Outside Looking In

The Outside Looking in at my Kitchen Window... by Rebecca our youngest daughter.

I just love it here, the other day Michelle went with Jem to Mr. B's country place to pick some turnips out of his patch. Lea and I filled a pretty basket with a wealth of our homemade Christmas cookies to bless Mr. and Mrs. B.

Michelle and Jem came home with 5 garbage bags of various greens and a huge bag of turnips. This morning I barely made a dent in the greens, filling my sink twice over. I spent over an hour cleaning the greens, I felt like a real farmer's wife, it felt good to prepare the greens with my hands, puttering quietly in the kitchen looking out the kitchen window at the pretty day outside through the majestic oaks.




The turnips? I'm fixing them the way my daddy says to fix them, the way his mother fixed them with Bechamel sauce. My Grandma Amelia was my German grandma, but I never had the privilege of knowing her on this earth. She passed away when my dad was around ten. Later my dad's brother ten years his senior also passed away. So. Sad. I have my Uncle Wesley's Rice University 1938 yearbook and his Kappa Sigma pledge book as well with his name elegantly written on the bookplate inside the book. I love having these things, I cherish them. I also have many of his textbooks including a Shakespeare play book...he was majoring in Drama.

"...He must be a gentleman...a man of honor and courage...a man of zeal, yet humble...an intelligent man... a man of truth... one who tempers action with wisdom and, above all else, one who walks in the light of God."
~ How Kappa Sigma pledges are to live.

I also have Uncle Wesley's leather chaps, he had a horse named Punkin. He would spend weekends on my great grandparents farm and many times on the West Ranch with Will, a black cowboy, they were bubs. : ) I also have his dress gloves from the private military school he and my dad attended in Biloxi Mississippi, I have his bank book too....it's so strange, you see the deposits dwindling down before his horrible young death. He was 23. I grew up in the house he passed away in. He had cancer of the pulmonary artery my dad's old friend, Dr. Bradley tells me. My dad tearfully told me you could see Uncle Wesley's teeth on the side of his face where the skin had been cruelly eaten away. Dr. Bradley? He is the son of Dr. Bradley Sr. the doctor who took care of our family back then. Dr. Bradley Jr. was my dad's running buddy when they were young. I suspect he is retired by now but was an o.b. at the Methodist in Midtown. Dr. Bradley tells me...(I love the way he said my name...Amelia) A gentleman with a Southern accent.

Honey, your uncle was just like his dad, and your dad was just like his mother...

My uncle was around 6'3" he and Daddy have a strong facial resemblance.

My dad seems to be suffering from depression this week, yesterday evening I called him and he answered the phone quietly...I can tell by his voice it was way too contemplative and quiet for my normally cheerful dad. I've since received confirmation of depression. I talked with him over an hour yesterday, he's not understanding people in his town being rude to him and stand-offish. My father is a southern gentleman, off color sometimes yes but also a southern gentleman, he knows his stuff on many things and it irritates me something awful to see anyone especially my father being treated like that. I've watched people raise eyebrows at him when he isn't seeing well, they don't know I'm his daughter and it's very hard for me not to tell them a thing or two. I try to console him telling him that our family sees the same behavior many times from people. (Because we do!) People who should know better. When I see young people behaving in standoffish and rude ways that are not Christ honoring I often ask why the parents are not seeing it. Do you think it's because the parents are also the same way? It seems some people may be very comfortable in their rudeness.

Sure, I do try to see the good in people, and do the right thing with both eyes wide open. People make mistakes, I'm the chief mistake maker trust me. : ) I do try to live with no regrets although I have many. Life is an onion, one layer at a time with Christ. But. We must listen and make some changes. When things become strange, we have to appreciate the sweet people, many times those in our own homes and that One. The Audience of One. Christ. Many times people who are as good as gold are right under our very noses....In fact this new year I'm looking forward for great Spirit led connections in Smalltown. My girls told me last night that I wasn't going to make those connections at the grocery store. (Ha.) Watch me. Marianna just heard me read that outloud and thoughtfully and truthfully said...."Yeah...don't underestimate grocery store fellowship". : )

Counting my blessings for all the sweet friends who took the time to say Hey and Happy Birthday to me privately and on my sweet daughter Michelle's facebook. It blessed my heart! Real family in Christ!

I'll close with a photo I snatched from Michelle's blog taken last year on Michelle's birthday coming up again! Life is a roller coaster I tell you!

....

Me, Michelle, Lea and Marianna...and little Rebecca is taking the picture. Life is tough being a great photographer.

That's quite enough for now...This thing is full of deep bunny trails...things on my mind this evening. What started off to be an entry on turnip greens has turned into a life story some of my friends may already know, thanks for bearing with me.

Remember, people don't want to know what we have to say until they know how much we care.

Love, ~Amelia

Jem and Mr. B in the turnip patch.