PRAYER FOR THE LAST CANDLE OF ADVENT

Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.

He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.

He is the Savior of us all.

O Lord, let your blessing come upon us as we light all candles of this wreath.

May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ's promise of salvation.

May He come quickly and not delay.

We ask this in His holy name. Amen

REFLECTIONS:

Have you found and visited Jesus yet?  Have you let the world catch you up in its false things or have you been seeking to visit with Jesus this Christmas season?   We all seem to make time for what is most important to us at Christmas.  What is most important to you this year?

The fourth candle represents Christ, Emmanuel, God with us!  

This is what the world has been waiting on and hoping for and seeking since the beginning of time – Christ Our Lord!  He has come!  

He has come in the form of a baby. He has come in the form of a man.  He has come in the form of a suffering servant on a cross; and he will come again to us – in the form of the King of all kings.  He has come to us now in the form of the gift of The Holy Spirit.  

Have you found Him?  

Have you seen the signs of His presence?  

You must be alert, watching and waiting on His arrival into your heart and the hearts of others.  Like an excited child looking for Christmas Day, we too must anticipate that He is coming.  Look for the signs.  

And what do we do when he is finally here?  

When He came as a child he had visitors.  Have you visited with Jesus this season?  He longs for a visit from you.  The Angels told the shepherds and they came to see Jesus.  The star appeared in the sky and the wise men knew to visit Jesus.  Simeon and Anna waited at the Temple because they knew Jesus was coming.  They wanted to visit with Him.  

Everyone was telling everyone everywhere that God has come to dwell with us.  It can be that way again.  It can be the same today as the people from every nation, tongue and tribe come to bow before our Heavenly King and visit with Jesus.  

He is Emmanuel – God with us. 

Let the whole earth rejoice!

SEASONS - THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Second Prayer For Advent:

O shepherd of Israel, hearken, 
O guide of the flock of Joseph!
Rouse your power, and come to save us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us, 
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.
O Lord of hosts, how long will you burn with anger 
while your people pray?
You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in ample measure.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors, 
and our enemies mock us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us,
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.

The Second Sunday is about preparation, getting ready to meet Jesus.  Are you prepared?  Are you ready?  John The Baptist proclaimed the message loud and clear.  He was preparing the way for Christ.  We all must have repentant hearts and faithful spirits.  Come Lord Jesus!

SEASONS - PRAYER AND READING FOR THE EIGHTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(Prayer and reading taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce.  I use these for lighting the Menorah every year.)

PRAYER:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, for this season.

READING:

We need to shine.

Do all things without murmurings and disputing:  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. (Phil. 2:14-16)

J E S U S  I S  T H E  L I G H T   OF  THE  WORLD

May we always reflect Him!

HAPPY HANUKKAH EVERYONE

SEASONS: PRAYER AND READING FOR THE SEVENTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(Prayer and reading taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce.  I use these for lighting the Menorah every year.)

PRAYER:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, for this season.

READING:

If Christ Is Your Light You Are No Longer In The Darkness of This World

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Providing what is acceptable unto The Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  (Eph. 5:8-11)

But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (I Thess. 5:4-6)

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light; for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise (Eph. 5:11-15).

This then is the message that we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

  

SEASONS - PRAYER AND READING FOR THE SIXTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(Prayer and reading taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce.  I use these for lighting the Menorah every year.)

PRAYER:
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, for this season.

READING:

Paul Saw The Light:

Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at Midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shinning round about me and those who journeyed with me.  And when we were all fallen to the earth I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in the Hebrew tongue:  "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."  And I said:  "Who art thou Lord?"  And He said "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.  But rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people,and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee.  To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.  (Acts 26:12-18)

SEASONS - PRAYER AND READING FOR THE FIFTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(This prayer and reading are taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce, and are the prayers I use in my home each Hanukkah as we light the candles of the menorah.)

PRAYER:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who

has sanctified us by His commandments and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Chanukah.

READING FOR NIGHT FIVE:

The Messiah is the light of the world.

In him was life; and the life was the light of man.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  (John 1:4-5)

Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.  Walk while ye have the light, least darkness come upon you,  for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whether he goeth.  While ye have light, believe in the light that ye may be the children of light.  These things spoke Jesus and departed, and did hide himself from them.  (John 12:35-36)    

SEASONS - A PRAYER FOR HANUKKAH ON THE FOURTH DAY AND A PRAYER FOR ADVENT ON THE FIRST WEEK

PRAYER FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT:



(Taken from Catholic Collect for The Mass on The First Week of Advent)

Bestir, O Lord, Thy might, we pray thee and come; that, defended by Thee, we may deserve rescue from approaching dangers brought on by our sins, and being set free by Thee, obtain our salvation. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

READING FOR 
THE FOURTH DAY OF HANUKKAH:
(Shared from "Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce)

The Light of The Body is The Eye:

The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, they whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.  (Luke 11:34),

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  (Acts 26:18)

From Matthew Henry's Commentary:  

Having the light, their concern was to have the sight, or else to what purpose had they the light?  Be the object ever so clear, if the organ be not right, we are never the better.  The light of the body is the eye which received the light of the candle when it is brought into the room.  So the light of the soul is the understanding and judgement, and its power of discerning between good and evil, truth and falsehood.  Now according as this is, so the light of divine revelation is to us, and our benefit by it; it is a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. 

If this eye of the soul is single, if it see clear, see things as they are, and judge impartially concerning them, if it aim at truth only, and seek it for its own sake, and have not any sinister by-looks and intentions, the whole body, that is, the whole soul, is full of light, it receives and entertains the gospel, which will bring along with it into the soul both knowledge and joy.  This denotes the same thing with that of the good ground, receiving the word and understanding it.  If our understanding admits the gospel in the full light, it fills the soul, and it has enough to fill it.  And if the soul be thus filled with the light of the gospel, having no part dark, - if all its powers and faculties be subject to the government and influence of the gospel and none left unsainctified, - then the whole soul shall be full of light, full of holiness and comfort.  It was darkness itself, but now light in The Lord, as when the bright shinning of a candle does give thee light.  

Note:  The gospel will come into those souls whose doors and windows are thrown open to receive it, and where ever it comes it will bring light with it.  But if the eyes of the soul be evil - if the judgement be bribed and biased by the corrupt and vicious dispositions of the mind, by pride and envy, by the love of the world and sensual pleasures - if the understanding be prejudiced against divine truths, and resolved not to admit them, though brought with ever so convincing an evidence, - it is no wonder that the whole body, the whole soul, should be full of darkness.  How can they have instruction, information, direction and comfort from the gospel, that wilfully shut their eyes against it?  And what hope is there of such?  And what remedy for them?  The inference hence therefore is:  Take heed that the light that is within thee be not darkness.  Take heed that the eye of the mind be not blinded by partiality and prejudice, and sinful aims.  Be sincere in your inquiries after truth, and ready to receive it in the light, and love, and power of it; and not as the men of this generation to whom Christ preached, who never sincerely desired to know God's will, nor designed to do it, and therefore no wonder that they walked on in darkness, wondered endlessly and perished eternally.    

SEASONS: THANKSGIVUKKAH 2013

This year you may experience a new and unfamiliar word during the holiday season.  Add to your vocabulary – Thanksgivukkah.  It is a made up word by those who recognize that this year Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same day.  Of course Hanukkah is an eight day holiday, but the first day of that holiday coincides directly with Thanksgiving Day.  The last time this happened was 1888 and it won’t be happening again for another 77,798 years!  No wonder you never noticed it before!  To make this even more interesting – realize that Advent also happens in the middle of Hanukkah this year on December 1^st.  Do 

you think God is telling us to all get together and learn to get along?  I have to wonder!

My first thought is that any numerologist would find these facts very interesting given the significance of the number of 8’s and 7’s being used so often and so much.   That is a deep subject and a completely different article.  

My second thought is that most people will not be affected at all, since not too many families blend the traditional Christian holidays with the traditional Jewish holidays and most people either observe the Protestant things or the Catholic things.  

Guess what?  

My family celebrates them all in light of the fact that Jesus Christ is Messiah!  

So my decision this year is to have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner mid-day and begin to light the Mennorah and recite the Hanukkah blessings that evening. 

Throw the Iron Bowl in the middle of all of this, and we are all set!  LOL.  

The next day after Thanksgivukkah,  I will have our annual family Hanukkah gathering and during that time, in honor of the fact that Jesus is The Light of the World and the true meaning behind the miracle of Hanukkah, (being the light of the world and the greatest miracle of all) we will light our Christmas tree.  

We will not decorate our tree until Advent, we will just shine the lights by themselves for a few days.  On Advent Sunday we will gather to light the advent candles and decorate our tree.  

Gifts will begin to go under the tree on Advent evening and will continue to accumulate until Christmas Eve when we will open them as we will celebrate the CONCEPTION of Christ being at Christmas time.  We have already celebrated Sukkot this year, which is the time we think Jesus was actually born. 

By now you either think I’m the most confused person on earth, or that I blend religions.  Not at all, on the contrary I only follow the practices given in my Christian bible and scriptures, and the Jewish days are there, as well as the history of the birth of Christ.  These are the things that I have studied for years and this is how I think the truth shakes out.  The only blending I’m doing is adding the Iron Bowl….and I think God is a good sport about it all and doesn’t mind a bit.

So, laugh if you want to, but don’t get into a discussion with me about it while I’m having so much fun celebrating over and over.   There is no group of people who know better how to celebrate in spite of all things around them than the Jewish people, add the fullness of Christ into that and realize that some of the Catholic traditions such as the Advent Candles are very significant to the gospel and throw in the traditions of a Protestant Christian Christmas and you have a recipe for a few months of complete joy and celebration!

So, you ask, are my children not confused?  About what, I say?  They have been taught the truth about the religious celebrations of all cultures that we believe are significant in the worship of Christ.  How could that be confusing?  Most of my friends have grandchildren asking those hard to answer questions about the other cultures that they go to school with.  “Grandma, why do the Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah?”  Most of those grandmas can’t really explain it.  My grandchildren will understand it because they will be living it out through the activities that happen at my house.  They will understand all of the Jewish Holy Days in light of Christian theology which 

includes the fact that Christ is the Messiah.  They will be taught the true message and aspects of their Messiah in each of these days.  They will also get the joy of the traditional American holidays and the traditional Christian holidays that this country has always cherished and because of the history lessons they will understand how they all came about.  They will know that Santa Clause was originally a jolly old saint named St. Nicholas, and they will hear the true story of St. Nicholas and his charity and love for the poor.  They will get the true meaning of “giving” for this season.  They will realize that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25^th, but perhaps Mary was visited by Gabriel with the Good News on that day and that was the day that she learned she would have the honor of bearing the Son of God in her body and presenting Him to the world during The Feast of Tabernacles called Sukkot.  They will be told the story of the miracle of the light on Hanukkah and how that story was the first message that told us of the hope of the Messiah.  It is all so beautiful, when you tell it accurately and truthfully, nothing contradicts anything else, and when you understand the Messianic meaning of the Jewish Holy Days, it all fits right into place. 

Who could have more joy?  

Not just at Christmas, but all through the year!

THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN - AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER 2013

AUGUST 2013

Three Girls Out On The Town went back to Carrabba's Italian Grille in August.  

We all think Carrabba's food is excellent, and we like to re-visit this restaurant often.  That evening was wonderful!  Everything had a cheerful, relaxed, stress-free feeling about it.  We sat outside on the patio after our delicious meal and enjoyed more of the evening without being rushed.  Everyone seemed to be well, and we did finally have some extra time for a lot of catching up on each other's busy lives without any new tragedies and trials to face.  It was great just to be thankful and enjoy the moment.  

My little part of the world had some happy news to proclaim! 
 I got to announce to my friends that:  I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER IN MARCH!!!!!!   

I know people up and down the highway heard me when I made the announcement.  I've been holding this exciting news back for some time now because my daughter and son-in-law thought it would be more appropriate to wait a bit before they made everything public.  It almost killed me to remain silent!   I did wait patiently until they were ready to tell people; but it was hard!  

TC and Bucket were the first of my friends to hear.  The way the kids broke the news to us was interesting; they just appeared on our front porch one afternoon bringing us Steel City Popsicles in little freezer bags.  We all sat casually around our kitchen island enjoying our treats and suddenly,   out of the blue, they changed the subject and announced the news!  They already knew what my reaction would be; I had been after them to start a family for the last four years.   I've wanted to be a grandmother forever!  

This will be the first grandchild we are blessed to have from the four children we have raised.  The other three are not married yet - so we will just work on weddings for them first, or even steady dates!  LOL.  (I know I'm going to get smirks from everyone for saying that!)  I've never seen anyone enjoy their singleness more than our three other children.  They have traveled and played and learned a lot about life. They have all had a lot of fun setting up their own places, studying, working on their careers and making their space in the world.  They are all just as excited about the baby as we are.    This is going to be one spoiled child.  

TC and Bucket were elated to hear my news, and we celebrated with a toast to "the special one."  I don't yet know whether the child is a boy or girl, and I refuse to say "it."  We should find out by early November!  

Another fun part of August was that Bucket brought some old photos of all three of us when we were in our early 20's.  These were from a time when we all had a little gathering at her house after Christmas one year.  Two other close friends were with us in these photos.  This provoked a lot of good memories and comments from each of us!   I loved getting these old pictures.  Since I was celebrating a birthday this month, it made me feel like we had turned back the clock a bit and played a trick on time!   I have to say my friends were very thoughtful for my birthday too.  I don't know how they know just what to do to make me feel special, but they have got it down like an art. 

SEPTEMBER 2013

 We all decided to meet at Longhorn Steakhouse in September.  None of us had eaten there before.  TC and Bucket arrived earlier than me and saved me a seat at the table.  About the time I sat down, my cell phone rang.  It was my husband calling to tell me to come home right away.  Seems our hot water heater decided to go out and a pipe had burst and was leaking all over all the cardboard storage boxes I had stacked in our garage. Very bad timing indeed!  I had to leave before I even got a meal!   Bucket took over the pomegranate margarita that I had already ordered.  I can always count on her in an emergency! 

 At least I did get to have a quick peek at some photos TC had of her grandson playing football.  They were so adorable! When those little guys are only five or six and are running around the field in pads and helmets (just like the big guys) it can get hilarious.  They take their sports very seriously though, and I know TC's grandson will be the star player of his team in no time! 

The girls hated I had to leave and I hated it too.  They offered to help, but I saw no need to ruin every one's dinner!  I left them chattering away at the table and I rushed home to move boxes and mop floors while my husband practiced his home improvement skills and installed a new hot water heater and fixed the leaking pipe.  I think I salvaged all of the Christmas decorations.  Neither of us had time for dinner that night, and we went to bed exhausted.  Not exactly what I had planned!   Oh well......that is life.  If that is all we have to complain about we are blessed. 

Bucket did a good job of cheering me up by sending me even more old high school photos.  I loved getting them!   Also I got a sweet note from TC.  These girls are really thoughtful.  How did I become so blessed as to be their friend?  The photos had me laughing and smiling in no time and the note from TC really cheered me up.

One photo was of the three of us being silly in a photo booth.  I'm sure every high school kid has a few of these.  It was just the thing to do back in "the day."   I think we were seniors in high school at the time.

One photo was of all three of us and some of the neighborhood guys playing tag football in Bucket's parents front yard.  What fun those old community football games used to be.    

Another pic was of Bucket and me when we were girl scouts together!  We were such babies, probably about 4th or 5th grade.  I think TC skipped scouts that year.  I'm not sure how we let her get by with that.  Bucket and I were girl scouts for years and we always attended camp every summer.  We went to Camp Coleman and slept in little cabins with screened in walls and lines of bunk beds that were inspected for neatness every morning after breakfast.   I remember some-mores over the campfires, singing old camp songs into the night and floating candle-lit barges made out of pine bark down the Cahaba River.  I remember hiking to suicide slide and watching the sun rise while we drank hot chocolate around a fire on the bluff.  We recalled all of the jokes that were played on the counselors at the mess hall and at the flag ceremony every morning.  You never knew what might happen next.  We actually had real taps for an alarm clock, and there wasn't much sleeping done while we were there.  Great times.  I also have wonderful memories of riding the bus to our girl scout leader's home and attending the weekly meetings.  

Well, it worked; the photos and their memories and all the kind words cheered me up and before I knew it another month had passed and we were meeting at Longhorn Steakhouse again.  




  

OCTOBER 2013

TC and Bucket loved the prime rib they served at Longhorn Steak House and decided to re-order.  I opted for a steak salad, since I'm on a nutritarian diet these days.  

The steak salad at Longhorn was quite tasty, and TC and Bucket loved their prime rib.  

TC had more photos of her grandson at the ball park.  They were so cute!  She also had some really cute photos of the baby.  He is growing so fast!    


That night Bucket was very concerned about a close friend's young teenaged daughter who had been in the hospital with a very serious illness.  We all agreed to pray for Bailey every day.  It seemed that Bailey had already made good progress in beating the odds.  Her parents had learned that 75% of children struggling with the type of problem she encountered did not survive.  They were thanking God for the miracle of keeping their beloved child.  The doctors say her chances for recovery now are good, but she has a lot of rehab and healing to do.  This is not easy for a young teenager, so if you are reading this article, stop for a second and lift up a prayer for Bailey Crowe and her family.        

Bucket is so caring toward her friends.  It seems that she has several good friends in the hospital this month, and she has been right there with each of them, just like Florance Nightingale with everything they needed.  TC has been just as caring in a different sort of way.  She has been very busy helping her husband with his business, and helping her son and daughter-in-law with childcare while they moved to their new home.  I don't think the word "no" is in TC's vocabulary, but the world is a better place because of it.     

We chatted away and before we knew it our time was up.  As we headed toward our cars to go home Bucket gave TC and I two hand-painted wine glasses that a friend of her daughter had made.   Mine was an Alabama wine glass and TC's was an Auburn wine glass.  Yes folks, we are still good friends in spite of this fact.  We both thought it was nice for Bucket to bring us these beautiful glasses!  I drank a glass of wine in my new wine glass last Saturday and Alabama won by lots of points.  Now I know this glass works!  I'm sure this will become a tradition, with a toast to Bama before every game.  

Bucket also brought me a copy of Andy Andrews "The Heart Mender."  I was so excited to get a copy of this book and can't wait to dive into it.  It wasn't until a few days later that I had a moment to myself and curled up with the book when I realized IT WAS SIGNED BY ANDY ANDREWS!!!!!  I called Bucket right away to express my excitement to have his autograph in my book.  Seems Bucket had bumped into him at WalMart (of all places) at the beach!  I love how God puts people in the right places at the right times.  Now I'm even more excited about reading the book.

  TC also updated us on the new Rachel Hauck books that are now being published.  We can't wait to read the rest of the Royal Wedding Series!  Bucket is fortunate that she has a Kindle.  TC told her she can get a copy of all three books on Kindle already.  I'll bet she has them all read even before TC and I get our hands on the hardback copies.  She better not tell us about it!  We want to have the thrill of reading them ourselves.  Bucket's kindle could accidentally disappear while she isn't looking.  She better not leave it laying around on the table when visiting with friends at restaurants......

So; October was a good visit and I'm sure November will be here in the blink of an eye. 

Keep looking for us next month, three girls will be out on the town again soon!

THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN MAY, JUNE, JULY 2013

Well, I’ve been on a sabbatical from technology for a few weeks (actually months), and I’m a bit behind on writing about the once a month gathering of THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN.  Don’t worry, we haven’t gone away!

I have to tell you though, April and May were tough months for us.  June found us holding on, and July found us having gone through many storms, trials and tribulations and we are still in the process of coming out on the other side.  August will surely find us looking forward to Fall and a more peaceful, less stressful season than what we've been through this summer.  I've begun to think of this summer as a time of teaching and transition.  God is teaching us how to thrive in the midst of troubles and how to survive the hard places of life in this season of living in America.  We know we are not alone.  The whole country is suffering, yet hoping for better days to come.  Only in America will you find the spirit of survival and the need to thrive in the midst of troubled times so alive.   God is making deep friendships valuable and golden as we walk through these paths together.  I am so thankful for my life-long friends.    We have all vowed that no matter how tough times get, we will always find a way to gather together and enjoy each other's company. 

We never want to call off our time together, but we did call off our April gathering and for a very good reason.  We usually say to call off our gathering, it must be a matter of life or death.  It was.  My dear friend TC’s brother Mickey died quickly and unexpectedly, leaving a whole town morning over his absence in their lives. 

Mickey was dearly loved by all, and I was not a bit surprised to find the town’s whole football team dressed and sitting together at his funeral.  They were the pall-bearers, and the stories they had to tell really grabbed at your heartstrings.  Mickey was a legend for this small town's football activities.  Mickey was legend for all the good things about life.  Everything he did spoke a testimony of God and what is good and right.  Mickey loved sports and people.  He had given much time and effort to the care of the local football team and coaching staff of his community.  I don't mean he helped out a little, no; Mickey made this his life's work.  So many people were touched by the love and care that Mickey put into everything.  It wasn't just about the sport, Mickey did things that changed people's lives.  He was always there for anyone who needed a friend.  Football season will not be the same without him there to keep everyone organized and ready.  But it isn't just the football team that will miss him; it is a whole community of loving family and friends that were blessed every time he walked into the room. 

The legend that Mickey left behind will live on.    

Bucket and I held TC’s hand through it all, and we wished there was more we could do for her.  We mourn for her loss and pray for her comfort each passing day. 

When God closes a door He always opens a window.  The beautiful spark of happiness that kept us all glued together over these last few months of hard times was the arrival of TC’s new grandson, Hunter.  Hunter is an adorable bundle of joy!  We are so excited to see him enter this world and bless us with his presence! I'm so happy that TC has this beautiful family to surround her and make her smile every day.  We love all the pics she now shares with us of Hunter and all of his adventures. 

Hunter is a reminder from God to us that life goes on.  Morning turns to dancing.  The gift of life brings it's abundance and we are so thankful for every minute we experience.   This seems to be how deep friendships thrive, life and death happen, and we continue moving together in God's grace and love.  We hurt and we heal and we love again, each time stronger and stronger.  God always brings us through to the sunrise when we hold on through the night.

The month of May found the three of us gathering at The Olive Garden for some good Italian Food. 

We were all so glad to be getting together, however, we had another life and death situation going on in May. A beautiful child was experiencing the terror of the horrid disease of cancer. All three of us had been praying for a long time for a little boy named Thomas Sullivan who lived in Bucket’s home town.  Thomas had been bravely fighting cancer for a long time, and it was a little after we gathered together in May that his brave battle ended. 

Our prayers were only a small part of the many who had heard the story of Thomas and had daily been lifting up petitions for this dear child and his beautiful family.  The whole town where Bucket lived came out in full force to support Thomas and his family.  They came along with many others who drove for miles and miles to offer comfort and do whatever they could to help this family get through the grief of losing their precious son.  Thomas's nickname was “Superman.”  He truly lived up to the name in every way.  His battle with the horrible disease of cancer was heroic.  His story touched so many and changed so many lives.  His family still honors him with a website where they are now sharing their journey of recovering from the grief of losing Thomas until the time they meet again in Heaven.  You may wish to view this site at:  "Prayers for Thomas Sullivan.com."  The stories and the things that are shared in his honor are amazing and uplifting.

Bucket’s daughter, Katie, had a heart for Thomas's cause.  She coordinated a lot of events that helped this very lovable family.  We all watched and prayed with them day after day after day.  They had the eyes of people from all over the world on them, lifting them up before God, hoping for healing for Thomas.  He was a very brave little boy.  He seemed to love people so much, and people definitely loved him back.   

The discussion at The Olive Garden was mostly about our hopes for this family and our prayers for Thomas and our concern over how Katie would take it if God decided different than our requests for healing and took Thomas to be with him in Heaven.  We knew time was short.  We met at The Olive Garden right before the announcement of his trip to Heaven.    It seemed that Katie’s love and concern for this little fellow had changed her whole focus in life.  She had taken all the negative energy she once carried around and turned it into something very positive in rallying people to be aware and support Thomas.  It was a beautiful thing to see the two of them together.  It was a beautiful thing to see Katie's face light up with love when she spoke of her "little hero."  Our friend TC was still mourning the loss of her dear brother, and she had a lot to tell us about how wonderful the community had been in honoring his life.  I was also in a state of concern for my Dad who is battling Parkinson's disease and my Mom who is such a faithful care-giver for him.  We all had heavy things going on, but we were determined to cheer one another up and keep moving toward hope and joy.

 

So it was with mixed emotions that we tasted the great Italian fare offered up at The Olive Garden. 

The food was all good and delicious. 
Good food always helps to lift the spirits! 

I wanted a little taste of everything – so I ordered the Tour of Italy which allowed me to taste the homemade lasagna, the breaded chicken parmigiana and the creamy fettuccine alfredo.  Quite delicious! 

TC ordered the Greek Chicken Salad and it looked very tasty. 

Bucket tried the Chicken Marsala and pronounced it very good. 

No one was disappointed in their food.  We all enjoyed our meals.  Our salads were good with freshly grated cheese shredded at the table.   The service was good; and our waiter even put up with the fact that I was about 45 minutes late!  TC and Bucket were not as polite to me as the waiter.  I’ll never do it again!  My explanation would only bore you, so I’ll leave it to your imagination.

We will go to The Olive Garden again.  We all decided next time maybe we should just enjoy a coffee and dessert, because their desserts all looked good, but we were too stuffed to be tempted after our meal in May. 

One bright spot in our May conversations was hearing Bucket's stories about her vacation in North Carolina.  She had visited several of the Carolina beach towns which were the settings for some of the  Nicholas Sparks novels.  Nicholas Sparks just happens to be one of my heroes, and one of the greatest writers that ever lived.  We all LOVE his novels and the movies that have been made about them.  It was fun to hear from Bucket how all of the scenes and places looked in real life.  Of course, I think she would have had more fun if she had taken TC and I along.....LOL.  Maybe next time!  I've always wanted to tour these coastal towns, I've thought about that for a long time now.  I actually remembered telling Bucket this several years ago.  I'm so glad my friend got the opportunity to do this, and it was fun to share the stories of her adventures.  Maybe next time TC and I WILL tag along. 

At the end of our evening in May, TC surprised Bucket and I with the gift of a copy of the latest Rachael Houck novel “Once Upon A Prince.”  This brought forth screams of delight. (We all did go to school together, and occasionally we revert back to those silly school girl ways.)  I think a few heads turned outside The Olive Garden as we screamed with joy at the sight of the newest Rachel Houck novel!  It would be very accurate to say that we are definitely hooked on Rachael Houck’s writings thanks to TC; and we can’t get enough of them.  I'm still loving the last one; "The Wedding Dress."  She is an awesome writer and this new book is the beginning of a Royal Wedding Series.  So far we've read several of her series, and each of them have been so good!  We left our visit anxious to begin turning the pages of the new novel.

By June we had all read every page. and were still living out the story in our imaginations when we gathered together at La Paz.  It was fun discussing the lively characters of the book that we loved reading.  We all felt like we had visited with each one of them in person.     We agreed this last book was yet another outstanding effort from one of our favorite authors.  We were glad to hear it was the first of a series of three.  This gave us something else to look forward to in the future.  So,.....lots of happy talk about the novel went around the table as we met at La Paz. 

None of us had eaten at La Paz before.  We were not disappointed.  La Paz is a great place for casual Mexican Food with a good upbeat atmosphere.  The name means “peace.”  Their margaritas were very good.  I ordered the Barbeque Quesadilla Platter and found it enjoyable.   TC had the Beef Fajitas and they looked very tasty.  Bucket ordered the California Club Wrap which was also proclaimed delicious. 

The place was cheerful, and tastefully decorated with not-so-typical Mexican decor.  One unique feature was a huge chalk board that anyone could leave a message on.  It was a bit novel, and some of the messages we read were interesting.  We didn't write, maybe another day.

That June night, we all had the family of Thomas Sullivan on our minds.  Little Thomas had gone to heaven between this gathering and our last one. 

TC and I inquired about Katie.  We knew she would taking this very hard.  God had answered our prayers for her, because Katie had come out of the experience stronger.  Of course she was sad and misses her little buddy very much.  Her concern for this little family is on-going.  Never have we ever known of a funeral for such a young child having such an impact on a community.  The whole town rallied around the Sullivan’s. 

The fire department carried Thomas’s casket to his grave.  The life support helicopters hovered over the beginning of the service in tribute.  People floated balloons across the sky.  So many people came to say “good journey” to Thomas, and to pay their respects to his beloved family.  The church was packed out and motorcycles led the way for the procession. 

God was definitely there.  So many received Christ as their Savior that day.  We all know Thomas was watching from Heaven and would have been delighted.  Katie rededicated her life to God.  I could tell that my friend Bucket had made a few new vows too.  It seemed to be a serious, moving, mile marking day in the history of the earth.  There was not a soul in the town that wasn’t touched by this precious child who lived in such love and was such a SUPERMAN example to all of us.   We were thankful for the little time on earth that Thomas was granted.  We will all be offering up many prayers for the peace and comfort for Thomas’s family in the future.  Bucket and Katie continue to share in the worship services of this hometown church every week.  They speak of stories that paint the picture of God's kingdom.  It is encouraging. 

Our little June gathering ended on a happy note with TC showing us the cutest new pictures of Hunter.  He is growing every day!  TC is one proud grandmother!  We loved seeing the photos of Hunter with big brother Kaiden.  They were adorable together.

We left with the thoughts of meeting at J. Alexander’s in July.  We had weathered lots of life and death together in these last few months.  So many stories were going on behind the scenes of each of our lives.  We left each other hopeful that July would be a time of nothing but fun.

.......And it was!  J. Alexander's was a great place to meet in July.  I LOVE the Rattlesnake pasta.  It is not really rattlesnake, just chicken, but the spicy flavor has earned it the name.  

We were so glad to be getting together again.    

I have to say it once more;  I LOVE J. Alexander's.  I like the quiet atmosphere, the excellent service, the quality of the food and the feeling of not being crowded yet there is still a cozy feeling about their spaces.  The decor is elegant.  It is a bit pricier than a lot of the restaurants we frequent, but I think well worth the little extra cost.  

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, most of our personal conversations will not be spoken of in this blog.  One of the highest qualities of true friendship is confidentiality and my friends always have this, which may be an oddity for a writer like me!  However; it seems this group is constantly sharing quite public information on the best authors to read, and in July another great author was a conversation topic around our table.  This is something I feel I CAN share with our readers.  Bucket actually mentioned the great author named Andy Andrews.  She has read several of his books and she spent a lot of time explaining the main plots to us.  They sounded wonderful.  I had often used Andy Andrews's quotes in articles that I’ve written, and I've read articles and essays he has published, but I had not yet had the pleasure of reading any of his novels.  I had even given one of his books to my daughter for Christmas last year.   The conversation sent me on a quest to learn more about this author.  His story is fascinating.  The New York Times has written about him calling him a “modern day Will Rogers.”  He has spoken before four presidents.  At the age of 19 both his parents died, one died in an automobile accident and the other one died of cancer, all in the same year.  That started a downward spiral in Andy’s life that eventually left him homeless.  He spent lots of nights sleeping under the pier on the Gulf Coast beaches.  One day he went on a quest for answers about life.  He asked himself “Is life just a lottery ticket or are there choices one can make to direct his future?”  He headed to the local library and buried himself in the reading of over 200 biographies of the world’s most successful people.  He eventually came up with seven characteristics that they all had in common.  He called these “The Seven Decisions” and he patterned his own life after them from that day forward.  Later he wrote about them in a book called “The Traveler’s Gift.”  Later this book was documented with a PBS Special.  His book was turned down by 51 publishers before Thomas Nelson decided to publish it.  (As I aspire to become published, I find this very encouraging.)  Now his many books have topped the bestseller list for years.  It is required reading for many high schools and the subject matter for seminars for many large employers.  Now Andy is a world famous speaker who is in great demand.  He is an excellent teacher and communicator with the blessing of a wonderful sense of humor.  His speeches and writings have changed lives all across the globe.  One of his latest books is called “The Noticer.”  This book is based on Andy’s life story, and is about how a person’s perspective affects everything.  Bucket loved reading this one.  She told us a lot of the story.   As she talked about it I remembered picking it up in the bookstore last December thinking it was be a good read.  I bought it and gave it  to one of my daughter's for Christmas.  I doubt she has had time to read it yet – maybe I should borrow it back from her to read myself!  I think though, should I purchase one for myself it would be his latest novel that took a turn from the familiar route and actually displayed a lot of history of the politics of this world.  It is titled "How Do You Kill 11 Million People?"   I would love to hear this inspirational writer's perspective on the state of the leaders on planet earth, and how they have ruled and misruled and how people have responded over the ages.  This book is on my literary bucket list.  

So, once again, our conversations leaned toward literary discoveries.  I'm glad that we can share such things.  I feel thely are very important.  What an excellent subject to be shared among friends.  So far we have journeyed together through the discoveries of Rachael Houck, Fannie Flagg, Nicholas Sparks and Andy Andrews.  It has been fun sharing the gifts of these talented writers at our once-a-month outings.  The really neat thing is that none of it has been planned, these are simply people we’ve noticed and admired and love sharing in our conversations.  

One more novel highlight happened that evening as we were leaving the restaurant from enjoying the scrumptious meals and  excellent service.  We were standing together outside in the sidewalk-patio area making our way to our cars, but lingering over our conversations.  As usual we had not been able to finish saying all we wanted to share is such a short time, and we were chatting away when we noticed a limo circling the restaurant.  We watched curiously, anxious to see what famous person was going to step out of the limo and go inside.  

We pondered the plays, concerts, political events going on in town, trying to decide who it might be?????  I surely wish I could tell you.  We watched and watched only to discover that the celebrity must have snuck in the back door.  The limo circled again, empty except for the driver now, and left.  It will always be a mystery.  All I know is, famous or not, the person who went inside through the back entrance more than likely had a great meal.  You can't beat J. Alexander's.  It was quite a treat.  We all loved it. 

There is no telling what THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN will get into next!  Keep reading and watching for our upcoming adventures.