MY LIFE - 2022

 

MY LIFE – 2022

 

It had been almost three years since the corona virus hit our country. Coronavirus is a group of viruses that cause a variety of respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases in humans and other animals. In 2019 it became a major pandemic. It affected different  people in different ways. There were several ideas of how it came into the USA. A rush was made to create a drug that would fight the virus. Several drug companies made available to all of the people an injection to ward off the virus. Like the good, law abiding citizen that I was I got my two recommended injections from Moderna.  Most of my friends did the same thing. A lot of schools shut down, people began to work from home, and churches either shut down or had parking lot services as well as online services. The hospitals were packed to over capacity and it was hard to find enough help. Families were not allowed to stay with their loved ones and many died with no one with them. Funerals became just a graveside service with only family in attendance. Restaurants became carryout only and many of them had to close due to not having any help and not being able to pay their expenses. People stayed in their homes and curbside car pick up became the new way of buying groceries. Online and Zoom became the way of attending school. Masks were mandatory in most every situation. When school finally started back the students had to wear mask and it created many problems.  Even today almost 3 years into the virus masks are still required in most hospitals, doctor’s offices and most medical facilities. For the most part I was living my normal life except for not going out several times a week. Our monthly get together with the Hillcrest friends had to be put on hold. My sisters and I stopped going out weekly. But in December of 2021 things were beginning to get back to normal.

 On Tuesday night the week of Christmas I went out with my sisters June, Phyllis, Mary, my brother in law Stan and my grandson Jonathan for dinner at Shoney’s. We had a great time and everyone was feeling good. No one was sick. On Wednesday I had a doctors appointment to get an injection for my low hemoglobin and afterwards I met Jonathan at El Chico’s for lunch. Twice while we were eating Jonathan had to go to the bathroom. Then just before we were fixing to leave I also needed to go to the bathroom. On my way back and going to the door to leave I got real hot and flushed and thought I was going to pass out. I questioned whether I should drive or let Jonathan drive but I went ahead and drove us home. Jonathan left for NC on Thursday and I began to feel worse. By Sunday I was really feeling bad and decided to take a Covid test. The test showed that I was positive for Covid. I was feeling worse each day so my daughter in law took me to a walk in clinic and I was tested again for Covid and again I tested positive. I was prescribed two different medications.

I started taking the medications but was not feeling any better. Jennifer came to Tennessee to check  on me and I remember very little about her being there. She wanted me to go to the hospital for them to check me and I remember it was all I could do to walk to the car. We went to Fort Sanders Hospital and the waiting room was packed. I don't remember how long we sat there but it was a very long time before I was examined. One of the reasons I went to Fort Sanders was because that was  where  my kidney doctor was located. After several hours I was admitted. This was January 4th. It wasn't until February 22 that I would leave that hospital and go to North Carolina for Rehab. During this time I was moved to different rooms and I was the second patient to be moved to the then new addition called Fort Sanders Specialty Select. Moving day was an all day event as they moved patient by patient to the new facility. I could not tell that the treatment was improved or any different. The hospital always seemed to be short of staff and most of the RN's were traveling nurses only there for short periods of time. I am sure with Covid so rampant it was like this at all the hospitals. 

A lot of my time at Fort Sanders is a blur. I could not breath and had to have oxygen. I think the only thing that kept  me off of a ventilator was the fact that I had always had good lungs and had never smoked or had any lung problems. I started out at a very high dose of oxygen but gradually was weaned off of it. I could not eat. They would bring meal after  meal and I would just look at it. I could not taste  and I had horrendous sores in my mouth. They said I had "covid mouth". I could not even turn from one side of the bed to the other. I had no strength. To sit up on the side of the bed was a major struggle. Getting into a chair was impossible. I had no control of my bladder or bowels. I had to be taken care of as you would a baby. I found out later that one of the problems was the fact that I only had one kidney. I had a kidney removed 19 years earlier due to having cancer. After they removed the kidney I never had any problems. I didn't receive any further treatment and as far as function I could tell no difference. But they told me that often Covid would attack the weakest part of your body and it apparently decided to bomb my other kidney. I am not sure that some of the medication they were treating me with didn't also hurt my kidney. So here I was as helpless as a new born baby. This was during the time when people were not being allowed to visit the hospitals or stay with their family. We finally got permission for Jennifer to visit a very short time each day. She did a lot for me that the nurses didn't do. She would ask me each time what she could bring me. She brought all kinds of food she thought I might be able to eat. She would clean my teeth, brush  my hair, change  my clothes, massage my feet with lotion. She made sure I had water to drink and would fill my diffuser with good smelling oils to  make  me feel better. The nurses liked to come in my room because it always smelled so good after Jennifer had been there. When the nurses would say there was no hope and ready to give up on me Jennifer would say not yet. When Jennifer would go home to NC, Byron would come and stay. He also would bring me food that he thought I would eat especially things that Mary would cook. He would stop and get me milkshakes, he bought me a cushion prop to use to prop up in the bed. I could never remember all the things Jennifer and Byron done to make things better for me. At this time Josh was not able to come due to Amanda's immune system being so low that she could  not take the risk of getting Covid or for him to get it and give it to her. He would call to check on me. So for the time I was in the hospital only Jennifer and Byron were allowed to come. David also would come and relieve Jennifer sometimes. One night when Jon was in Tennessee he was able to slip in under the title of clergy. I did not talk on the phone much but I received many, many cards. Jennifer and Byron made a post almost every day on Face Book to keep my friends updated on my condition. Many, many prayers went up for me and I know this is what finally pulled me through. 

Due to  not being able to eat they put a feeding tube in through my nose and into  my stomach. This was the worse thing in the world. It hurt every time I made a move. The solution to this was to remove it and put one into my stomach. This was done and they began to feed me through this tube which was much better. 

So  now since the Covid had hit my other kidney it was decided that I needed to go on dialysis. I was taken again to surgery and a Venous Catheter was put in to be able to do the dialysis. So now I had been to surgery three times. Once for the feeding tube, again for the abdominal feeding tube and then for the venous catheter. So three times a week they would do the dialysis. They would bring in this big machine and hook me up to it. A dialysis nurse would stay with me the entire time. It would take most of the day and even Jennifer could not visit during that time. I had several different nurses that did the dialysis but one of  my favorites was Diane Barker. We became Face Book friends and she still keeps up with me today. Sometimes just to feel better I would lay there and sing. At that time I still had a little bit of voice. Today I do  not have the volume or voice strength to sing very much. 

I had several doctors including  my regular Nephrologist. I made a mistake one day when they asked  me if I was depressed and I answered yes. Well, who wouldn't be with all of that going on. The next thing I knew I had a Psychologist coming to visit me. That was a joke. He would come in and he always had a joke to tell. When he found out I was a Baptist most of his jokes centered around that. Later when I began to get statements from my insurance company I couldn't believe that he was well paid for those 10 minute joke sessions. 

I wanted to give up. I was ready to give up. One night during the middle of the night I thought I can't take this anymore. So I called Jennifer, who was staying at my house, during the middle of the night and asked her to come and get me. I said please come and get me, take  me home, let me take a bath and put me in the bed and let all  my family come to see me. She would not do it. She said mom you're not ready to give up. You've got too much fight in you to give up. You're going to get better. Byron said let mom do whatever she wants to do. So we know who won this discussion. Today I thank Jennifer and Jon for fighting for me although at the time it was the last thing I wanted to do. You know in the Bible where it says that sometimes you need somebody to pray in your place and that was how it was. I needed someone to fight for me because I could do it  no longer.  

So then followed day after day of ups and downs. Every night I would be poked over and over to draw blood for labs. I looked like I had been in a fight and did not win. My arms and hands were bruised all over and my stomach where they gave me injections was even worse. I dreaded the nights because they would have to try several times to draw blood and if they couldn't they would call in someone else to try. It was miserable. The days began to pass and a little at a time there seemed to be some improvement. I was able to eat a little and sit up in a chair for a little bit. I hated to get up in a chair because the help was so bad that I would sit there for 5 hours before I could get help to lay back down. Physical and occupational therapy was called in and began to work with me to stand and to take a few steps. Time was passing slowly. I could see the snow falling outside through my window and the next thing I knew it was Valentine Day it was also Luke's birthday and he turned 16 years old. Jennifer got  me a beautiful Valentine throw for my bed.

As I said a lot of those days are a blur in my mind. It was finally decided I would be moved to a rehab center for therapy. The first place the case manager wanted to put me was at my former place of employment which was  now Beverly Park Place formally Hillcrest Nursing Institute where I had spent 25 years of my life working as a  LPN. I did not want to do this because I did not think their therapy was intense enough for the help I needed. They talked about Patricia Neal Rehabilitation and other places. Then Jennifer began to fight again. She said mom we have an excellent rehab place in North Carolina. I want you to go there. So after many phone calls and convincing the case manager that this was what we wanted to do it was decided that I would come to North Carolina for rehab. By now I had been in the hospital for 50 days. I remember the day that I left the hospital I still could not hardly do anything. Jon came in and I remember he helped me into my car and it was all I could do to slide onto the seat with his help. So here we are all packed up and ready to make the trip to North Carolina. 

I wanted to say goodbye to my sisters June and Phyllis so it was decided they would meet us at McDonalds just before we would get on the interstate. Byron and Mary also came to tell me bye. I remember asking for a fish sandwich from McDonalds and was able to eat part of it. I had lost an enormous amount of weight. None of my clothes would fit. Anyway we met at McDonalds and never in  my wildest imagination did I know that within the next month my sister June would be diagnosed with bladder and stage 4 lung cancer. I was so glad to see them. I had not seen them since our dinner at Shoney's on December 21, 2021 and it was now February 22, 2022 They brought me Christmas gifts and we visited for about 30 minutes.  Then it was on the interstate for our trip to North Carolina never knowing things would never be the same again.

After a four and a half hour trip from Tennessee we arrived at our destination.   Novant Health Rehabilitation an affiliate of Encompass Health. I was only there for two weeks but the therapy was intense. What made it worse for me was the fact that I would have to go to the Northside Dialysis Center three times a week for dialysis. I had to be transported and they would get me up real early to be ready when transport got there. We would get to the center and the dialysis would take almost 5 hours and then I would have to wait for transport to come back to take me back to the rehab center. One day I had to wait almost two hours for them to pick me up. Then I would get back totally exhausted and it would be lunch time and as soon as lunch was over it was time for therapy. The therapy would last about 4 hours. I began to  make a  little improvement and I stayed there for two weeks. While there I celebrated  my 79th birthday. We  came up on the 22nd of February and my birthday was the 24th. I got  several bouquets of flowers. Jennifer got me several gifts and we celebrated in style. The people at Freedom Baptist were so good to me sending me flowers and cards. So in two weeks it was determined I would be discharged and go to Jennifer and Jon's home. I would continue with outpatient therapy both physical and occupational. The next several months composed of therapy, dialysis and doctor visits. I still could not get up out of a chair without help. We had handicap ramps that were installed by the good men at Freedom Baptist and I had a shower chair and over the commode chair. To  help with me being able to get out of the chair by myself we ordered a lift chair. That  was a big help. I no longer felt like I had to have help to stand up. I was also using a walker at this time. I began to be able to do a little more. I could help Jennifer some by  peeling potatoes and cutting up vegetables for her. I was finally released from therapy. Spring was now in full force and I made my first trip to church since December on April 17th. In May we made a trip to Tennessee for David's graduation from Crown College. He had been staying at my house while I was gone. I was able to see all of my family while I was there. Back to North Carolina where my Nephrologist was trying to get me off of dialysis. We were able to cut out one day of the week and eventually two days a week. I was so happy to only have to go one day. We tried to cut out the one day a week but my labs would not stay level so I was left on dialysis one day a week. 

Summer was here  now and the garden began to produce. I was  able to break beans and I canned 21 quarts. I cut up and put in the freezer several bags of okra. We had lots of tomatoes and Jennifer made several quarts of spaghetti sauce.  I felt more useful being able to do these things. But along with being happy with the progress I was making my heart was now saddened by the quickly and terminal illness  that was taking my sister June away. I did not know that when we went out to eat in April it would be the last time we would be going out. I was able to see  her one more time on one of my visits but she was very sick by that time and had decided not to have anymore treatment for the cancer. I was able to face time with her once. On June 15th I received that phone call that none of us want to get that she had passed. In another week and a  half she would of been 89 years old. Our hearts  were broken. This was sad enough but earlier that morning I received another phone call that would turn our world upside down. My call was from Kevin telling me that his brother Ronnie Lee, my brother Ron's son had passed away. This was heartbreaking. He was only 40 years old and had three precious little girls. This was an unexpected death and devastating to our family.  So not only did we grieve the passing of June but now the grief of the passing of Ronnie Lee. The next few days we were headed back to Tennessee for the funerals. 

No  matter how sad we were life had to go on. So we came back to North Carolina and I continued in dialysis and the White family had their normal summer activities of camps and VBS. I purchased a canopy swing so I could sit outside on the deck but it was always so hot I didn't sit out a lot. On July 4th I drove for the first time since December. I drove to church and felt like I had accomplished a lot. I did have some set backs during this time. I fell and knocked my left shoulder out of joint. It took finally putting me to sleep to get it back in place. I had to have my Venous Catheter replaced three different times because it was not draining as it should.  

Some decisions needed to be made. So the first of September after much discussion  and prayer it was decided that I would sell  my home there in Tennessee.  This was one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make. I loved  my home and had lived on that piece of property 60 years with 50 plus being in that same house. It was the only home Josh had ever known and even Jennifer was only a few years old when we built it. Byron could remember more about living in the other house on that property. So I called Teri Williams (Stanley's niece) that I had known for years and knew she was a realtor.  I called her just to get some advice on how to go about it and she said she would be glad to sell my house for me and  I accepted. That was the best decision I could of  made. She not only was an excellent realtor  but she was able to get top dollar for  my home. So that was the first of September and I closed on my house  on October 31st. I felt good about the people that bought the house. Ironically his name was James and her name was Carol. His middle name was Matthew so it just seemed like an omen that they should be the ones to buy the house as my James name was James Carroll and one of our grandsons was named Matthew James in honor of his grandpa.

 During the month of September and October Byron's family,  Jennifer and Jon's mother Debbie White cleaned out my house. I was still not able to do much and was probably more of a hinderance than help. Many trips were made to the dump and the Rescue Mission. Slowly but surely the house was emptied of 50 plus years of accumulations and memories. We had so many good memories of living there and having lots of family get togethers. We would always have a wiener roast in October, Thanksgiving was a time of family being together and our Christmas Tree Trimming Party was looked forward to each year. The Burlap picture that Pam made when she was 6 years old and we had framed would never be brought out to  sit in its special place beneath the tree again at that house. I would never again have the first rose from the rose bush by the back deck that James would pick each year for me to wear in  my hair. But life goes on. I was no longer able to care for the house and was not able to do the steps and drive to West Knoxville for doctor appointments and dialysis. It was decided now for  me to stay in North Carolina.

A new chapter in my life was about to begin. I was now living with Jennifer and Jon and their boys. My nephrologist suggested that I go on Peritoneal  Dialysis. Peritoneal Dialysis is done at home. It is not as hard on your body as doing the hemodialysis. It is done during the night and takes nine hours on the  machine  not counting the set up and shut down time. So my nights are quite complicated. Because the drain on the dialysis machine requires an output source I needed to have access to a bathroom.  I do  not sleep good and was sitting up part of the night in the recliner. Since we had not decided what I was going to do next I decided to look in to an independent living community as a possibility. 

A little over a mile from Jennifer and Jon's home was a place called Arbor Ridge. I had passed it several times in driving to the Food Lion but did not realize what it was. So I talked to Jennifer about finding a place that I could move to that would meet all the needs that I had. We started looking into different options and made an appointment to tour Arbor Ridge. I loved it right off. It is a beautiful place. They had all of  the amenities that I needed. Three meals a day, beauty shop, library, game room, theater, and more. So I closed on my home on Friday October 28th and signed for an apartment at Arbor Ridge on Monday October 31st. It took a couple of weeks and lots of work on the part of Jennifer, Debbie and the White boys to get all of  my furniture in the apartment and everything set up. I had brought several of my things from home and purchased a few things that I needed. One of the things I got for my apartment that was a want and not a need was an electric fireplace. I love it and it makes it seem so homey. 

At this point I am settled into my Independent Living apartment and am beginning to  make friends and participate in some of the activities. It will never be the same and I have accepted that. I am looking forward to the new year and hoping that neither me nor any of my family will ever have to go through another year like 2022.  

MY SISTER MARY

MARY, MARY QUITE CONTRARY, HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

WITH SILVER BELLS AND COCKLESHELLS AND PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROLL. 

When I think back to when Mary and I were young I do not have a lot of memories. My sister June who is 15 years older than Mary says she remembers when Mary was born and she had to take two weeks off from school at Central High to take care of Mom and Mary. Because of that she failed Algebra. But she said the next year when she took it over she made straight A's.  I was 5 when Mary  was born and by the time she was 5, I was 10 and when she was 10, I was 15 and already dating my future husband. So we didn't do a lot of things together when we were young. Usually if we did anything it was with Jim and Bill. I am sure we did the usual things like walking to and from school, playing in the yard and woods, playing with the neighbors etc. It was after we were married and had children of our own that we because much more involved with each other. One thing that does stand out in my memory is one time when James and I were on a "date" at church. Most of our dates were somehow involved with church. I think this was just between services not an actual date. We were standing in the church parking lot talking and Mary, the pesky thing that she was, came up to us just as James gave a big yawn and she stuck her finger in his mouth. It made him mad and he said to her "I'm going to knock a knot on your head that even Oral Roberts can't take off." For those of you that don't remember Oral Roberts was a healing evangelist. I remember giving Mary a 16th Birthday Party and inviting all of her friends from church. She would of just been starting High School when I graduated. I graduated in 1961 and she graduated in 1966. I got married in 1962 and she got married in 1966 the same year she graduated. Mary was one of the Bridesmaids in my wedding and I was her Maid of Honor. The next few years are kind of fuzzy because Mary's husband was drafted into the Army and he spent the next few years in Kentucky, Arizona and then Oklahoma.   I know Mary went with him when he was in Oklahoma but not sure if she went anywhere else. In the meantime I was busy with my children. Pam was 3 when Mary and Stanley got married and Byron was 3 months. So they were busy with their lives and we were busy with ours. It was also during this time that James was going to UT and I was working at Levi's to put him through school. Stanley started working at the telephone company when he finished the Army and I guess at that time it was Bell South. He worked there for many years. He also went to the University of Tennessee where he graduated with High Honors. I am not trying to write their life's history but just enough to bring you up to date where we are at this time in our lives. Mary's first child Melissa was born in 1968. I already had two children by that time and the next time the stork flew through it stopped at both our homes. Mary's Jonathan was born on April 2nd of 1971 and my daughter Jennifer was born on April 24 of 1971. So they have always been close for many years. Mary and Stanley first built a house off Millertown Pike on Mary Emily Lane. I remember she gave June and Onloe a 25th Wedding Anniversary Party at their house. (She was probably trying to make up for causing June to fail Algebra.) 

In 1977 Mary and Stan left Knoxville.  Stan was transferred with his job and they moved to Franklin, TN and worked in Nashville, Tn. It was the beginning of the school year at the time of their move and Melissa and Jonathan started school right away. Stan started his new job at the phone company. The house was empty after everyone left for the day and Mary became a little homesick and needed to be out and around people. There was a man in their church that they began to attend who came to Stan and asked him if Mary might be interested in working for him. He had a coffee company that supplied businesses with coffee products and snack foods for their coffee breaks. She was the girl Friday and did a variety of things such as answering the phones and taking orders and packing the boxes with the items going out to the different businesses.  She worked there for around a year. Then she decided to apply for a job with the phone company where Stan worked and was hired in a clerical position.  She worked for the phone company for 16 years in several areas of different jobs. 

Mary and Stan were good to  my kids taking them each summer to spend several weeks at their house. I used to watch them come back home after their visits and could see that they had gained weight. Their cheeks would be chubby.  I was never afraid to let my children go to their home because I knew it was a good Christian home and there would be nothing going on that I wouldn't approve of. One summer Jennifer was able to go to Disney World with them. Jennifer was in Melissa's wedding and Melissa was in Jennifer's wedding. My children have stayed close with Mary's children over the years. I am sure it was an influence in Jennifer's life to attend a Christian college because of Mary and Stan sending their children to one. 

They lived in Franklin, TN for around 8-9 years and then moved to Murfreesboro, TN so that their kids could attend a Christian School. They lived in Murfreesboro for around 6 years. One of my favorite memories is one year when Mary and Stan hosted a family reunion and we all went down to Murfreesboro. We had such a good time. We  put on a talent show and you would not believe all the talent this family had. Josh tiptoeing through the tulips, Pat as the laundry woman, James, Stan, Charles and Ron made up a barbershop quartet. That's just a few that showed out their talent that day. We had lots of good food and played a lot of outdoor games. It is a time that I will never forget. 

Missy and Jon got older and graduated  high school and went off to college. That was another time that Mary began to feel homesick and wanting to be with family and friends back home. Stan applied for a transfer back to Knoxville and they moved back here in October of 1991. Our mother became sick with cancer and died the following year in December of 1992.  Stan's mother passed away the following year in August of 1993. So their move back home was somewhat filled with sorrow. This did enable them to spend some final time with each one of them before they passed away.

Melissa met her soon to be husband Bruce when she was going to Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, FL. He was from Michigan. Next Jonathan met his bride to be Angele also at Pensacola Christian College. Angele was from North Carolina. So for a few years Mary and Stan were busy planning weddings. Melissa  and Bruce live now in Lake Odessa, Michigan and Bruce pastors Faith Bible Baptist Church and they also have Faith Christian School. Melissa is an Administrative Assistant and a Christian Counselor. 

Mary and Stan were blessed with their first grandchild Sarah Conilee (Conilee for my mom) who was born in 1993 the month after our mother passed away. She was the daughter of Melissa and Bruce. This was a new and exciting time in their lives as they become grandparents. This was just the beginning of grandchildren. Next followed Maxwell also the son of Melissa and Bruce. Maxwell is engaged and looking forward of a December wedding. He is working for Camp CoBeAc. A few years later Bruce and Melissa had another daughter Cassia.  Cassia is attending Pensacola Christian College at this time.  Sarah and her husband Nathan have become parents to Benaiah (Ben) Evans Barker Goodson making Mary and Stan great grandparents for the first time. Sarah and Nathan live in Pensacola and both work for Pensacola Christian College. 

Jonathan and Angele have been blessed with four children. Caitlyn, Josh, Chase and Marenda. Jonathan is now the Senior Pastor at Bluestone Baptist Church in Danielsville, Georgia. Angele is an Executive Consultant with Rodan + Fields Dermatologists. Caitlyn and her husband Andrew have a son Tobias Jonathan Marks (and another due soon)  making Jonathan and Angele grandparents for the first time and making Mary and Stan great grandparents yet again. Caitlyn and Andrew lives in Phenix City, Alabama.  Josh and his wife Devin live in Foley, Alabama where he is Pastor at Crosspoint Baptist Church of Foley. Chase and his wife Rachelle are based out of Danielsville, Georgia and Chase is an Evangelist. Chase and Rachelle travel from state to state explaining and sharing the gospel with hundreds of people including lots of students. Marenda is attending Pensacola Christian College at this time. Jonathan's children are very talented and have made CD's and sung in many churches. Josh writes a lot of their music. 

Stan had been working for the telephone company for over 30 years and he decided to retire and him and Mary moved to Pensacola to be close to their daughter and her family who lived there. They both began working at the College where now their daughter Melissa and her husband Bruce worked. After 5 years of living there, their son-in-law accepted a position as a pastor in a church in Michigan close to where he was raised. Stan worked at the college around 18 years and Mary worked there for about 14 years. 

So many things have happened throughout all the years of living in Pensacola. Five of their 7 grandchildren are now married. They all came to the college where we worked to get their education. Such fun and blessings they have had being able to share their college years with them. 

Here is a closing message from Mary. "Where have the years gone? Stan and I retired from working at a public job in 2017. It has been five years already and the time keeps flying by. We still stay very busy with church, our kids, and their families. This year has been a hard year for our extended family. All three of my sisters have been very sick and my oldest sister, June, passed away in June of this year. The same day my nephew, Ronnie Lee, passed away. Our hearts have been sad. Most everyone in our family has contacted Covid this year and it has hit some worse than others. Throughout the years we have managed to do some traveling. We finally made it out west to see the Grand Canyon. We vacationed at Ruby Falls, Niagara Falls, Canada, and  made lots of short trips. We don't travel as freely as we did. Old age is chasing us as fast as it can. However, the Lord has been so good to us in all things. Life would not be as tolerable without His abiding presence in our lives. We look forward to many more years of life to be lived in the future." 

REMEMBERING THE PAST

 Remembering: 54 years ago this month we moved to Chesney's little acre on Maloneyville Road which was a part of the Jess Chesney Farm. Jess's son Ross had built a block flattop house on the property and then moved off to Chicago to make it big in the Auto Industry. It was his 4 room block house, concrete floors, no bathroom that we moved into. To us it was Paradise. James had been taken off production work and put on hourly wages at $1.10 an hour and we were paying $50 a month rent. Uncle Jess said we could rent Ross's house for $5.00 a month and any work that we did to it would be applied to the rent. Just putting the water in for $120.00 paid for 2 years rent. So as I said it was Paradise to us. At that time there was probably a total of 12 houses from the George Maloney Home to Tazewell Pike where the Shell is now. Many of those have now passed on. The Roberts, Bakers, Sharps, Onks, Bridges, Halls, Graves, and the Jess Chesneys and Lorn Chesneys to name a few. James mom and dad bought the Jess Chesney place after Jess's wife Cora died of injuries from a car wreck and he remarried and built a home just above the old Farmhouse. James and I had only lived here about 2 years when that happened. About the only traffic passing our house were the people going to work at Hillcrest North and the Workhouse now known as the Knox County Penal Farm. The Jess Chesneys living on one side of us left early for work at the Standard Knitting Mill and Dewey Graves on the other side of us left early for his job. So it was like this was our little town. They all went to bed real early and James would get home about 11:30 at night from his job at the Standard Knitting Mills. We would eat supper at that time and didn't think anything at all about going out in the yard at 12:00 at night and taking a shower. We did not have a bathroom and only running cold water. We lived there for 10 years and it was only when we built this house that we had a bathroom (actually 2) and hot water. Many changes have taken place in the 54 years we have been here. The Roberts built a new home just past their old one and their sons built houses around them. Some of the Onks children now live in the old Onks place and grandchildren have built close. A lot of property has been sold over the years and now a lot of the Babelay property is for sale. It is sad to see the old Crouger Graves house being torn down. He spent many days and many hours sitting on his front porch. My children were free to roam the fields around us with no fear of harm coming to them. Whether it was going to the creek or picking blackberries, walking on the road, playing in the yard or the neighbors yard I never worried about them. We never locked our doors because we never worried about anyone coming in that wasn't invited. But today we have security alarms on all the doors and windows monitored by the police department. The Workhouse where 9 months and 29 days were the maximum is now the Prison. We talk about time changing but it is not always for the better.

60 Year Reunion

60 Year Reunion

I pulled the letter out of the mailbox and opened it and then I thought to myself how could this be? It was an invitation addressed to me. An invitation to a reunion for graduates from Holston High School class of 1961. A 60-year Reunion. Surely it had not been 60 years since I graduated from High School. But after doing the math I realized it was true. 

As I began to think about this my mind went back to 60 years ago when I was 18. I did not know what I wanted to do in life. I started at Holston High School the first year it was built. I enjoyed my high school days and was an average student. I took typing, shorthand, bookkeeping all the classes I needed for a future in business. If I could go back and live those years over knowing how my life would be I would have taken music, art, and home economics. I am glad that I learned to type because I have used it a lot. I should have paid more attention in English because I like to write and blog, and my English is not always correct. It’s kind of like my singing. I love to sing but I don't know how to read music. So, in writing and in singing I just open up and "let it fly". 

But back to reminiscing. I had been dating my longtime sweetheart all through high school and we had plans to get married but not immediately upon graduation. When someone graduated from high school, they were expected to either get married or get a job if they weren't going to college. When you come from a family of 8 children, and you are the 5th in line and a girl there was no expectation of going to college. So, I began to look for a job. 

My first part-time job was with Begard Impression Products typing metal plates for credit cards. After that job was finished, I went to work part- time at Kay Jewelers also typing credit card plates. I enjoyed my time at Kays because my dad worked downtown, and we would go to lunch at Kresses and S&W Cafeteria. I have some good memories of lunch with my dad. 

Almost a year had passed, and it was now 1962 and I began to make wedding plans. So, in June of 1962 I was married to the sweetheart I had dated for 6 years. We were married at North Acres Baptist Church my home church and the church my dad Pastored, and James and I were both saved at. We had a beautiful wedding. My dress came from JC Penny's and our greenery came from the woods behind my house. With forty dollars in our pocket, we had a short Honeymoon and then we moved in with James's parents for the next year.  

A few months passed and I was expecting our first child. So, 1963 began with a move to a rental house on Greenway Drive and the birth of our first child Pamela. Things were hard. Money was tight. James was working production at Standard Knitting Mills and was making about $80 a week. Not long after Pam was born James was taken off production work and put on an hourly wage, so our income went from about eighty dollars a week to forty dollars a week. Even though our rent was only fifty dollars a month it was hard for us to pay it. 

In the Fall of 1963, we moved in a little 4 room block house on James's Uncle Jesses property. The house had been abandoned and we were able to rent it for five dollars a month. His uncle didn't want to charge us any rent but James said we wanted to pay what we could so he said we could pay five dollars a month and subtract anything we spent fixing it up off the rent. We had no water or bathroom. Putting the water in cost $120 so that paid for two years rent. We actually never paid any rent because Uncle Jesse's wife was killed in a car accident, and he sold the property to James’s dad who later gave us the acre we lived on. In 1972 we built another house on the property where I still live today. In October of this year, I will have lived on the same one acre for 58 years. 

After Pam was born and we moved to Maloneyville Road life just happened. I was a housewife and James was still working at the Standard Knitting Mills. In 1966 our son Byron was born. James and I began to think more about the future and how our life was going to be. He hated his job. So, he decided the only way we could do any better was for him to get a better job making more money. This is actually another story about how James went from being a high school dropout to graduating from the University of Tennessee with honors. 

So, after deciding to do something about his job James took the GED test and passed it and took the College Admittance Test and passed it and that was the beginning of his years at UT. At first, he just began to take some classes but as time went on, we realized if he was going to make a change in life, he was going to have to go full time to school. But that also meant that for him to do that I would need to go to work. I got a job at Levi's putting the zipper slides on men's casual pants. The minimum wage was $1.10 but because I had to stand on my feet on my job, I made $1.25 an hour. When I went to work in 1967 Byron was 10 months old and Pam was 4 years old. I worked second shift for the next 3 years while James went to school during the day and watched Byron and Pam at night. 

In 1970 James graduated, as I said, with honors. He wouldn't walk across the stage to get his diploma, so we sat in the audience and watched his class. When James graduated, I quit my job at Levi's. He didn't even have a job yet, but I hated mine so bad that I quit anyway. He worked a part time job that summer for our brother-in-law while he was looking for a teaching position. 

In the Fall of 1970, he went to work at Mascot Elementary as the Social Studies teacher. Things begin to get better. In 1971 our daughter Jennifer was born. We were still living in the block house and attending North Acres Church. In 1972 my dad was diagnosed with lymphoma and died later that year. After a few months we begin to attend church at Fairview Baptist which was closer to our home. The next few years passed by quickly. We built a house, the kids started to school at Gibbs and again life happened. I was a full-time housewife and mother. 

We always had a large garden, and I would do a lot of canning and preserving food. We were members of Fairview, and I sang in the choir. James was doing a lot of hunting and fishing especially in the Summer when he was off from school.  We had three children now and life was the normal day by day living. 

In 1977 I worked for a few months at Olan Mills Studio.  Soon after that we became foster parents. Over the next 5 years we kept a total of 15 children and eventually adopted a little boy who now became our second son Josh. During this time, I was very involved in the Foster Parent Association. I did the Foster Parent Newsletter, and I also taught some Foster Parent Classes for the University of Tennessee.  

In 1979 I went to work at Hillcrest North Nursing Home as a CNA. After working for a while, I decided I liked nursing enough to go to school to become an LPN. So, I quit my job as a nursing assistant and started to school. The school only took a year and when I graduated, I started working at what was then Saint Mary's Hospital. I worked there for two years second shift on 1st Central which was the Med/Surg Floor. 

My children were all in school by this time except for Josh, and l felt I needed to be at home more in the evenings to attend school events and help with schoolwork etc. So, I applied for a day shift job at Hillcrest North where I had worked before. It was only 1 mile from my home.  I was hired in 1984 and worked there until I retired in 2003. 

In December of 1992 I lost my mom to gallbladder cancer.  During those years James taught at three different schools, Mascot, East Knox, and Carter Middle. We joined House Mountain Church and we were there for the next 25 years. I worked in the Fellowship Ministry, and I sang in a Trio. James taught Sunday School and he was a Deacon. I took a lot of classes over the years in sewing, tailoring, flower arranging, computer, cake decorating etc.  We saw our children grow up and graduate from High School and get married. In 1988 we became grandparents for the first time and eventually had a total of 13 grandchildren. Now we also have 3 great grandchildren. 

Life has had many ups and downs, but the worst news came in 2001 when our oldest daughter Pamela was diagnosed with Leukemia. She passed away in 2002 at the age of 39 leaving a husband and 2 young children. She was in the hospital both at St. Mary’s and Vanderbilt for most of that year. During the time she was in the hospital I was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer. In September of that year, I had my right kidney removed and in December Pam passed away. I went back to work at Hillcrest in a few weeks, but I was grieving so bad that I no longer had any pleasure in nursing or even in life at all. So, I retired in March of 2003. 

James retired in 2009 after teaching for 30 years. At that time, we were members of Union Baptist Church. Again, I sang in the choir and James was a Deacon and Sunday School Teacher. After a few months I became restless not having a lot to do. All the children were married and gone from home, so I decided that maybe I needed to find some sort of job. I loved the hours that James had all those years of teaching, so I applied for a job in Knox County Schools as a Cafeteria worker. I was hired and placed at Corryton Elementary. I liked this job probably better than any that I had ever had. It was hard but I loved the interaction with the kids and the teachers. I spent the next 5 and a half years at Corryton and retired again. 

The past 15 years I have enjoyed living. In 2012 I wrote and published a cookbook for my family. I meant it only for my family, but I ended up selling around 300 copies and finally just put it online for anyone to download. I love my family and go out a lot with two of my sisters. I also have two brothers and another sister that I keep in touch with. I attend church each week and am now a member of Highland Baptist Church where I am the Director of Missions. I still sing occasionally in church. James and I moved our membership to Highland after our son Byron was called as their Pastor. 

The next worst thing that has happened in the past 60 years is the loss of my husband James. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2008 and passed away in February of 2016. We had been married almost 54 years. Life has brought many changes in the past 5 years. Where there was a time, I cooked for 10 people I now only cook for 1. Five loads of laundry has become one. Making up three or four beds is now making up half of a bed. Running the dishwasher daily is now running it weekly. I read a lot and I also blog and keep up with a lot of my friends on Facebook. My family calls me daily to see if I am ok or need anything. I still drive and do my own shopping.  

It is still hard to believe it has been 60 years since I graduated from Holston High School. I know a lot of my classmates did not make it to this milestone. I thank God for the wonderful life I have lived and the blessings that He has given me over the years.

My Tribute to James

NOTE: I was going through a folder today looking for a letter that James had written to his Grandchildren and found the memorial I had written to give at James funeral. I may have shortened it a little when I spoke that day, but this was my original copy.  So, I decided to add it to my Blog SnoopSue's News and Views to keep for my family. 

MY JAMES

If you call him Carroll, you are either family or a longtime friend. James and I met in this very same place almost 70 years ago. Not the same building but the original Highland Baptist Church where my dad was pastor. He talked of many memories of Sundays here at Highland with his family and good friends Ron Newman and Bill Monday. I am sure at that time he did not notice the preachers black haired daughter but just a few years later in 1956 after we had moved to North Acres Baptist Church, he did notice the preacher’s daughter singing in the choir wearing a yellow dress. 

In December of 1956 we had our first group date with our Sunday School at a church Christmas Party. I was 13 and he was 16. The next fall James called to ask if I would go to the movies with him. I asked my mom, she said call your dad at work and ask him. I called my dad and he said I will leave the decision up to you to do what you think is right. Of course, I accepted and that was the best decision I ever made. For the next 6 years we had a date every Friday night and saw each other every time the doors of the church opened or if my dad was holding a revival James was right there. When I was 19 and he was 22 we were married there at North Acres the same church where both of us had been saved.

 

James was not able to get a good job because he had not finished school. Due to a couple of humiliating incidents that happened in the 5th grade, one when he was trying to harmonize as he had heard his mom and dad and aunts and uncles sing and not singing like everyone else the teacher said he was singing off key. The other was when he "borrowed" a pair of binoculars off the teacher’s desk that a kid had left when he moved to another school. A big deal was made of it and his mother was called to the school and she cried, and it crushed him. He decided he was through with school and refused to study any more. He read constantly but only what he wanted to, and he said as long as he didn't cause any trouble the teachers just ignored him and passed him on to the next grade. 

When he was in the 8th grade James had rheumatic fever and become homebound. He was sent a teacher and learned a lot during the 5 months he was bedfast. He started to Central High School but became a 9th grade dropout. He would leave school and go fishing and hunting. Most nights would be spent with his best buddy Sherrill Greer cruising around and seeing what mischief they could get into. He said a praying mother was the only thing that protected him during those years. So, when we married, he was basically a high school dropout working at the Standard Knitting Mill running a knitting machine, making minimum wage, and hating every minute of it. 

We had been married about 4 years when one of his bosses at the Standard encouraged him to get his GED and try to further his education. By that time, we already had Pamela and Byron. So, he went and took the GED test and passed it. He decided to try to take some classes at the University of Tennessee. he took the College Admittance Test and passed it. So basically, James started college with a grade school education. Four years later in 1970 he received his bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Tennessee with honors. That Fall he began his 30-year teaching career teaching History at Mascot Elementary then moving to East Knox Elementary when Mascot closed and finishing at Carter Middle School. James's summers ere his favorite time of the year and he spent time fishing and gardening.  He also loved to hunt.

 More than his love for teaching History was his love for teaching the Bible. James served as a faithful deacon and Sunday School teacher at House Mountain Baptist Church, Union Baptist, and Highland Baptist Church. To him it did not matter if he had one person in his class or 40, he prepared and taught the same writing most of his lessons himself. 

James was also a praying man. He prayed for his children and grandchildren even before they were born that they would make good decisions in life and their marriages and live for the Lord.  I could see the fruits of this during his sickness when more than saying "I love you dad" they would say "I'm praying for you dad." The lowest and most heartbroken I ever saw him was during the illness and loss of our daughter Pamela. He grieved many nights and days and wanted her picture right by his chair where he sat. Many times, he said to me "I can still see Pam coming around the corner from the kitchen to the living room and saying "where's mom"?" 

James was a man of few words. I decided to test this one day when we were driving back from visiting our daughter Jennifer when she was going to college in Chattanooga. I thought I will see just how long James will go without talking if I don't start the conversation. Two hours later we pulled into our driveway without a word spoken all the way. Although James was a man of few words, he was a man of much wisdom. This wisdom he wanted his children to have, to live a life of integrity and a life that they would look back on with no regrets. 

We had 53 years of good marriage and I cherish each one of them. It was heart breaking to see the effects the cancer had on his body, a body that had been my rock and fortress since I was a girl of 13. He did not fear death and he said to me during this time that the reason he would like to be healed would be to encourage and strengthen the faith of those who prayed for him so faithfully. This is just a little of the man I knew and the memories I will cherish until we again are reunited.  

My Daddy

James Edward Spencer was born on February 17, 1910. (See more about his family at the end of this Blog post).  

Maybe I should start with how my mom and dad met. My Grandmother Ramsey died when my mom was 13 years old. Some of her older brothers and sisters had already married so the remaining children went to live with their older brothers and sister. My Mom went to live with her brother Paul and his wife Ella. They lived down in the North Hills area. That is where my dad lived. Dad had some cousins that were going to Forestdale United Brethren Church and my dad went with them and that is where he met my mom. 

My Mom and Dad married on March 16, 1929. Mom was 16 and Dad was 19. Mama and Daddy moved to a house on Oak Hill Avenue that I understand was owned by my Papa Spencer.   Daddy and Mama used to walk from there to where Granny and Papa Spencer lived in the North Hills area and the street is now named Spencer Street. I remember Mama said that she used to see in the windows of other houses when they were walking, and she would admire their lamps in the windows and hoped that one day she would have one. 

Daddy used to walk from Oak Hill Avenue to his job at Albers Drug Company in downtown Knoxville. He would walk the railroad track. He used to tell us they were so poor and his shoes soles so thin that he could step on a dime and tell whether it was heads or tails. My mom would just say "now Edd". 

They didn't have a lot in material things but had a lot of love. While they were living in town their four older children were born. John, June, Phyllis, and Jim. At the time I am writing this John and Jim have both passed away. 

June and Phyllis could probably tell you some stories of when they lived on Oak Hill Avenue but that was before I was born so I have no memories of that time.  While living on Oak Hill Avenue they attended Grove City Baptist Church. I think even at that time Dad was feeling the call to preach so he decided to move to the country to get away from everything. So, they moved to Edmondson Road in 1941 and lived there until they both moved to Heaven. Dad in 1972 and Mom in 1992. 

After they moved to Edmondson Road they had four more children, Sue, Bill, Mary, and Ron.  Dad was still driving to Grove City for church because there was not a church in the immediate area. There was a widow named Bertha Lansden that lived at the end of Edmondson Road, and she had several children and Dad would take them all to church. So, they begin to look for somewhere to have a church. Dads’ cousin Ernest Warwick moved next door and he was a Preacher. So, they found an abandoned church that belonged to the Methodist over on Murphy Road. They got permission from the Methodist to use their church. It had been empty for a long time and had a lot of filth in it.  My Mom and the Widow Lansden took buckets of water and went and cleaned until the church was able to be used. Finally, the church was ready, and Ernest Warwick preached, and my dad taught Sunday School. The church began to grow, and they were having around 40 people and the Methodist decided they wanted the church back. They were developing the area close to where Mom and Dad had moved to, and it was called Highland Homesites. Mr. J.C. Cameron that was the owner or developer said he would give the land for a church on Babelay Road. There was a couple by the name of Davis that lived on Babelay Road that had been coming to the church, so they all met at their house and established Babelay Road Baptist Church. In their first business session they changed the name of the church to Highland Missionary Baptist. This was in 1942. (To read more about the establishment of Highland go to my Blog Highland Baptist Church.) 

My Dad answered to the call to preach, and he prayed and told the Lord he would preach if he had to stand on a stump and preach to two sticks.  Dad had a very successful ministry at Highland and after 5 years was called to pastor House Mountain Church and was there 2 years and then back to Highland Baptist for 4 more years. After that he helped establish North Acres Baptist Church and was Pastor there for 18 years before his death in 1972. 

My Dad was a hardworking man and not only had a full-time job at Albers Drug Company but also, he was full time Pastor. I say full time because he preached all services and did all the Hospital visiting, preached funerals, held tent revivals etc. I always remember my dad wearing a white shirt and a suit with a Bible under his arm. I also remember a lot of his sermons as he was a very dramatic preacher acting out a lot of his sermons. Dad preached a lot of tent revivals. (To read about a lot of his sermons go to my Blog that says Tent Revivals.)  I remember him walking the church benches at church. 

I remember dad smoking and throwing his cigarettes out the window coming up Edmondson Road and later going back to hunt them. When attempting to quit smoking he would dip snuff. One Christmas James and I went to Sears and bought him a Spittoon to use. 

I remember dad sitting in his favorite place at the table which was at the head of the table where he could look out the windows. It was sitting there that he looked out the window and saw the egg laying in the yard. This was after he asked Mom to make a Chocolate Pie and she told him she would, but she didn't have any eggs. He was sitting looking out the window when he said Conilee come watch me. He went out to the yard that he had been looking out the window and there in the yard was an egg. We did not have any chickens. The neighbors on one side had red chickens and across the road they had white chickens and this egg was speckled. So not knowing who it belonged to Dad got his Chocolate Pie. 

One of my dad’s favorite foods was the rolls at Kresse's. Working downtown he could go there and eat rolls at lunchtime. Sometimes that is all he would eat. If he didn't go to Kresse's he would go to the S&W Cafeteria for lunch. I went with him a few times after I graduated and was working at Kay Jewelers on Gay Street, and he would go in and the first thing he did was step on that big scale they had and weigh himself. He never weighed over 147 pounds.  

I remember my dad sitting in the recliner watching All in The Family. I remember him standing at the kitchen sink shaving in the little mirror. I remember how exciting he would get on election nights. We would always have an election party. 

I am sure some of you remember the Baptisms that we would have. I remember one time at House Mountain he was baptizing Mary Brooks (Herbert Brooks daughter, Martha Brooks sister) and she pulled him down into the water with her. 

Another of my good memories was when dad would take us to the Gallo to get ice cream. I am sure my brothers and sisters remember when he would take us to Cas Walkers on Magnolia Avenue after church on Wednesday nights (that's when he would get paid at Church) and we would get boiled ham and a big pickle. Then we would go just up the street to Krispy Kreme and get donuts. We would all go home and enjoy a sandwich and donut. June, Onloe, and their kids would come too. 

When Dad would get paid at work, he would get the groceries. He traveled Magnolia Avenue on his way to and from work so he would stop at Cas Walkers, A&P and White Store. We always looked forward to fish sticks when he got paid at work. With 8 kids we always just lived payday to payday. 

Dad also like to sing and had a good bass voice and sang in a quartet we had at church. Dad did not spare the rod. We often got a 'whipping' with his belt. I will have to say some more than others.  

In the Fall of 1972 Dad began to have some problems. His stomach enlarged and he was having some pain. He also was having some problems with balance and fell one church service as he was going up the steps to the pulpit. Dad was not one to go to the doctor until he had no other choice. So, he went to the doctor, and he was diagnosed with Lymphoma. They did surgery and if I remember correctly, it was in September. They found an enormous tumor in his spleen. They actually sent his spleen to the Army hospital in Washington for further study. The Lymphoma had already spread to the lymph nodes in his back and other places. They talked about treatment, but it never happened. Dad begin to lose a lot of weight and when he died on December 17th of the same year, he only weighed 65 pounds. 

All Dad wanted to be remembered for was being 'a little country Preacher'.  Dad was not one to show a lot of affection. My Dad gave me away at my wedding. He wouldn't marry any of his children.  I do not ever remember a time that Dad actually told me he loved me but that has never bothered me. Dad was not one to demonstrate his love, but I never had one doubt that my dad loved me, and I loved him. It has now been 48 years since my Dad passed away but there are still some people that remember his sermons and nothing makes me more proud than when someone says "I remember when Preacher Spencer preached on _____________ or Preacher Spencer married us _____________ or I was saved at one of the services he preached _________________."

More about Daddy's family: Papa and Granny Spencer

My daddy was born February 17, 1910, to Horace David Spencer and Etha Iona Warwick Spencer. I am not sure, but I think he was born in Grainger, County, TN. He was one of nine children falling 2nd in the order. His sister Arpie was the oldest then Daddy, Ann, Bill, Ruth, Jack, Luke, Marie and Hughell. 

Daddy never talked a lot about is childhood. I know they had a farm in Grainger, County and he used to talk about going up on the hillside and rounding up the cows. I think Papa's family lived there because I have heard others talk about the Spencer sisters from Grainger, County. I wish I had asked daddy more about his family and childhood, but I didn't. 

After moving to Knoxville his dad was a railroad worker. From what I have been told he drank a lot and was a stern disciplinarian. We did not go to Papa's and Granny's house a lot when I was a child. I think there was several reasons because others in the family had an entirely different relationship with them than my family did. I think first of all it was because there were so many of us. There were 8 kids in our family where the others only had two or three except for Luke and I think he had 5. My daddy not only worked a full-time job but pastored a church full time and held a lot of revivals and he didn't have a lot of time to visit. But we rarely went to their house and when we did, we usually sat on the porch. 

Also, for most of the time we lived in the 'country'. I don't remember Papa ever coming to our house.  Granny may have come but I don't remember her coming. She did come to the church that my dad Pastored at times. I do remember one time that she came she told me she hoped I had grandchildren that treated me like I treated her. I knew what she meant because she had other grandchildren that would hug and love on her, but she did not have that kind of relationship with me and my brothers and sisters. She did send me birthday cards at times, and she would always say ' to my only Iona'.  I had another cousin that was named Ione, but Granny spelled her name Iona and that is the way mine was spelled. She also came to my wedding.  

You may wonder why I am covering my Papa and Granny in my daddy's blog, but this is the only memories I have of them. I remember when my Papa died March 5, 1945, his body was at the home place, and they held me up over the casket to see him. I had just turned 5 years old.  I also remember my daddy standing in the kitchen crying when his dad died. I remember more about my Granny over the next years when I was older and going to see her more when she lived with Aunt Arpie and attending some of the reunions that we had. My granny died in 1966 at 78 years of age. Today as I write this all of Dad's brothers and sisters have passed. 

My Christmas Memories

Random Christmas Memories

One of my Christmas memories was one year when we were living in the block house. James always went out into the field and got us a Christmas tree. We didn't have a stand to put the tree in, so James put it in a gallon bucket. One Sunday we went to church and when we got home the tree had turned over and was laying in the floor. So, what did James do? He took fishing line and tied it to the tree and then tied it to a hook he put in the ceiling so the tree wouldn't fall over anymore. 

James’s mom and dad used to give us money for Christmas. They would give us $50 and that was what we used to buy the kids Christmas gifts with. I remember as times got better, and we were making more money we would put the $50 in the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. 

Downtown Christmas Parade

When I was a little girl one of the biggest thrills of Christmas was to go to the downtown Christmas Parade. My dad worked downtown at Albers Wholesale Drug Company and on the day of the parade we would catch the bus and go downtown to meet him. The sidewalks on the streets were absolutely packed leaving only enough room for someone to walk up or down the sidewalk.  We would try to get as close to the front as possible and dad would usually have to put one of the smaller ones on his shoulders to see the Parade. There were beautiful floats. Ritta Community always had one of the very best. But the most exciting part was waiting for Santa Clause to show up. Our hearts would beat fast, and we were so excited. As a child I thought that Santa was real and seeing him was like seeing the President. Many times, it was cold and sometimes snowing but it was always the highlight of the season to go to the parade and to see Santa Clause. 

Pam's last Christmas with us. 

This story was actually on the 13th of December 2002. Pam always made lots of candy and cookies at Christmas time to give to her friends. Well, this year due to being in the last stages of leukemia she was not able to make the candy and cookies, so my sister-in-law Brenda and I offered to come to her house and make them for her. We got there early and the candy making began. Pam sat on the couch and gave us directions of what to do. In a little while we had several plates and tins of goodies made and we were going to deliver them to the places she wanted us to go. She got up off the couch and started down the hall and she said wait for me I want to go with you. So, after grabbing her shoes and coat we loaded in the car with all our goodies. Our first stop was Saint Mary's Hospital. Pam was a medical transcriptionist for the hospital. She was not able to go in but sat in the car while Brenda and I made the deliveries. Our next stop was the place where Michael worked and still does. When we got there, she wanted to go in. She said, "I need to thank them for being so good to me and allowing Michael to work a schedule that let him spend time with me at Vanderbilt." (She had now returned home from Vanderbilt.) So, we all went in there and she went around thanking them for all they had done, and we left them some goodies. Our next stop was Fairview Baptist Church where she wanted us to take candy to Bryan Wright and Keith Weaver. They were her friends and Pastor and she thought so much of both of them. Niina and Keith had been personal friends of Pam’s for years. She was not able to go in there but sat in the car while we made the deliveries. I would look in the back seat and she would be resting her head on the back of the seat with her eyes closed. Little did I know that this would be the last trip we would make to those places or anywhere. The next day was Saturday and she wanted all my family, her brothers, sisters, aunts’ uncles’ cousins etc. to come to her house for a Christmas Party. We did and she sat on the couch and watch us with a smile on her face. Little did we know that this would be our last time with her as a family. Jennifer called from North Carolina while we were all there and she did not recognize her voice. She told her she couldn't talk that her family was there. The next day James and I went over for a while. It was early the next morning of December 16th that I got the call from Michael to come. So, when you have the opportunity to spend Christmas with your family or make memories don't put them off or make excuses because someday you might need these memories to get you through the day.

A Candy Christmas and Loss of My Mother

This is actually a memory from December 7 & 8th 1992. My mom was very sick with cancer and my brothers and sisters, and I were all staying at her house to be with her and take care of her. On December 7th my sister June and I decided that we just had to have some candy to get us through this tough time. We have always been stress eaters you know not ones to lose weight under stress but to eat and gain. So off to the Fruit Market (the one that used to be at the corner of Loves' Creek and Rutledge Pike) we went. I don't know how much money we spent on candy that day but well over $50.00 and back in 1992 candy was a lot cheaper than it is today. Mother's buffet in the dining room was covered with bowls of candy. Early the next morning on December 8th, 24 years ago today, after 20 years of waiting, our mother went to join our father. Although our hearts were broken, and home has never been the same that had to be a glorious day for them and precious memories for us.

Christmas Light Gazing

Some of my fondest memories of Christmas was driving around in subdivisions looking at other people’s Christmas decorations. Especially the ones that had moving or musical decorations on their lawn. We did this a lot when our kids were little. They were always excited if the houses had a Santa Clause in the decorations. Another Christmas scene that we always like to see was the one at the church on Tazewell Pike where everything was life size. The three camels and all the animals Mary, Joseph and everything was life size. It was all in white with lights shining on it. Beautiful. 

Church Christmas Memories

Today I want to share with you my memories of Christmas at church when I was a child. My dad was the Pastor of Highland Baptist Church when I was born and so my earliest memories of Christmas at church was there. They would cut a huge cedar tree out of someone's woods and put it in the alter area of the church. It would be really big and then it would be decorated with all kinds of lights and ornaments, a lot of them homemade. On the night we had our program, which was usually one with lots of kids singing, being shepherds, wise men, and angels and of course Mary and Joseph and many times a real baby for the baby Jesus, just before we closed the service you could hear bells ringing and someone coming up the basement stairs and saying HO HO HO and guess what?  The kids, including me, would get so excited and Santa would appear. Later I knew this Santa was Mrs. Kirkland. And for years, when I was much older and we had left the church, she would call our house on Christmas Eve and pretend to be Santa. But back to the church. Santa would give every child a toy from under the tree. It was usually a doll for the girls and a truck for the boys. They would make sure that everyone got something because for some it was the only Christmas gift they got. And just as we were going out the door, we were given a bag with apples and oranges and chocolate drops and peppermint sticks and nuts. The only time most of us ever got fruit. I don't know what your opinion is about Christmas at Church, but these are some really good memories for a little black-haired girl that has spent her lifetime going to church. ...now I am waiting to hear from more of you about your Christmas memories.

A Downtown Christmas Memory

This was probably in the 1950's when I went downtown to Christmas shop with my sister June. She had 4 kids born in the 50's so they were all just little tykes. I am sure during all that shopping we made a stop at Kay's Ice Cream even though it was bitter cold. When we went downtown, we usually had a footlong hotdog and a chocolate malt at Kay's. Well as I said it was bitter cold and June's husband Onloe liked to play pool. There was a place down close to Regas Restaurant where he liked to play so when we finished shopping, we walked from downtown to the pool hall to ride home with him. I remember walking across the bridge before you got to Regas and the wind blowing and us almost freezing to death. We were loaded down with toys and could barely walk. When we got back to my mom and dad’s house, I guess mom had the kids, we were going to hide the toys down in their basement. Well, I had a nice little tumble down the basement steps toys and all. Guess what I got out of all of this? A Christmas memory with my sister June that I will never forget.

Christmas in the Spencer Home

Today I am remembering the Christmas's we had when I was growing up at home. There were 8 of us kids and we always had a good Christmas. My sisters and I always got a doll or play dishes and teapots and the boys would get trucks or wagons or guns and holsters. And usually as we got older, we would get some clothes from Watson's or Riche's.  Mom would make sure all the men and women in the family got either socks or handkerchiefs and that was enough. I never heard any complaining. We would all be together and of course eat. My brother-in-law Onloe was always saying he was going to spike the punch. Maybe he did. I don't know for sure. But there would always be big smiles on some faces that night.  I remember the first Christmas, after I married James, we were living with his mom and dad, and we went to my house on Christmas Eve and in the afternoon of that Christmas Eve we went to Sears and Roebuck which was on Central. We were looking for a spittoon for my dad. We were driving down Broadway and it was snowing, and we saw a fire. It was the Broadway Baptist Church burning. We had a hard time getting back up the hill when we got to mom and dads because of the snow. That year mom and dad had gotten our marriage license framed and gave it to us. We had gotten married in June of that year, and I guess we didn't have a dollar at that time to get a copy of the license. One Christmas, and if I know I will never reveal, someone gave all the ladies’ fancy underthings and put it from someone besides their husbands. You should have seen the looks going around the room not knowing who gave them or if it was for real or a joke. Well, I will never tell.  I don't have very many pictures of Christmas but here is a couple. They are a little ragged but in the first one starting in the back is my brother Jim, mom holding Randy (June's son) Me, brother Bill with the cap gun, my sister June and behind her, her husband Onloe holding their son Jerry. On the front roll is June's daughter Donna, my brother Ron, sister Mary and June's other daughter Judy. I guess dad must have taken the picture. In the other picture the faces you can see are Donna, Randy, Ron. Now waiting to hear from you about another memory you have of Christmas.

Christmas Caroling

Some of my fondest memories are going Caroling with the church group. When we were at House Mountain Church, we used to take the bus around the mountain and stop at all the houses and sing.  We also had a lot of fun Caroling at Union Baptist. At Highland Baptist the Ladies Ministry would go to all the shut-in members’ homes and sing and then go out to eat.  

Family Get-Together Christmas

We always had such a great time when all our family got together for Christmas after we were all married. There were so many of us we could barely fit into mama and daddy's house. But it didn't matter we sit where and ate where we could find room whether it be in the living room, bedroom, kitchen, or dining room. This particular Christmas I can remember so vividly. Unknown to us my sister Mary had been working for many months on a Christmas gift for all her sisters. I guess Phyllis's family wasn't there that year but, in the pictures, I can see some of my brothers Ron and Bill's families and June's. Also, if you look closely, you can see my good friend Donna Ogle's daughter Dawn sitting on the fireplace. I knew she went to one of our parties because Donna had to work but wasn't sure which one. Any way you can see the surprise on mine and June's faces when we opened our gifts. I don't know what has happened to all the other dolls in the past 26 years, but I still have mine laying on one of my beds. I will treasure this memory forever....

A Christmas Party that Would Change My Life

Christmas 1956, 60 years ago, I was just a 13-year-old girl in a Sunday School Class at North Acres Baptist Church. That year it was decided we would have a class Christmas Party at Mildred and Charles Copeland's house. They had two kids that were in our class Eddie and Jean. Much to my surprise James, known at that time as Carroll to all our friends, asked me to go with him and another couple to the party. I guess my parents said it was ok (or I wouldn't of went) and we went with the other couple IN A CAR to the party. This was my first time to ever go on a date in a car with no adults present. The other boy was driving so James and I sat in the back seat. I remember we had a really good time at the party and can't remember a lot of what we did except one game where you passed a life saver to your partner via a toothpick with your hands behind your back. Now that was really a sexy game in those days. Just to get that close to someone was really pushing the line. But it was that Christmas Party that changed my life because after that party a lot of eye gazing went on at church between James and me. In February I turned 14 and in the fall of that year James called and asked if I could go to the movies with him. I asked mom she said ask dad I asked dad and he said to use my own judgment and do what I thought best. OF COURSE, I thought it was the best thing to do. So that began 6 years of dating every Friday night plus all the time we spent together at church and talking on the phone. I graduated from high school in 1961 and in 1962 James and I were married. So, counting the years we dated this will be the first year in 60 years that we have not spent Christmas together.

A Book Giving Christmas

Christmas of 2012 was an exciting Christmas for all of us. Unknown to our family James and I had spent several months writing books and having them published. James’s book was one about a lot of his adventures and stories when he was growing up. He told about his adventures with his childhood friends fishing, hunting, camping out. He wrote about his cousin drowning in Nance's Ferry, about his dog Rusty etc.  The name of it was The Way It Was, Kind Of. My book was Cooking with Sue. I shared many of my own recipes and those that had been given to me by my family and friends. I dedicated the book to my mother and daughter Pam. I can still see the surprise on everybody's faces when they opened their packages. It was truly a gift of love.

A Christmas Wedding, Lost Shoes, and a Dress Double

The year was 1994 the day was December 23. The big wedding was fixing to take place between Jennifer Chesney and Jon White.  Now why anyone gets married that close to Christmas I have yet to figure out. Must have been the most convenient time since they had both just graduated from college. Jennifer had graduated a few months ahead of Jon from Temple in Chattanooga and Jon had just graduated from Crown in Powell. They had met when both were students at Temple and after Jennifer graduated Jon transferred to Crown. Jennifer was now teaching at Temple School in Powell. Jennifer decided that mom was capable of doing everything from making all the food and catering it, making all the flowers, and decorating, having all the bridesmaids’ dresses made, (no I didn't make them,) etc. And mom did. But did you ever give a blanket invitation to a church and school as large as Temple Baptist? Well in giving a blanket invitation you never know how many to expect. So, with the help of two of my sisters we had food galore. Of course, one of my sisters got sick and the other had all her family come in because some of them were in the wedding. So, they were kind of scarce that day. But we had a beautiful wedding and after 22 years the ties still bind. But two things I wanted to tell you about this Christmas memory. First, I wore a red dress and a pair of red shoes that day while I was preparing all the food and working at the church. Apparently when I changed into the clothes that I wore at the wedding my shoes got misplaced. I loved those red shoes, but they have now been lost for 22 years. The second thing I had looked for literally months for the perfect dress to wear as mother of the bride. It had to be perfect. The colors of the wedding were cranberry, hunter green and royal blue. After many months of looking for a dress, I finally found one at Dillard’s in West Town. It was perfect. The skirt part was royal blue, and the jacket combined all three colors. I loved it. The most expensive dress I had ever bought costing over $100. So, I was very pleased. But what to my wondering eyes should appear walking in the door of the church but my sister-in-law Brenda in the very same identical dress. Too late, no changing, no hiding. She was a server in the line, and I was the mother of the bride. The odd thing was that she was probably a size 6 and at that time I was at least a 22. But the wedding went on as planned and what did I get out of all of this besides a wonderful son in law? A pair of lost red shoes and lots of great memories to tell you about.