Among the Thorns

WHILE STROLLING THROUGH THE FIELDS OF TIME
THERE'S MANY THINGS TO SEE
BUT NATURE IS THE GREATEST SIGHT
THAT COULD EVER BE
THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL
IS HOW THE WORLD WAS FORMED
AND WHY A ROSE IS THERE TO LIVE
EACH DAY AMONG THE THORNS

ONE DAY AMONG THE WORLD OF THORNS
A ROSE BEGAN TO GROW
IT WAS THE GREATEST GIFT OF GOD
THIS WORLD WILL EVER KNOW
IT WAS THE WILL OF GOD TO SHOW
THAT SINCE THE WORLD WAS FORMED
THERE HAD TO BE A ROSE TO LIVE
AND DIE AMONG THE THORNS

TWO THOUSAND YEARS HAS SINCE BEEN GONE
SINCE GOD LOOKED DOWN WITH LOVE
HE FILLED THIS EARTH WITH BEAUTY
WITH ROSES FROM ABOVE
HE HUNG UPON A RUGGED CROSS
TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM SIN
BETWEEN TWO THORNS THIS ROSE HE DIED
THREE DAYS HE BLOOMED AGAIN

ONE DAY AMONG THE WORLD OF THORNS
A ROSE BEGAN TO GROW
IT WAS THE GREATEST GIFT OF GOD
THIS WORLD WILL EVER KNOW
IT WAS THE WILL OF GOD TO SHOW
THAT SINCE THE WORLD WAS FORMED
THERE HAD TO BE A ROSE TO LIVE
AND DIE AMONG THE THORNS

Author Unknown

Soo very grateful for the many encouraging ways my CALM friend lives and shares Truth to encourage my spirit.
Thank you, Friend!

Praise God!!

Mark's father had an endoscopic exam today to follow up the radiation and chemotherapy treatments he's received in recent weeks.
Tricia sent the results via a text message...

"Endo shows 90% improvement!"

When the Spirit moves, you sing on the way home...
Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow
Praise HIM all creatures here below
Praise HIM above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
AMEN.
Words: Thomas Ken, 1674


What JOY, what relief, what PRAISE!!

Thank you, DEAR Friends, for praying w/us!!
We are humbly grateful!!!!!!

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
Hebrews 13:15

Growing Praises

This tooth marked his 3rd to lose in a matter of a few days!
He and Katherine were both going through a growth spurt; She'd lost 6 in those hastening days!
All of a sudden my children are growing up!!




















Don't be confused by John's loose tooth being now on the opposite side...I captured this perspective in the mirror.




















So, I've considered these verses, some of my favorites, and the way our children are growing to use their mouths for His glory!

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. Psalm 8:2

I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:1-3

By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

For Glory or for Shame

~A Name in the Sand~

Alone I walked the ocean strand;
A pearly shell was in my hand:
I stooped and wrote upon the sand
My name--the year--the day.
As onward from the spot I passed,
One lingering look behind I cast;
A wave came rolling high and fast,
And washed my lines away.

And so, me thought, 'twill shortly be
With every mark on earth from me:
A wave of dark oblivion's sea
Will sweep across the place
where I have trod the sand shore
Of time, and been, to be no more,
Of me--my day--the name I bore,
To leave nor track nor trace.

And yet, with Him who counts the sands
And holds the waters in His hands,
I know a lasting record stands
Inscribed against my name,
Of all this mortal part has wrought,
Of all this thinking soul has thought,
And from these fleeting moments caught
For glory or for shame.

By: Hannah Flagg Gould

Grannie Grew Love

Painting of Grannie's house

Everything grew at Grannie Rabbit's house...family, children, flowers, grass, vegetables, pecans, rabbits, parakeets, dogs, cats, FROGS, and I'm sure she'd add 'weeds', but most importantly and forever lasting, LOVE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While riding the bus back and forth to school everyday, a young girl named Maude Alma Harris watched this house as it was built, likely never imagining what God's providence held for her there.

She met 'Dub', William Alfred Cleland, Jr., in the classroom of the newly built, red brick school they attended, the first of it's kind in Brantley County. Dub's father sub-contracted a crew of carpenters through to the completion of that project. Construction work was in great demand in their newly established county, and Dub's father is known to have built private homes and businesses during those early years. Later another wing was added to the west side of the brick building which became known as the county's first high school.

Maude was attracted to Dub's confidence and carpentry skills as a young apprentice. She appreciated the fact he didn't have to rely on farming as a livelihood because times were hard during the depression. Dub completed his education at the conclusion of his seventh grade year, then he quickly went to work to help put food on the table for his family. This was the norm for young men his age during this era.




















Maude and Dub's friendship led to courtship, at which time he gave her a string of pearls which she wore in the photo above. Their marriage took place in the month of April, 1927.  Grannie was sixteen years of age, and would be 17 in August. 

Their first anniversary was followed by the birth of their first son but tragically, he was stillborn. Two years later, joy was restored when a second son was born, my father, Thomas Earl.



















Photo: My Dad and his parents, ~1931-1932

Love continued to grow and God added more strength with the addition of three more sons, Wannis, Johnnie, and Donald. Then sadly, another stillborn baby was born, a girl Grannie named Carol.

I wonder if Grannie knew the meaning of her name...
"Song of Praise".
I wonder when Grannie's favorite verse became 1 Thessalonians 5:18?
I wonder when Grannie learned to give thanks in everything?
Did she learn to love the LORD more because she did?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dan Jones owned a saw mill, and it is believed he built this house positioned behind the mill. The house was rectangular, a shotgun style structure, which originally had four symmetrically divided rooms, two bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room. It did not have a bathroom or kitchen, but a kitchen was added before my father's family moved in. My father was 12 years old at that time (1942-1943). 
Dad shared what it was like to 'wash up' prior to adding on a bathroom...
"When I was going to school, I would wash-up, upper body, head-face, brush-teeth, and prepare for school on the back porch, always observant of the school buses that would be bringing kids to school and dodge back away from the faucet where I would be bathing, so not to be observed by the children on the school bus passing by."

My father lived in this home for five years before enlisting in the Air Force.His parents had to sign for him to join.  

When he was able, he sent money home which was used to cover the cost of installing fixtures while his father covered the expense of purchasing lumber and a septic tank. The family finally enjoyed an indoor bathroom.




















Sadly, I never met my grandfather. He passed away at the young age of 50, it is believed of a heart attack, a couple of years before I was born.

Grannie remained the strong and devoted matriarch of her family to the end. She had a sensitive spirit, and claimed her faith in the LORD and love for her family was what kept her strong. She loved her life. She loved being home. Her work was her yard and garden, where she once said she communed with the LORD.

Two out of four sons built their homes on lots next to and behind Grannie's house, which made for awesome gatherings of four brothers and their families when we visited.
When we visited Grannie, we visited everyone, because everyone was usually there! Those who weren't wanted to be and came when they could!




















My earliest memories of Grannie's house dates back to the late 1960's. I remember taking a bath in her old fashioned bathtub. Whether it had claw feet, I don't remember, but eventually, it was taken out and replaced with a shower stall. I've wished for a long time I had an old fashioned tub like Grannie's.
Grannie always had good food on the table when we visited, and maintained her home as best as she could for all of her children to return to. She always made sure there was plenty of love to go around!

Oh, how I miss those days!
Grannie drew us all together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grannie's last visit in our home was for the purpose of meeting her newest great-granddaughter, Katherine. While we held her captive here, we took her to Olan Mills and had her photographed. She worried that her hair was a mess, but I thought it looked beautiful. I longed to capture her sweet spirit and smile, what I thought to be the most beautiful thing about her.




















Grannie lived in her home alone for 42 years after her 'Dub' passed away, but almost a year after she visited with us, she fell at the age of 89 1/2 years of age, at which time she suffered a fractured thigh which required special care.
Had it not been for Aunt Wanda who provided great love and care for Grannie almost daily in her home, taking her food and helping her with chores, Grannie may not have lingered as long in her home. Aunt Wanda's care of Grannie during those years, prior to her fall, is immeasurable and honorable, a priceless expression of the kind of love Grannie grew.














Two years later, Grannie passed away much too soon, and eventually her old house was dismantled because of rotting floor joists. There were occasions while Grannie lived in her home that my uncles worked under her house to restore what they could to keep the floor from falling through. They maintained the house well for many years after their father passed away.

If I were to take you for a drive down that street today where Grannie's house once stood, you'd see an empty lot, but I'd see the place where Grannie's love grew. Much tilling and toil went into this place, and the plowpan ran deep. Bedded within my heart are the roots which still remain!
















Uncle Donald saved wood from Grannie's house and made frames which show the beautiful scars of old nail holes that held together the structure where Grannie's love grew. Aunt Wanda crafted special gifts to go inside so we'd never forget.

Although the house is gone, the property remains and is maintained nicely. It thrilled my heart to see it so well cared for when we last visited.
Some of Grannie's favorite trees and plants continue to grow!

































This is the tree that left impressionable sounds... falling pecans hitting Grannie's metal roof and...



















our car parked in the driveway next to the tree!













Grannie's love for her LORD and family is what made her home the special place it was for all of us! She loved her home and made it a memorable gathering place for her family to visit. I don't doubt she thought as long as she lived, she had more work there to do, and she did, but when the LORD called her to her forever "Home", we were all the more aware that the greatest gifts of love and family she left behind would lend to us responsibilities that should never end!

Note of gratitude: Thank you, Dad...aka-Poppy, for your priceless, historical contribution to this post!

Love Will Be Our Home

By Sandi Patty

If home is really where the heart is
And home must be a place we all can share
For even with our differences, our hearts are much the same
For where love is we come together there

Wherever there is laughter ringing
Someone smiling, someone dreaming
We can live together there
Love will be our home

Wherever there are children singing
Where a tender heart is beating
We can live together there
'Cause love will be our home

With love our hearts can be a family
And hope can bring this family face to face
And though we may be far apart
Our hearts can be as one
When love brings us together in one place

Wherever there is laughter ringing
Someone smiling, someone dreaming
We can live together there
Love will be our home

Where there are words of kindness spoken
Where a vow is never broken
We can live together there
Cause love will be our home

Love will, love will be our home...

Wherever there is laughter ringing
Someone smiling, someone dreaming
We can live together there
Love will be our home

Wherever there are children singing
Where a tender heart is beating
We can live together there
Cause love will be our home

Love will, love will be our home...

Wherever there is laughter ringing
Someone smiling, someone dreaming
We can live together there
Cause love will be our home

Love will be our home.

*~Proclaim Liberty~*

"On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to approve a complete separation from Great Britain. Two days afterwards, July 4th, the early draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed, albeit by only two individuals at that time: John Hancock, President of Congress, and Charles Thompson, Secretary of Congress. Four days later, on July 8th, members of Congress took that document and read it aloud from the steps of Independence Hall, proclaiming it to the city of Philadelphia, after which the Liberty Bell was rung. The inscription around the top of that bell, Leviticus 25:10, was most appropriate for the occasion: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof."














"To see the turmoil in other nations, their struggles and multiple revolutions, and yet to see the stability and blessings that we have here in America, we may ask how has this been achieved? What was the basis of American Independence? John Adams said "The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity."














"John Adams believed that the Fourth of July should become a religious holiday, a day when we remembered God's hand in deliverance and a day of religious activities when we committed ourselves to Him in "solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." Such was the spirit of the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of those who led it, evidenced even further in the words of John Quincy Adams, one who was deeply involved in the activities of the Revolution."

"This day will be the most memorable epic in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival."













"Preserving American liberty depends first upon our understanding the foundations on which this great country was built and then preserving the principles on which it was founded. Let's not let the purpose for which we were established be forgotten. The Founding Fathers have passed us a torch; let's not let it go out."

By: David Barton, 4th of July Article, 01/2000

You will find articles about America's history and heroes @ the Wallbuilders website.