Romeo and Juliet

At a post Halloween, costume party, Mary and Mike came together as Romeo and Juliet. Looks like dressing up sure can be fun........

Joe and Isabelle got to spend the night with Mimi and Grandad!

I am happy to announce that Mike and Mary will celebrate their 14th Wedding Anniversary on November 6th and Kim and Tom celebrated their 17th on November 3rd! Happy, happy Anniversary and prayers and wishes from Grandad and me for many, many more!

B O O !

The Halloween Nerd

Last night was a not-so-sp00ky night at Mimi and Grandad’s. For one thing, Grandad wasn't here. He went to join in the festivities at Shannon and Molly's house - their annual night of Halloween fun. There is always a party on the front porch of their house, complete with a candy-encompassed skull shrieking “take one!"as the kids approach; a well appointed table of eyeballs, green gruel, a bowl of worms and the like, is available for all who missed dinner. This year there were two coffins with spooky voices shouting out at approaching treaters. Even Magic, their greyhound, joined the fun, lying in costume at the foot of the stairs. They had hoards of kids come by, and everyone enjoyed getting in on the action.

Brother Nerds...

On the contrary, here at the Heath, few spooks knocked at my door. Now, as much as I dislike Halloween, I miss the children dressed in fairy costumes and pumpkin suits, holding out bags to be filled with the treats that I carefully picked to please them. It seems that the eleven houses in our neighborhood won’t produce enough of a haul to make it worth the walk around the cul de sac.

Back in "my day", Halloween was quite different. As I recall, after school, Betty, Judy, Hugh and I would head off to the attic looking for something we could make a costume out of. I mostly remember coming up with a “hobo” costume, ripping and layering some old clothes (it was colder then and the layers usually felt good). We would put black stuff (charcoal) on our faces to look dirty and we were good to go! I'm sure, if we could find an old one, a bed sheet over our heads with cut-outs for the eyes would have made a pretty good ghost, but I don't remember actually doing that myself. I would sometimes go as a "lady" - I liked dressing up in Mother's old dresses and putting on lipstick...but never did we buy a costume!

We always went out just before dark, when we couldn’t wait any longer to leave the house. I remember how hard it was to wait for darkness to fall; besides, I was always afraid to stay out too late, even though the prospect of getting candy overcame most of my fears. You see, the later it got, the fewer little kids there were, and the more older, firecracker-throwing boys lurked the streets...Now, in the dark, THAT WAS SCARY!

Back then you could always count on some tricks being played: soap on windows and cars, t.p. in trees and turned-over flower pots on the front porches of people not at home. That was what made Halloween scary for me…those people who were out there that would do that sort of thing! (But if the truth be known, I still don't like to watch scary movies or see gruesome pictures...okay, I'm a chicken.)

Ultimately, my siblings and I would arrive back home, after staying out as long as we could in order to gather as much of the annual all-you-can-eat candy as possible. Back then you only got one small piece at a time; it was really hard work! Houses were further apart then, too, and people didn’t have unlimited supplies. When they ran out, lights were turned off and tricks were played. Anyway, we would all pour out our sacks, sort, count and exchange (this was the one time when different tastes and a lot of siblings came in handy).

I don’t ever remember grown-ups being involved in Halloween. This was OUR time, and if you could survive the night…the rewards were awesome! Except for Christmas, treats were never so plentiful and the goal was to make it last for as long as you could.

I thought about all nine of my grandchildren tonight…out there, somewhere, beneath the same moon light…wondering how you looked in your costumes, how much candy was in your bags and if you were having a good time. I just can't wait for more pictures!

My sister, the hygienist, would want me to remind you to be sure to brush your teeth after eating all that candy!

Thanks to the S-C's for the great pictures. A Halloween Nerd and his brother with an adorable bunny rabbit...bet they hauled in enough candy for the rest of the year! Great costumes guys.

(Hey, I just got a picture of Clark Gable and his Pirate friend, with a promise of more pics to follow!)

Got Halloween Pictures? I'll post them.
Mimi Josh and Melissa's first pumpkin carving as a married couple.

Perhaps Love

I went home this past week to spend a little time with my mother and to attend a Floyd family reunion. I had to get up early on Friday morning to take Mother to get an MRI at a diagnostic center just a few blocks behind her big house on Church Street. I lay in bed, taking a few extra minutes, thinking about the house, listening to the cars pass by outside the window of the room that I once shared with my two sisters over 50 years ago. It isn't exactly the same, but it hasn’t changed that much in the 40 plus years that I have been gone.

My childhood home must be way over 100 years old; and oh, if these walls could talk! I don’t mean “skeletons in the closets” kind of talk, I mean the kind of talk that families learn from, laugh about, and hold dear. As I looked around I recalled chandeliers being hit by practicing yoyos and operatic singing coming from the kitchen during the preparation of a family dinner. I could almost hear the clicking of the adding machine on Thursday nights while accounts were being balanced on Dad’s insurance books, and three teenage girls talking on the one telephone located on the desk in the middle of the house. I thought about the long hours my mother must have waited in the bathroom for me to come home from a late night date. (Did she do that for all the girls?) She listened to every detail and asked endless questions.

I began to understand and see clearly how all the memories of yesteryears, in this home, have brought comfort and peace when tragedy raises its ugly head.

I hope you will stop and think of the connections each of you are making among yourselves and those that make your house a home. I want you to be aware that when good times are spent together, over extended periods of time, it prepares you and yours for the times when things aren’t so easy. It will give you a safe place to go, even if only in your heart and mind, when and if your world comes crashing down.

We’re about to come to the anniversary of my sister’s death… I remember my Dad checked out of the nursing home, took his place at the helm of the family and held us strong, even in his weakness. We followed his lead, and, together, we did what would have been impossible to do alone. Then the time came that we had to persevere without Dad…and because of his example and his love, we did just that.

I love the line in the old John Denver song that says:

“Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those time of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home.”

I pray these times will be few in your lives, but they are part of life, and if you live long enough, they will happen. Just remember, you can always gather around each other to cushion the blows as well as to share the laughter.

“If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you.”

Mom/Mimi

P.S. Mom’s MRI showed a small stroke. She is fine, and on a medication that, we hope, will prevent it from happening again; but keep her in your prayers. She loves you so.

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Oh! At the Floyd Family reunion (this was the 10th year that the reunion has taken place) Rep. Stratton Bone from the Great State of Tennessee came for what we thought was to be a speech about why one of our favorite family members, Edsel Cordell Floyd, was honored by the State by having a bridge in Watertown named after him, but instead got up and presented the family with a House of Representatives Proclamation honoring the Floyd Family itself. Wow! The proclamation is quite impressive (I'm sure another favorite family member and historian, Kenneth Anderson Floyd, must have supplied the detailed data!). You come from a good family, kids, pass it on.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fweakijam/FloydFamilyProclamation?authkey=hFJrBQZVq5E

An Amazing Day...

Our week end started off, on Saturday, with a couple of pretty terrific ball games, and inbetween games, a tour of Mike and Mary's new home. Sunday (after church) speaks for itself in the above slide show...enjoy!

Morgan visits Isabelle's new bedroom...Wow!

A Fall Day to Remember...

October 6, 2007 will go down in history as the day Jeremy asked Kate for her hand in marriage....

With the back drop of Acadia National Forest in Bar Harbor, Maine, at hand, from Cadillac Mountain to the sea, with majestic historical lighthouses and a palette of magnificent fall colors on every tree, Kate's answer to the timeless question, "Will you be my wife? " was, "YES!"

And here starts another branch of our family tree. Jeremy has been carefully chosen by Kate, to be part of us. In this blessed family, where we have come to realize that the more love we give away the more we have, Jeremy will take his place among us; and as our love increases, it multiplies our joys and divides our sorrows. Welcome Jeremy! Our hearts have already grown fond of you and we look forward in the future to hearing details about marriage plans...And to #6; I don't have to tell you (or anyone else for that matter) how happy I am that you have found your one true love. During your months of preparation, you will be in my daily prayers. I will lift you up and sing praises for your happiness. I will always be but a phone call away.

Congratulations to you both; may your joy be contagious and your promise treasured.

As you start your journey together, know that you are loved,

Mom

All about Tom

Click to read.

Time to enjoy...

How cute is this! The Regas family has moved and while unpacking boxes, Aunt Mary gave William a few things that Joe had outgrown. This hat was one of those things. I think it really suits Will's personality. He was delighted!

Mike and Mary's house is BEAUTIFUL! Grandad and I took a picnic over Saturday night and stayed with the kids for a couple of hours while Mike and Mary went out for some alone time over dinner. I couldn't get Grandad out from in front of the big screen HD Television downstairs or Joe and Andrew from the big screen in the upstairs TV room, so Issy and I played games in the very large unfinished basement. Mary created a special play area in the space for Issy and friends to enjoy. She has done a super job making her new house a gorgeous home, and Mike is seeing to it that all pictures are hung straight and that every construction detail is finished. I'm hoping to get to spend the night in the guest room in the future, and if you're smart you will make reservations too!

Great job guys, you can build a house for me any day. I understand that Kim, of Regas Interiors, pitched in, too, with a few helpful suggestions (It's nice to have a decorator in the family). When it gets all finished, I will have a photo shoot so you can see the inside of the house right here on Chatterbox. Stay tuned!!

(Weekend bonuses: 1. I got to go shopping and spend the day with Kimberly on Friday. 2. Ford and Joe won their football games on Saturday and both had a great personal game. 3. Joe and Andrew spent the night with me on Saturday night and I got to sit with them in church on Sunday morning. I had a lot to praise about! 3. Tom and Emily spent the weekend together at Calloway Gardens on an Indian Princess retreat. 4. Grandad got to ride his motorcycle after church on Sunday. 5. Molly, Ford and I'm not sure who else, went to the GA Tech game and watched Tech upset Clemson.)

Looking at football in a new light...

Okay, so I'm not so keen on football, but I gotta tell you when I see my grandsons playing, it's like watching William singing, Andrew, Morgan and Emily in a play, Isabelle cheerleading and I'm sure the many things that Keegan and Aidan do that I am missing...they are working hard and doing their best to perform, and it is indeed thrilling! Let me tell you more...

Last Saturday, in order to spend some time with my husband (Grandad), I decided to go to the morning and afternoon Junior High and Little League football games in which Ford and Joe, respectively, were playing. I don't go to many games, because; if I go to one, I must go to the other, plus all the other events that my very talented grandchildren are involved in. Weekends can get full and someone could get left out! I won't even talk about the fact that, except for the plays that the boys are involved in, I don't much care for football. That said, I did come to realize a few things last weekend that I want to share.


Boys and football; I don't pretend to understand, but I do know that it's been almost 50 years since Grandad played and he still carries the medal of honor for his efforts! He still remembers every play and he still gets excited at the memory. What is it about boys and football?

Then I watched Ford and Joe last Saturday. They have sweated in 90 plus degree temperatures for weeks now, getting ready for games. They have exercised to make themselves stronger, run drills, drank gallons of water so they wouldn't dehydrate, learned plays, stayed up late to do homework after practice, and given up Saturdays for the games. Watching them on the field, I realized that what they do, really does matter. Each player has to hold up his assignment in each play, and if he doesn't, the man they are supposed to be blocking will hit a team mate, causing a fumble, yards to be lost, a fourth down turn over and worse yet, a team mate to be piled upon and hurt. If you don't do your job...everybody knows when the play is later analysed about what went wrong. Each player has a job to do, each player is counted upon and it takes all of them to win. Wow! That's a lot of pressure, a lot of responsibility...and... a lot of satisfaction when you are on a winning team.

Families are kind of like that. Everybody plays a really important role (position). Everybody is needed to do his or her job to keep the family strong and bonded. We all feel bad when one member gets hurt, or fumbles or when we have failed to block the obstacles that might have prevented it. We also all rush together when there is a problem to be tackled and we kick the heck out of trouble and go for the goal!. Yea! Yea!...Sorry, I got carried away.

Anyway, we might have a few bad days, but I know what it's like to be on a winning team and I would stand up with enthusiasm and cheer any day for this family...so I guess I can kinda, sorta, understand football, like being a cast member in a play. Our boys are hard working, devoted team players and I sure am proud of them. May they pass on the tradition, whatever team they are on...like their fathers. I'm going to be watching with more interest than ever!

-Mimi

I must tell you, also this past week end, Mary and Isabelle ran in a Fun Run to raise money for Issy's school. Issy ran a mile and Mary, three! Good work girls.

Unusual Uses of ADR

From the pages of the Henning Herald, September edition:

More than Just Personal Injury and ContractsTypically mediation and arbitration are viewed as methods to address situations that would lead to civil litigation. However, trained mediators, including Henning neutrals are increasingly involved in situations that go beyond the standard cases a mediator might see.
Henning neutral Terrence Lee Croft recently received an urgent call after midnight from the Alpharetta police department requesting his help in attempting to negotiate the surrender of a homeowner to a police swat team that had surrounded his home. The homeowner's wife, who was not in the home, had told officers that Croft was the only person her husband would trust in this serious and potentially life-threatening situation. Croft spent the rest of the night and early morning hours assisting the authorities. Finally, after daybreak, the homeowner asked for Croft. Croft called the homeowner on his cell phone, while simultaneously talking on another phone with the captain of the assault team. Croft persuaded the homeowner to surrender to the authorities just before they executed an armed invasion of the home. As a result, the homeowner's life was spared. He is now in jail, awaiting disposition of the charges against him, which arose from an argument with a neighbor rummaging through the homeowner's trash.

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Terrence Lee Croft will speak at the ADR Annual Institute held at the Georgia State Bar Headquarters October 19. He will also address a meeting of lawyers and claims representatives of the Cincinnati Insurance Company November 1.

(P.S. With TLC's help (testifying in a pretrial hearing), the guy is out of jail now awaiting his day in court.)

Kimberly has a birthday!

I write today to honor Kimberly. She is having a birthday tomorrow, you know, and I am here to remember the day she was born.

When I first looked into those eyes of my baby girl, I saw eyes of understanding on the face of an angel. She seemed to know that I had a very active one-year-old, I was half way across the world from my own mother, and I needed her to give me grace and keep me calm… she has been my source help me ever since.

This year, she worked tirelessly to give Nana and me a special luncheon, celebrating our 60th and 80th birthdays. She has also spent months redecorating our master bathroom at the Heath; patiently trying to please and excite this grumpy old Mother who has a hard time with change. Can I tell you that with both of these major projects (on top of all her other business, being a full-time parent and wife, not to mention an advocate for Christ) she did a super job.

Kim, you are my rock and you are every Mother’s dream for her little girl and every child’s dream mother. Your birthday gifts (given by God 41 years ago) are abundant and I am so proud of you.

Do you know where I’m going with this? Indeed, when I look inside your life, I see your Father’s Eyes and I know you will always be heaven bound. Happy birthday dear daughter.

I love you,

Mama

Today was fairy busy.

Even the most grown up of children can allow themselves to indulge in childhood fantasies every once in a while. So I suggest to you, when life seems a little fast, take a day off, find a friend (one that you can trust), and build a fairy house. Just watch the day slow down.

We did...

P. S. Granddaughters, wanta make a fairy house with me? -Mimi

Photo-Op in the Mountains

What fun Kate and I have had today with the camera (I say THE camera because she dropped hers in a cup of coffee and sadly it no longer wants to turn on). The sun was so pure and bright, washed by the soaking rains of yesterday, that everything looked fresh and beautiful. The wind blew and the waterfall showed its magic.

Later in the day, Terrence arrived and joined in the fun.

We had a suprise visit with Willard and Cherie Sisson.

Kate had a lesson in the making of Mrs. Oliver's famous cake.

We cooked a wonderful dinner together.

Took an after dinner walk and made fairy bouquets.


I'm going to bed happy....Good night.

Who says you can't go back home again?

Oh, the joys of the mountains!

Kate and I are enjoying four days together in our beloved North Georgia mountain. We have already (after only two days) provisioned and prepared, spent late night hours in good mother/daughter conversation, watched the heavy down pour of rain renew the forest and fill the creek, spent a day at the Oliver's canning pumpkins and delighting in our time together, done candlelight yoga to a beautiful mix of music that Kate put together, while also listening to the roar of a storm swollen creek. We have eaten two great dinners, prepared mostly by Kate and watched one of the six movies that we brought. The small things that have filled in the time between these events have all been a delight as well. You can tell by the smiles on our faces that there is no place like home, and for us the mountains will always have a room among the places that have nurtured us.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring! The weather is suppose to clear, so we have a hike to the waterfalls, and beyond, planned, maybe another movie before Terr gets here to take us out to the theater and to dinner in Blue Ridge tomorrow night....

Of course, before we leave, we must build at least one fairy house and make some time for creek play.

So much to do! I'll let you know...

Sisters

My cousin Susan and her husband Mike, lovingly took my Aunt Dot (Susan's mom) and my mother, Gwen (Dot's sister) on a five day vacation to Charleston, SC. They did a similar vacation last year, with much success and are already planning next year's adventure. They drive, eat in wonderful restaurants, stay in a nice hotel, look at the area sights and do a little shopping as well. This year they even had a overnight stay with cousin Bob, in Conyers, on the way down.

Mike and Susan do this with the kindness, care and generosity of those who are younger, more agile, and better suited for baggage toting, and long hours of safe driving.

I was lucky enough to have them for dinner and a sleep-over on their way back to Tennessee.

After a delightful evening, Susan and I tucked our precious mothers in, joined hands and hearts together and prayed together before going off to bed ourselves...What a sweet moment. I shall never forget the circle of heart-felt prayers and the feel of soft, familiar hands in mine.

(I wonder if my sister will sleep with me when I'm over 80! I thank these two for pretending they were asleep so they could get rid of us and talk with each other late into the night...Gave me something to look forward to!)

Sisters...it's a beautiful thing.

Nana, Dot and Polly, Phyllis and Geraldine, and Judy and Merry, Kim, Kate,Kristin and Bethann, Natali and Alla, Molly, Marie, Sarah and Julie...goodness, who am I leaving out? Not many sisters in the immediate family! We are so luck to have each other. I thank God every day for mine. She has become even more important to me since I have only the memory of another. I always look forward to time spent together (even if she is cleaning my teeth!) as well as our Friday morning telephone conversation. No one knows me better.

So this blog is a tribute to Sisters and to the people who love them.