Table Tales: Another Thankful Family Table

 

Wasn't there always warm welcome, 

plenty to go around? 

With heads bowed in gratitude, 

Here love once was found. 

Table Tales: The Thankful Family Table

There's a table, You've prepared for me in the presence, of my enemies...

2011

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.” ~ Rom12

As I walk through this season of mourning, I stop along the way sometimes, wondering if these promise are still true for me, despite my own humanity. I believe that my heart was in the right place, but I am told, too, that hearts are wicked and deceptive above all else. 

I hope that I have been obedient. I hope that the desire for peace and love is not a seed wasted. Motives are harder to be sure of when denied a share of the harvest. 

Still, I will trust. It's all I can do. 

Someone's In The Kitchen With Momma: A Hodgepodge of Southern Hospitality

In their homes, and more intimately, their kitchens, I was always warmly welcomed.

Warm, probably because there was always something delicious being cooked.

Even at a young age, I was offered a helping role, a listening ear and the priceless gift of examples to follow.



There are days in those kitchens I wish I could visit again, recipes I wish I had watched more closely, and soft, fleshy old women I wish that I could still glean advice from.



This series of short essays and stories is an overdue payment of homage on the investments they made in me, a bank note of gratitude for those who are still, thankfully, with me.

The Things We Leave Behind

Some stuff he won't be needing anymore... things that remind us he was here... and that he was our very own.

loss

I started to write a post about loss (and legacy reels) back when my grandpaw passed away...and then tried again recently when my uncle departed. Days got busy, I'm easily distracted and all of my attempts felt too frilly...too feely.

What I'm really aiming to say has been said in countless ways so, maybe that is why I feel too antsy to pin the words down (pen the words down?). It amounts to "Life is beautiful." though there are plenty of other worthy and valid things to be said about lives well-lived and legacies left behind. Like the following statements:

"The Grand Canyon is large."

"Niagara Falls is wet."

 "There's gold in dem dar hills."

 improvements could be made but the fundamental idea is present and accounted for.

Sometimes that's the best one can do.

So, here I am, sharing the video made in tribute to my uncle as a stand-alone excuse for where I've been lately, a picture-postcard from this other place for which I haven't an adequate vocabulary.

Though I was honored to be asked to help with this project,  I'm not saying "Look what I did." Although I became thoroughly immersed in the project, I'm not sharing a work of art. Truly, it is the handiwork of a novice-at best and I wish it were more...polished.



I share because the process of distilling a life story of 80 plus years down into an 80 proof shot has been transformative for me.



 I learned so many new things about my uncle but also about the world in which I live. Walking through the story of his life was like a history lesson wrapped in one last, strong hug.



In some ways, it helped me say good-bye. In other ways it confirmed that though I know I'm expected to do more and more of it in the years to come, saying goodbye will not get any easier.



The dread of such thoughts is almost enough to steal the joy of today-almost.



But even if it's only for today, the rest of us are still here -together. 

That is no small thing.

 This week, while watching a Disney show with the BigKids, we watched a eulogy scene that called on lines from "Our Town" for fitting words about this business of leaving Earth. I definitely couldn't have said it better myself.  

I know.

 I tried.

"Let's really look at one another!...It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another. I didn't realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed... Wait! One more look. Good-bye , Good-bye world. Good-bye, Grover's Corners....Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking....and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths....and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth,you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every,every minute?"

~THORNTON WILDER //  "OUR TOWN"

No, we don't. We can't. But, we should at least try.

I love all of you. 

Take care of yourselves and each other. 

~k 

EPCOT

There's just something special about Walt Disney's Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. It is my favorite park for several reasons, and it seems to me one of the most fitting monuments to the man behind Mickey Mouse.

At its inception, Walt said of EPCOT:

 "EPCOT will be an experimental prototype community of tomorrow that will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise."

Ingenuity. Imagination. America. 

I think that's all of it in a nutshell. 

Walking through the park makes me nostalgic. Not only for past visits and childhood adventures, but also for the strong broth of a certain philosophy, spooned to me steadily from the time I could sit up, and mixed in my bottles before that. 

The basic recipe includes (but is not limited to):

• Whimsy


• Curiosity


• Music


• Creativity


• Exploration


• Fun


• Can-Do


• Optimism


• Service


• Kindness


• Wonder


• Learning


• Talking Animals


• Hats & Props & Seersucker Pants

Simmer over the gentle warmth of a heart aglow. Serve generously and without discrimination.



 Long before there was a search engine and megladon corporation, my siblings and I were privy to the fact that googol is a number- one with one hundred zeros. The loud thumping in our attic was not a fan but tiny little Indians holding a pow-wow. We lived in a world of honker birds and sing-a-longs. We were entrusted with glue sticks and spangles, given complete creative control over the construction paper pile. Life was punny and word play was encouraged. Pennies were wishes for personal computers. Stale bread became duck food. We made sleds from box tops; thrust ourselves down hills without any snow. We enjoyed a balanced diet of wisecracks and wisdom. We knew..still know..the joys of ice cream.



 Has she jumped track? Perhaps. I do tend to do that sometimes.



 The point is that there are good things in life, dreams do come true, we should reach for the stars and never give up.



In the theme park of Positive Mindset, the only admission fee is choosing to walk in.



I'm not saying that every day was Disney growing up, but it was close enough, in hindsight. I am saying that we were given a map to that silver-lined place called joyfulness, for which I'm grateful.

When I walk thru EPCOT, I feel hopeful. I see technology and new ways that we, as people, are working for the good of mankind; we have not ceased thinking, inventing, and trying to one-up ourselves. We are seeing needs and filling them, we are striving to improve upon our last best invention. We come up with some pretty nifty stuff.



 At Epcot, we're encouraged to push the buttons, try it out, think up some big thinks of our own. I see Walt when I'm there...or at least what I understand to be his thumbprint.  And I see that, despite the bleak headlines, all is not lost in this world... there's plenty to look forward to, much to anticipate.

 At EPCOT, I feel inspired, too.

 "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the small, small world after all"

There are many nationalities in the World Showcase, represented by more than airplane runway lights (long story)... all just steps away from each other - close enough to exchange a smile, try a pastry and appreciate the diversity of our world, without a trip through airport security.  Each of the worlds within the showcase are all so distinct, even those that have been influenced by other countries or cultures. There are different ways of saying things, different ways of seeing things.  So much to explore.  I love it.

We read "Around The World In 80 Days" this school year...and we are currently reading "Innocents Abroad", so it was a pleasure  and a bit of a living lesson to walk (and take boats) 'around the world' in less than 8 hours with the BigKids.

They also have a pretty good example of a geodesic form in one part of the park...if you know where to find it ;)

I  feel relaxed at EPCOT.  Walking around with my small-business-owner-always-at-work-even-when-he's-not husband and our eclectic cast of characters, I know that I can enjoy the day's park visit because of the work he's been doing. Because of the work he will return to in short order. I am reminded that he does all that work for us, for family moments like these and for all the others where we simply have a roof over our heads and enough food to fill each belly. I feel cared for and thankful for all of it..for all of them. For him.

Yes, we must eat by the sweat of our brow, but there is time for sculpted flower gardens too.



Time for exchanging pleasantries and learning something(s) new.



 All of these pleasures are available inside the parks, but on the outside, too.

 Especially outside. 

Every single day.

 The parks are just a reminder to stop and notice every now and again. 

When the Discovery Channel came out with the Boomdeyadah campaign years ago, we adopted it as a sort of school anthem.

 "I love the whole world, and all its sights and sounds..."

It's our home/school philosophy.

It's our life philosophy.

And Epcot provides a wonderful scale model. 

(It's a small, small world- ha.)

Not to mention, it's a lot less crowded than Magic Kingdom most days.

(the slideshow also includes hotel and other trip pics due to shortage of time to sift & sort- disregard red eye and double takes...if you can )

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." ~ Walt Disney

Disney Photos

When asked what she was most looking forward to at Disney, Riley hoped to meet Princess Aurora. Everyone else agreed that watching RyeBird explore the Magic Kingdom for her first time would be the highlight of our experience.



While we didn't catch Sleeping Beauty this go around, Riley hardly seemed to notice once she got inside the park.  And we enjoyed watching her have a big day every bit as much as had been anticipated...even the part where she was scared of Daisy & Minnie... a decision she made only after we waited in a considerably long line, and only once we were close enough to judge they were just too big, too real for her comfort.



 At the end of the day, Rye's favorite part was "Dream Along With Mickey"- the stage show at Cinderella's castle where we all defeated Malificent by chanting 'Dreams DO Come True!" until the jilted sorceress had no choice but to storm off in a huff and puff of smoke, promising we hadn't seem the last of her... (a fact easily verified by glancing at the remaining show times...)



Riley confided later that when the audience had been asked to make a wish, she quietly whispered to herself "I need to learn how to act like a princess." She has been diligently working on remembering her manners ever since.



 The BigKids have done Disney parks before, at various ages. They were not only good sports about letting baby sister have the 'larger slice of mouse pie', they enjoyed helping serve up the fun.

Coastal Cousins

In a serendipitous turn of events various cousins from various corners converged on Amelia... I was delighted to be caught in the cross-hairs. 

Christian is my cousin Joni's baby boy- he's from Augusta. Fisher & Logan are mine. Charley is my second cousin Chuck's baby girl~ she was there with her momma, Donna (and a BOY!). They're all from around Waycross.  Tyler is Joni's oldest girl, also from Augusta. Riley is also mine. (Chandler was @ the golf course) 

We couldn't have planned it. 

But we have proof it happened... Once Upon Amelia. 

:)  

Cousin Time

I love it when family comes to the island.

Rye & Kayden catch up over ice cream. 

Kayden is my younger cousin Corey's son (on momma's side.)

This is his baby sister Coralyn.

She's one of those babies I was privileged to help  pray into the world ;)

Before the day was over, they were positively pirates!

Three, Little Bird!

It has been three years since Riley Wren flew into our life. 

Happy Birthday RyeBird!

We Love You!

From Terrific Two to Tremendous Three... Oh, what fun this will be!

Little Boy Blue 11

  Happy Eleventh Birthday, Fisher Kai!

You are a wonderful part of our family. It is a joy to watch you grow and explore your world. 

We love you! 

Lunch & a TuTu

Some days we walk across the street for lunch...

Blue Sky Day: 

...still wearing our tutu: 

"SMPHELLING" flowers (scrunch your nose when you read that) 

Finally convinced the tutu can skip lunch: 

Lunch in the sand (and maybe a little sand in the lunch, if you get the seat next to PrincessTot)

Happy campers headed home.

Fourth of July ReCap: Fireworks (Part 5)

And in this segment, I finally finish up the Fourth of July photos. There are a LOT of them. This is because I can't bear to toss out any picture with a human element in it- fingers, knees, toes... whatever... if I can make out a person in the picture, I have to keep it (because, who knows when you may wish you had all the pictures you could ever want of a person, even only their toes...yes, this is how I think. I've grown used to it) 

I've included far too many of them in this little post for this reason: Sometimes children move when you are trying to take their photo. I have often found that from one frame to the next a child may go from resembling themselves to an uncle or aunt or parent. With just the shift of a smile, the lift of a brow... all of a sudden a new resemblance is discovered. I don't want to cut any possibilities out for those family members who stay in touch via photos posted here. 

For those of you who aren't related or somehow beholden to these children, just scroll through really fast; some were taken only seconds apart, so they animate :)