+with+recipiets+1+copy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324786793225283842" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I went to the Winners for Life Foundation Sports Gala Thursday, saw lots of friends and had lots of fun.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Donny Anderson, former NFL great with the Green Bay Packers, hosted the event and got plenty of his NFL Alumni friends to join in the raising of funds to provide scholarships for area college students.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">knows the value of education. He learned it from his father. Now he tries to pass on that lesson to anyone who will listen. He not only teaches the values of education, he also puts his efforts and money behind it through his Winners for Life Foundation. What’s different about the scholarships offered through WFL is the qualifications. They are not required to have the best grades; but they have to be in need of the financial help.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For the past four years, Anderson's foundation has brought close to $30,000 each year to Grayson County students in the form of college scholarships. Three of those students spoke to the crowd gathered at the Dallas Convention Center Thursday to say thank you for an opportunity to have a future. They are all Grayson County students.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Brianna Mundine, of Sherman, said she was nervous before ascending to the stage to say her thank yous. "I just prayed about it and did fine, but I was glad it was over," she said. While on stage Mundine credited her grandparents with providing a home for her. Her early life was filled with strife, which included drugs, in the lives of her parents. Her father, she said, has been in jail most of her life, and her mother also spent two years in jail. She said she never felt really loved as a young child. By age 16, Brianna was pregnant and by 17 she had a baby, a full-time job and was a full-time student.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"I actually thought I would not be able to go to college," Mundine said. "The money from Winners for Life is making the difference for me."</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The young woman whose degree plan includes psychology and sociology, plans to work with teenage mothers. "I've been through pretty much everything you can touch in a troubled home," Mundine said. "I do feel like anyone coming from any circumstance can overcome any obstacle (as I did) with God in my life. Since I converted my life He (God) has made a way for me."</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mundine said teenage mothers need to hear her encouraging story to know there is a way to a better life.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Joanna Ramirez of Denison also plans to use her past to help people in her future. She is also attending college on a Winners for Life scholarship. She plans a degree in psychology and then she wants to enter the military and attend law school. Her practice, she says, will be in family law because she believes she can make a valuable contribution.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ramirez told the folks at the sports gala that as a young child, a closet was the only place she found to hold safety for her. As she choked back her tears, she described her time in the closet and told of how she heard the screams of her mother being beaten by her father. This continued until she was about 13 and when she told of how she and her brother finally got the courage to stand up to their father, spontaneous applause filled the room.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ramirez explained that she would not be in college except for the help from Winners for Life. "Getting this scholarship shows me there is somebody out there who cares," she said. "It's more than just the money. It's knowing that people who don't know me are willing to help me better myself. It's better for all of us, for the community."</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Anderson credits his football career and his association with Vince Lombardi for learning the value of giving back to his community. He partnered with retired teacher Linkie Seltzer Cohn in 1996 to write a book of encouragement for young people titled "Winners for Life" and its impact led to the creation of the WFL Foundation.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0pxcolor:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Check out the foundation’s Web site at </span><a href="http://www.wflfoundation.org/"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">www.wflfoundation.org</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></span></p>joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681339707373057414.post-79813434778964134742009-04-13T22:39:00.000-07:002009-04-13T22:40:34.457-07:00Happy EasterAt a charity event I attended recently, one of the speakers, a local girl, talked about her early life when a closet was her favorite place because it was the only place where she felt safe. It was her only escape from the mayhem caused by the beatings inflicted on her mother by her father.<br />She was 13 when the beatings finally stopped and she had to find a way to put her life back together so she could have a future.<br /><br />It occurred to me the timing of hearing that student speak was right in line with the Holy Week events honored by Christians remembering the death and subsequent rising of Jesus Christ. It's all about restoration.<br /><br />Easter Sunday is a day we celebrate as one of new beginnings when all things are new. It's probably no accident that this event comes during a season when vegetation is returning to life. Trees are budding, flowers beginning to show themselves and the air is warming.<br /><br />Great numbers of us will bow heads Sunday to worship the Son of God who died on the cross to pay for the sins of all humanity. We will marvel that our creator loves us so much he allowed his own son to suffer the humiliation of crucifixion as an offering to reconcile our sinful nature to Him.<br /><br />That's why the story of Jesus Christ is called "the Good News." In order to be reconciled to God for the everlasting reward of heaven, we need only accept in our hearts that God made this offering for us. That's why we call Jesus "Savior," and that is why Easter is such a huge celebration for Christians.<br /><br />Without the death and resurrection of Christ, there can be no Christianity.<br /><br />Lots of religions on this planet worship deities of one sort or another, and with all, the only path to a heavenly reward is through work we do on earth. But our Bible teaches there is nothing we can do to 'earn' a place in heaven. We must accept the free gift of eternal life paid for with the suffering of Jesus Christ.<br /><br />This Sunday you can find me in church like millions of others who accept the grace of God as a gift. Like the young student whose life has experienced restoration on earth, I find the Christian message of Easter to be good news indeed.<br /><br />Happy Easter.joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152047022920285044noreply@blogger.com0