This past Sunday was Homecoming at my grandparents' church, of which they are charter members [they've been there since the founding]. So mom & I & Desiree [she's living w/ us for a while, until the camp she is working at begins in June] went for the service after going to Sunday School at Mulberry. They have an interim preacher at my grandparents' church. He is pretty old, and he's originally from New Zealand. He has the coolest accent, and he seemed kindof grandfatherly, although I didn't actually meet him. Since it was Homecoming, they honored the charter members and the those that teach in the church, and his sermon was on teachers, the influence they have, and how they are supposed to be above reproach. The main scripture he used was James 3:3-12, and he used "The Message" version. I don't have a copy of the Bible in the Message version, but I know that it's in really descriptive and easy-to-grasp terms. These particular verses talk about the tongue and are pretty descriptive and understandable no matter what version you read, but I thought it was quite interesting in The Message. And he read it out loud, in his New Zealand accent, so that made it more interesting. Anyway, I've posted the verses in The Message below, so you can read them.
3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!
5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!
10-12My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?
Isn't it really descriptive? As I read back over it I can just hear it in his accent. Also, I thought it was very fitting, when considering what's going on at my church....

Also, my great uncle passed away Saturday. His funeral is today at 2pm. I didn't really know the man...last night was visitation, and the casket was open. He didn't look a whole lot different from how he looked in there...I mean pale, almost no hair, etc. However, he was my mom's uncle, so she has a good amount of memories involving him, I'm sure. My great aunt, his wife, Frances has asked that we sit with the family and eat with them afterwards. Last night as we went through the line at the visitation, I was meeting some of my cousins for the first time that I could remember! And I can see their house from where I live! It's ridiculous. Anyway. I do feel for them; my Papaw has 1 brother & 2 sisters, 1 sister-in-law & 1 brother-in-law, and this is the first of them to pass away [the brother-in-law is the one that passed] [One of his sisters never married]. Well, I need to go get ready now.
Haha...I'm so bad at ending a piece of writing....especially papers that I have to turn in, the conclusion is always the hardest part for me to complete......so, later fellow bloggers..ha.

Nothin's Sweeter Than Summertime...

So there's this song out by Lady Antebellum [a country group] called "American Honey" & it's basically my new favorite song [hence the title of this post..it's from the chorous].
& aahhhhh summertime is f i n a l l y here!
& I am home now,
I submitted the final assignments for my online history class last night,
I'm still in the process of unpacking, however I think most of my dirty clothes have been washed.
I spent about an hour or so on my front porch this morning, reading Country Living magazine [my absolute favorite magazine...yeah, I may be old fashioned...haha but I don't care] & drinking a cup of coffee. It was grand. Until the flying ants couldn't stay away from me, then I went inside & so started a bit of unpacking & organizing. I have decided that I would like a room lined with bookshelves in my future house. I have a nice collection of books...well actually not a whole lot, but regardless, I would still like to have a small library in my home. I ended up keeping most of my books this semester, because as a teacher I may end up needing them [even though I really did not want to keep my math book..haha].
ALso, there are daisies nearly everywhere, on the sides of the road, in my great uncle's pasture across the road [though I'll never understand why tons & tons of them grow in his front pasture & not my grandparets' nor in the pasture on my side of the road..] & they are beautiful. I just love daisies, something about them...when I see them, I think summertime, countryside, taking it easy. :).
My mother's rose bushes are also blooming, there are 2 beside the front porch that are in FULL bloom and completely gorgeous. I took loads of pictures of them yesterday, I'll get some up on here eventually.
In two weeks, my family & 7 other families from my church are going camping! We do this every year [it's a tradition:)] and I am SOOO looking forward to it. Tonight, we are having an "ice cream social" at one family's house for all the adults/cooks to plan the meals for the trip. Ice cream is another wonderful thing about summer, you can eat prettymuch all you want & it doesn't matter because it's summertime, it's hot out & ice cream is the perfect snack to cooooolll you down. Haha. That was definitely my philosophy when I was a kid. I kindof still go by that, but less often. Ha.
Well anyway, now that I have written a rather un-unified blog, I am going to eat lunch & unpack some more.

Ch-ch-ch-change.

So a bunch of other changes are happening in my life, besides my dogs passing away recently.. my home church, which has been my home church for all 20 & 1/2 years of my life, has recently lost prettymuch all of its staff members. & some of its attendees, including my family :(.
However, I am my own person, & I am not sure where I will go...those people are my family. But I am a college kid & therefore I have been there very sporadically since Christmas & therefore I do not know all the reasonings behind everything that has happened. & I will only be there for the summer anyway . . . . . ahh but I don't know yet.
Let me just say, this is heavy stuff, but I know most people this wouldn't affect this way.
But I am me & I am heartbroken over this. Yet I know that my God is faithful, & He is the rock on which to place my trust. and my hope. and my dreams [because He's given them to me]. and my future [because He holds it in His hands].
Psalm 23 is just one of the many that fits to encourage this situation [& many others, for sure]:
"1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever." [This is the New Living Translation].
On another note, I think this experience will be one of growth for me. In my relationship with God & in how I relate to other people. I may have become too comfortable in my church, because as I said I've gone there my entire life.
I know the Lord has great plans formy life, & that He will do what He will do to bring me closer to Him. & this just may be a part of it. & with Him by my side, & by the side of everyone else affected by this, victory will come.

In Memorium

Sad news...
...within the past 4 or 5 weeks, both of my dogs have passed away. Both were bassett hounds, Buddy was about 9 or 10 years old, and Daisy was about 4 or 5 years old.
Buddy died of old age/arthritis in his hips. I went home for the weekend [the last one in April] & Desiree was with me & she asked Mom where he was after we got back from visiting my cousins & their new son [Uriah Ethan Johnston :):)], & Mom didn't say anything...he had died a few weeks beforehand. And I was not happy at finding out that Mom didn't tell me the day it happened. But she said I was pretty stressed that week, so I do understand her reasoning and concern...

Daisy, however, had several tumors. Dad took her to the vet last week, before him & Mom left for Charleston for the weekend. Vet said the tumors were cancerous, so they put her to sleep right then :(. Mom told me on the phone Saturday [I made her promise to tell me asap if anything happened to Daisy, though I wasn't really expecting anything to when I told her this..]. & of course I burst into tears...& then had to leave 20 minutes later to meet Justin for a movie. Anyway, now they are buried along the treeline in the pasture behind my house. It's gonna be super weird when I go home in 9 days for summer, & neither one of them is there. I really really hope we can get a new puppy or two....Desiree has already promised to help me petition for one:).
But then, Justin & I went to downtown Lynchburg & went to this place called Amazement Square, which is like a kids' hands-on museum [much like the Discovery Place in Charlotte, NC, but waaayyy cooler, we decided:)]. Anyway it got me out of my sad spirits, & it was quite a fun date. :).

So here are some pictures of my puppydogs, they will live in my memory for a while, I'm sure. [Daisy has more brown on her than Buddy, & he is gray/whiter on his snout].