SEPTEMBER 11TH

JUST A FEW THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:
I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER SEPTEMBER 11TH.
IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE DATES THAT THINGS SEEM TO HAPPEN THAT STAND OUT IN MY MIND. SEPT. 11, 2001, WHAT A TERRIBLE DAY. I'M SOOO THANKFUL TO BE AN AMERICAN. I OFTEN THINK OF THE FAMILIES THAT THEIR LIVES WERE FOREVER
CHANGED THAT AWFUL MORNING. I SAT AND WEPT AS I READ THE BOOK "LET'S ROLL." KNOWING YOU WILL DIE, AND SAYING GOOD-BYE VIA PHONE, JUST WAITING, KNOWING YOU'LL NEVER SEE YOUR FAMILY AGAIN THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN.
I ALSO THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE I READ ABOUT THAT WERE LATE FOR WORK THAT DAY DUE TO SICK CHILDREN, FAULTY ALARM CLOCKS, TRAFFIC JAMS, ETC. THAT
WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE BUILDING OR ON THE FLIGHT HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE AGGRIVATION/HINDERANCES OF THE DAY. AND WAS I GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING TODAY? I WILL DO MY BEST NOT TO. THERE IS NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT! I DO PRAY FOR THE FAMILIES THAT TODAY WILL BE SUCH A HARD MEMORY FOR THEM TO LIVE WITH ALL DAY.

THEN, THERE IS SEPT. 11, 2004. THAT DAY IS PROBABLY ONLY SIGNIFICANT
TO US GEORGES. THATS THE LAST MORNING I AWOKE IN MY HOME AT BELMONT.
THE NIGHT BEFORE WAS SO HARD. I KNEW DEEP INSIDE THAT I WOULD NEVER
SPEND ANOTHER NIGHT IN MY HOME, MY WONDERFUL HOUSE THAT MY DADDY AND
SCOT HAD WORKED SO HARD ON 14 YEARS BEFORE. THE HOME I BROUGHT MY SON HOME TO FROM THE HOSPITAL; THE HOME THAT HAD MY DAUGHTERS HAND PRINT AND NAME ON THE FRONT PORCH IN CONCRETE; THE HOME WHERE MY HUSBAND FIRST TOLD ME HE WAS CALLED TO PREACH; THE HOME THAT HAD HELD BIRTHDAY PARTIES, PRECIOUS MOMENTS OF SMALL CHILDREN, WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS MORNINGS, SPECIAL TIMES SITTING ON THE FRONT PORCH WITH MY CHILDREN.
I KNEW SEPT. 11, 2004 THAT MOVING WAS GODS WILL, BUT FOR THIS BUT HUMAN
WIFE AND MOTHER, THAT WAS A HARD HARD DAY. MEN FROM THE CHURCH WE WERE GOING TO CAME TO HELP MOVE OUR FURNITURE. I CRIED, AND COULDN'T HELP IT. AND THEN, WHEN WE GOT TO THE PARSONAGE, IT WAS HECTIC ALL DAY.
I SLEPT ON THE COUCH FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER WE MOVED. WHEN I WOULD GO TO BED, I'D START THINKING AND I'D GET HOMESICK. SO, I WOULD JUST LAY ON THE COUCH AT NIGHT, MAKE SURE I HAD COVER, AND I'D GO TO SLEEP WATCHING TV OR READING. O.K. , BEFORE ANYONE THINKS I'M MISERABLE WHERE I AM, I AM NOT.
I LOVE THIS PLACE THAT WE SO LOVINGLY CALL "MAYBERRY." PATTON FLAT-OAKLAND COMMUNITY IS SO SWEET AND OUR CHURCH FAMILY ARE TERRIFIC.
I KNEW THE FIRST TIME WE CAME HERE, WHICH WAS MOTHERS DAY, 2004 THAT THIS IS WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE, BUT I KNEW I COULDN'T MAKE THEM ACCEPT US. THEY WERE LISTENING TO OTHER PREACHERS DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME TRYING TO FIND A PASTOR. THAT IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY THAT I WILL SHARE SOMETIME. IT'S QUITE INTERESTING.

BACK TO SEPT. 11TH HAPPENINGS. I WAS SHARING THIS STORY WITH A COUPLE OF THE LADIES AT THE CROSS COUNTRY PRACTICE TODAY. 2 YEARS AGO TODAY, I HAD AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE MY EYES CHECKED. I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH ONE OF MY EYES. MY LEFT EYE WAS SO RED AND I FELT SOOO UGLY. SEPT. 11 THAT YEAR WAS ON A MON. WE WERE OUT OF SCHOOL THAT WEEK. WE ALWAYS TAKE OFF A WEEK IN SEPT. WHEN SCOT TAKES VACATION. I LEFT EARLY ENOUGH TO GO BY WAL MART, MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME, TO PICK UP LAUNDRY DET. AND CLOROX. I HAD ANOTHER BAG ALSO WHEN I CAME OUT, SO I JUST PUSHED THE BUGGY TO MY VAN. (I HAD PARKED FARTHER OUT DUE TO MY VAN ONLY BEING A MONTH OLD!) WHEN I PUT MY BAG AND LAUNDRY DET. ETC IN THE VAN, I NOTICED A MAN IN A PICK UP ACROSS FROM ME STARING. IT WAS NOT A NORMAL STARE, IT WAS A STARE THAT I COULD EVEN FEEL. I WENT TO PUT THE BUGGY UP AND ON MY WAY BACK TO THE VAN I THOUGHT ABOUT GETTING IN MY VAN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, BUT THOUGHT SINCE IT WAS 3 IN THE AFTERNOON AND I WAS IN FULTON, MS FOR PETE'S SAKES, THAT WOULD BE SILLY. SO, I PROCEDED TO THE DRIVERS SIDE AND OPENED MY DOOR. WHEN I WAS ALMOST IN THE VAN, THE MAN IN THE TRUCK PULLED UP BESIDE ME AND GRABBED MY DOOR. HE MADE CERTAIN REMARKS TO ME THAT I'VE NOT TOLD ANYONE TIL THIS DAY AND HELD MY DOOR TO WHERE I COULDN'T CLOSE IT. I LOOK BACK, AND I KNOW IT WAS GOD THAT HELPED ME. I HAD NEVER BEEN FACED WITH ANYTHING LIKE THAT, AND I'M SO THANKFUL I HANDLED IT IN THE MANNER THAT I DID. I HELD ON TO MY DOOR FIRMLY AND JUST STARED AT HIM. I DID NOT SAY ONE WORD TO HIM, I JUST STARED HIM DOWN.
HE WAS SO INSULTED. HE SAT THERE A MINUTE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING ELSE TO ME, I SUPPOSE WAITING ON ME TO REPLY, AND WHEN I DIDN'T , HE SORT OF MADE A SLIR, AND LET GO OF MY DOOR AND DROVE OFF.
I HURRIED AND SHUT MY DOOR, LOCKED MY DOORS, AND JUST BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF. WHEN, I LOOKED IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR, HE WAS GONE. I JUST WANTED TO GET AWAY. I DIDN'T EVEN GO IN TO WAL MART AND REPORT HIM.
I DID SEE HIS TRUCK AFTER I STARTED DRIVING AWAY. HE WAS JUST GOING SLOW AROUND THE PARKING LOT. I GOT TO THE EYE DOCTOR AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND THEY CALLED WAL MART FOR ME AND REPORTED HIM.
BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND GO WITH YOUR GUT FEELING!
IT'S NEVER REALLY BEEN HUMOROUS TO ME, BUT ONE DAY I DID SAY... "THERE I WAS... OVERWEIGHT, OVER 40, A PREACHERS WIFE, AND MY EYE LOOKED AWFUL, AND HE WAS HITTING ON ME!!!"
NOW, I REALLY HAVE TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU. WHEN I GOT HOME THAT AFTERNOON, I WAS IN TEARS, AND I TOLD SCOT AND THE KIDS WHAT HAD HAPPENED. MOTHER CALLED LATER THAT NIGHT AND I TOLD HER WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID, "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GOING ON, BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHICH ONE OF YOU IT WAS OR WHAT IT WAS. RIGHT AFTER LUNCH, I BECAME SO BURDENED, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHY. I JUST STARTED PRAYING FOR YA'LL. AROUND 4 OR 5 O'CLOCK , THE BURDEN WENT AWAY." I BELIEVE TO THIS DAY THAT GOD PUT ME ON HER MIND AND HAD SHE NOT BEEN PRAYING FOR ME, I THINK THE SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. LESSON NUMBER 2, PRAY RIGHT THEN, DON'T PUT IT OFF WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE ON YOUR MIND OR IF YOU FEEL BURDENED ABOUT SOMEONE.
MY SWEET HUSBAND WOKE ME UP THE NEXT MORNING. WE HAD PLANNED TO GO TO THE BUFFALO PARK WITH THE KIDS THAT DAY, BUT IT WAS RAINING, SO I THOUGHT I'D JUST SLEEP A WHILE LONGER. SCOT TOLD ME TO GET SOME CLOTHES TOGETHER AND FOR THE KIDS AND ME TO GET READY WHILE HE WENT TO THE DENTIST. I TOLD HIM IT WAS RAINING SO WE COULDN'T GO TO THE BUFFALO PARK, AND ASKED HIM WHY I NEEDED TO GET EXTRA CLOTHES. HE SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING, BUT WE MIGHT NOT GET BACK HERE BY BEDTIME, SO JUST IN CASE, PACK EVERYONE A SUIT OF CLOTHES. NOW, I AM A PLANNER. I DON'T JUST UP AND LEAVE MY HOUSE IN A MESS AND TAKE CLOTHES THAT ARE NOT IRONED, BUT I DID THAT DAY. WE ENDED UP IN MEMPHIS. WE LOOKED AROUND DOWNTOWN, WENT TO MUD ISLAND, THE PINK PALACE, ATE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT CORKY'S, AND STAYED IN HOLIDAY INN THAT NIGHT. THE BEST GET AWAY I'VE EVER HAD
SCOT IS THE BEST! NEEDLESS TO SAY, SCOT PURCHASED ME AND NOELLE SOME PEPPER SPRAY. WE NAMED THEM. WE CALL THEM AUNT ESTHER!

TODAY WAS A GOOD SEPT. 11TH.
THE ONLY THING OUT OF THE ORDINARY THAT HAPPENED IS I FINALLY GOT A CELL PHONE!!!!! SCOT AND NOELLE EACH HAVE ONE, BUT I JUST NEVER FELT I NEEDED ONE UNTIL LATELY. SCOT GOT A COUPON WITH OUR MONTHLY CELL BILL AND I GOT A FREE PHONE, AND ITS VERY NICE!