Joe Ends the Season on a High Note!

JoeS final game of the 2009 Season from Merry Croft on Vimeo.

Joe's final game of the 2009 Baseball Season!

I did the video but had to hire the professional to write this technical blog.

From the Sports Desk of

Terrence aka "Grandad"...

On Friday night, Joe Regas' Phillies, finished second in the league playoffs. Joe was a key player for his team all season long. In the early games, his pitching kept the Phillies undefeated, and his big bat helped pile up the runs. Then, about a month ago, he fractured his left wrist sliding into third and missed about 3 weeks of competition. The Phillies struggled without Joe in the lineup, and they lost about as many games as they won. He tried to keep his pitching arm in condition by throwing to his dad, as often as he could. Then, when the doctor said his cast could come off, which the league required before Joe could resume play, Joe returned to the mound and the Phillies won enough to get into the championship game. Joe started as pitcher, and did well against a very good opposing team, but his fielders gave erratic support and several unearned runs were scored on the Phillies, who lost by a score of 10-3. Late in the game, when the Phillies were dragging, Joe came to the plate with a look of fierce determination and one of his team mates on first base. Joe hit a monster inside the park home run. He rounded the diamond so swiftly that he almost caught up with the player in front of him. Joe will play on Saturday in the All-Star game. We are so proud of Joe and the way he fought to overcome his injury and his strong performance in the championship game.
Terrence Lee Croft

William's first day of Summer Vacation 2009

My Grandson and I shared some precious moments today, walking several miles, taking pictures, talking, and just being together. We made it all the way to The Westminster Schools where we were going to take pictures of their recently planted organic garden, a gift for Kate, when we just ran out of steam and had to turn back. We will go back with the car and finish our mission in the near future! We know where the garden is, after talking to the security Guard there, and will finish our mission asap!

We learned a lot today, and it was all good.

The youngest Graduate...

William graduated pre-school from Landmark Christian, this past Tuesday. He is headed, well equipped, to kindergarten next year at River Eves Elementary in Roswell, GA. We are very proud of our very bright, youngest family member! He can actually read that diploma he is holding!

Way to go WILL-I-AM !

Mountain time

I am enjoying some beautiful, reflective, quiet time in the mountains. It is perfect...except I miss T.

BETHANN PASSES THE BAR!

Today Bethann got the news that she passed the California Bar Exam!

Years had passed and the California Bar is one of the most difficult bar exams to pass, this is no small feat! We are all so proud of you and I'm sure your father is beaming with three of his children now following in his footsteps...(not to discredit your mother, in anyway!)

Beth received her JD from Emory University’s School of Law in 2001. Before that, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in 1994. Deciding late to use her degree and become a lawyer, Beth left her position as Regional Vice President with Princeton Review, worked part time for Daiogo & Pedersen, LLP (Kristin's Law firm) and study for the Bar.

Beth will be sworn in to practice law in California in the near future.

Congratulation Beth!

Kristin and Alan's Weekend Celebration

The slide show is a bit long, for those outside the family, but I so seldom get any of my California family in Atlanta that I got carried away with taking pictures. Hopefully, with Alan's family here, they will have even more reason to come and visit in the future!

It was a glorious event, topped off with Alan's mother and father's 50th wedding anniversary and Alan's Dad having his 80th birthday!

In September, we are looking forward to Krisin and Alan's wedding that will take place in California.

Thoughts of children

My Grandchildren stop by for a visit on Mother’s Day.
They tell me stories of the day gone by, and the evening to come.
On the piano they serenade me with what they have learned.
We eat ice cream and cake and anything else I can find to entice them to come back again.
I love days like this when I get to see or hear from all my grand ones.
They remind me of the children I once had and cherished...
The ones who shared those grandchildren with me today, as their best gift of love on Mother’s Day.
May the circle be unbroken. -M

The Knight of Apostlelot Speaks

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of writing the finale for Apostlelot, the children's drama ministry at our church. It was my first attempt at writing a script for the show and it happened to be quite a special one. It included a recognition of all the rising 5th graders. As of next year, they will leave Apostlelot to enter the middle school Student to Student ministry (STS). In the words of the Sage, who reads stories to the other characters every week, "STS is the next chapter in the storybook of their lives. In STS, they will continue to grow in the Lord through wonderful teaching and fellowship with their fellow students."It was a bittersweet time, as we call one of those rising 5th graders our own. We are so proud of Emily and who she is becoming as she moves closer and closer to becoming the young woman God has planned for her to be. We wish her the best on that journey, with God's grace, as well as Mommy and Daddy leading her along.And so, with a heart balancing equal measures of joy and sadness, the Knight bids farewell to the young lady, Miss Emily. He will continue on in Apostlelot next year. But he has lost a very special audience member.

Tom - (Daddy to Emily)

Tom, as the Knight, inducted Andrew, sometime later, as the Page; then a year or so ago, Kimberly, as nurse Missy, joined the cast and has served the kingdom of Apostlelot faithfully. (Emily makes guest appearances from time to time.) Using their gift of drama to teach the children God's principles and His word, memorizing lines and showing up early for Sunday School to run scenes, has been a huge contribution from this entire family. I commend you all. Congratulations, Emily

-Mimi

Chatterbox Temporarily Commandeered - Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

“Green sap of Spring in the young wood-a-stir
Will celebrate the Mountain Mother,
And every song-bird shout awhile for her!”

- from "The White Goddess" by Robert Graves

Beautiful Mountain Mother,
Who makes the ferns of my heart unfurl,
Though we set aside this one spring day
To pay tribute to you,
The whole vernal season sings your honor –
Each flowering seed nourished by the warm earth
Opens tender palms in gratitude.

Today everything reminds me of you –
The smell of my kitchen,
The shape of my hips.

In a poem I read as a student and disdained
Anne Sexton said “a woman is her mother
And that is the main thing.”
A poem I read this morning and devoured
Said, “We lived together
In a single skin” and
“It was only a form of you
My poems were seeking.”

My life is a poem.
But what form?
The slender nymph
Perched impossibly in a doorframe?
The silver-haired daughter hovering
At her mother’s shoulder?
A sunbrowned face
And proud grandmother smile?

All these,
And none of them:
Mountain Mother,
Etched in whimsy and light,
Collector of creek stones
And snail shells.

No words,
No salt from my hands,
Could capture your wild heart.

I love you,

Kate

Mother's Day

My heart sings the praises today of the devoted mothers in our family. Of course my mother and my grandchildren's mothers are all worthy of the title. In my experience, there is no greater gift than that of a good mother. It can make a lifetime of difference.

Happy, Happy Mother's Day to you and all the good *Mothers in my extented family!

(*That's the women who love their children with all their being and give them their very best. You know who you are. :)

P.S. I love you, Mama, thank you for a life time of all things big and small.

Remembering Daddy's Birthday

Papa

I remember when you walked
in autumn
across the mountains,
alongside the streams that seep
out of the rocks where one hill cleaves
to another,
your silver hair tangled in the clouds you
were bigger than mountains.

Even then, muffled by our shuffles through
the painted autumn ruffles on the ground
the sound of your blood was
a hammer
welding wings
on the anvil of your soul
I do not mean that you were old
or you were dying then
but that your sprit knew of
flying then
long before your feet ever
left the ground.

I hope I paid enough respect
to the trains in the basement.
I think I was properly awed by the careful details of
your creation
but perhaps I should have
paid more attention
to the ways you made
electricity
because your spark is still keeping the lamps lit
in our hearts.

Once you drove me to the farm in your truck,
and even though it was just the two of us
you let me sit in those funny little-girl-sized seats in the back
but eventually I had to crawl forward to investigate
the emergency candy in the glove compartment.
I ate it
with grave seriousness.
Then we sang along to radio songs
(though neither of us knew the words so we both made up
baselines:
bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum...)

I'll miss you throned under the gilded tree
with your queen
surrounded by mountains
of gifts like
Father Christmas
But now like
Father Christmas
omniscient you're ever-present and benevolent
And I believe in you.

Thank you for your presents.

Kate Croft

My daughter, Kate, recreated it all in this poem that she wrote when her Grandfather died. (It is fitting that her picture is prominent in the blog below.) Her heart was mine and our hearts were his. She remembered Dad much like I did. It was worth revisiting on the occasion of his birthday. mc