This is Nuts!

Back in the 80's, there was a certain local man who died. While he spent the last year of his life in a nursing home, his wife began frequenting a dance hall at the state line. Perhaps you can blame it on the alcohol, but in spite of her age this elderly lady began entering wet t-shirt contests. It is said she even won a couple of them. When her husband died, a certain funeral home took some metal folding chairs over to the widow's home so the many family and friends who would be stopping by to pay their respects would have a place to sit. The funeral director arrived and set as many chairs in the living room as he could. He had a few left over and the widow instructed him to store them in an adjacent bedroom. As he went to open the bedroom door, the man noticed a picture of Jesus on the door. He entered the bedroom looking for a place to put the extra chairs. The room was crowded so he decided to put the chairs in the corner behind the door. When he shut the door from the inside, he saw it. The very same door that had the photo of Jesus on one side, had a bumper sticker on the other side that read, "Tight butts drive me nuts!"

Elijah (as Arnold) in "Can You Feel It?"

"Tickle Me, Dad!"

My friend, Jamie, wondered aloud, "Why does time go by so fast the older you get? She said that just this morning, the day before Elijah officially becomes a teenager.

I hate it. Why does he have to get older? Why does he have to go and do that to me? I am going to miss cuddling and getting down in the floor and wrestling with him. And just so he doesn't kill me, here is the official disclaimer: "WE DO NOT CUDDLE!"

:)

It was during one of 'those' precious moments years ago, when he was a toddler, that I stopped and said, "Elijah don't get any older. Stay little the rest of your life and always be my baby." He said, "I'm trying dad, but God won't let me."

Well, that was a huge lesson for me....straight from the mouth of that 'baby.' Hard words to hear, easy words to try and ignore. But, alas, try is the best I can do.

My mistake was letting him see how much his running and jumping in my lap, when I did not see him coming, hurt. Gosh how that hurt! But, he laughed almost uncontrollably, so I let him do it. Most of the time, I managed to 'protect myself' before his knee hit its target. There were times when I wasn't so lucky. It's one of the reasons why I switched from singing alto to singing tenor.

He used to lay down and say, "Tickle me dad." I could never figure out why he would ask me to do that, and then a minute later scream for me to stop. Nowadays, I proceed with caution because he's a football lineman. I know my limits.

Happy 13th Birthday, Elijah! I love you!

The Remedy

While it's one of the newer discoveries to modern science, Moringa has been making strides in various societies for thousands of years. Its remedies have been passed down through generations of folk medicine. Ancient Indian writings, dating as far back as 150 B.C., refer to the Moringa plant and its uses. Early Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians prized Moringa for its therapeutic properties, to protect skin, make perfume, and purify water for drinking.

Now this humble plant, often called “the Miracle Tree,” is coming to the forefront thanks to Zija International. The Moringa is effective in treating more than 300 conditions because of its astonishing range of natural vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Many people taking Moringa have reported rapid improvements in skin, digestion, eyesight, mental clarity, and overall well-being, plus a reduction in symptoms associated with fatigue, arthritic-like conditions, and aging.

I began drinking the Zija Smart Drink once per day in May and two weeks later began to notice a change in how I was affected by allergies. I am now allergy free thanks to Zija.

I highly recommend this product and hope you will at least try it.

Just visit my Zija page and then contact me for further information. I would love to see Zija do for you what it has done for me.

A View From Arlington

Eight months before President John F. Kennedy was assinated he made a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. It is said that he passed beyond the soldiers' graves and walked to the top of a hill. The story goes that as he paused there reflecting on the beauty of the area, he was quoted as saying, "I could stay here forever."

On November 25, 1963, the President was buried on that hill after being shot dead three days earlier.

Senator Ted Kennedy was buried on that famous hill today, joining the other members from his storied clan.

At the site of the eternal flame rest four Kennedy family members: the former president and his wife; their baby son, Patrick, who died after two days; and a stillborn child. Robert Kennedy's grave is a short distance away.

Edward Kennedy was buried approximately 95 feet south of Robert's grave, according to NBC News.

His family said Senator Kennedy spent more days than most at Arlington visiting the graves of his beloved brothers.

A New Ending

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

My friend, Charley, just posted that on Facebook.

There are some things I wish I could re-start and make a new ending, one in particular.

How does one start today to make a new ending? How do you go about getting everything in place to do that. I wish.

Ten Lies

I love reading old newspapers. Here is an excerpt from the March 24, 1915 edition of the Livingston Enterprise (Tennessee). I love number three.

Here are ten lies which are often heard, according to the amiable Arthur Hull of La_____.

My wife and I have never exchanged a cross word.

Yes, we're out, but we've just ordered a lot of it.

I never would care to be rich, just comfortably fixed.

I'd just like to have been in his place. I'd have showed them.

If I'd catch a kid of mine at anything like that I'd blister him.

If you don't think it's a good thing for you I don't want you to do it.

If I had that woman for a little while I'd teach her a few things.

If I had just a little money I know here I could go out and make a pile.

I don't care anything for the money. It was the principle of the thing.

I've never seen such weather before.(

Weights (revisited)

It's football season, one of my favorite times of the year. J.D. loves football, as does Elijah, so I am proud to revisit this story, which I originally posted in May of 2008. I hope you enjoy revisiting it with me. This is one of my most favorite stories.

Cassie, my little 8-year-old niece, came to my house the other day with my mom. Unfortunately, the kids and I were gone somewhere. When she got out of her car, mom noticed J.D.'s ankle weights lying on the ground over by the basketball goal.

That boy is constantly leaving something outside. One day he was kicking a football out in the yard, when he managed to get - not one - but TWO footballs stuck high in the tree out near the mailbox. Those were the only fooballs he had. J.D. tried for several days to bring them down by throwing rocks and other objects at them. Elijah and I also joined in the rescue operation, but none of us had any success. It appeared that J.D.'s footballs were destined to stay up in that tree forever.

And then one day (as J.D. would probably describe it) something miraculous happened. It was a power outage. Miraculous because the power outage sent Richie Richardson of South Kentucky RECC to our home. J.D. looked out the door and saw Richie standing beside his ladder truck, which just happened to be parked next to the tree, that coincidently held J.D.'s footballs. Well, you guessed it. In a flash, my oldest son was out the door. A minute later, I looked out the door just in time to see Richie using this long-arm apparatus to remove the footballs from the tree. Then, I saw Richie turn toward J.D. and point up to the sky in the opposite direction of the tree. I chuckled when I saw him do that. Later, J.D. said Richie told him to kick the football 'THAT WAY' from now on! I can still see Richie smiling as he drove off down the road waving goodbye to a very happy J.D. Speck.

Mom retrieved J.D.'s ankle weights from the yard and carried them into the house. Cassie saw her lay them down and went over to investigate. She wanted to know what they were. Mom explained to her how that J.D. uses the ankle weights to strengthen his leg muscles so that he will jump higher when he is playing basketball. A puzzled Cassie replied, "Isn't that illegal?"

When I recalled these two stories and began writing, I didn't think about how closely related they were. But when I began proofreading, the message was clear. Have you ever been at that spot in the road where you find yourself in a lull because of something that's weighing you down? And, no matter how hard you try, you're just stuck - like J.D.'s footballs? Even though it may be a hard battle, don't give up. GOD LOVES YOU. Reach out to Him. He will be reaching back for you. J.D. could not get those footballs to move until he asked Richie to help him. You see, no matter how far out of reach a solution seems, no matter how difficult the situation is - no matter the size of the weight you are carrying around - just trust in the Lord and He'll see you through. He will make a way for you. His strength is perfect.


Note: I am glad I reposted this story. I really needed to read it again.

The Miracle Tree

treesforlife.org says the tiny leaves from this tree could save millions of lives. That's because it is one of the richest source of essential nutrients often lacking in peoples diets.

Some call it a miracle.

It can even purify water.

Because of the moringa tree, I am now living my life allergy-free.

If it can do that much for me, imagine what it can do for you. Imagine a life free of inflammation, low iron, diabetes, stress, allergies, high blood pressure and more.

Another name for the moringa tree is 'Mother's Best Friend.' One thing's for sure...it is definitely my best friend.

It can be your best friend, too. See me, or click here.

Without You To Lean On

Love holds no ill toward its neighbor
Though envy and strife I sometimes feel
I found blest assurance at the top of a mountain
He filled my cup at the foot of a hill
I have it all with you right beside me
There's no place on earth I'd rather be
I could not make it, not one more hour, without you to lean on

A Good Deed Well Done

On October 28, 1862 Confederate guerilla Champ Ferguson and 22 soldiers in his group captured unionist brothers, George and William Thrasher. As they were taking them to a place of holding, they happened across the farm of Washington Tabor. George said, “I looked up and saw Tabor coming up a lane on a horse. When he saw Tabor, Ferguson dismounted and went toward him, accusing him of ambushing and killing three of his men. Tabor got off his horse as Ferguson drew near. Ferguson soon brought Tabor up to where we were and he was pleading for his life. “Oh yes, said Ferguson, you oughtn’t to die. You have done nothing to die for!” - all the while getting his pistol out of his belt. While the old man continued to beg for his life, Ferguson shot him thru the heart. After a second shot was fired, Tabor fell to the ground."

According to George, after Ferguson had shot Tabor, one of Ferguson's men, Frank Burchett, said, “D--n him, shoot him in the head!” And with that, Ferguson put the pistol close to Tabor’s head and pulled the trigger. Ferguson then told George, “I’m not in favor of killing you, Thrasher, you have never been bushwhacking or stealing horses.” He said, “I have killed Wash Tabor, a D--n good Christian, and I don’t reckon he minds dying.”

Tabor’s body was left lying in the lane, as Ferguson and his men continued on their journey with the Thrasher brothers in tow. They had not gone more than a mile when they were attacked by Unionist Elam Huddleston and about 80 of his men. Ferguson had previously told his men that if any skirmish came up to be sure and kill the Thrasher brothers first. Luckily for them, during the excitement of the attack, George and William were able to slip off their horses and escape on foot.

At the conclusion of the war, Champ Ferguson was arrested at his home near Sparta, Tennessee and charged with the murders of 53 people. At his trial in Nashville, he admitted to killing Tabor, saying, “It was a good deed well done, and that Tabor’s death had been delayed too long as it was. I killed [Tabor] as a bushwhacker. He had killed three of my men three days previous. He was in front of his house when I shot him. He ought to have been killed sooner.” On September 26, 1865, the jury found Ferguson guilty. He was hung on October 20, 1865.

Thomas Washington Tabor was born around 1807 in Rutherford, North Carolina. He moved to Stockton’s Valley in the late 1820’s and married Julia Kelly, who lived in present-day Wayne Co. After his death, Julia and her children moved to Kansas.

Wash Tabor page at genealogy.com

Wash Tabor page at ancestry.com

On the morning when Tabor was killed, William, said, “...while we were eating breakfast, Ferguson sat down by me and asked me if I didn’t think he ought to kill me. I told him it would be hard to kill an unarmed man. Ferguson said, “No, it wouldn’t, and asked me if I didn’t think it would bring the War to a close much sooner if he killed all he took. I told him I didn’t know.”

Wash Tabor’s grave was recently discovered by Gary and Nancy Norris, some four miles north of Albany.