Merry Christmas! We hope all of you reading this are enjoying a great Advent this year as you celebrate with the ones you love most. There are many around all of us who struggle to do that. All my kids are under one roof. I understand this more fully now that I know the day they will be making homes of their own is not as far off as it used to be.
Jenna has completed her degree with Trevecca and moved home. (Her graduation will be this spring.) She will begin a 15 month accelerated nursing program in about four weeks and commute to Hendersonville for classes. Upon getting home Jenna has torn into making peanut butter balls and pies like a mad woman. She has all of her customers hooked on her holiday sweets and they continue to place orders even though she is not trying to raise money for a mission trip this time.
Ben is home from Tech where he had a great first semester of college. He was much better prepared for college than I was which shows given that his first semester GPA is double what mine was. (I wound up almost doubling my cumulative GPA by the time I graduated.) Ben will have a new roommate when he returns to school as his original roommate decided to move to a private dorm room.
Nate and I finished our classes late last week. The kids and I celebrated these milestones with lunch at Thomas Drugs last Thursday. Vicki wasn't able to join us since she still has a few days to put in before the end of the year.
I think this has been a less stressful pre-Christmas season this year. Vicki got all of her shopping done yesterday ahead of Kenny and Lori's party and commented that for once she won't be rushing from Walmart to get to the Christmas Eve service at church. We've also had time to work in a couple of movies on our movie list—A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker were both really good.
Speaking of Kenny and Lori's party, Kenny had a great time last night with the fact that Jenna brought a boyfriend and he tried to get some mileage out of that by putting Nolan in the spotlight in front of everyone. I think Nolan got one up on Kenny, though, when Kenny couldn't remember Nolan's name.
We have a new addition to our family. Nate and I came home from school the other day and I heard this strange chirping noise in the front yard. As I walked that way to investigate the cutest little orange and white kitten ran out from the bushes at the end of the walk to meet me and climbed right up my pants and shirt to my shoulders. We are trying to decide on a name and Merit seems to be sticking. Fluffy, our other cat, is not happy (yet).
Mom is doing well. We have certainly seen a number of changes in the last year. We can't get her out like we used to, though we will make sure she gets to Christmas Brunch. One big change this year is that this event is moving from Mrs. Connie's house to her granddaughter Morgan's house. The location may be different but the love and the food will be the same.
So that's the snapshot of the Swann Family as we roll into Christmas 2019 tomorrow. Life is good and I am very thankful for gift of family and friends. Merry Christmas!
Joe
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Saturday, December 7, 2019
A Lot To Be Thankful For
I think I've said before that I enjoy looking at the landscape this time of year as I drive around. Just about all the soybeans have been harvested so most of the fields have the clean look as they rest up over the coming months for the next spring. The trees are bare now and I think I can put away the mower until next season now.
Thanksgiving has come and gone. Like last year, we traveled to Virginia to share the holiday with the Jones family and we had a great time together. This visit was typical of most visits in that we enjoyed family fun and food. In fact, we had such a bountiful table that we truly lived up to Pauline's name for our family: the Eatinest Bunch. What made this year special, and more fun, were the additional people. The Jones house was rockin' with 16 of us there.
First of all, Darice's mom and stepdad, Earline and Joe, joined for Thanksgiving. We hadn't seen them in some time and it was good to reconnect with them. In addition to them were the Camano family, Cameron's soon to be in-laws.
I reported back in July that Cameron had proposed to his girlfriend, Jessica. So, we had a wonderful time getting to know her, her parents, and her younger brother. Jessica is a beautiful young woman with a sparkling personality and a great match for Cameron. She is, at 4' 11", the envy of tall girls everywhere given that Cameron is 6' 7".
There was a small bit of name confusion over the visit. Jessica's dad is nicknamed Jojo which is Filipino for "Junior." So with me, Darice's stepdad, and Jojo all having similar names there were times when three heads would turn when someone called our names.
Circling back around to the food, we had more to eat than I can mention here, but I want to note that Jessica and her mom, Ping, made the most delicious meal of Filipino food on Friday after Thanksgiving. They made so much that we got to take leftovers home with us and enjoy it all a bit longer.
Of course, with all these people there was a ping pong tournament. Ben was the winner this time, but he truly earned the title in a hard fought match against Jojo. And an honorable mention goes to Will who was a force to be reckoned with even after hip replacement surgery a few weeks ago.
All too soon our time was over and we headed home. What was different for us this time was that we dropped Ben off at Cookeville, left Jenna at her apartment in Nashville, and it was just the three of us here at home. Of course, it won't be long before Jenna and Ben are back home for the holidays and our house is full again.
I must say that this year I am so thankful to see the children starting to settle in as young adults. Cameron is in the middle of Police Academy and will soon be on the beat with the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department in Virginia. Zachary is looking to complete his studies at Full Sail university in a few months and is beginning to think about job prospects as a video game developer. Jenna will complete her bachelor's degree with Trevecca this semester (her graduation is this spring) and will begin a 15 month accelerated nursing program at Union University in Hendersonville next month. Ben is off to a good start at Tennessee Tech and plans to change his major to Electrical Engineering. Nate and Emily are both doing well in their high school studies. For all this, I am humbly grateful.
Joe
Thanksgiving has come and gone. Like last year, we traveled to Virginia to share the holiday with the Jones family and we had a great time together. This visit was typical of most visits in that we enjoyed family fun and food. In fact, we had such a bountiful table that we truly lived up to Pauline's name for our family: the Eatinest Bunch. What made this year special, and more fun, were the additional people. The Jones house was rockin' with 16 of us there.
First of all, Darice's mom and stepdad, Earline and Joe, joined for Thanksgiving. We hadn't seen them in some time and it was good to reconnect with them. In addition to them were the Camano family, Cameron's soon to be in-laws.
I reported back in July that Cameron had proposed to his girlfriend, Jessica. So, we had a wonderful time getting to know her, her parents, and her younger brother. Jessica is a beautiful young woman with a sparkling personality and a great match for Cameron. She is, at 4' 11", the envy of tall girls everywhere given that Cameron is 6' 7".
There was a small bit of name confusion over the visit. Jessica's dad is nicknamed Jojo which is Filipino for "Junior." So with me, Darice's stepdad, and Jojo all having similar names there were times when three heads would turn when someone called our names.
Circling back around to the food, we had more to eat than I can mention here, but I want to note that Jessica and her mom, Ping, made the most delicious meal of Filipino food on Friday after Thanksgiving. They made so much that we got to take leftovers home with us and enjoy it all a bit longer.
Of course, with all these people there was a ping pong tournament. Ben was the winner this time, but he truly earned the title in a hard fought match against Jojo. And an honorable mention goes to Will who was a force to be reckoned with even after hip replacement surgery a few weeks ago.
All too soon our time was over and we headed home. What was different for us this time was that we dropped Ben off at Cookeville, left Jenna at her apartment in Nashville, and it was just the three of us here at home. Of course, it won't be long before Jenna and Ben are back home for the holidays and our house is full again.
I must say that this year I am so thankful to see the children starting to settle in as young adults. Cameron is in the middle of Police Academy and will soon be on the beat with the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department in Virginia. Zachary is looking to complete his studies at Full Sail university in a few months and is beginning to think about job prospects as a video game developer. Jenna will complete her bachelor's degree with Trevecca this semester (her graduation is this spring) and will begin a 15 month accelerated nursing program at Union University in Hendersonville next month. Ben is off to a good start at Tennessee Tech and plans to change his major to Electrical Engineering. Nate and Emily are both doing well in their high school studies. For all this, I am humbly grateful.
Joe
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Remembering Judy
I enjoy the cool, crisp mornings with frost on the ground. I like the look that most of the fields have with all the crops in. Most of the trees have dropped their leaves now. Given the dry weather at the end, this wasn't a spectacularly colorful fall. The trees did sport their colors, but they were more subdued and spread out over a longer time. And while we are getting rain now, it has been much easier to keep the leaves chopped up in our yard this year. To that end, it has been a much more enjoyable fall less of that chore hanging over our heads.
It's been a pretty routine stretch these last few weeks between fall break and now. To catch up on a few things, the last time I wrote we thought Nate would have one more XC meet to run in for the year and were all hoping he would end the season with another personal record, perhaps even joining the 19 Club. Alas, it was not to be. Nate suffered a minor injury in his leg in the last practice before the meet and was limping too badly to run. Nate has long since healed, but this did prevent him from running in the regional meet.
I am sad to report that one of my first cousins, Judy Bradley, passed away almost three weeks ago (on the 30th). Judy suffered from a lingering illness preventing us from getting together with her and her family for the last several years. Her presence is something I have been missing since she has been sick and will continue to miss. Judy had a knack for finding the simplest things to make an occasion fun when we were together. I remember one time when the kids were little and the Cotters were in from Florida we all went over to Derek and Amanda's house for dinner (Amanda is Judy's daughter). We were playing with the kids on their front yard after eating when Judy went to her car and got out those big 3' balls that you find in the toy section of Walmart or Target. The kids had an absolute blast playing with all those balls, which were almost as big as they were at that time, which added so much to an already fun time. (As I recall, the Cotters had to deflate their balls just to have room for them in the van to get them home.)
Judy had things like this up her sleeve all the time, and her creativity extended to the gifts she gave. That seemed to be how she best expressed her love. For example, when I was in high school she gave us a calendar for Christmas. Each month of the coming year featured a coupon to a different restaurant. She had us traveling all over northern Middle Tennessee enjoying good meals and we were sad to see that year come to an end.
Judy had many jobs in her lifetime, but her last position was as a judicial commissioner for Cheatham County. I got the opportunity to go with her one time when she was called in to work and was so impressed with the compassion and dignity she treated those who had been arrested as well as how she coached and encouraged the officers who were doing their jobs. I could tell she brought a human touch to a job and an environment where that could easily be in short supply.
Judy was a cousin I always wished I knew better. Given that she was 20 years older than me and that I didn't see her as often as I would have liked, that's just the way it was. I was four when she and Jim married. As a matter of fact, they married in the living room of our house, standing just a few feet from where I happen to be sitting as I type this. Judy picked a good husband, a man I have come to admire greatly. Jim was on the front lines, faithfully taking care of all her needs the last couple of years as her illness progressed. If life calls upon me to do the same for Vicki in the future, it will be Jim Bradley who will be the example I will try to follow.
So that's the news from Cross Plains, my hometown, where the leaves happen to be falling, the days are getting shorter, and life is speeding by at a deceptively fast rate.
Joe
It's been a pretty routine stretch these last few weeks between fall break and now. To catch up on a few things, the last time I wrote we thought Nate would have one more XC meet to run in for the year and were all hoping he would end the season with another personal record, perhaps even joining the 19 Club. Alas, it was not to be. Nate suffered a minor injury in his leg in the last practice before the meet and was limping too badly to run. Nate has long since healed, but this did prevent him from running in the regional meet.
I am sad to report that one of my first cousins, Judy Bradley, passed away almost three weeks ago (on the 30th). Judy suffered from a lingering illness preventing us from getting together with her and her family for the last several years. Her presence is something I have been missing since she has been sick and will continue to miss. Judy had a knack for finding the simplest things to make an occasion fun when we were together. I remember one time when the kids were little and the Cotters were in from Florida we all went over to Derek and Amanda's house for dinner (Amanda is Judy's daughter). We were playing with the kids on their front yard after eating when Judy went to her car and got out those big 3' balls that you find in the toy section of Walmart or Target. The kids had an absolute blast playing with all those balls, which were almost as big as they were at that time, which added so much to an already fun time. (As I recall, the Cotters had to deflate their balls just to have room for them in the van to get them home.)
Judy had things like this up her sleeve all the time, and her creativity extended to the gifts she gave. That seemed to be how she best expressed her love. For example, when I was in high school she gave us a calendar for Christmas. Each month of the coming year featured a coupon to a different restaurant. She had us traveling all over northern Middle Tennessee enjoying good meals and we were sad to see that year come to an end.
Judy had many jobs in her lifetime, but her last position was as a judicial commissioner for Cheatham County. I got the opportunity to go with her one time when she was called in to work and was so impressed with the compassion and dignity she treated those who had been arrested as well as how she coached and encouraged the officers who were doing their jobs. I could tell she brought a human touch to a job and an environment where that could easily be in short supply.
Judy was a cousin I always wished I knew better. Given that she was 20 years older than me and that I didn't see her as often as I would have liked, that's just the way it was. I was four when she and Jim married. As a matter of fact, they married in the living room of our house, standing just a few feet from where I happen to be sitting as I type this. Judy picked a good husband, a man I have come to admire greatly. Jim was on the front lines, faithfully taking care of all her needs the last couple of years as her illness progressed. If life calls upon me to do the same for Vicki in the future, it will be Jim Bradley who will be the example I will try to follow.
So that's the news from Cross Plains, my hometown, where the leaves happen to be falling, the days are getting shorter, and life is speeding by at a deceptively fast rate.
Joe
Monday, October 21, 2019
Fall Is Finally Here
The weather has finally figured out that it's fall here in Tennessee. This September has been the hottest and driest on record for the Nashville area with highs in the mid to upper 90s for almost every day of the month and even into the first week of October. Our change to fall last week was pretty abrupt (though not as dramatic as Denver where they dropped from the low 80s to the mid teens in an 18 hour period). We wound up switching from using the air conditioner to the heat overnight. And it's been so dry that it looks like we will hardly have any vibrant fall colors this year, though the trees are turning.
What really blows me away is how quickly the first nine weeks of school have flown by. It seems like this school year is moving faster than most. Now fall break has come and gone, and we enjoyed a few days to pull back from life and catch our breath. We spent the weekend before last at the lake house as we have done several times before.
This is the sixth time we've rented Don and Penny's lake house. It has been so nice just to pull back and enjoy each others company whether eating, chatting, or playing games. Our go to game this year was Ramen Fury, a quick play card game the boys picked up somewhere. The funny thing about us was that we did our grocery shopping when we first got there a week ago Saturday and were content to stay put until we headed home Tuesday.
Thinking about the last few weeks, we've been busy will all the normal things. Cross Country keeps Nate busy after school and he has done well this season. Weekend before last Nate traveled with the XC team for a meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The course there is known to be a good course to run on and Nate set a new personal record when he finished in 20:20, shattering his previous PR of 21:40. Then this past weekend he bettered his PR to 20:17. He has one more race to run next Thursday. He's mentioned that he would like to join the 19 Club next time. He's going to have to do some work to shave another 18 seconds off his time because the course he runs on next is hilly.
Ben says he's having a good first semester at Tech. He tells us that a lot of his classes are mostly a review from his high school coursework and seem pretty easy. Vicki and I say enjoy it while it lasts. What's funny, and also good, is how thrifty (or tight-fisted) Ben seems to be. He just doesn't spend money, but finds a lot of free things to do for fun. We're not complaining.
As I've mentioned before, Jenna is just weeks away from finishing at Trevecca, which just seems odd. She's getting things in place to start nursing school this spring and is set to move back home in December.
Vicki and I have been working hard to absorb things from Mom's house. There's been a lot to go through. Our house is no longer a hoarder's showcase, but I can still hardly move around in my shop. We have been through just about all the keepsakes, except the pictures. There are still boxes of pictures. We'll get there. Slowly but surely, we'll get there.
Just to let you know that our life isn't the ideal picture I may paint it each time I write, Vicki has been dealing with a pretty rough case of poison ivy. She must have gotten into it when we were cleaning out some of our landscaping (such as that is) a few weekends ago. She had a pretty severe rash to flare up just before we headed to the lake. The rash is healing now, but she is still itching all over and taking all sorts of medication to keep the irritation bearable. We're hoping she's near the end of this unpleasantness.
So, that's where we are a quarter of the way into this school year. Nate and I returned to school today and have five weeks of classes before Thanksgiving break and then three more weeks after that to Christmas break. The holidays are on us people!
Joe
What really blows me away is how quickly the first nine weeks of school have flown by. It seems like this school year is moving faster than most. Now fall break has come and gone, and we enjoyed a few days to pull back from life and catch our breath. We spent the weekend before last at the lake house as we have done several times before.
This is the sixth time we've rented Don and Penny's lake house. It has been so nice just to pull back and enjoy each others company whether eating, chatting, or playing games. Our go to game this year was Ramen Fury, a quick play card game the boys picked up somewhere. The funny thing about us was that we did our grocery shopping when we first got there a week ago Saturday and were content to stay put until we headed home Tuesday.
Thinking about the last few weeks, we've been busy will all the normal things. Cross Country keeps Nate busy after school and he has done well this season. Weekend before last Nate traveled with the XC team for a meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The course there is known to be a good course to run on and Nate set a new personal record when he finished in 20:20, shattering his previous PR of 21:40. Then this past weekend he bettered his PR to 20:17. He has one more race to run next Thursday. He's mentioned that he would like to join the 19 Club next time. He's going to have to do some work to shave another 18 seconds off his time because the course he runs on next is hilly.
Ben says he's having a good first semester at Tech. He tells us that a lot of his classes are mostly a review from his high school coursework and seem pretty easy. Vicki and I say enjoy it while it lasts. What's funny, and also good, is how thrifty (or tight-fisted) Ben seems to be. He just doesn't spend money, but finds a lot of free things to do for fun. We're not complaining.
As I've mentioned before, Jenna is just weeks away from finishing at Trevecca, which just seems odd. She's getting things in place to start nursing school this spring and is set to move back home in December.
Vicki and I have been working hard to absorb things from Mom's house. There's been a lot to go through. Our house is no longer a hoarder's showcase, but I can still hardly move around in my shop. We have been through just about all the keepsakes, except the pictures. There are still boxes of pictures. We'll get there. Slowly but surely, we'll get there.
Just to let you know that our life isn't the ideal picture I may paint it each time I write, Vicki has been dealing with a pretty rough case of poison ivy. She must have gotten into it when we were cleaning out some of our landscaping (such as that is) a few weekends ago. She had a pretty severe rash to flare up just before we headed to the lake. The rash is healing now, but she is still itching all over and taking all sorts of medication to keep the irritation bearable. We're hoping she's near the end of this unpleasantness.
So, that's where we are a quarter of the way into this school year. Nate and I returned to school today and have five weeks of classes before Thanksgiving break and then three more weeks after that to Christmas break. The holidays are on us people!
Joe
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Reflections on Eswatini
Before Jenna went to Eswatini this summer I asked her if she would plan to write about her experiences for the Swann Family News. She was happy to do so but gave me a heads up that anything she wrote for publication would have to go through an approval process with The Luke Commission (https://www.lukecommission.org/), the ministry she served with. Last week Jenna was able to send me her story to share with you.
Joe
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As I sit here at the kitchen table, I feel as though I’m facing a hurdle by looking at my computer screen. I sit here wishing I was once more able to return to where I left a piece of my heart. Why is it that we can so desperately wish to be somewhere we are not? I suppose the work of truly sitting down to reflect is in part to blame. Once the words are written and thoughts explored, a chapter of my life I didn’t even know I needed will be closed. I am glad to know that is only partially true. I thank God for the pictures, memories, and relationships I will always be able to hold on to, but most importantly, to share.
First off, I want to be sure to direct all of what I have experienced in the greatest of thanks to God. If it were not for His guidance and provision, my trip to Eswatini, Africa would not have been possible. I have to catch myself from taking some of the credit because it simply is not mine to take. God’s presence from His whispering to pursue this trip to the incredible work He is doing through The Luke Commission is indescribable. Of everything I learned through this trip, I pray I continue to walk through life sensitive to His presence and to have the wide-eyed wonder to notice.
Last school year, my advisor approved me to apply for visiting with The Luke Commission (TLC). Because of my Intercultural Studies major, I am required to participate in a mission study abroad. Trevecca plans a few of these internships to place those of us in the major on a 3-month visit to a foreign culture. However, because I also feel called to the medical field, my advisor and I looked for a different trip. A friend of mine on campus heard we were looking for another option. She recommended talking to her cousin, Katie (another peer and now good friend), who for her last few years of high school lived in the country of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Her parents, Brian and Missi who I got to know on the trip, had come on staff with TLC about 7 years ago. TLC is an organization that “takes free health care and hope to the most isolated and underserved populations, in partnership with the Swazi people and the Ministry of Health.” As we were discussing this as an option, I felt a tug, but I wasn’t completely sure. God had provided the opportunity to begin saving for my internship, so I wasn’t worried about the money. However, I was a bit worried about going on my own. This would be my first trip traveling alone internationally and to arrive in a place in which I knew no one and much farther from home than I had ever been before. My friends, while they would be going for a longer time, would have fellow school peers to experience the trip alongside. I was also concerned with my knee since I had just had an extensive surgery a few months prior. The one element these last few sentences have in common is they were all excuses.
Fortunately, I had the chance to sit down with Katie to hear about her time in Eswatini with TLC, and after talking with her, I could not have been more at peace to go. At the beginning of January, my application to TLC was in. My prayers of asking God where to go were being answered, and now I just had to wait and continue raising funds. In February, I learned I had been accepted to go to Eswatini during the end of June through July. I was given the option of going between 2 and 4 weeks. My schedule was open, so I opted for 4 weeks, and I am so grateful I did. I began searching for flights, renewing my passport, and putting out a post to finish raising funds. By mid-March, almost all had been prepared, and I could not wrap my mind around how faithfully God had provided, especially in the form of another student from Trevecca going. My now good friend, Paige, had also been feeling called to go, and she quickly listened to God’s whisperings to apply. I am so, so grateful God did not send me on my own. While Paige and I only met a couple times very briefly before leaving, I could not have picked a better person to have traveled and experienced Eswatini and TLC alongside.
The time to leave was quickly approaching as my summer began. I was glad for graduations, parties, and babysitting to fill the time. As for preparations for the trip, I spent a lot of time in prayer and some journaling, and then it came time for finalizing. (And thank you Mom for the help in packing!)
After a quick late lunch with my family, I was dropped off at the airport and met up with Paige, and we were suddenly hit with the reality that we were actually on our way.
The route we traveled was Nashville to Washington, DC; DC to Frankfurt; Frankfurt to Johannesburg; and then a shuttle from Johannesburg to Eswatini. Overall, our airtime was 20 hours to get to Johannesburg and a 4-hour shuttle ride to Eswatini. In reality, we spent about 45 hours total traveling from being dropped off at the airport to arriving to our room. The only hiccup we had in our travels was the delay of the entire Nashville airport for a passing storm, which had us rushing to our Frankfurt flight with less than 10 minutes to spare before departing the gate!
To give some context, the country of Eswatini is located in southern Africa, not to be confused with the country of South Africa, which we did land in when we flew into Johannesburg. Eswatini is a small country landlocked by Mozambique and South Africa and is less than half the size of Tennessee. When we left Johannesburg, we traveled east for about 4 hours (which included crossing the border for another new passport stamp!) until we arrived to the center of Eswatini near the city of Manzini. There were similar road systems… think interstates and highways, but they do have right-sided vehicles, so they drive on the left side of the road. Eswatini also has several, mountainous dirt roads we later traveled on.
While it was summer in the US, it was winter in Eswatini, so temperatures during the day ranged from 60 to 90, while the evening lows were usually around 40. Some of the staff were wearing sweatshirts and leggings. I was told that during their summer, it can be difficult to sleep at night because of how hot it gets. Needless to say, I was grateful for such comfortable weather.
We were in need of a shower, food, and sleep by the time we arrived to our room at 8:30 on Saturday evening (Eswatini is 7 hours ahead of Nashville time). At 8:30 Sunday, we went to our first church service at TLC’s hospital. They set up chairs in the middle of a 20-bed ward and worship alongside those who are sick and suffering. Between singing, testimony sharing, preaching, and praying over the sick, church each week was one of the highlights of my trip. (If you would like a feel for what some of the songs were like, look up “Yawa Imbewu by Zaza MokhethiI” on YouTube.) I feel that I am called to work in the medical field, and while I will not be able to always explicitly express my faith, the atmosphere of church as experienced at TLC is what I want to bring. Church was usually around 2 to 3 hours, and afterwards, one of the international staff took us out for lunch and conversation about how the trip was going. We shared some life-giving conversations at these meals and enjoyed some yummy food.
Our weekdays were spent assigned to a variety of tasks on campus. Each morning we went to prayer circle with all the staff available on campus. My friend Katie had shared what this would be like, but because of the growth of TLC, I was not expecting to share prayer circle with several hundred other people. It was amazing that each day the staff would all gather together to sing, read Scripture, pray, and recite TLC’s mission and vision as one. I will list TLC’s creeds below because they truly reveal the heart and spirit of TLC:
TLC Mission: To deliver compassionate, comprehensive healthcare bringing spiritual and physical healing in the name of Jesus Christ to the most isolated and underserved populations of southern Africa in collaboration with local communities, government, corporate, and non-profit partners.
TLC Vision: To end the isolation of underserved communities to quality healthcare.
TLC Creed: We seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to lift up the sick and the suffering, to bear their burdens in love with kindness, patience, and compassion, to bring hope, help, and healing to those who have the least access to care and treatment. We commit to unity, excellence, and teamwork in every endeavor, every assignment, and every opportunity to serve. We seek to preserve life, provide relief to the suffering, and to share the hope of redemption and restoration today and every day as representatives of Jesus Christ.
TLC Core Qualities (5 C’s): In order of primary importance: Calling, Character, Culture, Chemistry, Competence
As I said earlier, we were assigned a variety of tasks on campus. We would typically work from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday (and until 3:30 on Saturday). Some of our jobs included shadowing several nurses in TLC’s on-campus hospital, clinic, cervical cancer screening room, as well as working computer data entry. We also had the opportunity to participate in TLC’s mobile hospital a handful of times. I found these days especially moving because we were trained to help triage and do vitals on TLC’s VIP’s (Very Important Patients). While these tasks are essential to the mission of TLC for being able to medically serve Eswatini, it also gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with many people. The goal of TLC’s mobile hospital is to travel to the more rural areas of Eswatini to provide medical care to those who do not have easy access to doctors or medicine. The outreach is always set up at a school, so students, as well as their families and the surrounding community, all have the chance to be seen. Over the years, TLC has created a seamless system for caring for their VIPs to give every person the opportunity to be prayed over, seen by the doctor, counseled, and given the chance for medical services such as family planning, cervical cancer screening, male circumcision surgery, and vision testing. It was simply incredible to watch how each patient is cared for with the greatest attention. Between 200 and 500 patients can come through the mobile hospital site on any given outreach day. TLC usually has 3 to 4 outreach days planned each week, as well as maintaining a stationary clinic on TLC’s main campus. On the day of an outreach, two rounds of busses leave from campus; one at 5:30 and the other at 7:30. Paige and I had the chance to leave at both times, so we were able to see what set-up of the mobile site looked like. We even got to help set up the surgery room! Each location we traveled to was different, ranging from 30 minutes to 2 and ½ hours away from campus.
On campus during our visit, Paige and I had the unique opportunity to witness the removal of eye patches from cataract surgery. (We also were able to witness a cataract surgery in process! But I almost passed out, so we won’t talk about that.) I say this chance was unique because normally the US doctors who come to do cataract surgeries are scheduled to come 2-3 times a year for TLC’s planned surgery week; the surgery week is so big that TLC takes a couple weeks prior to coordinate all that needs to be done for several hundred VIPs to arrive and receive surgery. However, a small cataract surgery weekend had been planned because a US doctor was able to come in July, so about 40 patients were contacted to come in and stay on campus for a night to receive care. Through TLC’s mobile hospital sites, TLC asks VIPs diagnosed with cataracts for contact information so they can let them know when a doctor is available. TLC also provides free transportation, meals, and sleeping arrangements along with the free surgery. TLC’s campus is named the “Miracle Campus,” and after witnessing the joy of restored vision for so many people, I can attest to the miracle workings of God so truly present, and for that, I am thankful.
My favorite day of the entire trip though was when I was individually assigned to go on a home visit. TLC sends a small team to care for people in need that are 1 to 2 times a week to visit the elderly, as well as to follow up on the young men who have had surgery at a mobile hospital site. I’ll quote directly from my journal about this day:
There are so many more stories that could be told. While it took a bit longer to write this than I first anticipated, I am humbled once more by my reflections of my time in Eswatini. I praise God for all He is doing throughout this world, and I pray I leave my life open to His invitation to participate in the daily miracle of life surrounding us all. It is incredible to me that my visit to The Luke Commission has already come and gone. In a word, my time there was moving. Thank you for reading, but more importantly, thank you for all the support and prayers. I appreciate them more than you know.
Love,
Jenna Swann
P.S “Oh yes I thank you Lord for the days of my life”
Joe
---
As I sit here at the kitchen table, I feel as though I’m facing a hurdle by looking at my computer screen. I sit here wishing I was once more able to return to where I left a piece of my heart. Why is it that we can so desperately wish to be somewhere we are not? I suppose the work of truly sitting down to reflect is in part to blame. Once the words are written and thoughts explored, a chapter of my life I didn’t even know I needed will be closed. I am glad to know that is only partially true. I thank God for the pictures, memories, and relationships I will always be able to hold on to, but most importantly, to share.
First off, I want to be sure to direct all of what I have experienced in the greatest of thanks to God. If it were not for His guidance and provision, my trip to Eswatini, Africa would not have been possible. I have to catch myself from taking some of the credit because it simply is not mine to take. God’s presence from His whispering to pursue this trip to the incredible work He is doing through The Luke Commission is indescribable. Of everything I learned through this trip, I pray I continue to walk through life sensitive to His presence and to have the wide-eyed wonder to notice.
Last school year, my advisor approved me to apply for visiting with The Luke Commission (TLC). Because of my Intercultural Studies major, I am required to participate in a mission study abroad. Trevecca plans a few of these internships to place those of us in the major on a 3-month visit to a foreign culture. However, because I also feel called to the medical field, my advisor and I looked for a different trip. A friend of mine on campus heard we were looking for another option. She recommended talking to her cousin, Katie (another peer and now good friend), who for her last few years of high school lived in the country of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Her parents, Brian and Missi who I got to know on the trip, had come on staff with TLC about 7 years ago. TLC is an organization that “takes free health care and hope to the most isolated and underserved populations, in partnership with the Swazi people and the Ministry of Health.” As we were discussing this as an option, I felt a tug, but I wasn’t completely sure. God had provided the opportunity to begin saving for my internship, so I wasn’t worried about the money. However, I was a bit worried about going on my own. This would be my first trip traveling alone internationally and to arrive in a place in which I knew no one and much farther from home than I had ever been before. My friends, while they would be going for a longer time, would have fellow school peers to experience the trip alongside. I was also concerned with my knee since I had just had an extensive surgery a few months prior. The one element these last few sentences have in common is they were all excuses.
Fortunately, I had the chance to sit down with Katie to hear about her time in Eswatini with TLC, and after talking with her, I could not have been more at peace to go. At the beginning of January, my application to TLC was in. My prayers of asking God where to go were being answered, and now I just had to wait and continue raising funds. In February, I learned I had been accepted to go to Eswatini during the end of June through July. I was given the option of going between 2 and 4 weeks. My schedule was open, so I opted for 4 weeks, and I am so grateful I did. I began searching for flights, renewing my passport, and putting out a post to finish raising funds. By mid-March, almost all had been prepared, and I could not wrap my mind around how faithfully God had provided, especially in the form of another student from Trevecca going. My now good friend, Paige, had also been feeling called to go, and she quickly listened to God’s whisperings to apply. I am so, so grateful God did not send me on my own. While Paige and I only met a couple times very briefly before leaving, I could not have picked a better person to have traveled and experienced Eswatini and TLC alongside.
The time to leave was quickly approaching as my summer began. I was glad for graduations, parties, and babysitting to fill the time. As for preparations for the trip, I spent a lot of time in prayer and some journaling, and then it came time for finalizing. (And thank you Mom for the help in packing!)
After a quick late lunch with my family, I was dropped off at the airport and met up with Paige, and we were suddenly hit with the reality that we were actually on our way.
The route we traveled was Nashville to Washington, DC; DC to Frankfurt; Frankfurt to Johannesburg; and then a shuttle from Johannesburg to Eswatini. Overall, our airtime was 20 hours to get to Johannesburg and a 4-hour shuttle ride to Eswatini. In reality, we spent about 45 hours total traveling from being dropped off at the airport to arriving to our room. The only hiccup we had in our travels was the delay of the entire Nashville airport for a passing storm, which had us rushing to our Frankfurt flight with less than 10 minutes to spare before departing the gate!
To give some context, the country of Eswatini is located in southern Africa, not to be confused with the country of South Africa, which we did land in when we flew into Johannesburg. Eswatini is a small country landlocked by Mozambique and South Africa and is less than half the size of Tennessee. When we left Johannesburg, we traveled east for about 4 hours (which included crossing the border for another new passport stamp!) until we arrived to the center of Eswatini near the city of Manzini. There were similar road systems… think interstates and highways, but they do have right-sided vehicles, so they drive on the left side of the road. Eswatini also has several, mountainous dirt roads we later traveled on.
While it was summer in the US, it was winter in Eswatini, so temperatures during the day ranged from 60 to 90, while the evening lows were usually around 40. Some of the staff were wearing sweatshirts and leggings. I was told that during their summer, it can be difficult to sleep at night because of how hot it gets. Needless to say, I was grateful for such comfortable weather.
We were in need of a shower, food, and sleep by the time we arrived to our room at 8:30 on Saturday evening (Eswatini is 7 hours ahead of Nashville time). At 8:30 Sunday, we went to our first church service at TLC’s hospital. They set up chairs in the middle of a 20-bed ward and worship alongside those who are sick and suffering. Between singing, testimony sharing, preaching, and praying over the sick, church each week was one of the highlights of my trip. (If you would like a feel for what some of the songs were like, look up “Yawa Imbewu by Zaza MokhethiI” on YouTube.) I feel that I am called to work in the medical field, and while I will not be able to always explicitly express my faith, the atmosphere of church as experienced at TLC is what I want to bring. Church was usually around 2 to 3 hours, and afterwards, one of the international staff took us out for lunch and conversation about how the trip was going. We shared some life-giving conversations at these meals and enjoyed some yummy food.
Our weekdays were spent assigned to a variety of tasks on campus. Each morning we went to prayer circle with all the staff available on campus. My friend Katie had shared what this would be like, but because of the growth of TLC, I was not expecting to share prayer circle with several hundred other people. It was amazing that each day the staff would all gather together to sing, read Scripture, pray, and recite TLC’s mission and vision as one. I will list TLC’s creeds below because they truly reveal the heart and spirit of TLC:
TLC Mission: To deliver compassionate, comprehensive healthcare bringing spiritual and physical healing in the name of Jesus Christ to the most isolated and underserved populations of southern Africa in collaboration with local communities, government, corporate, and non-profit partners.
TLC Vision: To end the isolation of underserved communities to quality healthcare.
TLC Creed: We seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to lift up the sick and the suffering, to bear their burdens in love with kindness, patience, and compassion, to bring hope, help, and healing to those who have the least access to care and treatment. We commit to unity, excellence, and teamwork in every endeavor, every assignment, and every opportunity to serve. We seek to preserve life, provide relief to the suffering, and to share the hope of redemption and restoration today and every day as representatives of Jesus Christ.
TLC Core Qualities (5 C’s): In order of primary importance: Calling, Character, Culture, Chemistry, Competence
TLC DNA:
- Teachable Spirit Looks for Solutions
- Committed to Unity
- Dedicated to Every Last One
- Not About Me = Servanthood
- Attitude of Gratefulness
As I said earlier, we were assigned a variety of tasks on campus. We would typically work from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday (and until 3:30 on Saturday). Some of our jobs included shadowing several nurses in TLC’s on-campus hospital, clinic, cervical cancer screening room, as well as working computer data entry. We also had the opportunity to participate in TLC’s mobile hospital a handful of times. I found these days especially moving because we were trained to help triage and do vitals on TLC’s VIP’s (Very Important Patients). While these tasks are essential to the mission of TLC for being able to medically serve Eswatini, it also gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with many people. The goal of TLC’s mobile hospital is to travel to the more rural areas of Eswatini to provide medical care to those who do not have easy access to doctors or medicine. The outreach is always set up at a school, so students, as well as their families and the surrounding community, all have the chance to be seen. Over the years, TLC has created a seamless system for caring for their VIPs to give every person the opportunity to be prayed over, seen by the doctor, counseled, and given the chance for medical services such as family planning, cervical cancer screening, male circumcision surgery, and vision testing. It was simply incredible to watch how each patient is cared for with the greatest attention. Between 200 and 500 patients can come through the mobile hospital site on any given outreach day. TLC usually has 3 to 4 outreach days planned each week, as well as maintaining a stationary clinic on TLC’s main campus. On the day of an outreach, two rounds of busses leave from campus; one at 5:30 and the other at 7:30. Paige and I had the chance to leave at both times, so we were able to see what set-up of the mobile site looked like. We even got to help set up the surgery room! Each location we traveled to was different, ranging from 30 minutes to 2 and ½ hours away from campus.
On campus during our visit, Paige and I had the unique opportunity to witness the removal of eye patches from cataract surgery. (We also were able to witness a cataract surgery in process! But I almost passed out, so we won’t talk about that.) I say this chance was unique because normally the US doctors who come to do cataract surgeries are scheduled to come 2-3 times a year for TLC’s planned surgery week; the surgery week is so big that TLC takes a couple weeks prior to coordinate all that needs to be done for several hundred VIPs to arrive and receive surgery. However, a small cataract surgery weekend had been planned because a US doctor was able to come in July, so about 40 patients were contacted to come in and stay on campus for a night to receive care. Through TLC’s mobile hospital sites, TLC asks VIPs diagnosed with cataracts for contact information so they can let them know when a doctor is available. TLC also provides free transportation, meals, and sleeping arrangements along with the free surgery. TLC’s campus is named the “Miracle Campus,” and after witnessing the joy of restored vision for so many people, I can attest to the miracle workings of God so truly present, and for that, I am thankful.
My favorite day of the entire trip though was when I was individually assigned to go on a home visit. TLC sends a small team to care for people in need that are 1 to 2 times a week to visit the elderly, as well as to follow up on the young men who have had surgery at a mobile hospital site. I’ll quote directly from my journal about this day:
On Wednesday (July 10), I got up around 5:45am and was down at the offices around 6:30. Only 4 other women and a driver were going, so we loaded up and were off. About 1 and ½ hours after driving on the interstate, a road, and a mountainous dirt road, we stopped. We were looking for the local pastor and a woman to help show us to all the homes. After a little searching, we had them. The dirt roads can be in poor condition, some similar to the roads in Haiti. They were full of potholes from the rain, and we were often traveling at an incline. I felt fine for part of the day, but my body, especially my head and stomach, felt beaten up by the end.
We went to several homes, seeing between 1 and 6 people each time. They were often elderly, having not been able to go to outreach when it came to their area. The poverty is extreme here with many people living in a 1 to 2 room house/hut. They were all so appreciative though (and excited to have visitors in their house)!
We would all enter the home, sing a worship song, pray out loud over the house/people living there, and then proceed to care medically for the VIPs.
I lost count of how many people were seen after 15. It was interesting how some families were able to express their gratitude. Many pumpkins and avocados were given to the staff, pastor, and woman traveling with us.
While I did not take any pictures on this day, one image that will stay with me is looking at the house of one of the women we saw overshadowed by 2-3 large avocado trees.
I did not get back to campus until around 6:30 that evening, but I learned on this day that the spirit of worship and prayerful attitude we entered each person’s space with is what I desire to bring when I interact with patients (but really all people for that matter).
There are so many more stories that could be told. While it took a bit longer to write this than I first anticipated, I am humbled once more by my reflections of my time in Eswatini. I praise God for all He is doing throughout this world, and I pray I leave my life open to His invitation to participate in the daily miracle of life surrounding us all. It is incredible to me that my visit to The Luke Commission has already come and gone. In a word, my time there was moving. Thank you for reading, but more importantly, thank you for all the support and prayers. I appreciate them more than you know.
Love,
Jenna Swann
P.S “Oh yes I thank you Lord for the days of my life”
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Musings from the Strawberry Patch
This September is proving to be one of the hottest and driest I remember in a long time. Where the Bahamas and East Coast are recovering from Hurricane Dorian we have endured day after day of highs in the upper 90s, and looking at the forecast there's no end in sight, and no rain. Our evenings show a slight hint of being cooler, but for the most part it is just hot.
I mowed Mom's yard for what was quite possibly the last time last weekend. I've always enjoyed "tractor time" because I have a lot of time to think and reflect, which I certainly did knowing that we are going to sell her house soon. Kelly and Kathy Raglin are buying the house from Mom. Since Kathy and Lori Swann are sisters and I have known them all my life, Kelly and Kathy have felt like extended family for years. We are thrilled they are buying it and can't wait to see what happens when Kelly puts his imagination and talents to work.
Getting back to my time on the mower, it was fun to remember all the good times I had growing up there. That yard was a great yard to play in. The only down side is that with all those mature oak trees I was unable to climb any of them. Uncle George had a tree house (basically a flat platform) high up in one tree, but it disappeared shortly after he passed away, probably to remove temptation from a four year old me.
There is one part of the yard that has no trees. We call it the "strawberry patch" even though nothing has been planted in it since I was very little. I was mowing the strawberry patch sixteen years ago when the idea to do the Swann Family News as an email newsletter took shape. If I have done anything well, I have, since 2003, been diligent to record the life and times of our family since. One of the reasons I decided to put this out there to you by email, and put up the blog later, was accountability. I knew that if I didn't have an audience who was demanding to read more, at least in my imagination, this would be short lived. So, thank you for allowing me to use you to hold my feet to the fire on this.
Not only was the yard a great place to be a kid, so was the house. We enjoyed a lot of great times there, many of them around the table from wonderful meals to late night Spades games. Whether summer or winter, the den was one of the favorite places the Freelands and I liked to play when we weren't outside. As we got older it was the setting for many lunchtime video game battles during tobacco cutting season. I remember one year when we missed a lot of school for snow we trooped in, half frozen, from playing outside to find Mom busy making fudge. She had made so much that Brian Freeland commented that the kitchen was like a candy factory. And just about every afternoon I would get off the bus and be greeted with two folded over peanut butter sandwiches and a glass of milk which I would eat sitting on the den floor while watching TV. I am so glad my kids got to build similar memories when they were in elementary school and got off the bus there.
So much has changed. Aunt Mar is in God's presence now. Mom is no longer able to live there. We've emptied out the house. Jenna is on her last semester at Trevecca and Ben has just started his college career. Our family dynamic has changed a lot with just Nate at home. These last few months have given me a lot to think about, which I did while cutting the grass.
Life is a relay. I wish it weren't because I miss so many people. But I have to face that fact. And as special as that house and yard are to me, it will never be the same anymore. The places we live are merely the sets where we live out our lives. The things that we have, special as some of these things are, are merely props to be used in the drama. Sooner or later, we have to hand off. Vicki and I have been immensely blessed to be entrusted with Jenna, Benton, and Nathan. Hopefully we have made the very best use of the resources God has given us to prepare them for the hand off. That was certainly done well for both of us.
Joe
I mowed Mom's yard for what was quite possibly the last time last weekend. I've always enjoyed "tractor time" because I have a lot of time to think and reflect, which I certainly did knowing that we are going to sell her house soon. Kelly and Kathy Raglin are buying the house from Mom. Since Kathy and Lori Swann are sisters and I have known them all my life, Kelly and Kathy have felt like extended family for years. We are thrilled they are buying it and can't wait to see what happens when Kelly puts his imagination and talents to work.
Getting back to my time on the mower, it was fun to remember all the good times I had growing up there. That yard was a great yard to play in. The only down side is that with all those mature oak trees I was unable to climb any of them. Uncle George had a tree house (basically a flat platform) high up in one tree, but it disappeared shortly after he passed away, probably to remove temptation from a four year old me.
There is one part of the yard that has no trees. We call it the "strawberry patch" even though nothing has been planted in it since I was very little. I was mowing the strawberry patch sixteen years ago when the idea to do the Swann Family News as an email newsletter took shape. If I have done anything well, I have, since 2003, been diligent to record the life and times of our family since. One of the reasons I decided to put this out there to you by email, and put up the blog later, was accountability. I knew that if I didn't have an audience who was demanding to read more, at least in my imagination, this would be short lived. So, thank you for allowing me to use you to hold my feet to the fire on this.
Not only was the yard a great place to be a kid, so was the house. We enjoyed a lot of great times there, many of them around the table from wonderful meals to late night Spades games. Whether summer or winter, the den was one of the favorite places the Freelands and I liked to play when we weren't outside. As we got older it was the setting for many lunchtime video game battles during tobacco cutting season. I remember one year when we missed a lot of school for snow we trooped in, half frozen, from playing outside to find Mom busy making fudge. She had made so much that Brian Freeland commented that the kitchen was like a candy factory. And just about every afternoon I would get off the bus and be greeted with two folded over peanut butter sandwiches and a glass of milk which I would eat sitting on the den floor while watching TV. I am so glad my kids got to build similar memories when they were in elementary school and got off the bus there.
So much has changed. Aunt Mar is in God's presence now. Mom is no longer able to live there. We've emptied out the house. Jenna is on her last semester at Trevecca and Ben has just started his college career. Our family dynamic has changed a lot with just Nate at home. These last few months have given me a lot to think about, which I did while cutting the grass.
Life is a relay. I wish it weren't because I miss so many people. But I have to face that fact. And as special as that house and yard are to me, it will never be the same anymore. The places we live are merely the sets where we live out our lives. The things that we have, special as some of these things are, are merely props to be used in the drama. Sooner or later, we have to hand off. Vicki and I have been immensely blessed to be entrusted with Jenna, Benton, and Nathan. Hopefully we have made the very best use of the resources God has given us to prepare them for the hand off. That was certainly done well for both of us.
Joe
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Off to College
I am writing from a quiet house. Well, I normally write early in the morning when everyone is asleep, but this is different. Ben has moved to Cookeville for his first semester at Tennessee Tech and Jenna has returned to Trevecca for her final semester there, making Nate the only one left at home.
To catch up since I wrote last month, Jenna has returned home from eSwatini and spent a few weeks here before heading off to college. She really didn't have a lot of time to try to find a job so she concentrated on preparing for school and putting her Africa experience into perspective, something I hope she can share here soon.
Ben has continued working a lot of odd jobs up until it was time to move into his dorm. I know he has been ready to get a move on with college, but when asked about starting school he observed that he gets to work his own schedule, receives good pay, and then can spend his free time playing video games with friends online. Sign me up. That sounds like fun.
We have celebrated two birthdays this month. Ben was 19 back on the 3rd and I hit 53 on the 13th. Jenna took a chance and made my favorite chocolate cake for my birthday. This was a bit of a risk as neither Vicki nor Jenna have been able to master the icing. This icing recipe is titled "Never Fail Fudge" and can make a great batch of fudge just by changing the cooking time. I was afraid this was lost once Aunt Mar and Mom quit cooking as we could only turn out a batch of grainy goo or brown concrete that had to be chiseled out of the pan. Well, I don't know what Jenna did, but she nailed it this time. Took me back to birthdays of my childhood! I keep telling her she's my favorite daughter but she just rolls her eyes.
Nate and I were the first to return to school back on August 7. Nate is beginning his junior year which, at our school, seems to be the toughest year for the students. He is taking two AP level courses--English and Physics, Honors level Pre-Calculus, and dual enrollment US History. These year long classes are rounded out with two semester courses this fall, Foundations of Christian Faith and my new robotics class.
My schedule kept the two courses I taught last year, an 8th grade STEM class and a high school mechanical engineering elective. I am very fortunate to have been able to secure the funding and realize a dream I've had for our school and start up a new robotics class this year. I am hoping after this initial year to form a robotics team that competes with other high school students at least within our region and potentially from around the world. For now, I'm just glad to see that we can pull off an in-class robot soccer game on Monday.
So on Thursday we filled Ben's Jeep and followed him to Cookeville to help him get situated in his dorm. His roommate, Ryan, is one of his friends from DA. They have tight quarters, as you would expect. Had Jenna's freshman dorm room been this small half the stuff she packed for school would have come back home with us. We did get a chuckle from his choice of decor from home. His desk is adorned with two bowling pins, a storm trooper helmet, a Yoda hat, a Zelda hat, and Rubik's cubes.
There were lots of people on hand to help the students unload. Ben took the first load up to his room and was surprised to find a parade of strangers behind him with the rest of his stuff. I wound up just pulling things out of the Jeep and handing them to people saying, "McCord 318." And after taking him out to eat and making sure he was settled in we headed home.
The kids at school (especially the older ones who know Ben) asked me the next day if we were sad or cried and were taken aback a bit when I said we didn't cry. Sure, there's a bit of sadness there, but this is what we have been working toward as parents and it is more fulfilling than sad.
Ben, we are very proud of you, and we are confident that you will make this a rich and rewarding season and come away equipped to move forward in your life.
Joe
To catch up since I wrote last month, Jenna has returned home from eSwatini and spent a few weeks here before heading off to college. She really didn't have a lot of time to try to find a job so she concentrated on preparing for school and putting her Africa experience into perspective, something I hope she can share here soon.
Ben has continued working a lot of odd jobs up until it was time to move into his dorm. I know he has been ready to get a move on with college, but when asked about starting school he observed that he gets to work his own schedule, receives good pay, and then can spend his free time playing video games with friends online. Sign me up. That sounds like fun.
We have celebrated two birthdays this month. Ben was 19 back on the 3rd and I hit 53 on the 13th. Jenna took a chance and made my favorite chocolate cake for my birthday. This was a bit of a risk as neither Vicki nor Jenna have been able to master the icing. This icing recipe is titled "Never Fail Fudge" and can make a great batch of fudge just by changing the cooking time. I was afraid this was lost once Aunt Mar and Mom quit cooking as we could only turn out a batch of grainy goo or brown concrete that had to be chiseled out of the pan. Well, I don't know what Jenna did, but she nailed it this time. Took me back to birthdays of my childhood! I keep telling her she's my favorite daughter but she just rolls her eyes.
Nate and I were the first to return to school back on August 7. Nate is beginning his junior year which, at our school, seems to be the toughest year for the students. He is taking two AP level courses--English and Physics, Honors level Pre-Calculus, and dual enrollment US History. These year long classes are rounded out with two semester courses this fall, Foundations of Christian Faith and my new robotics class.
My schedule kept the two courses I taught last year, an 8th grade STEM class and a high school mechanical engineering elective. I am very fortunate to have been able to secure the funding and realize a dream I've had for our school and start up a new robotics class this year. I am hoping after this initial year to form a robotics team that competes with other high school students at least within our region and potentially from around the world. For now, I'm just glad to see that we can pull off an in-class robot soccer game on Monday.
So on Thursday we filled Ben's Jeep and followed him to Cookeville to help him get situated in his dorm. His roommate, Ryan, is one of his friends from DA. They have tight quarters, as you would expect. Had Jenna's freshman dorm room been this small half the stuff she packed for school would have come back home with us. We did get a chuckle from his choice of decor from home. His desk is adorned with two bowling pins, a storm trooper helmet, a Yoda hat, a Zelda hat, and Rubik's cubes.
There were lots of people on hand to help the students unload. Ben took the first load up to his room and was surprised to find a parade of strangers behind him with the rest of his stuff. I wound up just pulling things out of the Jeep and handing them to people saying, "McCord 318." And after taking him out to eat and making sure he was settled in we headed home.
The kids at school (especially the older ones who know Ben) asked me the next day if we were sad or cried and were taken aback a bit when I said we didn't cry. Sure, there's a bit of sadness there, but this is what we have been working toward as parents and it is more fulfilling than sad.
Ben, we are very proud of you, and we are confident that you will make this a rich and rewarding season and come away equipped to move forward in your life.
Joe
Monday, July 22, 2019
Hot, Humid July
Hot and steamy—at least we haven't had days on end of this weather. There have been cooler breaks. It has been a wet summer. Jenna's garden is overgrown, but that's what happens when you plant a garden and then skip the country.
Speaking of Jenna, we've gotten to hear from her a couple of times. I will save most of the details for her to tell when she gets home (which will be next week), but she has been involved in medical clinics there in the area. She's done everything from the mundane (data entry) to observe to even help with some procedures. The clinics she is involved in there offer more services than the clinics she has been part of in Haiti. Jenna sounds like she has adjusted to being away from home, however, I think there's been a day or two that was hard because she heard little or no English. Her time in Eswatini is coming to a close now and we are looking forward to seeing her on Thursday.
We've been holding down the fort here. Ben and his friend Corbin had planned to have a graduation party back in early June but it wound up getting rained out so we rescheduled for June 30. We had a cookout at Pleasant Green Park in Goodlettsville and a lot of friends and their families showed up to enjoy the food, fun, and games.
The week before last I got my final bit of traveling in for the summer. I was among four people from DA to attend a conference in Washington, DC. Our schedule was busy enough that I didn't get the chance to do any sightseeing, but I did get to have dinner with a cousin, Jim Summers, who lives in the area. We hadn't seen each other in years (a decade maybe) and I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting.
When I got back from Washington Vacation Bible School was under way at church. Vicki and the boys had volunteered to help out with that. We also had the Haiti 5k Saturday before last (the 13th). The day started out really hot and humid but cooled down considerably toward evening and race time. Unfortunately this was caused by an approaching summer storm which rained out the event just before the runners were to start. At least they got the silent auction in even though it had to be moved online.
One final note before closing. Our nephew, Cameron, is engaged! He proposed to his girl last weekend. No idea when the wedding will be, but he will be the first of Pauline's grandchildren to tie the knot. Congratulations Cameron!
Joe
Speaking of Jenna, we've gotten to hear from her a couple of times. I will save most of the details for her to tell when she gets home (which will be next week), but she has been involved in medical clinics there in the area. She's done everything from the mundane (data entry) to observe to even help with some procedures. The clinics she is involved in there offer more services than the clinics she has been part of in Haiti. Jenna sounds like she has adjusted to being away from home, however, I think there's been a day or two that was hard because she heard little or no English. Her time in Eswatini is coming to a close now and we are looking forward to seeing her on Thursday.
We've been holding down the fort here. Ben and his friend Corbin had planned to have a graduation party back in early June but it wound up getting rained out so we rescheduled for June 30. We had a cookout at Pleasant Green Park in Goodlettsville and a lot of friends and their families showed up to enjoy the food, fun, and games.
The week before last I got my final bit of traveling in for the summer. I was among four people from DA to attend a conference in Washington, DC. Our schedule was busy enough that I didn't get the chance to do any sightseeing, but I did get to have dinner with a cousin, Jim Summers, who lives in the area. We hadn't seen each other in years (a decade maybe) and I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting.
When I got back from Washington Vacation Bible School was under way at church. Vicki and the boys had volunteered to help out with that. We also had the Haiti 5k Saturday before last (the 13th). The day started out really hot and humid but cooled down considerably toward evening and race time. Unfortunately this was caused by an approaching summer storm which rained out the event just before the runners were to start. At least they got the silent auction in even though it had to be moved online.
One final note before closing. Our nephew, Cameron, is engaged! He proposed to his girl last weekend. No idea when the wedding will be, but he will be the first of Pauline's grandchildren to tie the knot. Congratulations Cameron!
Joe
Friday, June 28, 2019
Our Silver Anniversary
Vicki and I have returned from a wonderful trip together, but before I
tell about that I'd like to focus on Jenna. We took her to the airport
yesterday afternoon and sent her off for a month long visit to Eswatini,
Africa, a country formerly known as Swaziland. Eswatini is a landlocked
country situated between South Africa and Mozambique. Jenna will be
serving with the Luke Commission (https://www.lukecommission.org), doing
whatever is needed, but most likely helping with medical clinics
similar to what she has done before in Haiti. This experience is
counting as an internship in her course of study at Trevecca.
On the fun side, Jenna had a 10 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany, today. Her boyfriend, Nolan, is in Europe right now. He and a friend arrived in Amsterdam a few weeks ago to celebrate Pentecost. They are currently biking across the continent as they head to a monastery somewhere in France where they plan to spend six weeks with the monks there. Nolan took the bus over to Frankfurt to spend the day with Jenna and we got pictures of them in front of a castle they toured. All too soon their day together was over and they headed their separate ways.
Vicki and I are both fine with sending Jenna out. It was, admittedly, a little hard to watch her disappear after going through security, but she is in God's hands which are far better than ours. Jenna will return July 25. (Nolan gets home some time in the middle of August.) She won't have much access to the Internet while she is away, but we will get weekly updates from her. Still, there may not be much for me to report here until she returns.
Getting back to our anniversary trip, we decided a couple of months ago to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary by getting out of town. Our anniversary was actually Tuesday of last week (the 18th), but since the boys were going with our church youth group to Orange Beach, Alabama, this past weekend and Jenna didn’t mind being left home alone to prepare for her trip we decided to book our trip while the boys were away.
When we started planning our trip we asked ourselves where would be a fun destination that we could easily fly to from Nashville. Colorado kept floating to the top on the list so Vicki went to work. Here is what we did.
Last Friday morning we saw the boys off on their trip and then packed and headed to the airport. Our plane was a direct flight to Denver. This was the only bad part of our trip, though it wasn’t Southwest’s fault. They had no way to control the severe storms that had closed the Denver airport when we needed to land. Holding in the air as long as we could we were eventually diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to refuel. As the weather in Denver persisted they let us deplane and walk around the airport there for a couple of hours. When the weather cleared we were on our way, though arriving some 5-6 hours late. Just about everyone on the plane was a good sport about the delay. The poor folks going on to San Diego had bigger problems as the rest of the flight was canceled. On the ground we picked up our rental car (it was actually an SUV, a Toyota Sequoia) and drove to Estes Park in the rain for our first night. The only place we could find that was still open for supper was McDonalds. We arrived at our hotel about 11:30.
Saturday morning we enjoyed a big breakfast at the Big Horn restaurant and then drove up into the Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw the most incredible scenery, as we did the whole trip, and got pretty high up until the road was closed. The ranger told us there was 1-5 feet of snow covering the road ahead. We had planned to do a little hiking while in the park, but feeling the effects of the altitude we changed our plans.
Back down the mountain we spent a couple of hours shopping in Estes Park. There is a lot to see and do there and once we had our fill we got back on the road for Dillon, Colorado, before the rain returned. This leg of the trip took us over (and under) the mountains and to the western side of the Continental Divide. Once checked into our hotel we drove over to Breckinridge for supper at Giampietro Pizzaria. We were going to walk around town a little, but it started raining and then spitting snow so we decided to head back to our hotel.
Sunday morning we were back on the road to Cañon City, Colorado. We enjoyed some of the best and most diverse scenery on this drive, taking lonely state highways where we hardly met anyone on the road. In Cañon City we boarded the Royal Gorge Railroad for the two hour excursion they offer, which, again, was incredible.
After our train ride we drove up to Colorado Springs for our third night stay. I had always heard about Aunt Mar getting sick with bronchiectasis a few years after graduating from high school (which was 1934) and being sent to Cragmore Sanatorium in Colorado Springs for a year to recover. Doing a little research I learned that the old hospital building still stands and is now Main Hall, an administration building, on the campus of the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. So, we drove over to the campus and walked around the building. From there we went over to Garden of the Gods park and hiked around the rock formations there. We enjoyed living vicariously through two rock climbers scaling one of the formations (I think it was Cathedral Spires). Incidentally, Darice and Emily flew out to Colorado on Sunday. Emily sings in a choir and they are here with the choir. They were above us on Pike’s Peak while we were taking in the view of the mountain. We capped off the day with supper at Saltgrass Steak House.
Monday morning we drove up to Pike’s Peak which was a highlight of our trip. This mountain, while impressive from below, is truly remarkable from the summit which is 14,115 feet above sea level and commands a spectacular view of a large part of Colorado. I certainly hated to leave, but feeling the effects of the altitude I was also glad to come back down. By the way, they were setting up for the Pike's Peak International Hillclimb, an annual race which happens tomorrow. There's plenty of cool videos on this race on YouTube.
From here we drove up to Lakewood, which is a suburb of Denver, for our last night. After checking in we headed over to Red Rocks Amphitheatre where we saw Stevie Wonder in concert. It was an incredible venue for a legendary entertainer and the evening made an epic ending to our anniversary adventure.
Tuesday we returned our rental car--having put over 500 miles on it--had fun playing corn hole in the airport, reflecting on our trip as we ate lunch, and had an uneventful flight home. Now we’re back in the routine. That’s okay because I had a wonderful time with Vicki and she with me.
Joe
On the fun side, Jenna had a 10 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany, today. Her boyfriend, Nolan, is in Europe right now. He and a friend arrived in Amsterdam a few weeks ago to celebrate Pentecost. They are currently biking across the continent as they head to a monastery somewhere in France where they plan to spend six weeks with the monks there. Nolan took the bus over to Frankfurt to spend the day with Jenna and we got pictures of them in front of a castle they toured. All too soon their day together was over and they headed their separate ways.
Vicki and I are both fine with sending Jenna out. It was, admittedly, a little hard to watch her disappear after going through security, but she is in God's hands which are far better than ours. Jenna will return July 25. (Nolan gets home some time in the middle of August.) She won't have much access to the Internet while she is away, but we will get weekly updates from her. Still, there may not be much for me to report here until she returns.
Getting back to our anniversary trip, we decided a couple of months ago to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary by getting out of town. Our anniversary was actually Tuesday of last week (the 18th), but since the boys were going with our church youth group to Orange Beach, Alabama, this past weekend and Jenna didn’t mind being left home alone to prepare for her trip we decided to book our trip while the boys were away.
When we started planning our trip we asked ourselves where would be a fun destination that we could easily fly to from Nashville. Colorado kept floating to the top on the list so Vicki went to work. Here is what we did.
Last Friday morning we saw the boys off on their trip and then packed and headed to the airport. Our plane was a direct flight to Denver. This was the only bad part of our trip, though it wasn’t Southwest’s fault. They had no way to control the severe storms that had closed the Denver airport when we needed to land. Holding in the air as long as we could we were eventually diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to refuel. As the weather in Denver persisted they let us deplane and walk around the airport there for a couple of hours. When the weather cleared we were on our way, though arriving some 5-6 hours late. Just about everyone on the plane was a good sport about the delay. The poor folks going on to San Diego had bigger problems as the rest of the flight was canceled. On the ground we picked up our rental car (it was actually an SUV, a Toyota Sequoia) and drove to Estes Park in the rain for our first night. The only place we could find that was still open for supper was McDonalds. We arrived at our hotel about 11:30.
Saturday morning we enjoyed a big breakfast at the Big Horn restaurant and then drove up into the Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw the most incredible scenery, as we did the whole trip, and got pretty high up until the road was closed. The ranger told us there was 1-5 feet of snow covering the road ahead. We had planned to do a little hiking while in the park, but feeling the effects of the altitude we changed our plans.
Back down the mountain we spent a couple of hours shopping in Estes Park. There is a lot to see and do there and once we had our fill we got back on the road for Dillon, Colorado, before the rain returned. This leg of the trip took us over (and under) the mountains and to the western side of the Continental Divide. Once checked into our hotel we drove over to Breckinridge for supper at Giampietro Pizzaria. We were going to walk around town a little, but it started raining and then spitting snow so we decided to head back to our hotel.
Sunday morning we were back on the road to Cañon City, Colorado. We enjoyed some of the best and most diverse scenery on this drive, taking lonely state highways where we hardly met anyone on the road. In Cañon City we boarded the Royal Gorge Railroad for the two hour excursion they offer, which, again, was incredible.
After our train ride we drove up to Colorado Springs for our third night stay. I had always heard about Aunt Mar getting sick with bronchiectasis a few years after graduating from high school (which was 1934) and being sent to Cragmore Sanatorium in Colorado Springs for a year to recover. Doing a little research I learned that the old hospital building still stands and is now Main Hall, an administration building, on the campus of the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. So, we drove over to the campus and walked around the building. From there we went over to Garden of the Gods park and hiked around the rock formations there. We enjoyed living vicariously through two rock climbers scaling one of the formations (I think it was Cathedral Spires). Incidentally, Darice and Emily flew out to Colorado on Sunday. Emily sings in a choir and they are here with the choir. They were above us on Pike’s Peak while we were taking in the view of the mountain. We capped off the day with supper at Saltgrass Steak House.
Monday morning we drove up to Pike’s Peak which was a highlight of our trip. This mountain, while impressive from below, is truly remarkable from the summit which is 14,115 feet above sea level and commands a spectacular view of a large part of Colorado. I certainly hated to leave, but feeling the effects of the altitude I was also glad to come back down. By the way, they were setting up for the Pike's Peak International Hillclimb, an annual race which happens tomorrow. There's plenty of cool videos on this race on YouTube.
From here we drove up to Lakewood, which is a suburb of Denver, for our last night. After checking in we headed over to Red Rocks Amphitheatre where we saw Stevie Wonder in concert. It was an incredible venue for a legendary entertainer and the evening made an epic ending to our anniversary adventure.
Tuesday we returned our rental car--having put over 500 miles on it--had fun playing corn hole in the airport, reflecting on our trip as we ate lunch, and had an uneventful flight home. Now we’re back in the routine. That’s okay because I had a wonderful time with Vicki and she with me.
Joe
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Change of Pace
School is out and we are enjoying a much needed change of pace. Here's what we've been up to since I last wrote.
TIME AWAY
We got on the road for Gatlinburg immediately after Mr. Jimmie's funeral back on the 28th. Vicki had found a condo way up above Gatlinburg near the ski resort so when we got there we were climbing a lot of steep roads in the dark wondering if we were going to find the place. We did and it proved to be a wonderful place to stay. While there we enjoyed eating , hiking, and shopping. On one hiking trip a mother bear with her two cubs crossed the trail about 30 feet behind me. She looked at me, back at her cubs, and ambled on. I got a great video. It was a very restful and memorable time for all of us.
We checked out of our condo on the 31st and headed north to Staunton where we spent a few days with the Jones family. Zachary was the only one missing as he is in school at Full Sail University in Orlando and had class. As always, we enjoyed family time with the cousins.
A NEW APARTMENT
We got back home on the 3rd, and as soon as we got here we started moving Mom's things. While we were away Mom was discharged from therapy at the nursing home. Sadly, it was determined that she would not be able to return to the assisted living facility where she had been living before her fall. While we were driving to Virginia we were scrambling to find another apartment for her. Fortunately, another assisted living facility in Springfield was willing to take Mom so we spent the next few days taking care of all the details to get her furniture moved and then get her settled in on the 5th.
Mom has a bit more room in her new place, which is nice. She is also finding that she can't do as much now as she could before her fall.
ORIENTATION
Last Monday and Tuesday (the 10th and 11th) Vicki, Ben, and I went to orientation at Tennessee Tech. I must say, they are very thorough with all the information they give out. It was a full day and a half. Ben looks like a natural walking on campus and I know he is looking forward to moving in on August 22.
MORE FAMILY TIME
Last weekend we enjoyed family time with the Cotters. They drove up from Florida on Friday and left early Sunday morning. A quick turn around to be sure. We had a great time visiting with them. The kids played a lot of board games as well as video games. They also went swimming. And the weather was an extra blessing. Our highs were in the 70s the whole time and the humidity was low. And since there were no mosquitos we wound up eating outside on the picnic table for almost every meal. Sadly, the heat and humidity returned as soon as they left.
Joe
TIME AWAY
We got on the road for Gatlinburg immediately after Mr. Jimmie's funeral back on the 28th. Vicki had found a condo way up above Gatlinburg near the ski resort so when we got there we were climbing a lot of steep roads in the dark wondering if we were going to find the place. We did and it proved to be a wonderful place to stay. While there we enjoyed eating , hiking, and shopping. On one hiking trip a mother bear with her two cubs crossed the trail about 30 feet behind me. She looked at me, back at her cubs, and ambled on. I got a great video. It was a very restful and memorable time for all of us.
We checked out of our condo on the 31st and headed north to Staunton where we spent a few days with the Jones family. Zachary was the only one missing as he is in school at Full Sail University in Orlando and had class. As always, we enjoyed family time with the cousins.
A NEW APARTMENT
We got back home on the 3rd, and as soon as we got here we started moving Mom's things. While we were away Mom was discharged from therapy at the nursing home. Sadly, it was determined that she would not be able to return to the assisted living facility where she had been living before her fall. While we were driving to Virginia we were scrambling to find another apartment for her. Fortunately, another assisted living facility in Springfield was willing to take Mom so we spent the next few days taking care of all the details to get her furniture moved and then get her settled in on the 5th.
Mom has a bit more room in her new place, which is nice. She is also finding that she can't do as much now as she could before her fall.
ORIENTATION
Last Monday and Tuesday (the 10th and 11th) Vicki, Ben, and I went to orientation at Tennessee Tech. I must say, they are very thorough with all the information they give out. It was a full day and a half. Ben looks like a natural walking on campus and I know he is looking forward to moving in on August 22.
MORE FAMILY TIME
Last weekend we enjoyed family time with the Cotters. They drove up from Florida on Friday and left early Sunday morning. A quick turn around to be sure. We had a great time visiting with them. The kids played a lot of board games as well as video games. They also went swimming. And the weather was an extra blessing. Our highs were in the 70s the whole time and the humidity was low. And since there were no mosquitos we wound up eating outside on the picnic table for almost every meal. Sadly, the heat and humidity returned as soon as they left.
Joe
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Tragedy Amid Celebration
As May draws to a close it feels like summer has arrived. We are getting less rain and temperatures have climbed into the high 80s and low 90s already. Vicki observed the other day that with all the end of the school year activities our lives feel like a tornado zone.
TRAGEDY
This has been a very busy time with graduation with the end of school and Ben's graduation, but before I get to that I must share some news that has left our entire community stunned and heartbroken.
Last Thursday I was shopping at the auto parts store when Kenny called and told me that our beloved next door neighbor, Jimmie Pitt, had been found after taking his own life. I stood there in the aisle in disbelief, hearing but hardly comprehending what I had just been told.
Mr. Jimmie was 83, and while showing a few signs of age, was still very physically fit. His obituary notes that many called him the Ambassador of Cross Plains, and I would agree with that. He and Mrs. Susanne are the most wonderful neighbors to have next door, always doing what they can for everyone around them. Mr. Jimmie was always helping out with projects to benefit others. There's no telling how many ramps he's had a hand in building around here. There have been several times over the years when he stopped what he was doing to help me do something. Three big projects that come to mind are the times he helped me replace my water heater, when he helped me install the storm door on the front of Pauline's house, and when he helped me build a ramp for Pauline when she broke her foot. The night we moved Pauline here from Camden he was one of the people who came over at midnight to help us unload the truck so I could return it on time. I could go on.
Lately Mr. Jimmie had been struggling with the stresses on life, but he had been getting help. We all thought he was showing signs of improvement. Now we're going to his funeral this afternoon.
GRADUATION
Ben's graduation was a week ago Saturday. The only thing to mar the happy occasion was that Ben's best friend, Corbin, was sick with allergies and a viral infection. He was not contagious so he came, but the poor boy received his diploma while running a 102° fever.
I think where we were actually the most proud of our son was two days earlier at the last chapel service of the school year. This was a testimony chapel and Ben told us a couple of days before that he had signed up to give his testimony. Ben chose to talk about losing his friend, Ethan, exactly nine years earlier. Those of you who have been reading our family news for the last decade will recall that Ethan was diagnosed with a Stage IV brain tumor when the boys were in the second grade. It was so hard to watch as he underwent all the treatments only to lose his battle with cancer at the age of nine. Like losing Mr. Jimmie today, our entire community was devastated.
I can't say that I've ever heard Ben speak much about Ethan's death in the last nine years. I've known he struggled with it, you don't see your boy visiting the grave of his childhood friend and not know that, but he has chosen to hold those feeling close to his vest all these years. So Vicki and I were very proud of him when he spoke in chapel, telling about how he felt and offering encouragement to those who deal with loss.
The next night we went to East Robertson's graduation. While it was interesting to see the kids he would have graduated with had we not moved to DA, we were there because Ethan's parents, Farris and Robin, received an honorary diploma for their son. Ben and Wil sat with Ethan's family.
I must say that East Robertson really honored him well. They left an empty seat with a cap and gown on the front row where Ethan would have sat, several of the students who spoke mentioned Ethan, and all in attendance gave a long standing ovation when Mrs. Cook presented Ethan's diploma. Kenny and Lori hosted a get together for Ethan at their house afterward. I think the entire evening meant a lot to Farris and Robin.
THE USED CAR LOT
We have added another car to our driveway. We've been debating for quite a while about our transportation needs and what sort of vehicle to get. We have five drivers now and our schedules are diverging more and more. Up until now the boys have gone most places together so they've done fine in the Jeep, but now that Ben has graduated and no longer has cross country training over the summer he and Nate will be going their separate ways more and more. Jenna's car, while reliable still, is probably going to need to be traded by the time she graduates from Trevecca in December, moves back home, and begins commuting to Hendersonville for nursing school. So, my wheeling and dealing wife found a 2008 Ford Edge that checked out as reliable and snapped it up. Years ago I knew this day was coming.
Joe
TRAGEDY
This has been a very busy time with graduation with the end of school and Ben's graduation, but before I get to that I must share some news that has left our entire community stunned and heartbroken.
Last Thursday I was shopping at the auto parts store when Kenny called and told me that our beloved next door neighbor, Jimmie Pitt, had been found after taking his own life. I stood there in the aisle in disbelief, hearing but hardly comprehending what I had just been told.
Mr. Jimmie was 83, and while showing a few signs of age, was still very physically fit. His obituary notes that many called him the Ambassador of Cross Plains, and I would agree with that. He and Mrs. Susanne are the most wonderful neighbors to have next door, always doing what they can for everyone around them. Mr. Jimmie was always helping out with projects to benefit others. There's no telling how many ramps he's had a hand in building around here. There have been several times over the years when he stopped what he was doing to help me do something. Three big projects that come to mind are the times he helped me replace my water heater, when he helped me install the storm door on the front of Pauline's house, and when he helped me build a ramp for Pauline when she broke her foot. The night we moved Pauline here from Camden he was one of the people who came over at midnight to help us unload the truck so I could return it on time. I could go on.
Lately Mr. Jimmie had been struggling with the stresses on life, but he had been getting help. We all thought he was showing signs of improvement. Now we're going to his funeral this afternoon.
GRADUATION
Ben's graduation was a week ago Saturday. The only thing to mar the happy occasion was that Ben's best friend, Corbin, was sick with allergies and a viral infection. He was not contagious so he came, but the poor boy received his diploma while running a 102° fever.
I think where we were actually the most proud of our son was two days earlier at the last chapel service of the school year. This was a testimony chapel and Ben told us a couple of days before that he had signed up to give his testimony. Ben chose to talk about losing his friend, Ethan, exactly nine years earlier. Those of you who have been reading our family news for the last decade will recall that Ethan was diagnosed with a Stage IV brain tumor when the boys were in the second grade. It was so hard to watch as he underwent all the treatments only to lose his battle with cancer at the age of nine. Like losing Mr. Jimmie today, our entire community was devastated.
I can't say that I've ever heard Ben speak much about Ethan's death in the last nine years. I've known he struggled with it, you don't see your boy visiting the grave of his childhood friend and not know that, but he has chosen to hold those feeling close to his vest all these years. So Vicki and I were very proud of him when he spoke in chapel, telling about how he felt and offering encouragement to those who deal with loss.
The next night we went to East Robertson's graduation. While it was interesting to see the kids he would have graduated with had we not moved to DA, we were there because Ethan's parents, Farris and Robin, received an honorary diploma for their son. Ben and Wil sat with Ethan's family.
I must say that East Robertson really honored him well. They left an empty seat with a cap and gown on the front row where Ethan would have sat, several of the students who spoke mentioned Ethan, and all in attendance gave a long standing ovation when Mrs. Cook presented Ethan's diploma. Kenny and Lori hosted a get together for Ethan at their house afterward. I think the entire evening meant a lot to Farris and Robin.
THE USED CAR LOT
We have added another car to our driveway. We've been debating for quite a while about our transportation needs and what sort of vehicle to get. We have five drivers now and our schedules are diverging more and more. Up until now the boys have gone most places together so they've done fine in the Jeep, but now that Ben has graduated and no longer has cross country training over the summer he and Nate will be going their separate ways more and more. Jenna's car, while reliable still, is probably going to need to be traded by the time she graduates from Trevecca in December, moves back home, and begins commuting to Hendersonville for nursing school. So, my wheeling and dealing wife found a 2008 Ford Edge that checked out as reliable and snapped it up. Years ago I knew this day was coming.
Joe
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Graduation Countdown
Happy Mother's Day! And to my mom, happy 91st birthday!
We spent time with her this afternoon enjoying one of her favorites,
strawberry shortcake. Tonight we are enjoying a meal that Jenna has made
for Vicki.
Ben's school days are coming to a close. His last day of classes turned out to be Tuesday due to AP exams on Wednesday and Friday and Senior Chapel on Thursday. I seem to be getting ahead of myself so let's take things in order.
PROM
The prom was two weeks ago Friday (the 26th). Ben decided to ask a girl to the prom this year rather than go stag. Actually, he and two of his best friends all had dates so the three couples went together as a group.
Prom-posals are big at Davidson Academy, so Ben had to do more than just pluck up the courage to ask the girl, he felt the need to do something a little special. Ben decided to ask fellow senior and cross country teammate, Mei Lin, to the prom. Mei Lin had her senior project this semester so Ben decided to give her flowers and ask her to the prom right after she finished her presentation. Mei Lin had a lot of big things due that day so this was a nice way to cap everything off for her.
Moving forward to prom day (which was the day after Mom's surgery), Ben picked Mei Lin up and headed over to Two Rivers Park for pictures. This was a pretty big deal with three couples and their parents all there. Ben and Mei Lin made a cute couple, as did the other two couples.
After the photo shoot we all went out to eat, parents separately from the couples. Then we , as parents of seniors, were invited to the prom to see all the seniors introduced as they arrived. We then left there to help Jenna move her furniture into storage. Ben spent the night with friends afterwards and they went to see the new Avengers movie the next day. All in all, a great prom experience for a senior.
MAN OF THE HOUR
Ben has done well in tennis given his lack of experience. He's won a few and lost a few this season, but he really came through when it counted the other day. It's tournament time and the top two players on our team lost their matches, but our three and four had won so Ben's match was the deciding factor. Everyone except Ben knew that he had to win his match if we were going to advance. He said later he thought it a little odd that everyone had stayed to watch him play and was so happy when he won. It was a nail biter because he lost first his set 2-6, won second set 6-4 which forced it to a tiebreaker which he won 11-9! Now the team will get to play in the state tournament in Memphis on Wednesday!
BACCALAUREATE
Our baccalaureate service was last Sunday afternoon. Each year the parent of a graduating senior is usually asked to speak. This year it was Kenny since Wil is among the seniors. What was a complete surprise to me was when we sat in our pew Vicki looked at the program and said to me, "When did they ask you to give the benediction?" As it turned out, they had put me on the program but forgotten to ask me. I prayed at the end and all turned out well, but this gave us something to laugh about behind the scenes.
Kenny did a great job. He spoke with his normal unconventional but humorous style and ended up speaking as Papa Noel. He spoke to how he had gotten a Santa suit several years ago and enjoyed making local appearances. Around the same time our church was getting involved with the orphanage in Haiti that Jenna and Ben have both visited. Kenny went on an early trip to Haiti and was struck by the comment of one child there who said, "Papa Noel doesn't come to Haiti because we are too bad in Haiti." There was a gasp all across the congregation when Kenny said that. He has been to Haiti every December as Papa Noel since hearing those words which has enabled him to visit hundreds of Haitian children the last four years to give them a reason to smile and hear that Jesus does truly love them. He explained that the magic of that Santa suit somehow makes him a better person.
Kenny went on to say to our graduates that life is going to throw all sorts of things at them, good and bad. What's most important is finding ways to serve God, to put on that thing that makes you a better person. I looked around as Kenny spoke and noticed that he held everyone's attention, especially the seniors. Afterwards I heard people say he was the best baccalaureate speaker they had ever heard. My opinion may be biased, but I agree.
SENIOR RECOGNITION BANQUET
One of the best things Davidson Academy does is the Senior Recognition Banquet. This is an event where accolades are written for each student by a teacher. I have never written one since I mostly have 8th graders, but we are offered the chance to choose the students we would like to write about. These accolades are then read aloud at the banquet to all present--seniors, family, and faculty--while the student is standing there to hear what may be among the most encouraging and inspiring words they will ever hear about themselves. I go home each year having thoroughly enjoyed the spirit of the evening.
Ben's cross country coach, Michelle Toney, chose to write about Ben and I would like to end by sharing what she wrote.
SENIOR CHAPEL
As I mentioned in my opening, our Senior Chapel was Thursday. This service amounts to a passing of the torch ceremony in which the seniors come silently on stage, mostly in pairs, carrying candles. They are met by juniors who take the candles from them and then remain as the seniors leave the stage. Ben and his future roommate, Ryan, got a chuckle when they did a chest bump before walking off stage. Add a song, a prayer by one of our parents, and a 30 minutes slide show of the seniors' DA experience and we have a really moving service.
So there you have it, all the fun things going on as Ben winds down his senior year. He has one more AP exam to go and then graduation is this coming Saturday. I will miss seeing his form lumbering down the hall of the school next year.
Joe
Ben's school days are coming to a close. His last day of classes turned out to be Tuesday due to AP exams on Wednesday and Friday and Senior Chapel on Thursday. I seem to be getting ahead of myself so let's take things in order.
PROM
The prom was two weeks ago Friday (the 26th). Ben decided to ask a girl to the prom this year rather than go stag. Actually, he and two of his best friends all had dates so the three couples went together as a group.
Prom-posals are big at Davidson Academy, so Ben had to do more than just pluck up the courage to ask the girl, he felt the need to do something a little special. Ben decided to ask fellow senior and cross country teammate, Mei Lin, to the prom. Mei Lin had her senior project this semester so Ben decided to give her flowers and ask her to the prom right after she finished her presentation. Mei Lin had a lot of big things due that day so this was a nice way to cap everything off for her.
Moving forward to prom day (which was the day after Mom's surgery), Ben picked Mei Lin up and headed over to Two Rivers Park for pictures. This was a pretty big deal with three couples and their parents all there. Ben and Mei Lin made a cute couple, as did the other two couples.
After the photo shoot we all went out to eat, parents separately from the couples. Then we , as parents of seniors, were invited to the prom to see all the seniors introduced as they arrived. We then left there to help Jenna move her furniture into storage. Ben spent the night with friends afterwards and they went to see the new Avengers movie the next day. All in all, a great prom experience for a senior.
MAN OF THE HOUR
Ben has done well in tennis given his lack of experience. He's won a few and lost a few this season, but he really came through when it counted the other day. It's tournament time and the top two players on our team lost their matches, but our three and four had won so Ben's match was the deciding factor. Everyone except Ben knew that he had to win his match if we were going to advance. He said later he thought it a little odd that everyone had stayed to watch him play and was so happy when he won. It was a nail biter because he lost first his set 2-6, won second set 6-4 which forced it to a tiebreaker which he won 11-9! Now the team will get to play in the state tournament in Memphis on Wednesday!
BACCALAUREATE
Our baccalaureate service was last Sunday afternoon. Each year the parent of a graduating senior is usually asked to speak. This year it was Kenny since Wil is among the seniors. What was a complete surprise to me was when we sat in our pew Vicki looked at the program and said to me, "When did they ask you to give the benediction?" As it turned out, they had put me on the program but forgotten to ask me. I prayed at the end and all turned out well, but this gave us something to laugh about behind the scenes.
Kenny did a great job. He spoke with his normal unconventional but humorous style and ended up speaking as Papa Noel. He spoke to how he had gotten a Santa suit several years ago and enjoyed making local appearances. Around the same time our church was getting involved with the orphanage in Haiti that Jenna and Ben have both visited. Kenny went on an early trip to Haiti and was struck by the comment of one child there who said, "Papa Noel doesn't come to Haiti because we are too bad in Haiti." There was a gasp all across the congregation when Kenny said that. He has been to Haiti every December as Papa Noel since hearing those words which has enabled him to visit hundreds of Haitian children the last four years to give them a reason to smile and hear that Jesus does truly love them. He explained that the magic of that Santa suit somehow makes him a better person.
Kenny went on to say to our graduates that life is going to throw all sorts of things at them, good and bad. What's most important is finding ways to serve God, to put on that thing that makes you a better person. I looked around as Kenny spoke and noticed that he held everyone's attention, especially the seniors. Afterwards I heard people say he was the best baccalaureate speaker they had ever heard. My opinion may be biased, but I agree.
SENIOR RECOGNITION BANQUET
One of the best things Davidson Academy does is the Senior Recognition Banquet. This is an event where accolades are written for each student by a teacher. I have never written one since I mostly have 8th graders, but we are offered the chance to choose the students we would like to write about. These accolades are then read aloud at the banquet to all present--seniors, family, and faculty--while the student is standing there to hear what may be among the most encouraging and inspiring words they will ever hear about themselves. I go home each year having thoroughly enjoyed the spirit of the evening.
Ben's cross country coach, Michelle Toney, chose to write about Ben and I would like to end by sharing what she wrote.
I first met Ben when he came to the first day of cross-country conditioning nearly three years ago. Ben joined the team having never ran before, I am sure by the influence of his friends. Ben quickly surprised me by his work ethic. His ability to push past pain and accomplish his goal is inspiring. Ben always showed determination during practice and races. Ben impressed me most during speed workouts. His ability to hit his goal time every repeat was incredible. He was determined to not give up. He was determined to not give up. He set the mark for others on his team. Ben is a true leader by example through his attitude, work ethic, and devotion to his team.
Ben Swann is a hard worker. He is determined, goal-oriented, and driven. Ben is a natural leader. Ben is built to be a leader due to his optimistic attitude and tenacious work ethic. He owned his responsibilities and has a tenacious attitude when it comes to personal success. He showed perseverance, dedication, and accountability that many others lack. Ben demonstrates leadership and responsibility in many ways. Ben never fails to fulfill his responsibilities, and he is always ready to work hard and give 100% of his effort. Ben carries himself with grace and shows others grace at all times. He is accepting, encouraging, supportive, and compassionate toward others, mainly due to his faith in Christ. Ben uses his faith in Christ to live out compassion, joy, and kindness daily. Ben has a servant's heart. Ben can be found helping others in many ways through acts of service. To know Ben is to see Christ. Ben is an inspiration and encouragement to those around him. There is no doubt that God has planned great things for him ahead.
SENIOR CHAPEL
As I mentioned in my opening, our Senior Chapel was Thursday. This service amounts to a passing of the torch ceremony in which the seniors come silently on stage, mostly in pairs, carrying candles. They are met by juniors who take the candles from them and then remain as the seniors leave the stage. Ben and his future roommate, Ryan, got a chuckle when they did a chest bump before walking off stage. Add a song, a prayer by one of our parents, and a 30 minutes slide show of the seniors' DA experience and we have a really moving service.
So there you have it, all the fun things going on as Ben winds down his senior year. He has one more AP exam to go and then graduation is this coming Saturday. I will miss seeing his form lumbering down the hall of the school next year.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Broken Hip
I had meant to send this out sooner but life has been crazy on our end.
There is, of course, all the activities for graduating seniors in
addition to all the normal end of the school year busyness which has
kept us hopping. Jenna has moved back home from college as well. Sadly, I
must also report that Mom has broken her hip.
We got a call on Wednesday night a couple of weeks ago (the 24th) letting us know Mom had fallen and was being taken by ambulance to the hospital. Vicki and I met her in the ER. She wasn't in much pain then. The X-ray revealed that her right femur was broken just below the ball near the top of the bone. She had partial hip replacement surgery the next day.
Mom did well in surgery and the initial recovery, but the rebound since then has been slow. Last Monday (the 29th) she was moved to a local nursing home for therapy, and we suspect it's going to be a long, slow road from here.
As recently as Monday I was saying that Mom was not doing well. She really wasn't in a lot of pain, though I know she had some. Mostly, she was just weak and confused. She had been dealing with some confusion before this happened, but it appeared to us that the anesthesia had left her in a bit of a fog. We were getting very discouraged.
Tuesday, the fog seemed to be lifting. Since then she has been more like her old self. Sure, there's still a bit of confusion, but she is recalling and retaining more and able to keep track of what's going on better. This is good because she needs to be able to focus on her therapy goals for a chance of returning to her apartment.
So, we are far more encouraged about Mom's outlook than we were just a few days ago. Still, we would appreciate your prayers. And if you want to reply with some well wishes I will be glad to pass them along. Her 91st birthday is this Sunday.
I will follow up soon with a run down of all of Ben's senior events here in the last couple of weeks.
Joe
We got a call on Wednesday night a couple of weeks ago (the 24th) letting us know Mom had fallen and was being taken by ambulance to the hospital. Vicki and I met her in the ER. She wasn't in much pain then. The X-ray revealed that her right femur was broken just below the ball near the top of the bone. She had partial hip replacement surgery the next day.
Mom did well in surgery and the initial recovery, but the rebound since then has been slow. Last Monday (the 29th) she was moved to a local nursing home for therapy, and we suspect it's going to be a long, slow road from here.
As recently as Monday I was saying that Mom was not doing well. She really wasn't in a lot of pain, though I know she had some. Mostly, she was just weak and confused. She had been dealing with some confusion before this happened, but it appeared to us that the anesthesia had left her in a bit of a fog. We were getting very discouraged.
Tuesday, the fog seemed to be lifting. Since then she has been more like her old self. Sure, there's still a bit of confusion, but she is recalling and retaining more and able to keep track of what's going on better. This is good because she needs to be able to focus on her therapy goals for a chance of returning to her apartment.
So, we are far more encouraged about Mom's outlook than we were just a few days ago. Still, we would appreciate your prayers. And if you want to reply with some well wishes I will be glad to pass them along. Her 91st birthday is this Sunday.
I will follow up soon with a run down of all of Ben's senior events here in the last couple of weeks.
Joe
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Meeting the Boyfriend
I want to start off by saying that we had a wonderful Easter today. It was a four day weekend for us which was most welcome. It was rainy and cold Friday and Saturday, but cleared off by Sunday. We had a very moving Good Friday service at church that evening and the same for our Easter service this morning. Not to upstage the story of the Passion here, but since this is about our family I will shift focus to us, particularly Jenna.
Jenna has had a very demanding semester at school. Actually, most of them have been, but as she is approaching finals in a couple of weeks everything is coming to a head right now. Her 21st birthday came and went on Thursday with her hardly having time to think about it because she had so many large assignments due at one time that day. She didn't acknowledge any of the birthday wishes texted to her until the next day. Everybody but Vicki has Monday off, but Jenna decided to go back to school today to be able to maximize her time at the library.
No, what's really the big news around here is that Jenna brought a boy home yesterday. She has been dating Nolan for about a month now and thought it was time for all of us to meet.
We all knew this was her plan for a couple of weeks now, and I think of all of us in the family I've had the easiest time accepting it. Vicki and Jenna enjoy an especially close relationship and while there is no jealousy there on Vicki's part I think it has been an adjustment for her as she realizes she will have to share Jenna with someone else now.
Actually, the boys had a little trouble thinking about Jenna bringing a boyfriend home--Ben more so than Nate, I think. They've really not said a lot about it, but it is most obvious they struggled to work through this. I believe it went beyond it just being a little weird and more to the point of upsetting the status quo within the family. Ben, being his competitive self, was talking a lot of smack saying that he'd beat Nolan in whatever game we played. I'd say it was bravado to mask the apprehension. Ben would say I'm reading more into this than I should.
Ben and I ate supper out Thursday evening and I asked him point blank if he was having a hard time with Jenna bringing Nolan home. Turning the tables he asked me if I was. As I told him, it is admittedly a little strange since Jenna has never dated before now. However, I know her standards are high and that ultimately I trust her judgement. The timing is right and I am good.
So yesterday Jenna and Nolan met the boys for milkshakes at Thomas Drugs. Then the two of them went to Springfield for him to meet Mom. When the boys came home all we could really get out of them was, "Well, he seems normal,” along with sheepish grins.
Finally Jenna and Nolan came to our house. The kids played several games, we had pizza for supper, and the games resumed. So I will agree with the boys. Nolan seems normal (whatever that means). We all had a good time getting to know him. We like him and approve. Certainly new territory for us. We'll see where this goes.
Joe
Jenna has had a very demanding semester at school. Actually, most of them have been, but as she is approaching finals in a couple of weeks everything is coming to a head right now. Her 21st birthday came and went on Thursday with her hardly having time to think about it because she had so many large assignments due at one time that day. She didn't acknowledge any of the birthday wishes texted to her until the next day. Everybody but Vicki has Monday off, but Jenna decided to go back to school today to be able to maximize her time at the library.
No, what's really the big news around here is that Jenna brought a boy home yesterday. She has been dating Nolan for about a month now and thought it was time for all of us to meet.
We all knew this was her plan for a couple of weeks now, and I think of all of us in the family I've had the easiest time accepting it. Vicki and Jenna enjoy an especially close relationship and while there is no jealousy there on Vicki's part I think it has been an adjustment for her as she realizes she will have to share Jenna with someone else now.
Actually, the boys had a little trouble thinking about Jenna bringing a boyfriend home--Ben more so than Nate, I think. They've really not said a lot about it, but it is most obvious they struggled to work through this. I believe it went beyond it just being a little weird and more to the point of upsetting the status quo within the family. Ben, being his competitive self, was talking a lot of smack saying that he'd beat Nolan in whatever game we played. I'd say it was bravado to mask the apprehension. Ben would say I'm reading more into this than I should.
Ben and I ate supper out Thursday evening and I asked him point blank if he was having a hard time with Jenna bringing Nolan home. Turning the tables he asked me if I was. As I told him, it is admittedly a little strange since Jenna has never dated before now. However, I know her standards are high and that ultimately I trust her judgement. The timing is right and I am good.
So yesterday Jenna and Nolan met the boys for milkshakes at Thomas Drugs. Then the two of them went to Springfield for him to meet Mom. When the boys came home all we could really get out of them was, "Well, he seems normal,” along with sheepish grins.
Finally Jenna and Nolan came to our house. The kids played several games, we had pizza for supper, and the games resumed. So I will agree with the boys. Nolan seems normal (whatever that means). We all had a good time getting to know him. We like him and approve. Certainly new territory for us. We'll see where this goes.
Joe
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Oops, I Skipped March!
April is here. The trees are just starting to turn green, I'm digging out my short sleeve shirts, and the farmers are starting to plant corn. The world is waking up to a new growing season.
I think the biggest news in our extended family is that Sadie Brave Ring was born last Saturday. Her parents, Jimmy and Morgan, have waited for this day a long time and we are thrilled for them. Vicki visited them at home the other day and said she is perfect.
Our spring break was two weeks ago. We didn't go anywhere, opting to stay home and get stuff done. We got a lot done at the house, though this is proving to still be an ongoing job. Our house and my shop have been overtaken with things from Mom's house. We've made an amazing amount of progress going through it given the spare time we've had to work, but we still have our work cut out for us.
Mom has been doing fairly well, though her hiatal hernia acted up one day over spring break causing some issues with her swallowing which scared the nurse on duty half to death. This prompted a trip to the doctor to have her esophagus stretched yet again.
Our staycation wasn't all work. The boys and I went to Thomas Drugs for lunch one day, which is always a treat. Another day we went to Nashville, picked Jenna up after class, and enjoyed visiting with her. We found Bobbie's Dairy Dip on that trip which was a great treat. As much as I enjoyed my Chubby Checker milk shake I'm glad they are way over on Charlotte Pike and not easy for me to get to.
Ben is enjoying tennis. He talks a lot of smack with Vicki who had been trying to get him to play tennis for the last several years. He's played in two matches so far, losing the first one playing singles but winning the second playing doubles. And outside of playing on the team for school, he and Nate are now slipping off a couple of times a week to play. I'm glad he has found tennis. As much as he loves being physically active tennis will be a good sport he can play for many years to come.
So now we've had two weeks of school since our break. One of our guidance counselors sent an email Friday reminding the parents of seniors of all the activities leading up to graduation which is in six weeks.
We can tell Ben is ready to spread his wings and fly solo, yet he is not so impatient as to want to rush through the remainder of his senior year. Nate, on the other hand, is going to be really sad when his brother moves to Cookeville in August. This feels like watching the last bit of sand slide through the neck of an hour glass.
Joe
I think the biggest news in our extended family is that Sadie Brave Ring was born last Saturday. Her parents, Jimmy and Morgan, have waited for this day a long time and we are thrilled for them. Vicki visited them at home the other day and said she is perfect.
Our spring break was two weeks ago. We didn't go anywhere, opting to stay home and get stuff done. We got a lot done at the house, though this is proving to still be an ongoing job. Our house and my shop have been overtaken with things from Mom's house. We've made an amazing amount of progress going through it given the spare time we've had to work, but we still have our work cut out for us.
Mom has been doing fairly well, though her hiatal hernia acted up one day over spring break causing some issues with her swallowing which scared the nurse on duty half to death. This prompted a trip to the doctor to have her esophagus stretched yet again.
Our staycation wasn't all work. The boys and I went to Thomas Drugs for lunch one day, which is always a treat. Another day we went to Nashville, picked Jenna up after class, and enjoyed visiting with her. We found Bobbie's Dairy Dip on that trip which was a great treat. As much as I enjoyed my Chubby Checker milk shake I'm glad they are way over on Charlotte Pike and not easy for me to get to.
Ben is enjoying tennis. He talks a lot of smack with Vicki who had been trying to get him to play tennis for the last several years. He's played in two matches so far, losing the first one playing singles but winning the second playing doubles. And outside of playing on the team for school, he and Nate are now slipping off a couple of times a week to play. I'm glad he has found tennis. As much as he loves being physically active tennis will be a good sport he can play for many years to come.
So now we've had two weeks of school since our break. One of our guidance counselors sent an email Friday reminding the parents of seniors of all the activities leading up to graduation which is in six weeks.
We can tell Ben is ready to spread his wings and fly solo, yet he is not so impatient as to want to rush through the remainder of his senior year. Nate, on the other hand, is going to be really sad when his brother moves to Cookeville in August. This feels like watching the last bit of sand slide through the neck of an hour glass.
Joe
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Where's the Ark? I wanna get on!
According to our local news, this February is in the wettest February on record in our area. Every body of water is swollen. Water is standing in yards and fields. Roads have been submerged. Just this morning a rock slide closed I-24 between Old Hickory Boulevard and Briley Parkway. It is projected to take a week for TDOT to clean up the mess and reopen this major traffic artery. I'm just happy our septic system hasn't been overwhelmed again like it was last month. It feels like a mere mention of rain sets our cell phones off with flash flood alerts. All the schools in the area closed Friday as a precaution for the latest deluge. It is no secret that I like snow, but I'm glad this is rain. We couldn't handle this amount of precipitation if it were snow.
Moving on to family news, Nate celebrated his 16th birthday last week. More importantly to him, he has his driver's license. Now he and Ben swap up their driving now when they go places together.
Basketball season is over for DA. We came in third place in our district tournament and advanced to the regional tournament only to end our season there. If my count is correct we ended with a 17-9 record. I think it was a little sad for Ben when he took off his basketball shoes for the last time, but he's not one to sit around so he's now joined the tennis team. He's never been interested in tennis before so it'll be interesting to see how he does.
Vicki and I are still working over at Mom's house when we can. I've found snapshots from my childhood that I probably haven't seen since those pictures were first developed, and I don't think Mom has seen them since then either. What's so difficult is that everything is all mixed together. In one box we found my grandmother's high school diploma next to the program for Jenna's Mother's Day Out graduation which was next to something from our wedding. There is simply no rhyme or reason to how things were stored. So, we are wading through boxes and boxes of memorabilia.
Jenna recently went to a missions conference in Kansas City. As I understand it, this conference served as something of a missions orientation ahead of a trip she is to make this summer. We knew that Jenna's major, Intercultural Studies, would require an international missions trip during one summer while she is a student. Given that Jenna plans to enroll in an accelerated nursing program upon graduating from Trevecca, she will be traveling to Swaziland to help out in some medical clinics there for about a month this summer. Anyway, when she got back to Nashville she started feeling sick. We suspect it was the flu. She reports that she is feeling better now.
So, that's what's going on in our neck of the woods, er, swamp. Right now the forecast is clear of rain. Today is sunny and windy. We are certainly ready to dry out.
Joe
Moving on to family news, Nate celebrated his 16th birthday last week. More importantly to him, he has his driver's license. Now he and Ben swap up their driving now when they go places together.
Basketball season is over for DA. We came in third place in our district tournament and advanced to the regional tournament only to end our season there. If my count is correct we ended with a 17-9 record. I think it was a little sad for Ben when he took off his basketball shoes for the last time, but he's not one to sit around so he's now joined the tennis team. He's never been interested in tennis before so it'll be interesting to see how he does.
Vicki and I are still working over at Mom's house when we can. I've found snapshots from my childhood that I probably haven't seen since those pictures were first developed, and I don't think Mom has seen them since then either. What's so difficult is that everything is all mixed together. In one box we found my grandmother's high school diploma next to the program for Jenna's Mother's Day Out graduation which was next to something from our wedding. There is simply no rhyme or reason to how things were stored. So, we are wading through boxes and boxes of memorabilia.
Jenna recently went to a missions conference in Kansas City. As I understand it, this conference served as something of a missions orientation ahead of a trip she is to make this summer. We knew that Jenna's major, Intercultural Studies, would require an international missions trip during one summer while she is a student. Given that Jenna plans to enroll in an accelerated nursing program upon graduating from Trevecca, she will be traveling to Swaziland to help out in some medical clinics there for about a month this summer. Anyway, when she got back to Nashville she started feeling sick. We suspect it was the flu. She reports that she is feeling better now.
So, that's what's going on in our neck of the woods, er, swamp. Right now the forecast is clear of rain. Today is sunny and windy. We are certainly ready to dry out.
Joe
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Groundhog Day
I sat down to write this and was astounded to note that it's February
already! I date things most every day so I certainly knew that. But it's
quite another thing to come to the sudden realization that January
became history so quickly!
This winter, so far, hasn't seemed as cold as most, though you couldn't prove that by the last few days here. Typical of Tennessee, we are bouncing between extremes. A few weeks ago it was so warm that I cut the heat off in my portable and opened the windows all day. Two days later it was below freezing. Fast forward to this week, we had a snow day on Wednesday, but it was due to the extremely low temps that day rather than ice and snow, and we were probably following suit with all the surrounding school systems. And now, whether or not our groundhogs saw their shadows today, the temps are forecast to be in the 60s all next week.
I can sum up a major part of our lives this past month in one word: basketball. As of last night we have completed our regular season with a 15-7 record. The boys have fought hard to be tied in second place in our district going into the post season. Ben has played in 12 games since I wrote last, and it being his senior year we've been there to take it all in. (Well, I did miss one game when the septic line was clogged up and everything was backing up into the tub. It seemed important to get that fixed right away.)
Last night, being our last regular season home game, was also Senior Recognition Night (as well as Coming Home, the basketball version of Homecoming). It was a little surreal for Vicki and I to be parents on the floor with Ben this year as he was recognized as a senior player for the school. I have less than four months to enjoy driving to and from work in his company or to see his tall form moving among the mass of kids in the hall when classes change. Last night some of the other parents asked Vicki and I if we were sad. That feeling is certainly in the mix, but overall we're both content and excited for his future. This season for Ben is reaching its fulfillment in a good way and we're both happy with that.
Ben seems to sense this as well. Fortunately it doesn't look like he has the typical case of Senioritus, but we can tell he is making it a point to enjoy his friends and his last semester of high school life while being ready to move on when the time comes.
Nate has found a bit of new interest in basketball. He was asked if he wanted to film the boys games. The job pays him $20 per game so that makes him happy. I keep wondering if he will ask about keeping that job next year when Ben is not playing. That would certainly be a good little gig to earn some spending money.
Mom seems to be doing well. Sometimes I call to check on her and she doesn't answer. Later I find out she was doing some sort of activity. She certainly didn't have that opportunity at home. Speaking of her home, we're trying to get that ready to rent. We have made quite a bit of progress given we have only had a few hours on Saturdays to work on it, but there’s still a lot left to do.
So there you go. We're just plugging away at school, work, and life in general. We still have the post season tournaments to go. Fortunately the first district game will be hosted at DA so we’ll enjoy a home court advantage against a team that is most likely out for our blood seeing how we beat them in overtime at their gym last week. If we go far February will be a full month as well.
Joe
This winter, so far, hasn't seemed as cold as most, though you couldn't prove that by the last few days here. Typical of Tennessee, we are bouncing between extremes. A few weeks ago it was so warm that I cut the heat off in my portable and opened the windows all day. Two days later it was below freezing. Fast forward to this week, we had a snow day on Wednesday, but it was due to the extremely low temps that day rather than ice and snow, and we were probably following suit with all the surrounding school systems. And now, whether or not our groundhogs saw their shadows today, the temps are forecast to be in the 60s all next week.
I can sum up a major part of our lives this past month in one word: basketball. As of last night we have completed our regular season with a 15-7 record. The boys have fought hard to be tied in second place in our district going into the post season. Ben has played in 12 games since I wrote last, and it being his senior year we've been there to take it all in. (Well, I did miss one game when the septic line was clogged up and everything was backing up into the tub. It seemed important to get that fixed right away.)
Last night, being our last regular season home game, was also Senior Recognition Night (as well as Coming Home, the basketball version of Homecoming). It was a little surreal for Vicki and I to be parents on the floor with Ben this year as he was recognized as a senior player for the school. I have less than four months to enjoy driving to and from work in his company or to see his tall form moving among the mass of kids in the hall when classes change. Last night some of the other parents asked Vicki and I if we were sad. That feeling is certainly in the mix, but overall we're both content and excited for his future. This season for Ben is reaching its fulfillment in a good way and we're both happy with that.
Ben seems to sense this as well. Fortunately it doesn't look like he has the typical case of Senioritus, but we can tell he is making it a point to enjoy his friends and his last semester of high school life while being ready to move on when the time comes.
Nate has found a bit of new interest in basketball. He was asked if he wanted to film the boys games. The job pays him $20 per game so that makes him happy. I keep wondering if he will ask about keeping that job next year when Ben is not playing. That would certainly be a good little gig to earn some spending money.
Mom seems to be doing well. Sometimes I call to check on her and she doesn't answer. Later I find out she was doing some sort of activity. She certainly didn't have that opportunity at home. Speaking of her home, we're trying to get that ready to rent. We have made quite a bit of progress given we have only had a few hours on Saturdays to work on it, but there’s still a lot left to do.
So there you go. We're just plugging away at school, work, and life in general. We still have the post season tournaments to go. Fortunately the first district game will be hosted at DA so we’ll enjoy a home court advantage against a team that is most likely out for our blood seeing how we beat them in overtime at their gym last week. If we go far February will be a full month as well.
Joe
Sunday, January 6, 2019
A Slight Breather
Happy New Year! Christmas break is coming to a close. Classes resume at
Davidson Academy tomorrow, and on Tuesday Jenna will move back to her
apartment at Trevecca. This break has flown by.
SETTLING IN
Mom seems to be settling in to her room at Morningside well. I think she's even been able to get out and enjoy some exercise in the hallways that she could not do as easily at home. She seems happy whenever we visit or call. We still need to hang a picture or two, but for the most part her room has the touches of home.
On the other side of that coin for us is cleaning out the house so we can prep it to rent. That's the hard part for me because for the first time in my life my childhood home is not looking like my childhood home anymore. This hits me in unexpected ways. The other day I cancelled Mom's phone service at the house since there is no point in paying two phone bills. When I hung up from AT&T it struck me that I'd never call that phone number again. Of course, I'll never get strange looks like I used get when giving out that number because it contained "666."
BASKETBALL
We normally visit the Jones family the week after Christmas, and in doing so, Ben has missed out on local winter tournaments with the DA basketball team. This year the team participated in the Hilton Sandestin Beach Blowout at Freeport High School in Florida so we decided to work that into our schedule. We left for Florida the day after Christmas and returned home on New Years Day.
This was a double elimination tournament with public and private high school teams from several states participating. Our boys played well, but we didn't get as far in the tournament as we would have liked. We won the first game, but lost the next two. We had reserved six nights in a condo by the beach so we took full advantage of our time away.
Now that we're back home we've already played and won two regular season games and are looking forward to nine more games before the post season begins in February.
OTHER FLORIDA FUN
The only bad part about our trip to Florida was the weather. We expected it to be too cold to enjoy getting in the water at the beach, but it rained a lot and we hardly saw the sun the whole time we were there. Still, there were several days where we could find a little time between rain showers and walk in the sand with our toes in the water.
What really made the trip fun was time with family. Of course, we took some games and streamed some movies in on TV, but that was highlighted when Jim, Dianna, and their boys drove up from Orlando. They arrived last Friday and returned home on Sunday. Unfortunately they saw the two games that DA lost, but they did get to see Ben play. While they were there we hit a couple of restaurants and enjoyed just visiting. It was too wet to do any beach time together, but we were content to play games and talk.
Another fun visit we had was Sunday when we were invited to lunch at another cousin's house, Joe and Karin. I've not mentioned Joe and his brother, Bill, much here because we don't visit as adults like we did as kids. They lived in Kokomo, Indiana, when we were growing up and we got to see each other a lot back then. Joe now lives near Destin and we had a good time eating hamburgers and spending the afternoon with he and Karin.
We also went to see Mary Poppins Returns while we were away. It is well done, a worthy sequel to the first movie. As much as I enjoyed the movie, I think the very best part for me was seeing the now 93 year old Dick Van Dyke make an appearance. We also saw Bohemian Rhapsody and now the kids are constantly singing or playing Queen songs.
The only bad part of our trip was that Nate sat down in the recliner with his phone in his pocket at the condo. He was not aware that the phone had slipped out of his pocket and fallen between the seat and arm rest to the interior of the recliner when he decided to lean back in the chair. This crushed and bent his phone. At least our phone plan includes insurance. We filed a claim and he's now up and running with a replacement and small deductible.
So that's what's been going on with us as we close our 2018 and get ready to dive into the new year.
Joe
SETTLING IN
Mom seems to be settling in to her room at Morningside well. I think she's even been able to get out and enjoy some exercise in the hallways that she could not do as easily at home. She seems happy whenever we visit or call. We still need to hang a picture or two, but for the most part her room has the touches of home.
On the other side of that coin for us is cleaning out the house so we can prep it to rent. That's the hard part for me because for the first time in my life my childhood home is not looking like my childhood home anymore. This hits me in unexpected ways. The other day I cancelled Mom's phone service at the house since there is no point in paying two phone bills. When I hung up from AT&T it struck me that I'd never call that phone number again. Of course, I'll never get strange looks like I used get when giving out that number because it contained "666."
BASKETBALL
We normally visit the Jones family the week after Christmas, and in doing so, Ben has missed out on local winter tournaments with the DA basketball team. This year the team participated in the Hilton Sandestin Beach Blowout at Freeport High School in Florida so we decided to work that into our schedule. We left for Florida the day after Christmas and returned home on New Years Day.
This was a double elimination tournament with public and private high school teams from several states participating. Our boys played well, but we didn't get as far in the tournament as we would have liked. We won the first game, but lost the next two. We had reserved six nights in a condo by the beach so we took full advantage of our time away.
Now that we're back home we've already played and won two regular season games and are looking forward to nine more games before the post season begins in February.
OTHER FLORIDA FUN
The only bad part about our trip to Florida was the weather. We expected it to be too cold to enjoy getting in the water at the beach, but it rained a lot and we hardly saw the sun the whole time we were there. Still, there were several days where we could find a little time between rain showers and walk in the sand with our toes in the water.
What really made the trip fun was time with family. Of course, we took some games and streamed some movies in on TV, but that was highlighted when Jim, Dianna, and their boys drove up from Orlando. They arrived last Friday and returned home on Sunday. Unfortunately they saw the two games that DA lost, but they did get to see Ben play. While they were there we hit a couple of restaurants and enjoyed just visiting. It was too wet to do any beach time together, but we were content to play games and talk.
Another fun visit we had was Sunday when we were invited to lunch at another cousin's house, Joe and Karin. I've not mentioned Joe and his brother, Bill, much here because we don't visit as adults like we did as kids. They lived in Kokomo, Indiana, when we were growing up and we got to see each other a lot back then. Joe now lives near Destin and we had a good time eating hamburgers and spending the afternoon with he and Karin.
We also went to see Mary Poppins Returns while we were away. It is well done, a worthy sequel to the first movie. As much as I enjoyed the movie, I think the very best part for me was seeing the now 93 year old Dick Van Dyke make an appearance. We also saw Bohemian Rhapsody and now the kids are constantly singing or playing Queen songs.
The only bad part of our trip was that Nate sat down in the recliner with his phone in his pocket at the condo. He was not aware that the phone had slipped out of his pocket and fallen between the seat and arm rest to the interior of the recliner when he decided to lean back in the chair. This crushed and bent his phone. At least our phone plan includes insurance. We filed a claim and he's now up and running with a replacement and small deductible.
So that's what's been going on with us as we close our 2018 and get ready to dive into the new year.
Joe
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