Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 7:23 AM
Subject: Fwd: roaming thoughts
Art has such a good way with words! Can't help but want to share his memories--way back to World War 1
Well, yesterday, we picked 15 pounds of plums--and not knowing what to do with them--and not having eaten the ones we canned two years ago--we decided to try our hand at making plum wine. So we've got about 6 gallons of plums, water & sugar in this big plastic bucket with a lid. Wednesday we'll add yeast. And after a few months of racking, watching & tasting, we'll see if it's worth bottling. And if it is, what will we do with 30+ bottles of plum wine??? Will it be like the canned fruit? Just sit on the shelf? Does it get better with age--like the rest of us?
We also picked a quart of blueberries and enough figs to last 'til the fourth of July. And we went swimming twice this weekend--a real nice cooling change.
Love, Roger
Arthur Sanford <arthalie@webtv.net> wrote:
Subject: roaming thoughts
but first a thankfulness for tonight: Nathalie was in bed lying quietly and seemed ready for the night and then three of the dining room staff came by with a cart fulL of things for snacks and tho I am not a residents of Fox Hall I get to share and about 8;30 P.M. those ice cream bars are GOOD. and tonight Nathalie is quiet. well now for some roaming thoughts: what is it that causes thoughts to come to mind -separated from each other by years yet triggering the memory---today we were talking about Nathalie's brother, John, who went to be with the Lord so recently and yes there were tears while she was thinking of him: how long ago was it they saw each other and now it is final here on earth and yet we thought of how it must have been for him to walk into Glory and see his Lord, and then all the family--and somehow I remembered that day when their dad saw our son Dan-- and as he saw him coming he said with a big smile "well, look who's here" and I thought that would be Dad's greeting in Glory to John "Well now look who's here". then thinking of that reminded me of a song that came from World War I days. YES I can vividly remember those days. I will never forget that day when the mail came and there was a letter from my brother Ralph saying three things: he had enlisted in the army. well I knew what the army was - those were men who wore those beautiful uniforms, and carried guns, but enlisting was beyond my mind as a nearly 5 year old. then he said he would soon be leaving for France and I knew that was were there men killing each other for some reason and I wondered if he would be
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killed, then he said if he could get a furlough he would come home on it to say good bye. now what was a furlough? I knew the Wallicks had a silo and that sounded like what Ralph was coming on so could visualize him rolling down the road in a silo, which he never got so that didn't happen. well the next morning Mom told dad to harness the team she was going to town -- and somehow dad didn't question when Mom talked like that- well she came home with two things which I remember vividly: a little flag with a big blue star in the center which was a sign to all that in this home one of the boys was in the army. she hung that in the window facing the road so everyone passing by would see it. the other thing I remember was a piece of sheet music which stood on the organ all through the war--a picture of a mother holding her son and saying America Here's My Boy" and the only words I remember are: America here is my only boy, my only pride and joy, but if I had another he would march beside his brother, so America here's my boy" then she explained to us that Ralph was the only one old enough to go to war so the song was true even though she had four more sons. now that song which triggered the beginning of my wild thoughts from World War I was about a soldier leaving his sweetheart and reminding her that he would be coming back and the words I remember are: "goodbye means the birth of a tear drop, hello means the birth of a smile" so sad at parting but gladness at the reunion, and I thought: yes there are tears here on earth because a loved one has gone and we had to say goodbye, but what smiles there must be in Glory we read "we shall know as we are known" so what joy there must have been when Dad and Mom saw son John in Glory how big the smiles there and when those other loved ones saw their beloved one walking into Glory-- gives me goose bumps just thinking what it must be like. How wonderful here on earth to have family walk in after being away for just a few weeks or months even tho we know they will leave again in a few days and that will mean another goodbye —BUT there as the song tells us: "we'll never say good bye in Heaven, we'll never say good bye" wow that is exciting. and that is what makes it possible for us as Paul said "to sorrow but not like others who have no hope" because we have HOPE with capital letters. an our HOPE is spelled JESUS. and with that I leave you tonight with Love to all me
7/1/2002