Hi everyone!

Today is June 17, 2010.  My mind goes back to a very special Saturday in June of 1961 when I anxiously and eagerly exchanged marriage vows with William Alton Morris in Longview, Texas!  They were the old-fashioned "til death do us part" vows which are still in effect!  Many precious memories flood my soul, like the song says.  Our 49 years together have been full of happiness, joy, and loads of love for each other.  God blessed us with two wonderful sons, and we thank God for them.  I credit Bill with their spiritual maturity.  It is a special privilege to watch them carry on a strong legacy of Christian faith in their own homes and in rearing their children. God is good!  So, today I reflect on God’s goodness, His patience with me, and Bill’s patience with me in waiting a few months on the “yes” to his question “Will you marry me?”  I’m so thankful he hung around till I said a resounding “Yes!”  I’m still glad I made that decision.  Sure, there have been rocky times in our marriage and a few bumps in the road, but those times only served to make us stronger and re-commit our love to each other.  God is faithful!

Now, a little bit about our goings-on the past few weeks.  In short: Missing y’all!  We’ve definitely been awol!  We are off the road now and planted on home turf for quite a while.  After being on the road for 35 days the sight of home said, “Welcome back!”

Still fresh from the exciting weekend of Anna and Justin’s wedding on April 24, we took Gail to the Charlotte airport on the following Monday, then we got busy getting our “stuff” together and prepared to hit the road on Wednesday, April 28.

Although I wrote briefly about Anna and Justin’s wedding in a previous blog, I do want to talk a little more about that special time.  What an experience it is to be present your first grandchild’s wedding!  It was such a meaningful and special time that we shared with so many dear and treasured friends.  Many had come long distances, and memories still etched in our hearts for many years were re-kindled and we added another beautiful layer of memories during our time together.  Art and Merritt had arranged for us to have a central meeting place at our hotel - a lovely hospitality room where we had plenty of space to meet and greet, eat, tell old war stories again and again - with slight variations maybe – and in general, re-connect with family and friends, some from Texas and Louisiana and other places.  We were honored that so many came to share in the joy of Anna and Justin Beam uniting their hearts and lives.  The church, North Anderson Baptist Church, provided a lovely, quaint setting.  From all we hear, Mr. and Mrs. Beam had a lovely honeymoon and are enjoying their new togetherness!  The wedding was sweet and it was indeed touching to experience that sacred time with our loved ones and friends.  Perhaps most touching, however, was to realize Anna and Justin’s deep Christian love and commitment to each other and to their Lord.

Following the lively wedding reception, we continued our good times at a lovely home on Lake Hartwell where Art and Merritt graciously entertained all the out-of-town guests who could stay for a while longer.  Magically, amid all the usual hustle and bustle of the wedding week, they had prepared a scrumptious meal for everyone.  Jambalaya and seafood gumbo gave it a definite Louisiana flair.  It was great!  You could feel the love in that room and the enduring connection that binds us all together as the family of God.

Now, back to our travels.  Once again we had our GPS set on Texas!  Not that we needed it, of course.  We drove all day on Wednesday, April 28, and arrived in Longview, TX in time to pay a quick visit to my sister, Bea, who was recovering from the previous day’s surgery to repair a previous hip surgery! Bless her!  In a few days she was discharged to a rehab facility to further heal and have intense physical therapy.

During our stay at Bea’s we became participants in our own version of World Changers.  If you know Bill well at all, you know that he must have a project going at all times.  This project included a complete re-arranging, tossing, labeling containers, storing others, and in general making Bea’s garage/storage building much more accessible for her and enabling her to enjoy its spaciousness.  She was amazed when she got a firsthand look at it one afternoon when the rehab facility permitted us to bring her home for a brief visit.  Brother Claude was invaluable in helping Bill, especially in loading the truck for its multiple trips to Goodwill and the local land fill.  Denise, Bea’s daughter, was also very helpful in sorting and deciding what should stay or go.  (I think we all qualify for the TV show that spotlights this sort of activity!)  Lest you think we took advantage of Bea’s being incapacitated, we had her total authority to make decisions and dispose of anything we felt had seen its usefulness or just was no longer needed.  My favorite activity, and I was in full swing!

Well, we messed up on one thing right off the bat!  (Would you believe that the first thing Bea needed when she got home from the health facility was the cover for her patio table umbrella!)  Bill had exercised discretion earlier and determined that he could not determine what the funny looking “sleeve” was, so he determined that it go in the “toss it” group.  Bea was sweet and forgave us.  Being depression children, she and I came with a DNA that says, “I might need that one day.”

With a tear or two, we said goodbye to Bea that morning – still in the rehab at that time – as we headed to Springdale, AR, where the pace really picked up!  Hannah was one busy gal as she and Karen got ready for graduation, Awards Day, etc., at Shiloh Christian School.  Luke had just completed his first year at John Brown University and was home for the summer.  We are so proud of both of them!  Hannah was one of several valedictorians (as a grandmother it’s ok if I tell you she had the highest GPA?).  She received several honors and awards at Awards Day and plans to enroll at Evangel University in Springfield, MO in August.  There she will pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.  She and Luke are both taking summer classes at a local community college.

One day while there, we made a day trip to look at the campus of Evangel.  We were very impressed with its Christ-centered focus on Christian education.  We even got to view a “cubicle” which was representative of what Hannah’s dorm room will look like. 

A highlight of our time at Andy’s was getting acquainted with Lucy!  Lucy is a sweet little “Puggle”, a breed we never heard of: half pug and half beagle!  She’s a cutie pie for sure.  She is still learning the ropes on what is appropriate behavior for inside the house.  Technically, she is Karen’s dog.  Andy says Lucy was cheaper than therapy treatments for Karen, in anticipation of Hannah’s leaving for college! J

Our RV had been waiting in Arkansas for our return since January when we’d said goodbye to Andy’s family during a blast of frigid, frozen precipitation!  Thankfully, we found everything to be in good order, thanks to Andy’s watchful eye.  No burst pipes in the camper!

One special highlight of our time in NW Arkansas, was meeting up with my great-nephew, Mark Richardson, and his beautiful wife, Leslie, and their sons Alex and  Andrew.  The Richardsons are living in the area due to a job change for Mark.  It may turn into a permanent move, but it is a wait and see game right now.  We had a fun get-together at Mimi's Cafe in Rogers, AR and it was a wonderful evening, especially since we had not seen them in a few years!  Mark and Leslie have lived in the Dallas, TX area since they married, so if the move becomes permanent, it will be a big change for them, for sure, moving away from both sets of parents.  They are in "God's waiting room" right now and are ready to go/stay wherever He leads them.
 

Leaving Arkansas, wagging our camper behind us this time, we headed for Memphis.  There we enjoyed seeing our friends Ralph and Peggy Jones, and sharing a wonderful meal together that evening.  Ralph is Bill’s friend from LeTourneau and we have maintained a deep friendship to this day. 

The next day we made it to Crossville, TN and reached Gatlinburg the following day, May 26.   While there, we enjoyed 3 days of Bill Gaither’s annual Family Fest, held at the convention center.  It was marvelous!  Music, music, music!

We parked at a very nice RV Park, Twin Creek, not far from downtown Gatlinburg.  On Thursday May 27 our friends from Greenville, Dave and Mary Sue Rice – who were also there for the Gaither event -  invited us to tour Cade’s Cove with them.  During the tour we saw 3 historic churches and lots of bear and deer.  The meadows were abloom with lovely wildflowers and of course the mountain views were spectacular and caused us to marvel once again at the greatness of Our Lord.  Mary Sue even treated us to an impromptu picnic from the trunk of their car while parked on the grounds of the Primitive Baptist Church, which is still maintained by the national park service and was of special interest to me.  My daddy was Primitive Baptist.  I don’t believe they are as flourishing as they were many years ago, but it stir a few memories of the acapella singing, foot-washing, etc. of an earlier time.

We returned home to Lancaster on Tuesday, June 1.  It was good to be home!  Even with the collected mail, loads of laundry, and all the catch-up to do, we felt a sense of great satisfaction and gratitude for all God had allowed us to do and experience the previous 5 weeks.  We thanked Him for friends and family who watched over our “stuff” while we were gone, for those who prayed for our safe travels, and for allowing us to spend time with loves ones in Texas and Arkansas and enjoy His beautiful creation along the way.  We are very blessed!

Once again, I’m grateful for today, June 17.  I’m grateful for the rich experiences of being married to Bill.  We have many friends who have not had the privilege of a long marriage and my heart aches for them.  But while we all still have each other, let’s hold them tightly and say “I love you” a little more often.

Till next blog!

William Alton Morris and Velta Rebecca Gray Morris
June 17, 1961, Pinewood Park Baptist Church
Longview, TX