Random Thoughts

I believe my blog posts about our trip are longer than the trip itself. Can't believe it's been a week since we began our assent into the Smoky Mountains. I'm sure the beauty of the mountains speaks to everyone who travels through the peaks and valleys. I can't explain it, but more than the beauty awaits me. When I'm there, it is as if I've come home, on a cellular level. My daddy's people settled in  the mountains for at least two generations. Look in the phone book and you're bound to find more than a few Webbs, though I don't know how closely related we all are. I may not ever live there but it is a place welcomes me home whenever I visit. Sweetie, ME and Suzi at Bald River Falls Here are a 30 things I learned on this trip: Talk to Sweetie before he makes reservations. There is a Dollar General or Family Dollar store in almost every small community along Hwy 411. In the bigger towns you'll find a Subway. If you are a Baptist, you...

I don't think there's anything on this planet that more trumpets life that the sunflower.  For me that's because of the reason behind its name.  Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun.  During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky.  A satellite dish for sunshine.  Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it.  And that's such an admirable thing.  And such a lesson in life." ~ Calendar Girls 2003 Movie After saying goodbye to my sister, Sweetie, Suzi and I hopped back in the car and headed south. We drove the on the same road, but it looked different somehow. I wonder what it is that makes going towards home so different from going from home? With one there is excitement to get where you're going. A sense of adventure and desire, perhaps, to see new things (or connect with old friends and places). With the other there is time spent pondering the t...

It's hard to believe that just a week ago I was whining about being a boogerhead. What a difference 7 days and 500 miles can make! Not saying my boogerhead persona doesn't lie dormant waiting for an opportunity to whine. I'm just saying that the change of pace and scenery, not to mention a cleansing downpour, new connections and reconnections were just what the doctor ordered. Note to self: When you're feeling boogery, don't just sit there - get moving. me The last part of our stay in Tennessee was very similar to the first part - eating and visiting. We hooked up with Pastor Maurice Hall for breakfast.  Jack found him dressed and sitting in the motel lobby at 5:30 am when Suzi went out for a morning toilette.  I get antsy just thinking about waiting for 4 hours to pass, but I think Pastor Hall probably lost himself in prayer and meditation and memory. That Maurice is a man of God was evident from the start, but we soon learned he is much more than that. Sweeti...

Note: I'm home now, sitting in my own chair, the dog at my feet, a cat at my shoulder. The air conditioner hums, a motorcylce varooms in the distance. I can see a slight breeze moving the plants around. I already miss the mountain views, but settling into the delightfulness of home. me After coming down the mountain from Tellico Plains, we stopped at Hardee's to get some quick food because my sister had to go to work.  If I haven't said it before now, it is fair to say we began to veer off  our diet regimen of the last month somewhere around the Georgia border. "I'm on vacation," Sweetie said when he came out of Subway with a combo that included potato chips. I looked at my nutritious, but lackluster apple slices and made a mental note to go for the chips next time. What are vacations for if not to toss away the everydayness of our lives at least for a time. Whitt's General Store The big black cloud that had been hovering over the mountain suddenly...

Day two of our impromptu vacation got off to a bad start. The promised continental breakfast offered by our less than stellar motel consisted of luke warm coffee, no cream, three pre-packaged pastries, cereals with room temperature milk, and apple juice. My Sweetie, who is a patient and mild-tempered man unless he is forced to start his day with out coffee sweetened with a hint of French vanilla creamer, growled as he came back to the room where I stood in my underwear trying to dry my hair.  As I fiddled with the hairdryer that made a strange whistling sound and blew not quite hot hair,  Sweetie headed to the gas station/food mart across the parking lot from said Inn for some potable caffeine. The way to make that man of mine overcome the meanies is to give him food. Luckily a Huddle House restaurant sat in near proximity. We left Suze in the room and followed the scent of bacon and eggs and extra strong coffee wafting through the air and across the parking lot.  When ...

The spur of the moment kids, who like to jump in the car and head out for adventure are at it again.  Or should I say the girl who has wanted to see the sunflower festival in Georgia for five years is finally on the move.  While I was still agonizing the hows, whens, wheres, etc, Sweetie was on the Internet making reservations. First stop, Red Carpet Inn, in East Dublin, GA: If I tell you we are just across the "bridge" from Dublin you might guess that we are not in the part of town where the tourists hang out. Actually, when we drove through downtown looking for a place to eat dinner, I realized this isn't exactly the kind of town tourists flock to.  I can't swear by it, but I think Dublin's claim to fame is that Sherman did not burn it down on his way to the sea. If it  looked a lot like this back in the 1860's Sherman may have decided it wasn't worth his time. It's kind of sad, really.  A sign of the poor economic times maybe. Windows boarded ove...

Sweetie and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Oklahoma. Truth be told I think we spent more time in airports or crammed sardine-style in airplanes than in Oklahoma. Father/Brother Georges got married and it was my job as representative of my family (after my father passed away) to give my blessing on the woman he chose to marry. Now I don't know what he would have done if I'd gotten into town, given Maha the once over and said something along the lines of, "no I don't think so." It was kind of a no brainer that I would bless their union. How could I not. F/B Georges has waited for his true love long enough. It's time he got married and starts to practice what he preaches.  Maha is a beautiful lady. She is quiet and demure. But that might just be around people she doesn't know so well. I think she's got some party girl in her! It's kind of hard to imagine that a Syrian priest would find his Jordanian bride in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I mean, seriou...

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." Lin Yutang We arrived at the Tulsa Airport this morning around 10:30 and set foot back at home around 9:30pm. One uneventful but very long day. An angel disguised as a Continental Airlines ticketing agent managed to get us on an earlier flight out of Tulsa which cut the wait in the airport by about 2 hours. Sweetie called the planes we flew on puddle jumpers. I call them sardine cans. Flying today is all about getting from point A to point B with few frills. But we made it home safely and that's really all that counts, which is easy to say now that I've stretched my legs and gotten most of the kinks out. I know I promised tales of our adventure and I will try to recap the week in the next few days. I've seen and learned many new things. I stretched some muscles I didn't even remember having. Some of my beliefs have been challenged. We met so...

Just got the password for the Internet this evening. I'm really too pooped to write much. My idea of blogging as the week progresses has come to a screeching halt. All I can think of is to crawl into bed and rest my weary feet. The team was split into two groups today. I was in the half that finished painting one of the dorm houses - 3 women, Sweetie, and a 9 year old. After spending so much time with a paint brush in my hand last spring, it came back to me pretty quickly. We've still got trim to do which I could cause me to say "ugh" but I've learned painting is a lot -LOT - easier than what the other half of the team did. They got the concrete assignment. And it wasn't just pouring concrete. It was hefting 80 lb. bags on and off a truck just to get them to the right spot. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have lifted one 80 lb bag, let alone a whole pallet full. I'm feeling pretty grateful tonight that I didn't get picked for that team. There is som...

First Good Goers meeting to find out how the week will go. "B" our guide for the afternoon. Overlooking the field where the Union Army camped for about 6 months. The original Spring House constructed where the Trail of Tears ended. No one has explained yet why they stopped here. Resting after a lengthy hike through the woods to the creek. Arts & Crafts after dinner.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world." KJV James 1:27 Fr/Br Georges told me last night that when God calls you, you know it. You feel it. I won't deny I feel parts like my life have been Divinely orchestrated. Then there was also that time, when I was sure God put something before me, and like Eve with the apple, I tasted it. I learned a lot from that experience and it put me on roads I never would have traveled on my own. But I'm not sure it was God that did it. So I still have the question, how does one know if one is "called" to do something by God? Part of my experience is that things sort of fall into place. And while there has never been a lightening bolt in the sky to point the way, I have experienced little signs of reassurance. For the last week my email, the readings in church, time spent in therapy and listening to music, the th...

"A thankful person is thankful under all circumstances. A complaining soul complains even in paradise." Baha'u'llah Sunday. 7am: So I was standing there in front of the wall to wall mirror in the bathroom of the Ramada Inn. Can't decide if the lighting is especially bright to show up all imperfections or to just wake up weary travelers. My hair wasn't looking so good. I knew the TSA had a requirement of 3 oz. bottles. I knew they were supposed to be tucked into a 1 quart ziplock bag. What I didn't know was that you were only allowed 1 of these bags. Yes, I was trying to pack minimally, but a girl still needs way more than ONE little bag to hold her cosmetics, shampoo, creams, lotions, pills, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. (Normally I wouldn't be carrying bug spray but it was on the list of things to bring. I'm really hoping I don't need it but who knows, maybe Oklahoma mosquitos haven't heard yet that the seasons are a changin'). Before I ...

"All shall be well. All manner of things shall be well." St. Theresa of Avila Two Gumbas on the Park 'n Ride bus I'm not sure why it is but sitting in an airplane all day is pretty tiring. Well, we did have to hike a few miles from one concourse to another in the Charlotte airport, so I guess we did get some exercise. We got smart by the time we got to Houston - grabbed one of those carts that beep, beep down the crowded hallways. Not once, not twice, but three times. Sweetie's hip was beginning to tire and my foot giving me a fit. Yessiree, we're going to do just fine at the Oaks - if our assignments are along the lines of answering phones! I have to admit I've had a few what in the hell are we doing moments. When we left home, a Nor'easter was brewing. The rain stopped long enough for us to get up into the air and above the weather. There were a few bumpy spots along the way but my stomach only flew into my throat once. Tulsa, from what I can tell, d...

I'm not sure I can really call today's junket an adventure. Going through an on-line ticketing agent my Sweetie, who loves to get a deal, found us a flight to Tulsa, via Charlotte, and Houston. Just a little bit of a round robin route. We found out yesterday when picking our seat assignments (which couldn't be done til 24 hours before which basically meant all the good seats (i.e. free) were taken.) We will be sitting in what the airline refers to as "choice" seats. Mainly because we can choose to pay $26.00 a piece or not fly at all. And in case you're wondering, the answer is yes. We do have to pay for checked luggage and probably a bag of peanuts and a coke. Except for the soda, this shouldn't be a problem. We have stuffed carry on luggage to its maximum capacity and I have enough snacks stowed away that should we get lost enroute, we will not starve. It is a little surprising that I'm sitting hear writing on the computer when normally I'm runn...

I can't believe I forgot to tell you what I remembered while washing my hands before making dinner. You never know when or where you might find some little tidbit of wisdom you never knew before. It happened for me on Saturday afternoon in the women's room of a Bob Evans restaurant in Leesburg, FL. As I was washing my hands I noticed a little sign stuck to the bottom corner of the mirror. I figured it was the obligatory, employees MUST wash their hands sign, you see in all public restrooms. I'd like to think that employees employ this rather simple task without being reminded EVERY time they walk in the bathroom but I guess when you're messing with stuff like EColi it's better to remind than pay the consequences. So I was looking in the mirror at myself which is very narcisstic I know, but I can't help myself. When I pass a mirror I always give my chin a quick once over so I can cover up if I should find a stray hair that has somehow grown a quarter of an inch ...

"Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it." Edward W. Bok Sweetie and I made it home safely, but not without some excitement. The funeral was held in an historic Episcopalian church, red door and all, with only about 7 rows of pews on either side of a main aisle. The church was overflowing which was a great tribute to the woman who was being remembered. Over 170 people whose mean age was probably around 75 and girth, well let's just say large, were packed in like sardines. Walkers and wheelchairs and canes were left in the back of the church. It's never a good sign when an ambulance is called and one of the attendees is taken away on a stretcher before the service even starts. [As an aside, it's clear that central Florida, is a haven for people of retirement age. The mobile home parks were only outnumbered by the number of cardiologists advertising on big billboards along the highway.] I was uncertain as to how I might react a...