Summer Break Is Here!

Boy, have we gotten the rain! I was on the road Thursday afternoon when the bottom dropped out and that was the hardest rain I recall driving through in a long time. The boys and I cut the grass yesterday and it needs mowing again today (okay, that’s a stretch, but it sure feels like the truth).
LAST WEEKEND
I wrote all about Jenna’s graduation last time, but last weekend was far busier than that for us. I mentioned the Jones family came in for her graduation and we enjoyed visiting with them both here at the house and twice out to eat—-the Catfish House after Jenna’s graduation and Los Agaves the following evening. Wherever we are it’s always nice just to catch up.

Additionally, Morgan got married last Saturday morning. She and Jim Ring III (who we all know as Jimmy) tied the knot in a private ceremony on the farm near the old tobacco barn. Family and friends were invited to a brunch reception under a large tent in Kenny and Lori’s back yard.

Last Saturday morning turned out to be beautiful, but all the preceding rain sure made setup an adventure for their family. The tent was set up that Thursday (the 19th). Then the rain came. Both families spent Friday working to pump the water out of the yard. Yes, as absurd as this sounds that’s exactly what they did. When I heard about what they were doing I could hear Aunt Mar’s voice in my head saying, “That yard is just going to be one great big loblolly of a mess!” In the end it was a little squishy in places but nothing serious.

Morgan made a beautiful bride! She and Jimmy made their appearance around 10:30 where we all—and by all I mean a couple hundred people or so—were eating a nice breakfast. It was a tender moment when Kenny and Morgan danced and good to see that when Kenny was done no one had gotten hurt.

Sunday, after the Jones family left for home Vicki, Jenna, and I went to the Davidson Academy Baccalaureate service. A first in DA history was that one of the seniors delivered the sermon. His class decided to ask him to preach since he plans to go into the ministry anyway. He did a great job and kept everyone on their toes with some of the funny things he said.

SCHOOL IS OUT!
I’ve never experienced an end to the school year that didn’t feel like running full speed off a cliff. This year was no different. I suppose it’s because you put so much effort into getting everything done before final exams that when they get here the end is simply abrupt.

Ben and Nate were each exempt from all but one final so by Tuesday they were both done. Now summer break is here for them and it’s time to relax a bit—except for the fact that they both have summer reading assignments and Ben has a summer math assignment. Some work is never done.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
So on Wednesday Ben was included in a group invitation to an afternoon/evening school’s out party. They had a great time, though the rain put a serious damper on the original plans to have a bonfire and other outside activities. What turned this thing into an adventure for us was the trip home. You see, neither Vicki nor I could get Ben to the party so Jenna offered to take him at noon and pick him up at 10:00. She simply said that if she was going to drive to Joelton and back twice he would have to treat her a Sonic. A deal was struck and off they went.

It was on the way home that Jenna, who was driving Vicki’s van, hit an animal. Jenna thought at first she had hit a kitten which made her want to cry. Then they began to get a whiff of the skunky odor which gave her a whole different reason to want to cry. Fortunately it wasn’t too potent, but the smell was still there.

The next day Vicki called Jenna from work and said for Ben to park the van in a sunny part of the yard and roll down the windows so it could air out. Well, Ben decided the only sunny part of the yard was the spot behind the shop where Jenna’s garden was last year. It was not within Ben’s experience to think about the fact that since we’ve gotten a sizable percentage of our annual rainfall in the last week and that there’s standing water just visible in the grass out there this might not be the best place to park a two ton minivan. He backed it in where it immediately sank down to the frame. I will admit, I know the feeling.

I was at work when the text messages with photo evidence started coming through. There wasn’t much I could do from 30 miles away except advise that they find a neighbor with a tractor. Steve Freeland came to the rescue only to find there was nothing under the back of the van to hook a towing strap to. That news brought me home because I knew there was more rain on the way.

It turns out we did find a small hole in the rear of the frame used to tie down the vehicle in shipping that would work. Steve happened to have a hook small enough to fit. That gave us just what we needed for his truck to pull us out. Good neighbors are priceless!

MARY POPPINS
Had Steve not been able to rescue the van the big rain I mentioned in the opening would have ensured the van’s predicament for several days. As it was, the van took us to see the Hendersonville Performing Arts Company’s production of Mary Poppins that night. Ben’s basketball coach, Stephen Sorrell, played the part of Bert and did a fantastic job. Actually, the whole production was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. (Is that too corny?) We thoroughly enjoyed the show! If you live locally we highly recommend going to see it (visit http://hpactn.com for more information). The show runs through June 12.

Joe

Our Graduate

The big day for Jenna has come and gone. Last night we gathered in the East Robertson High School Gymnasium for the commencement exercises of the Class of 2016. It was a beautiful time for me and Vicki, and I know it ultimately was for Jenna as well once she delivered her valedictory address.

When the ceremony was over and all the pictures were taken, we went to the Catfish House to celebrate. After the 12 of us had placed our order (there were the five of us, mom, the Jones family, and Mrs. Donna Henry who helps mom some) and we were ready to say the blessing, I took the time to tell Jenna just how proud she has made her mom and I. I can’t remember everything I said last night but I was thinking back to the time we met with the guidance counselor four years ago to map out Jenna’s high school courses. Jenna chose the hard road. She accepted the challenge of every top level class East Robertson had to offer. She has figuratively poured in the blood, sweat, and tears and come out on top. I knew she had it in her, but seeing her tackle this path through high school has left me amazed. She has done all that while never compromising on her beliefs and having a vibrant, thriving high school experience. I am looking forward to what she does next.

Jenna graduated with many honors and therefore had a lot of different things hanging around her neck. Since I am the proud papa I’m going to describe those here.

    •    Jenna wore a white cap and gown to represent that she was in the top 10 of her class (everyone else wore maroon).
    •    The medallion she wore signified that she is a Tennessee Scholar. To earn this you have to maintain a C average, have at least 95% attendance throughout the high school career with no out of school suspensions, and perform 80 hours of volunteer service.
    •    She wore several cords representing that she graduated with honors, distinction, and state honors for her GPA, ACT score, and dual enrollment college credit.
    •    Jenna also wore the Beta Club stole.

Jenna was also awarded the Jr. Beta Club scholarship and the Covington Scholarship (for her biographical essay about Mrs. Connie) last night. Her first year of college should be pretty much paid for!

Since I’m unabashedly singing my daughter’s praises (Isn’t that my job, especially now?) I’m going to sign off and include a copy of Jenna’s valedictory address below. Go get ‘em, girl. Your daddy is proud of you!

Joe

—————

Family, friends, and fellow graduates, it is such an honor to speak to you all today. This is my last official high school assignment, and I must say, I am glad I’m not being graded for it. First of all, I would like to say thank you to all those who have helped us along the way, and of course, to the many teachers and faculty who have positively impacted our lives to bring us to this very day. When considering what I could possibly say, I knew I wanted to give my class of 2016 an encouraging word about our future, but I also wanted to reflect on the last thirteen years we have spent together.

With the help of the school yearbooks, I went back to our kindergarten year in 2003. Little did we know at the time that walking into school on the first day would start such an adventure. Prepared with my twenty pocket, flower power backpack, I walked in feeling on top of the world. I remember being so excited to finally start school! It didn’t take long to realize though that we would have to go EVERY single day for the next thirteen years of our lives! In a five-year-old’s mind, this seemed like forever and would be our greatest challenge ever to face. I realize now, we had many more to come. Yet, here we are. Forty-six of us have been together since kindergarten. Of course, we’ve lost a few and we’ve gained a few, but at the heart we’re still the same. From the memories we share competing in tug-of-war or looking around the cafeteria to see who popped the sandwich bag to transitioning to our newfound freedom of 6th grade (and lockers!) or the excitement of high school basketball and football games, I will cherish these moments forever! Throughout the years, we have played together, been in trouble together, learned together, and grown together, but now we take our next step separately. It’s the unknown, but we have been thoroughly prepared. Now I may not be taking my flower power backpack with me for the next part of my journey, but I will take the legacy we have shared here at East.

I pray for each of you as you start college, begin new jobs, or wherever else your life may take you. I want to encourage you to place your trust in God because He will be your source of hope and direction for your future. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Lastly, I want to leave you with one final thought from the book Tuesdays with Morrie. I read this quote a few weeks ago, and it made me reflect on my own life and the choices I make. I thought it was fitting for today as I challenge the Class of 2016 to live a meaningful life:

So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

I wish you the best of luck Class of 2016. Congratulations and God Bless!

Catching Up

Spring is in full swing, though it’s a cool one (today’s temps, for example, were 48°-58°). The fragrance of honeysuckle is in the air. My mockingbird friend is back and serenading me all through the night. And the spring storms are starting to roll through. A few nights ago the kids and I watched from the back door as one inch diameter hail pelted the back porch.

BOSTON
I have gotten terribly behind so it is time to play catch up. I think one of the biggest things I need to report on is Ben’s trip to Boston. This was a school sponsored trip open to all freshmen and sophomores. There were 41 students who signed up to go, and this was Ben’s first trip on a large airplane. The group left early Thursday morning, April 21, and returned that Saturday.

This trip had a historical focus. Upon arriving at Boston they went to see the Salem Witch Museum and the House of Seven Gables Historic Site before eating supper and having some shopping time. Friday morning they visited the Old North Church and took a Duck tour of the city and the harbor. (The “Duck” I am referring to is the old DUKW World War II amphibious vehicle.) After lunch they were off to college at Harvard and then enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Boston. The next day they drove over to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where they visited the site of the original colony, Plymouth Rock, and the Plymouth Plantation living museum. From there they drove to Providence, Rhode Island, where they caught their flight home.

Ben really enjoyed his trip but we got very little from him while he was away. He only sent a few sentence fragments and two pictures. When Vicki and Jenna visited New York City and Washington, D. C. We got pictures and text messages throughout. That’s the difference between boys and girls, I guess.

Ben had much more to say in person. His favorite stops were the House of Seven Gables, the Old North Church, and the living museum at Plymouth Plantation. He also enjoyed the dinner cruise and dance. Ben had a lot to say about the architecture. It was interesting for me to get this insight into what he appreciates because he’s normally so reserved.

Ben also commented on how much fun he had getting to know some of the kids from school that he doesn’t share classes with. I think he made several new friends.

FUN WITH FRIENDS
Speaking of having fun with friends, Ben was among a handful invited to go pick strawberries and eat pizza at the park yesterday after school. We could tell beforehand he was so pleased to be invited and we knew when we picked him up he’d had a great time. Just one of those things that does a parent’s heart good.

STRUGGLES
While I’m writing about Ben one thing I have come to appreciate about him is how much he deeply considers opportunities and will jump out and try things. Some of the boys at school were encouraging him to try out for football so after talking to the coach he attended a few practices. He knew pretty quickly this was not a sport he is passionate about so after a lot of thought and talking with us he went back to the coach and thanked him for the opportunity. I think Ben is considering the Cross Country team now.

Ben thinks he’d like to be an engineer. With that in mind, I told him he would do well to get all the math he could in high school. He’s decided to double up on math classes next year with Geometry and Algebra 2 so as to get everything in that DA has to offer. That’s a big decision because it will make for a busy sophomore year.

COMING UP ON THE BIG DAY
Last Sunday, was Mother’s Day and we celebrated with a large meal at Mom’s house that evening. It also happened that Jenna’s Baccalaureate was that afternoon. There’s 81 in her class and many of them have been together since kindergarten.

Jenna has completed all her school work now. Yesterday was her last day of classes. I had taken the day off and so was here to watch her drive off for her last day of school. I looked back in our home movies and found that it was August 20, 2003, when we took her to the elementary school for her first day of school. Seems like it was just last fall. Now all she has left is graduation rehearsal and the commencement itself.

QUICK TRIP
After we got the news of Uncle Bob’s passing and then the funeral arrangements were confirmed I wanted to attend but with all the end of the school year activities we felt it would be easier for Vicki to break away. She flew in Tuesday evening and returned home Thursday evening.

The funeral was held Wednesday at one of the chapels at First Baptist Orlando where Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda are members. Dr. Jim Henry, the former pastor there, conducted the service. (Incidentally, Jim Henry is from this area and still has many relatives here.) Thursday Uncle Bob was interred at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery with full military honors.

I won’t give a lot of other details because this trip was about spending time with family which they did a lot of at Aunt Linda’s house. Vicki came back saying they all had a great time together laughing, cutting up, and enjoying each other. I am glad we could share Vicki with Aunt Linda and her family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Mom celebrated her 88th birthday on Thursday. She went out to get her hair done that morning and that afternoon she went with us to the airport to pick Vicki up. She even got to ride in my bus because I needed to return it to school since I took yesterday off. Once we got Vicki from the airport we stopped at Cracker Barrel for supper and, more importantly, dessert.

ZINGERS
When the kids were little they said so many cute things as they tried to master language and make observations about the world that it was hard to keep up with them to put into the family record here. This has dropped off as they’ve grown up, of course, but just when you think it’s gone for good you get a zinger.

It’s usually pretty quiet on my bus in the mornings, but the other day some of the lower school kids started asking Ben and Nate about their classes in the upper school. There were lots of questions about the math when Ben mentioned he has algebra and then he mentioned Spanish. This started a lively discussion about whether it is important to learn Spanish. One of my kindergarten passengers said it is important and started rattling off all the Spanish words she knows (it was cute and she has an impressive vocabulary). Then, just I came upon some traffic that had come to a halt Nate said, “Well, the only word in Spanish I know is ‘Aloha’.” I almost rear ended the car in front of me.

This next one actually came from Wil Swann when we were bringing him and Ben home from football practice. Knowing they were hungry we offered to stop in Springfield for some supper. Wil declined saying that Granny (Mrs. Connie) probably had supper for him. Mrs. Connie loves to cook for her family and will happily feed whoever is at her house.

Wil decided to pick up his phone and call Mrs. Connie. As soon as she answered the first words out of his mouth were, “What’s for supper?” We all got a laugh when 30 seconds into the conversation we heard him say, “Uh, this is Wil.”

Then there was Monday or Tuesday morning of this week. It’s time to leave for school and I’m in my bedroom putting my keys and stuff in my pockets when Ben walks in and asks a question. Keep in mind he is dead serious about this question and not intending for it to be funny.

“Dad, I just saw a possum [waddling by the kitchen window] with a bunch of leaves sticking out its butt. How does this happen?”

Vicki groggily mumbled from the bed, “Why are those the first words I have to hear for the day?”

I don’t know, Ben. I guess the possum ran out of toilet paper. Thanks for the belly laugh to start my day.

Joe

Uncle Bob

My original plan was to catch up on family happenings. I had focused so much on Jenna last time that a few things have slipped by, but a phone call from my cousin, Jim, in Florida changed all that. He called to let us know that his dad, my Uncle Bob, had passed away early yesterday evening. We had known Uncle Bob’s health was failing as he had recently fallen and begun to receive hospice care, however, his passing at this time is a little surprising for me at least.

This morning Jim wrote a most poignant tribute to his father which he posted on Facebook. He has given me permission to share his post here.

Dad died yesterday at 6:30 pm [EDT] after a slow, gentle decline into dementia. From how to fish (which is not the same as catching) to holding doors for ladies, rolling houses, Marklin trains, knowing your opponent, baseball, scouts, and breakfast casseroles (which I made this morning), Dad taught me to work hard, play hard, enjoy ALL of God’s Creation, and to have fun in the time spent here. Dad loved music of all types, but I learned how to sing in the pew, holding his hand, on Sunday mornings and praising God together! This morning in church I’ll probably cry, but I can’t dream what it must be like for Dad to get to worship his Friend and Creator with all the heavenly hosts!

I will confess that I never got to truly know and appreciate Uncle Bob until I was an adult. This is not to say he wasn’t part of my childhood. He most certainly was as he had retired from his military career by the time I came along and since he was a high school teacher in his second career our families visited each other regularly. When we got together Mom, Aunt Mar, and Aunt Linda all had each other to visit with; Jim and I had each other to play with; Ann Beth would move back and forth between us, playing with me and Jim when we were on board games and listening to the women talk when we broke out the army men; but with my Dad and Uncle George gone Uncle Bob was sort of on his own. The only time he ever had another man to talk to was the time or two they visited while Aunt Carrie and Uncle Ed were in from Arizona. I have often wondered if he felt like a fifth wheel.

As an adult I discovered Uncle Bob’s kind and considerate character. He was full of stories and advice but was also willing to listen and share about life the times he and I got a chance to talk alone. And one thing any parent appreciates is seeing another adult pay loving attention to their kids. He always made it a point to talk to Jenna, Ben, and Nate and have fun with them. I will never forget the pride he had in presenting Jenna her dollhouse. Here’s what I wrote about that on January 10, 2004.

On Monday Jenna got a very special gift. We went over to Aunt Mar's house for supper and exchanged our Christmas presents with the Cotters. Jenna was presented with a dollhouse that Uncle Bob had built for her. He spent about a month working on it in his spare time and Aunt Linda lent her skills as interior designer. It is a beautiful three story house with seven rooms. They brought it up with them when they visited back in the fall and it had been hidden away until now. Jenna also received furniture from various relatives to furnish most of the rooms. G'Anne and Aunt Mar gave her a doll family. Thank you Uncle Bob for all the work you put into this heirloom. And thank you Aunt Linda for putting up with the construction in you dining room and kitchen. Jenna is one happy home owner!

Back then Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob made several stops in Tennessee each year as they drove to see Ann Beth and her family who lived in New Jersey at the time. Those visits were so special and I miss them. Those were the times I had to get to know Uncle Bob and come to treasure our relationship.

When we were together it was a family tradition to play Spades. There have been lots of exciting games played at Aunt Mar’s kitchen table and Uncle Bob was a big part of those. I found this story from July 1, 2006, as I looked back through the Swann Family News archives.

Speaking of Spades, Mom and Uncle Bob had one really memorable game. During the bidding phase, Aunt Mar and Aunt Linda decided to go blind low. With that bid on the table, Mom, who is normally a conservative bidder, looked at Uncle Bob and said, “Let’s do 10 for 200.” The clincher was that Aunt Mar and Aunt Linda were set during that hand giving their opponents a 400 point lead. I hear Uncle Bob kept the score sheet as a souvenir.

Another family tradition was going out to eat at the Catfish House in Springfield. They didn’t have an official visit if we didn’t squeeze that in. It was such a tradition that when we went there in 2004 for my birthday when Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob were not visiting the following happened.

As we sat down at the table Ben [age 4 then] spotted a gentleman at another table with black and gray hair. Tugging on my sleeve he asked, "Daddy, can I go over there and say hi to Uncle Bob?" (Uncle Bob, you may live in Florida but you belong at the Catfish House in Ben's mind.)

I found the following story from my third newsletter on September 20, 2003, and I can still see this happening in my mind as if it happened yesterday.

We all went out to eat at the Catfish House in Springfield last night. After supper Jenna and Ben were given a few coins to throw into the fountain out front. Ben's aim was a little short because of the planter around the fountain. Uncle Bob took a penny to demonstrate how to throw underhanded to Ben. His coin sailed neatly into the air, hit the rim of the fountain and bounced into the mulch below bringing cheers of delight to the rest of the family looking on.

I recall that he was a good sport in the midst of the ribbing and cackling that went on.

Uncle Bob was still the gentle host when we visited him back in October, and he proudly showed us all the flowers that were in bloom then. He did not know who I was and probably forgot all about me by the time I was back in the van, but his character, those fundamental pieces of the man he is, were still there and I’m glad I got to visit my Uncle Bob.

Uncle Bob, at the age of 88, was my last surviving uncle.

Joe