Giving Back

 There's a new book on my shelf.  It was a gift from my good friend, Paul Halter. 

Actually, there are two new books. One is No Regrets and one is The Fourth Quarter.

You had me at the title.

I spend a fair amount of time remembering and reflecting on life,  And I love analogies - especially sports analogies.  In a recent Sunshine and Shadows, I admitted the fact that I am in the fourth quarter of life.

I was amused when my friend, Julia, who is a few years my senior said she's in overtime.

Something I am learning from the book - how to appreciate, enjoy, and continue to make a difference when one is in the home stretch of life on earth

Give back

Hum.  I like that word

Of course, I like that word.  My children were born in Tennessee, one daughter lives in Tennessee, there are UT banners in another daughter's home

Everyone knows however that we are Gators!

But I do like the concept.

And I have been a volunteer - at Memorial Hospital; Hospice, and many non-profit organizations and churches, my entire adult life.

It would seem that my fourth quarter centers on the word volunteer - because now I endeavor to bring volunteers to be a part of telling the story of Mandarin,  I was already in my fourth quarter more than eight years ago when I was hired as the Volunteer Coordinator at th Mandarin Museum & Historical Society.

I love my work and I am always looking for volunteers

That's why I am looking forward to this Saturday    All are welcome.  Fourth Quarter or not!

Volunteer Interest Meeting Saturday, October 14th 10:00 am to 11:30 am Mandarin Museum will host a Volunteer Interest Meeting on Saturday, October 14th at 10:00 a.m. The Museum offers many regular volunteer opportunities including positions at museum guest services, as a docent, and at special events. It’s the perfect place for retirees looking to make new friends while giving back to their community! Attendees will receive a guided tour of the museum (including behind-the-scenes) and learn more about the volunteer program and its benefits. Please email Brittany at director@mandarinmuseum.org to RSVP or Paula - info@mandarinmuseum.org or for more information.

Community

There were ten of us

We stood together in Greenlawn Cemetery - friends for more than 70 years. Actually, there were 11 of us.

Me, Bonnie, David, Linda, Warren, Noel, Becky, Margaret, Mitch and Timmy,

The order might be incorrect, but I did not miscount.

We were there to support her children and grandchildren as they celebrated and remembered the life of Carolyn Sue Sellers Ward -  She would be the 11th.

We listened as the minister and her children told of her faith, the love for her family and friends, and the joy she got from being a volunteer at Memorial Hospital.  We remembered when she lost her dad when she had barely graduated from High School - and her marriage to Chuck - the birth of "Chuckie" and Amy Beth and then the loss of Chuck - and then her sweet mother. Laura,  whom we all loved.

 There are a few more friends (and if I start naming them I'll surely leave someone out) who share a special sense of community.

Our parents had been childhood friends and some of us are related.  We grew up in a five-mile radius. We went to Hogan Spring Glen, Southside Junior, and Englewood High School and this is where we could be found on Sundays.  I think it was the central place of our lives.

The minister spoke of the fact that Sue had trusted in Christ and I don't know for sure but I'd guess it was when she was growing up - with the rest of us - at Glendale.

The years have taken a toll on us - of course - more weight; unsteady gait, hair that's either gone or silver.  While we were in that cemetery most of us were within walking distance of the final resting place of our parents and grandparents.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Our memories include Know Your Bible Club, Sunday School picnics at Goldhead State Park, and the wonderful parties that Uncle Brac Newton's Sunday School Class (The Truth Seekers) had.

I remembered some of those times as I stood with my childhood friends - to remember and honor one of our own -  

And I'm pretty sure that all of us are grateful for the love and joy that we remember growing up at Glendale - with our sweet and pretty redhead Sue and each other!

  May you have enough sunshine in your life

To make you appreciate the shadows