Christmas Update

Last Weekend on the 10th
I had the unique privilege of traveling to Clarkston, Georgia with Steve, Charlie, Ellie and Luke to handout blankets and other warm things as well as gift bags to immigrants from Burma and some other countries.  Our church family had collected/purchased and put together these things for 40 or 50 families.  The 5 of us had the fun task of handing them to these brave and dear people.  Our connect in Clarkston is my friend, Mary Emily Mulloy, along with her husband, Bob.  Mary Emily and I were friends and housemates in Auburn all the way back in 1973.  Long time ago.  

1.

In this photo I'm keeping Ellie warm underneath my jacket.

It looks like I'm smothering her.

For some reason she had taken her jacket off.

That's Steve handing a gift bag and blankets to a very sweet lady.

2.

Young man on the left is Tha-htoo.  He is a leader amongst his fellow Burmese friends.

He has been in the U.S. 3 1/2 years.  Was in a refugee camp in Thailand before coming to the states.

He is a hard worker and speaks English very well.

He was our director - getting us to those in need of what we brought.

2.

Ellie and Luke on the right.

These other children - aren't they adorable?

3.

My friend, Mary Emily, handing blankets to a very grateful lady.

4.

I love this picture.  Left to Right, Moo from Burma, Ellie from United States,

Moo's friend from Iraq, and Moo's friend from Somalia.

Four beautiful girls from all over the world.

This weekend, beginning on Thursday the 15th....

I met Laura Beth in Adairsville and picked up Ada and John.  Laura Beth and Scott drove to Scottsboro to join them on Saturday and they all left on Sunday after lunch.

And so began 2 nights and 2 days with Ada and John.

The days began very early - which is fine with me.

I get up early anyway.

My grandchildren own my house.

Any drawer is free game - especially the pen and pencil drawer.

Again, early Friday morning, still dark out.

Coffee tastes so very good that time of morning.

Around 10:00 on Friday Ada was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her cousins.

Ann had called to say they were en route.

She's dancing and twirling with excitement.

a brief stand still...

Finally here.

It all creates so much silliness - all that excitement.

And Ta Daaaaaaaahhhhh.

She worked her puzzle which I had for her to open.

They were so anxious to open just one gift.

I got them each a small puzzle for them to open and work.

I wanted more pictures.

But that would mean actually remembering to pick up the camera and clicking.

Kate drove home from North Carolina on Friday.

Laura Beth and Scott arrived on Saturday.

We had a modified Christmas meal on Saturday night, 

because that was our Christmas with Laura Beth and Scott - 

and 

On Sunday the 18th Abigail was dedicated to God by her parents.

Because Steve is our pastor and Abigail's daddy, Steve has to get someone else to do baby dedication for his children.  This time he asked Charlie to do it.  Unique, since Charlie is her granddaddy.

Charlie, Kate and I concluded Sunday evening with a trip to Birmingham

to see Briarwood Presbyterian's Christmas Program.

Beautiful!

It involved Choir/Orchestra/and Ballet celebrating the Gospel.

The joy of God's gift - God coming to us - to bring us to Him.

Redemption.

That's my Christmas so far.

14 Images of Fun and Energy

October 21 on my back porch.

Ellie, Luke, Ada, and Andrew.

Eating seasonal cupcakes made by Ann.

(We encourage them to stay outside and play.  :-)

Just inside were Laura Beth, Kate, Mary Ann (my sister), Abigail (4 months), John ( 20 months), and I, sitting around the kitchen table.  

(There was a photo, but I deleted it.  It was too bad of me for anyone to see.  Vanity.)

Ann also was inside with us but she was outside at that time taking the pictures.

The Help and What I've Been Doing Since My Last Post 9 Days Ago

Charlie and I did go see The Help - I really, really liked it.  I had read the book already because I knew it would be so much better than the movie and I definitely wanted to see the movie - but didn't want the movie to ruin the book for me.  I have read lots of articles about the author - who is from Jackson, MS.

I am 60 - so I lived through all of that.  I have my own stories from my very white perspective and wish so much we hadn't all been so blind.  Anyone of us in my age bracket lived through the reality of that - It was and continues to be shocking to me.  I was born in 1951 and so of course in 1961 I was only 10.

The book is good and trumps the movie.  Still, the movie is so good, too.  I watched it with Mike and Mary Bratton, and Charlie and none of them had read the book.  I was curious to get their reaction.  They liked it a lot.

There's a lady in south Alabama whom I know.  I knew her as a child when she would help Mother with Mary Ann and me.  I LOVED her.  She was just a very young teenager when she would baby sit us.  I thought she was beautiful and had a magical energy.  I never forgot her.  I never knew her last name until our paths crossed again when I was 50.  Mary Ann knew she'd moved back to Evergreen and she and her sister were willing to help us care for Mom after Mother's near fatal stomach event which had put her in intensive care.  I remember my strong emotional reaction when I saw her again.  I was maybe 4 or 5 the last time I'd seen her.  I cried and was trembling.  She had no idea that she'd meant that much to me.  She still had that same energy and was still beautiful and smart and bright and laughed so much.  Here we were adults and able to share stories - mostly hers with Mary Ann and me listening.  Amazing to get her perspective, with no bitterness, on life in Evergreen, AL during all the days of segregation and then life during the time of the civil rights movement.  We had lived in the deepest of the deep south, she on the black side, Mary Ann and I on the white side.  She had loved Mother.  Even before this movie and this book, I've wanted to make some questions for an interview with her - and share it on this blog.

I'm going to do it one of these days.  She's a great story teller.  She has amazing stories!!  She and her sister together have amazing stories.

What I've been doing since the last post - Last week - getting my house and yard in order to prepare for Ada and John being with me, here at my house, for a week - while Laura Beth and Scott prepare to move into their cute rental house.

So - pictures from yesterday.  (I met LB and Scott in Adairsville.  Mary Bratton rode with me - the drive over was certainly different than the drive home.  On the way back to Scottsboro we had tired John and chatty, excited Ada in the back seat.  Mary saw my grandparenting world in full swing.)