Note: Our Campfire friend is back online in the group.  
I'd like to thank the folks that added sounds to this track and/or sent their own.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Campfire et al. . . .
ADD layers to Spoken Word track for OK ENOUGH as be well music of peace & healing.... Posted the following info below on Jonny Cooke's & my FB pages... 
Please Note: Anyone can use it, not version limited :))))  ....or do something else....whatever...

"Hey Jonny..... Can you add music/spoon/whatever to this??? 

I had only 1-min upload time left on my cloud so dunno how I got the 3-min. Still had a sentence chopped off at the end. Read is ok as is ....or that last bit after st. Francis prayer amen can be cut out altogether.... .and/ or you can say that last bit of peace..... Either way is fine ....somehow got chopped on upload.... no worries. I got several posters too you can use in my picCollage FB album... my SC artwork function on iPad doesn't work as it should."

Thoughts & Prayer — Ok Enough by sksskh

http://soundcloud.com/sksskh/thoughts-prayer-ok-enough/s-43cKU

xxxxxxxxxxx Text xxxxxxxxxx
♥♣"People take themselves so seriously. Really cause they want other people to think they are more awesome than they really are. We are all lost hurting and condemned to a life on this planet until we die. We let the most charismatic rule us not the most endearing, smart or honest people. We allow this because we are afraid to be ourselves."—Donnie Bugden

♥♣AT THE TOP
At the top of the tallest building in the world
Sat the saddest man in the world
And inside the man
Was the loneliest heart in the world
And inside the heart
Was the deepest pit in the world
And at the bottom of the pit
Was the blackest mud in the world
And in the mud lay the lightest, loveliest, tenderest,
Most beautiful, happy angel in the universe.
—Michael Leunig

♥♣"We are not alone - it is basic collective spirituality - other beings have a need and interest in us!" —Donnie, Ok Enough

♥♣St. Francis Prayer
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen"

♥♣"The Lord bless us and watch over us; the Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us; the Lord look kindly on us and give us peace. Amen."
—Episcopal Church

Thoughts & Prayer — Ok Enough

⠀☆　　╱╲*╱╲　☆
⠀　╱╳+╱　   　╲　☆
⠀╱╱　      +   　　╳╲.                                              
⠀╱　+.             　／　　╲☆                                     
⠀☆　◢ Where's the                                
⠀___▂▂█▂Sound?~~~   

                            _____     .      .                             : O.       ♪       I dunnoo-o-O   .         .     .                    
⠀ ___/ /[[[|    |♪::::::♪♪_        ♪♪    ♪
⠀/_(O)____(O)(O)_|-⠀♪♪.. . .

test...trying to make an intro

⠀\o/        \o/   \o/        \o/
⠀  |   \o/    |      |  \o/     |    \o/
⠀ / \    |    / \   / \    |     / \     |
⠀       / \                / \           / \

Test #2 - progress

~~~ Skip intro to get to story start at 3.2 min. ~~~

       ❥~Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ~♥Love SC♥~Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ~❥

           ...Listening since 12-12-12...
 
The Sweet Patootie Doll story starts at 3.2-min....
story pix in FB album "Books"  starts here...
sweet artwork....  besides the light sketch look...
I like how the characters are large, often placed across two pages...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200794555253369&set=a.10200844172693774.2210337.1447741737&type=3&theater

           ☁♫♪ -‿- ♪♫☁
        Enjoy! Sue (@sksskh)
Age 2yrs9mos pic....
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200697581709091&set=a.10200697711392333.2208615.1447741737&type=3&theater
    

♥Listener Intro♥{{❥ft.The Sweet Patootie Doll ❥}}

 /\_/\________
(=-.-=),,__,,_)~~~~
♪♫유♥♥웃♫♪
View book here....
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200844172693774.2210337.1447741737&type=3
     (¨`·.·´¨)  Must
  ⠀   `·.(¨`·.·´¨)Love
               ⠀         `·.¸.·´    Books
Note - Doodles are assembled on the iPad Notepad.   To assemble, I use a combo of txt pix from MSG PICS app + my own doodles.  While sketches appear fine on Notepad, at times formatting is changed when saved onto SC.



"WHAT?" by Ruth Wood 1953

Purpose is to convey that music/art/creative process has been a life long, important piece of me as a listener.  So, I  provide examples of music/art that I've enjoyed along my journey.   I refuse to limit myself to just a 1-2 genres.  I believe that music/art/creative process is, as it should be, boundless ....in order to satisfy your heart & soul.  After all... "Variety is the Spice of Life."

                         ¸.•’´*♫♪(✿◠‿◠✿)♫♪*`’•.¸

Hometown Collage...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200592411239895&set=a.10200625794234449.2208544.1447741737&type=3&theater
Early Interest in Music...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200697581709091&set=a.10200697711392333.2208615.1447741737&type=3&theater
Farm Life...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200697597029474&set=a.10200697711392333.2208615.1447741737&type=3&theater
Wall Art at College...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200792151073266&set=a.10200806442230536.2209934.1447741737&type=3&theater
Biochem Eng at Work...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200766250305763&set=a.10200754283806608.2209268.1447741737&type=3&theater
Softball...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200768886811674&set=a.10200754283806608.2209268.1447741737&type=3&theater
Underwater...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200738794819393&set=a.10200303732703112.2203998.1447741737&type=3&theater
Handmade/Painted by sksskh...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200579937088049.2207972.1447741737&type=3
Art by Others...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200602763258689.2208293.1447741737&type=3
Art by s.k.hite...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200579935248003.2207971.1447741737&type=3
                    ⠀`’•.¸*♫♪(✿◠‿◠✿)♫♪*¸.•’’

INTRO•BIO sksskh (NOT 90-sec )

My father was a great storyteller....always entertained family & friends.   In the Navy during WWII,  he befriended the ship captain, cook, others ...always suspected it was due to  his story telling.   I can only hope that some of his 'style' rubbed off on me.  As a loving tribute to Daddy.....  I read his short story written in the '30s... A story I rescued from the trash can in the '60s.

His story is sweet... as written from a young boy's point of view.... about a dog, snake, cows  & a rock.

  ⠀  //^^\\
⠀(/(_•_)\)
⠀._/"*"\_
⠀(,,,)^(,,,)
♪ ♫유♥웃♫♪

Story....
....plus pics of country Clyde starting from ~age 5...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3

"A Story About a dog" by Clyde Smith (original, by my father)

✿♡✿♡✿ 
Summertime fun... filled with racing terrapins & noisy children.

BTW, Do you know what a terrapin is?  Definition referenced....
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrapin
✿♡✿♡✿ 

To my surprise, my neighborhood kids did not know! ...they know now, and they tell me that they now lookout for terrapins while bike riding :)

This story took place at the home of my Uncle Ed & Aunt Zena.....

✿♡✿♡✿ The Terrapin Race ✿♡✿♡✿

A tribute to my roots....

Sue @sksskh was born in 1954 at the old John Russell hospital located  in Bedford, VA ....in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains... near "Peaks of Otter"....east coast USA.

REFERENCES....

ﾐ★☆Bedford ☆★彡ﾐ★☆Echo of Liberty☆★彡ﾐ★☆Bedford ☆★彡

The Daily Advance 
Bedford Bicentennial Edition, 1954
"Echo of Liberty"    1754-1954
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844732227762&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater

Page 2 The 'Spirit of '76' Runs High in Bedford 
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844733667798&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater
Page 2  Here's Reason For Bedford's Bicentennial       
♥ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844733227787&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844733427792&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater
Page 3 The Cover Picture description
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844735347840&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater

ﾐ★☆Bedford ☆★彡ﾐ★☆Echo of Liberty☆★彡ﾐ★☆Bedford ☆★彡

Bedford County Bicentennial 
1754-1954
August 8-14 Official Program
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844822630022&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater

Page 76
Beautiful Bedford by Willoughby Reade
(Bedford Bicentennial Theme Song)
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844909152185&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater

ﾐ★☆Bedford ☆★彡ﾐ★☆Echo of Liberty☆★彡ﾐ★☆Bedford ☆★彡

Thaddeus Weeks Wilford  1842-1911
My great-great-grandfather (Grandmother Christine's grandfather) served on the Virginia, aka Merimac, during the historic Civil War battle with the Monitor at Hampton Roads .... 'ending the era of wooden ships' &ushering in the ironclads.

>|||||||||||| March 9,  2013 marks the 151st anniversary of that engagement on March 9, 1862.  ....which to my understanding ended in a draw.||||||||||||||<
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200773680451512&set=a.10200712865171168.2208790.1447741737&type=3&theater
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200742907802215&set=a.10200712865171168.2208790.1447741737&type=3&theater
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200742835920418&set=a.10200712865171168.2208790.1447741737&type=3&theater

Native American Heritage.... 
Both publications referenced herein describe the 'Indian Menace' during the 1754-1954 era & are posted in the Bedford FB album. .....I recall seeing photos where Grandmother Christine's brother Thad had dark black hair & dark skin tone just like Grandma... Although I am a 'paleface' prone to sunburn (my Irish heritage)...., I inherited Grandma's fabulous high cheekbones :) ....recently found a beautiful piece of my heritage on SoundCloud...
"Amazing Grace" which Cherokee (Native Americans) sing, by...... *Sunnidayz'Vocal*JungleDog'PercussionGuitar*
♥https://soundcloud.com/sunnidayz/amazing-cherokee-grace-1
I must confess, as a child playing 'cowboys & indians' with siblings... Sister was cowgirl, brother was cowboy, and I was and Indian brave... My secret name for myself... Which I never shared with anyone, for fear of ridicule... My imaginary play name was 'ChiWaaWaa Brave' ...closest sounding word to native language that I knew...plus the type of dog my aunt Patsy had at the time :))))))... LOL....  My self image during these childhood play times was similar  to the image of 'The Spirit of the East Wind' depicted on the plate inherited from Grandma Chrisrine, & shown here....
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200602779939106&set=a.10200602766858779.2208294.1447741737&type=3&theater

2013 postcard collage of Bedford sent to my mother...
♥https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200697336902971&set=a.10200625794234449.2208544.1447741737&type=3&theater

For a virtual Bedford visit....
♥https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bedford-Virginia/106258976072389
National D-Day Memorial....
♥http://www.dday.org/

♥My full "ROOTS" playlist is on the cloud here...
♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡
My Fave Music Playlist inSoundCloud Profile: 
https://www.soundcloud.com/sksskh
♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡

♥My Blog on personal life experiences & thoughts....
♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡ 
Goal is to be fun story, arts & crafts curiosity  place...
...with only a few social topics intermingled.
Escapades & Notions by sksskh
http://sksskh.wordpress.com/
♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡ 

Beautiful Bedford—Echo of Liberty

Reminiscing.... How times change......

•Telegraph* device to obtain water ( H2O )
•Indoor Plumbing, or lack thereof...Toilet n Tub ( H2O )
•Perception of change

*Wish I had a pic to show of this old mountain 'telegraph' device.... Worth seeing if it's still there... Located on Mrs. Royalty's family home place on Fiddler Creek Road... From Bedford take Rt. 122 south, turn right at Sign Rock onto Dickerson Mill Rd....in just a few miles turn right onto Fiddler Creek Rd....the Royalty home place is /was uphill on the left. 

:) Forgot to mention in this track....the outhouse was when we lived in the little white house with the big tree at the driveway ( near Happy Drive)...  one day.... after leaving the back porch running flat out in a hurry,.... my bro tripped on the cement porch steps while en route to empty the porcelain pot... yeah, his worst nightmare... he got soaked...very funny to me, NOT funny at all to him ....shhh, don't tell him you heard it from me :)

~~~Reason for change... 
.....this thought provoking song verse speaks to reminiscing about change...

Everything has a reason / mix 1 / rough / March 11/13 - SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/manteye/everything-mix-rough-march-11?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=email

"If ever you need we can listen to the memories
And try to remember whenever we go back
Time marches on....
Everywhere we've gone
There must be a reason for that....
Forget about the past
It will never last
Everything 
Everything Has A Reason"
by Mark Manthei @Manteye


H2O x Change ( in Bedford VA )

Southern accent from Bedford, VA, USA
⠀    (¯`v´¯)
⠀      ·.¸.·´
⠀    ¸.·´
⠀   (
⠀☻/
⠀/▌
⠀/ \

Mother's Voicemail

Tribute to Clyde T. Smith, 1st Class Seaman

Memorial Feb1925 to May2010
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200928730247660&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater
Clyde Collage
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?ibid=10200780003049573&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater
Church/Family Collage
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200780976353905&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater
Age 18 
 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200773680171505&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater
In uniform
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200722281446569&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater
Clyde & Cows
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200796653865833&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater
Vintage Clyde
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200697243140627&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater


USS Anthedon Newsletter
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200742721637561&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater

Oct-1944 to Dec-1945 USS Asiaa-Pacific Theatre Journey
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a9/anthedon.htm

USS Anthedon Campaign Medals 
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/36/pdf/3624a.pdf

Photos
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/36/3624.htm

Anthedon Photos from Dad
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200699497036973&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200699466076199&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200699492196852&set=a.10200742567553709.2209131.1447741737&type=3&theater

Uncle Archie's army story  'MrSmith goes to War" told by Red Hardin (army buddy)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200626053160922.2208550.1447741737&type=3

NOTE—My apologies for not knowing how to edit yet.  Help menu is unclear to me.  So this is another one take story....including a few goofs.... Most noticeable is my trip up on mispronunciation / misunderstanding of the word "capitulate" .... the word is NOT "catapult"....a clear signal that I need to USE my reading glasses. :)))  ...I think I also mixed up the final journey destination... Supposed to be Norfolk VA then New London CT....uncertain of the pronunciation on those Greek places....am ignorant of any other goofs,... Not worth editing at this point, cause my shabby edit skills have been known to delete the wanted portion & save the unwanted.....Did not want that to happen here...so track is with egg on my face.  :)))

NOTE — Shellback initiation videos....
♣Shellback♣ shell·back  (shlbk) n. A sailor who has crossed the equator.
http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLts-fhrOl96B6VpxG33Gyl4iUT9zN5guH

NOTE—SC is challenged with inconsistencies  in supporting iPhone /iPad ....track art uploads do not work ...otherwise Dad's pic woulld be featured ...my profile pic is the default...not my choice.

NOTE
•~~~★☆★[[[ National Museum of the United States Navy ]]]★☆★~~~•
Good News! My father's story, "USS Anthedon Asiatic-Pacific Theatre ft. Smitty," is now with the National  Museum of the US Navy. Special thanks go out to my SoundCloud friends who encouraged me to speak & to the SC platform for making this glimpse of history possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today. 6:28pm 20Mar2013
National Museum of the United States Navy
Sue,
Thanks for the wonderful information. We'll make sure to share with our colleagues and our oral history program.
Thanks!
US Navy Museum staff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Conversation started Tuesday 2:38pm 20Mar2013
Sue Hite
My father served in the Asiatic-Pacific naval campaign on the USS Anthedon during WWII. I'd like to share my Sound Cloud tribute & memorial with you... It's for both him & his ship/shipmates... From the eldest daughter of Clyde aka little Smitty....
USS Anthedon Asiatic-Pacific Theatre ft. Smitty - https://soundcloud.com/sksskh/uss-anthedon-asiatic-pacific?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=email&utm_content=https://soundcloud.com/sksskh/uss-anthedon-asiatic-pacific
Tribute to Clyde T. Smith, 1st Class Seaman Memorial Feb1925 to May2010 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200928730247660&set=a.102...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE
•~~~★☆★[[[ The United States Navy Memorial ]]]★☆★~~~•
Added Dad to this navy log on 20Mar2013.  His log will be ready for viewing after a 10-business day review.    http://www.navylog.org/ed_reunion_groups.php

NOTE—June2013 Script of Equator to be scanned & shared per chat below:

KAC46 
Thanks for the great stories. My dad was also on the Anthedon. He was a pattern maker supporting the foundry work necessary to make parts for the subs. Among his favorite stories was the ceremony you mention which marked the crossing of the equator. He was proud of being a Shellback. at 6.18

You @kac46: 
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. They probably knew one another, because my dad was a chatterbox. Dad got crew reunion notices over the years, but he never went. I guess since he couldn't talk about it, then seeing his buddies was not in the picture. Personally, I think he would've enjoyed seeing his ship mates. In the description links I should add one for Shellbacks....like this one perhaps: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony at 6.18

KAC46 
I located a treasure trove of materials my dad had saved from his time on the Anthedon. I will eventually organize them into a webpage, but for now, you can find them on hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/~connor/Anthedon/ What I have posted so far (there will be much more) is scans of maps and Plans of the Day. I also found the entire script for the equator crossing ceremony, which I will scan and post. at 6.18

Daddy SHELLBACK — 15JULY2013 FB Post: 
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
USS Anthedon Asiatic-Pacific Theatre ft. Smitty
♣Shellback Ceremony
A conversation between KAC46 and you
KAC46
I was finally able to find the time to scan the document for the Anthedon equator-crossing ceremony. It is now a pdf located at
http://hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/~connor/Anthedon/USS%20Anthedon%20Line-Crossing%20Ceremony%20Oct%201944.pdf

♣2 Maps: Philippines & Australia ship routes/dates hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/~connor/
♣4 POTD: Plan of the Day
 hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/~connor/

KAC46 
Thanks for the great stories. My dad was also on the Anthedon. He was a pattern maker supporting the foundry work necessary to make parts for the subs. Among his favorite stories was the ceremony you mention which marked the crossing of the equator. He was proud of being a Shellback. at 6.18

You @kac46: 
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. They probably knew one another, because my dad was a chatterbox. Dad got crew reunion notices over the years, but he never went. I guess since he couldn't talk about it, then seeing his buddies was not in the picture. Personally, I think he would've enjoyed seeing his ship mates. In the description links I should add one for Shellbacks....like this one perhaps: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony at 6.18

KAC46
 I located a treasure trove of materials my dad had saved from his time on the Anthedon. I will eventually organize them into a webpage, but for now, you can find them on hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/~connor/Anthedon/ What I have posted so far (there will be much more) is scans of maps and Plans of the Day. I also found the entire script for the equator crossing ceremony, which I will scan and post. at 6.18

Remembrances
 My father was a POLLYWOG that became a SHELLBACK aboard the USS Anthedon in 1944.  As per entertaining video & story below :)

♣Shellbacks
http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLts-fhrOl96B6VpxG33Gyl4iUT9zN5guH

♣shell·back   (shlbk) n. A sailor who has crossed the equator.

♣ 1943-44 WWII Pacific adventures of Smitty (my Dad)
USS Anthedon Asiatic-Pacific Theatre ft. Smitty
 Link was here for this track (uss-anthedon-asiatic-pacific)

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Comments:
KAC46 
Thanks for the great stories. My dad was also on the Anthedon. He was a pattern maker supporting the foundry work necessary to make parts for the subs. Among his favorite stories was the ceremony you mention which marked the crossing of the equator. He was proud of being a Shellback. at 6.18

You @kac46: 
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. They probably knew one another, because my dad was a chatterbox. Dad got crew reunion notices over the years, but he never went. I guess since he couldn't talk about it, then seeing his buddies was not in the picture. Personally, I think he would've enjoyed seeing his ship mates. In the description links I should add one for Shellbacks....like this one perhaps: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony at 6.18

*Jungle DOG* 
l feel your love for your Dad & Family, that is good to me, interesting story. at 27.45

You @jungle-dog: 
He often observed others as being a "curiosity" so as I get older I find his observation insightful...was an interesting man & great father. Thank you for listening. at 27.45

Steve Ferguson 
What a turbulent time that must have been for these young men and women at 9.11

You @steveferguson: 
Absolutely...he was only 19yo when the ship sailed outta Norfolk into the fray of it all... Lucky for him he his belief in God helped him not to sweat stuff beyond his control. at 9.11

Steve Ferguson 
Yuck haha at 6.21

You @steveferguson: 
Yeah, despite the yuckiness of wartime... He entertained himself & others with stories. He used to take the entire family to the mall, then park himself with a soda & snack on a bench to people watch while the rest of us shopped....he people watched...a 'curiosity' he would say... On the drive home he shared stories of all the 'bizarre' stuff he had observed from the bench...hilarious stuff LOL at 6.21

Dei_Rae 
I think im the youngest commenting on this. But very nice Tribute! happy you can take the time to tell a story like this .! at 21.45

You @raychaun44: 
Hey, Thanks so much for listening to my story. And, I apologize for being slow in responding to your comment. I saw this remark last month & thought I had replied...but no evidence of that anywhere. Seems I have a knack for accidentally deleting stuff at the worst times.... LOL...thx again! at 21.45

Ok Enough 
this was an incredible tribute to listen to. thanks for sharing this. at 22.55

You @ok-enough: 
Glad you enjoyed it. It was a wonderful story to put together. I felt since he'd been silent for so many years it might be of interest the public. Thanks for listening. at 22.55

stevelowsongs 
Thanks for sharing. Amazing how long it takes for people of the wars to open up. I guess its all part of the traumatic stress reaction reaction. Steve at 24.16

You @stevelowsongs: 
You're welcome. Although he did not talk about it to Mom or us. I suspect he spoke of it with his brothers, friends & neighbors that served at the same time. There were many long fox hunts & rabbit chases in the woods with his pals so expect he told some choice stories then..... orgot to mention that according to Dad, some of those subs went into Tokyo Bay to sink enemy ships. at 24.16

stevelowsongs @sksskh: 
Thanks for your support again 20 or 21/3/13. Much appreciated Steve at 24.16

Clinton Stevens 
LOL, the cook was warned...Nothing like a little conflict to bring people together. at 18.57

You @clinton-stevens: 
So true! I forgot to mention that he gave us kids his navy clothes ...so I used to wear his white sailor pants as a teenager, have pic of a college friend wearing them as part of a Halloween costume...and still have a belt that he wore back then...since his passing, my fave is a camouflage tee shirt...he always wore a hat to church, so my sister has one of his hats hanging in her foyer... So cool, it's as he's still here...just around the corner 'chewing the fat' :) at 18.57

Clinton Stevens 
A lovely storytelling. It's always so nice to hear the stories of other peoples lives. I salute your father for his dedicated service to god, family, and country. Thank you for sharing this piece of you and your father's history here on the cloud :D. at 28.36

You @clinton-stevens: 
Your welcome. Ive entered that phase of forgetfulness so thought I'd better share it before I forget the stories completely...:))) at 28.36

/////// 15JULY2013 FB POST:
H U G E   NEWS of EXCITING connection on SoundCloud

Met a guy named Ken... 
via my storytelling tribute to WWII USS Anthedon,... 
whose Dad served aboard same ship as my Dad, on exact same 1944 Pacific campaign!!!!  (see link to story & photos  below)

Ken shared copies of old SHELLBACK ceremony documents from that USS Anthedon submarine tender, such as:
-Photo of shell back costumes
-Assignment of roles
-ROYAL REALM POLLYWOG EQUATOR WATCH ORDERS 
 (from Davey Jones )
-EQUATOR WATCH AT SEA dated 22-OCT-1944

After this post, I plan to share in status:
1. ABSTRACT of ROYAL ORDERS 
2. EQUATOR WATCH
3. SHELLBACK PHOTO & 30pp. PDF document

♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡⌒♡ღ‿ღ♡

OCT1944 to DEC1945 USS Asiaa-Pacific Theatre Journey
♥1943-44 WWII Pacific story of Smitty on the USS Anthedon — by Sue Hite/sksskh, storyteller from Bedford, Virginia USA...daughter of Clyde "Smitty" Smith.... Home of the Bedford boys' National D-Day Memorial.

Millions were lost in WWII.  My father saw some of it in the Pacific during 1943-44.... It took more than  50-years.... FIFTY YEARS  before he could speak of it to my mother!!!  His story on Sound Cloud is a memorial to him & his ship mates. Happy for them that this USS Anthedon story from Sound Cloud was accepted into the US Navy Museum as a remembrance .... Thus, a tribute here to Dad, his shipmates, & to the remembrance of ALL second world war sacrifices everywhere throughout the world.

 ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  
USS ANTHEDON at SEA . . . . .DATE: 22-OCT-1944
ROYAL REALM WATCH ORDERS
Subject: Equator Watch

Enclosure: ROYAL BINOCULARS
Expect sighting morning 23-OCT-1944

Uniform: 
-Diving Shoes 
-Helmut 
-Life-Belt
- Underwear
. . . . . . . . . .Nothing Else

Tools to be worn on belt as follows:
-Large Pair of Pliers
-Large Mallet
-Several Large Chisels
-Large Brace & Bit

Disobey these orders & see what happens.
~Davey Jones
  ______/\__°\(ッ)/°__
 ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  

///

Me Hearties... 
HIS MAJESTY KING NEPTUNE, Ruler of Rage Main
 ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  

USS ANTHEDON at SEA . . . . .DATE: 22-OCT-1944
ROYAL REALM WATCH ORDERS
Subject: Equator Watch

Enclosure: ROYAL BINOCULARS
Expect sighting morning 23-OCT-1944

Uniform: 
-Diving Shoes 
-Helmut 
-Life-Belt
- Underwear
. . . . . . . . . .Nothing Else

Tools to be worn on belt as follows:
-Saw
-Hammer
-Flashlight
-Stethoscope (made of tubing with a funnel on each end)

Disobey these orders & see what happens.
~Davey Jones
  ______/\__°\(ッ)/°__
 ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o  

///

HIS MAJESTY KING NEPTUNE, Ruler of Rage Main
▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o 

USS ANTHEDON at SEA . . . . .DATE: 22-OCT-1944
Pollywog Equator Watch. . . .Enclosure: ROYAL BINOCULARS

Expect sighting morning 23-OCT-1944

Tradition. Frolicsome ceremony NOT brutal, just boisterous. 
Hair can grow back. You will once again eat sitting down in the not too distant future. If you have sighted nothing, 
make the POLLYWOG CRY FOR MERCY, to wit, " Ba-a-a!"

1530 ASSUMED WATCH
1545 NO BOTTOM AT THE PURPLE RAG
1600 Ba-a-a. They ain't no bloody porpoises.
1635 Slimy Bottom at this woly hair — Could be 
blonde or redhead. 
1700 Davey Jones being aboard — secured the watch.

______/\__°\(ッ)/°__ ______/\__°\(ッ)/°__
▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍゅゅ▹ꏼ꒲(ꎍ.｡o


USS Anthedon  Asiatic-Pacific Theatre ft. Smitty

♥PEAKS of OTTER located in Bedford, VIrginia USA
  Located on east coast adjacent to Washington D.C.
  Stone/ Boulder/ Rock section obtained from Sharp Top Mountain 
  ...one of the mountains of the twin Peaks of Otter...
......the other is Flat Top mountain

#1 Set in the west wall of the Washington Monument at the 12th landing on the stairway and bears the inscription:

"From the summit of Otter
Virginia's loftiest peak
To crown the Monument
To Virginia's noblest son."*

#2 Bedford High School (now Bedford Elementary School)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200844911192236&set=a.10200842817419893.2210324.1447741737&type=3&theater
#3 Buford family cemetery at Montvale

♥WAR MEMORIALS
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."—John 15:13.

"In every major conflict since the birth of America, Bedford County has furnished military units or men who fought, and died, in the cause of freedom.  Elaborate markers and memorials have been erected to honor most of these men and various engagements in which they fought."

*GEORGE WASHINGTON ( 1732-1799 )
"Born in 1732 into a Virginia planter family, he learned the morals, manners, and body of knowledge requisite for an 18th century Virginia gentleman.

George Washington was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, serving as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He also presided over the convention that drafted the Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution established the position of President of the United States, which Washington was the first to hold. "

♥REFERENCES
Bedford County Bicentennial 1754-1954 Official Program
Whitehouse http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

♥ARTWORK:  My photo of the Peaks of Otter view from my parent's house.

The Peaks are where many family & church cookouts are held near a stony creek...hiking galore.... Blue Ridge Parkway runs across the top of thes mountains... Also a lake, camp ground & lodge near the picnic area....  a refreshing oasis type place...

♥PEAKS of OTTER — Bedford, VIrginia USA

"There is power in our words, there is power in our tongues, and there is life and death in what we say and how we say it. Paul knew it. Mr. Peabody knew it. And now you and I know it."—Rev. Candy Snively; St. Paul's Episcopal Church ( see Happyville story below re Mr. Peabody )

In sharing FB items with my high school group I noticed I'd posted the lyrics to a bunch of songs in various languages.  My multi-lingual teacher back then played piano & lead the class in song.  I loved that class grades 9-11, but our school had no 4th year French class.  Senior year I had to be creative to keep up my French. As President of our French club I lead those meetings in my best country French style.  And, senior year travelled with a group to France for 10-days.  Once a few friends & I were left behind by the group at the opera house around midnight.  We found the subway station, but as hicks none of us knew how to read the subway map to get back to our hotel prior to the 1AM subway system shutdown.  I stopped a man in a suit to ask for help in the best French I could muster.  I learned how to read that map in a heartbeat, and relieved we made it to our hotel. When we saw our chaperones & group eating burgers a block away.... We were chastised for walking one block without a chaperone.  Of course we said, HAHAHA... We just came across town without a chaperone!!!  Laughs were had by all.

In the spirit of laughing, I recorded this after a couple run thought with my scratchy voice to warm up.... For what I don't know.   I'm hooked on this & other songs taught by Mr. Rayford Sowell back in 1967-1971 at Liberty High School in Bedford, VA USA

I do apologize to Edith fans.... As Edith Piaf was simply awesome in singing this song like no other.

1970 SONG LYRICS Handout, page 13  "Milord"
1972 FRANCE High school senoir trip
1991 FRANCE Merck business trip to Clermont-Ferrand

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200727913747373.2208923.1447741737&type=3
~~~~
As a footnote: My many years of various church choirs deserve a mention in tribute to my wonderful choir directors who love music as much as I.  I salut their many dedicated efforts in choir with this particular homily.  A nice listen / read, if you have the time. Many thanks! 

 "Mr. Peabody's Apples" 
Rev. Candace Snively, Deacon —Homily, June 9, 2013 

Galatians 1:11-24
I want to share a story with you this morning and when I'm finished I will tell you who the author is. There is a book named Mr. Peabody's Apples. In this story all the good people of Happyville live a fine existence. Sort of like Andy Griffith's Mayberry...

Hear Candy's homily in MP3 audio. Click here for AUDIO:
 http://www.stpaulscary.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=166&Itemid=1019

I want to share a story with you this morning. And when I’m finished, I’ll tell you who the author is.  There is a book named Mr. Peabody’s Apples. In this story, all the good people of Happyville live a fine existence, sort of like life in Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. The elementary school teacher, Mr. Peabody, devotes his summer time Saturday’s to organizing baseball games for the town’s children. Each Saturday the boys and girls gather and have a wonderful time participating in the nation’s pastime. And after each game, once bats and balls had been collected, and the children have walked home, Mr. Peabody walks home too. One Saturday, Tommy Tittlebottom just happens to see Mr. Peabody on his way home and what he sees surprised him to no end. Mr. Peabody stops in front of the local grocery store and picks out an apple from the display bin, drops it in his bag, and continues on his way. Tommy could not believe his eyes. The very next Saturday, after the game, Tommy gathers his friends and they wait across the street from the store to see if this terrible travesty will happen again. And it does. Mr. Peabody takes another apple, the biggest one, drops it in his bag and continues on his way home.

Tommy and his friends tell everyone they know about Mr. Peabody. Their words spread like wildfire and the next Saturday no one shows up to play ball, except for Billy. With tears in his eyes, Billy tells his coach that everyone thinks him a thief. Mr. Peabody and Billy go back to the store. The owner explains it all to Billy. Mr. Peabody pays for the apples when he buys his groceries and picks one up after each Saturday baseball game.  Billy runs to tell Tommy and Tommy comes to Mr. Peabody to apologize. The final act of the book finds Mr. Peabody inviting Tommy to bring a feather pillow with him to the baseball field. Once they meet, Mr. Peabody cuts open the pillow and as Tommy holds it high, the feathers fly fast and far in the breeze. The coach then asks the child to go and collect all of the feathers and the lesson is learned: words once spoken cannot be gathered again. Now the author of Mr. Peabody’s Apples is none other than the singer Madonna. Tommy looked around him and saw what he thought he saw, and spoke to what he thought he understood. But he simply did not know enough of the story – all that needs to be known is not yet known.

The same can be said for the people who lived in Galatia. They knew Jesus had lived and died, they believed in their hearts that he had risen from the dead and that he was coming back again. But as they looked around them, as they experienced the challenges of their lives, what they saw did not match what they experienced and so words that could demean and divide, words that could tear down and weaken their community began to be spoken. And like the feathers blowing in the breeze, these words were gaining momentum, and like Mr. Peabody, Paul’s integrity and credibility were being called into question. In the opening five verses of his letter, Paul succinctly introduced the two main subjects of the letter – his apostleship and his gospel. And as we see in our passage this morning, Paul now turns his attention to the other main theme of this letter. And the reason he does this is because some questions were being asked, as a result of the false teachers. It is clear from Paul’s responses that people wanted to know WHY they had to listen to the Apostle Paul.  Where did Paul get this teaching from and how come HIS gospel gets to be the one that judges everyone else?  In other words, “Who put you in charge, Paul?”

In order to explain how he received this “direct revelation” of Jesus Christ, Paul takes us back to an earlier part of his life. He reminds us here of his former life as a zealous practitioner of the Jewish religion. Paul gives us an indicator here of how seriously he practiced his religion. He says he persecuted the church of God, that is, he persecuted Christians. So there is Paul, so concerned for the truth of his Jewish heritage that he would stop at nothing to defend and protect it. But after Paul’s conversion, the zeal with which he had persecuted and tortured Christians was now the zeal with which he labored to produce and preserve them, through the preaching of the gospel. Imagine if you will, a loyal and zealous UNC fan heading off to watch the Tar Heels play NC State, when suddenly on the way to the game, there is a blinding flash of light and this fanatic Tar Heel fan suddenly began shouting, “Go State,” while breathing threats and curses down upon the miserable UNC Tar Heels.  It would have to be divine intervention for something like that to happen. And that’s Paul’s main premise. God is the one that changed Paul’s life and heart in such a radical way.

Paul then stresses in this passage his independence from the Jerusalem authorities, even as he acknowledges that he visited them. His words read almost like a defensive explanation, an alibi, a sort of response to the question: “where were you on the night of the crime?”  Paul emphasizes that even though he might have gone to Jerusalem a time or two, the Jerusalem people added nothing to his message. Lest we miss the point, he says it twice.  He mentions that after his conversion he didn’t go up to Jerusalem, but went off to Arabia and then Damascus. Then, when he made it to Jerusalem he stayed with Cephas two weeks and saw James, the Lord’s brother. What he is saying is that he wasn’t around the Jerusalem Apostles long enough to be influenced by their message. Paul is walking a very narrow tightrope at this point. He must maintain that he is a legitimate Apostle and explain why he did go to Jerusalem, but he feels he must also declare that these central figures in early Christianity really offered nothing to him. It has been said that it is Paul’s quest for personal independence that led to his striking theological vision, a vision so unique and powerful, that it has been the primary shaper of Christian theology to this day.  Paul was able to handle seemingly contradictory thoughts and fuse them with a tremendous personal energy that resulted in the letters of the New Testament. The later chapters of Galatians will show how he managed to do this.  Here in chapter 1, he lays the groundwork for his understanding of the Gospel – he was uniquely chosen and he is independent. He finally mentions that those who heard of his conversion glorified God because of it. Paul’s life was a channel of blessing for which other Christians were thankful, most especially because it was the channel through which they came to know about God and were being built up in the faith. Thinking of this can provide us with an occasion to ask ourselves of how can I live my life in such a way, that people would glorify God, because of how He used me? What changes could I make, that if people close to me saw them, it might cause them to respect God? There is power in our words, there is power in our tongues, and there is life and death in what we say and how we say it. Paul knew it. Mr. Peabody knew it. And now you and I know it.

Amen.

Milord — Edith Piaf  ( Cover ) at North Carolina

Hali Gani (Swahili greeting)

"There is power in our words, there is power in our tongues, and there is life and death in what we say and how we say it. Paul knew it. Mr. Peabody knew it. And now you and I know it."—Rev. Candy Snively; St. Paul's Episcopal Church ( see Happyville story below re Mr. Peabody )

High School medley of music memory snippets in reminiscing how our multi-lingual teacher played piano & lead our French class in song.  Songs such as.... 

FRENCH
Freres Jacques
Rame, Rame Rame Donc
Alouette
~~~
PORTUGUESE Chanson Bresilienne - au portugais
Juntos Canteremos
~~~
GERMAN
Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht - Fran's Gruber (1818)
~~~
FRENCH
Dominique
Milord

1970 "Chansons Francaises" Handout 
by Rayford Sowell, Professeur de Francais
Liberty High School
Bedford, VIrginia USA

16-page Handout of song lyrics posted in my FB France album via link below.

1970 SONG LYRICS Handout, page 13  "Milord"
1972 FRANCE High school senoir trip
1991 FRANCE Merck business trip to Clermont-Ferrand

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200727913747373.2208923.1447741737&type=3

~~~~~

In sharing FB items with my high school group I noticed I'd posted the lyrics to a bunch of songs in various languages. My multi-lingual teacher back then played piano & lead the class in song. I loved that class grades 9-11, but our school had no 4th year French class. Senior year I had to be creative to keep up my French. As President of our French club I lead those meetings in my best country French style. And, senior year travelled with a group to France for 10-days. Once a few friends & I were left behind by the group at the opera house around midnight. We found the subway station, but as hicks none of us knew how to read the subway map to get back to our hotel prior to the 1AM subway system shutdown. I stopped a man in a suit to ask for help in the best French I could muster. I learned how to read that map in a heartbeat, and relieved we made it to our hotel. When we saw our chaperones & group eating burgers a block away.... We were chastised for walking one block without a chaperone. Of course we said, HAHAHA... We just came across town without a chaperone!!! Laughs were had by all.

In the spirit of laughing, I recorded this after a couple run thought with my scratchy voice to warm up.... For what I don't know. I'm hooked on this & other songs taught by Mr. Rayford Sowell back in 1967-1971 at Liberty High School in Bedford, VA USA

I do apologize to Edith fans.... As Edith Piaf was simply awesome in singing this song like no other.

1970 SONG LYRICS Handout, page 13 "Milord"
1972 FRANCE High school senoir trip
1991 FRANCE Merck business trip to Clermont-Ferrand

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a…41737&type=3
~~~~
As a footnote: My many years of various church choirs deserve a mention in tribute to my wonderful choir directors who love music as much as I. I salut their many dedicated efforts in choir with this particular homily. A nice listen / read, if you have the time. Many thanks!

"Mr. Peabody's Apples" 
Rev. Candace Snively, Deacon —Homily, June 9, 2013

Galatians 1:11-24
I want to share a story with you this morning and when I'm finished I will tell you who the author is. There is a book named Mr. Peabody's Apples. In this story all the good people of Happyville live a fine existence. Sort of like Andy Griffith's Mayberry...

Hear Candy's homily in MP3 audio. Click here for AUDIO:
www.stpaulscary.org/index.php?optio…amp;Itemid=1019

I want to share a story with you this morning. And when I’m finished, I’ll tell you who the author is. There is a book named Mr. Peabody’s Apples. In this story, all the good people of Happyville live a fine existence, sort of like life in Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. The elementary school teacher, Mr. Peabody, devotes his summer time Saturday’s to organizing baseball games for the town’s children. Each Saturday the boys and girls gather and have a wonderful time participating in the nation’s pastime. And after each game, once bats and balls had been collected, and the children have walked home, Mr. Peabody walks home too. One Saturday, Tommy Tittlebottom just happens to see Mr. Peabody on his way home and what he sees surprised him to no end. Mr. Peabody stops in front of the local grocery store and picks out an apple from the display bin, drops it in his bag, and continues on his way. Tommy could not believe his eyes. The very next Saturday, after the game, Tommy gathers his friends and they wait across the street from the store to see if this terrible travesty will happen again. And it does. Mr. Peabody takes another apple, the biggest one, drops it in his bag and continues on his way home.

Tommy and his friends tell everyone they know about Mr. Peabody. Their words spread like wildfire and the next Saturday no one shows up to play ball, except for Billy. With tears in his eyes, Billy tells his coach that everyone thinks him a thief. Mr. Peabody and Billy go back to the store. The owner explains it all to Billy. Mr. Peabody pays for the apples when he buys his groceries and picks one up after each Saturday baseball game. Billy runs to tell Tommy and Tommy comes to Mr. Peabody to apologize. The final act of the book finds Mr. Peabody inviting Tommy to bring a feather pillow with him to the baseball field. Once they meet, Mr. Peabody cuts open the pillow and as Tommy holds it high, the feathers fly fast and far in the breeze. The coach then asks the child to go and collect all of the feathers and the lesson is learned: words once spoken cannot be gathered again. Now the author of Mr. Peabody’s Apples is none other than the singer Madonna. Tommy looked around him and saw what he thought he saw, and spoke to what he thought he understood. But he simply did not know enough of the story – all that needs to be known is not yet known.

The same can be said for the people who lived in Galatia. They knew Jesus had lived and died, they believed in their hearts that he had risen from the dead and that he was coming back again. But as they looked around them, as they experienced the challenges of their lives, what they saw did not match what they experienced and so words that could demean and divide, words that could tear down and weaken their community began to be spoken. And like the feathers blowing in the breeze, these words were gaining momentum, and like Mr. Peabody, Paul’s integrity and credibility were being called into question. In the opening five verses of his letter, Paul succinctly introduced the two main subjects of the letter – his apostleship and his gospel. And as we see in our passage this morning, Paul now turns his attention to the other main theme of this letter. And the reason he does this is because some questions were being asked, as a result of the false teachers. It is clear from Paul’s responses that people wanted to know WHY they had to listen to the Apostle Paul. Where did Paul get this teaching from and how come HIS gospel gets to be the one that judges everyone else? In other words, “Who put you in charge, Paul?”

In order to explain how he received this “direct revelation” of Jesus Christ, Paul takes us back to an earlier part of his life. He reminds us here of his former life as a zealous practitioner of the Jewish religion. Paul gives us an indicator here of how seriously he practiced his religion. He says he persecuted the church of God, that is, he persecuted Christians. So there is Paul, so concerned for the truth of his Jewish heritage that he would stop at nothing to defend and protect it. But after Paul’s conversion, the zeal with which he had persecuted and tortured Christians was now the zeal with which he labored to produce and preserve them, through the preaching of the gospel. Imagine if you will, a loyal and zealous UNC fan heading off to watch the Tar Heels play NC State, when suddenly on the way to the game, there is a blinding flash of light and this fanatic Tar Heel fan suddenly began shouting, “Go State,” while breathing threats and curses down upon the miserable UNC Tar Heels. It would have to be divine intervention for something like that to happen. And that’s Paul’s main premise. God is the one that changed Paul’s life and heart in such a radical way.

Paul then stresses in this passage his independence from the Jerusalem authorities, even as he acknowledges that he visited them. His words read almost like a defensive explanation, an alibi, a sort of response to the question: “where were you on the night of the crime?” Paul emphasizes that even though he might have gone to Jerusalem a time or two, the Jerusalem people added nothing to his message. Lest we miss the point, he says it twice. He mentions that after his conversion he didn’t go up to Jerusalem, but went off to Arabia and then Damascus. Then, when he made it to Jerusalem he stayed with Cephas two weeks and saw James, the Lord’s brother. What he is saying is that he wasn’t around the Jerusalem Apostles long enough to be influenced by their message. Paul is walking a very narrow tightrope at this point. He must maintain that he is a legitimate Apostle and explain why he did go to Jerusalem, but he feels he must also declare that these central figures in early Christianity really offered nothing to him. It has been said that it is Paul’s quest for personal independence that led to his striking theological vision, a vision so unique and powerful, that it has been the primary shaper of Christian theology to this day. Paul was able to handle seemingly contradictory thoughts and fuse them with a tremendous personal energy that resulted in the letters of the New Testament. The later chapters of Galatians will show how he managed to do this. Here in chapter 1, he lays the groundwork for his understanding of the Gospel – he was uniquely chosen and he is independent. He finally mentions that those who heard of his conversion glorified God because of it. Paul’s life was a channel of blessing for which other Christians were thankful, most especially because it was the channel through which they came to know about God and were being built up in the faith. Thinking of this can provide us with an occasion to ask ourselves of how can I live my life in such a way, that people would glorify God, because of how He used me? What changes could I make, that if people close to me saw them, it might cause them to respect God? There is power in our words, there is power in our tongues, and there is life and death in what we say and how we say it. Paul knew it. Mr. Peabody knew it. And now you and I know it.

Amen.



Wandering Medley — Memory Test w/rt Chansons Francaises

An unintended story.  Perhaps a fitting 'bad' tribute to lost love & 'bad' ex-husbands..  for all  dirtbags everywhere ... Pour vous... Cash, Dylan & me....woo-hoo, hoot n toot n here we go :)

 Intended as the happy song my mother taught me as a child.  Great guitars, powerful vocals by Johnny Cash, Dylan I only heard once in awhile.... It was Cash, the 'Boy named Sue' that carried Dylan & I in this tune. 

However, this 'collaboration' mix had a few interesting twists.  Firstly, I never knew all the words to the entire song until now.  It's not a happy song at all, but a love gone wrong sad song true to life.  I stuck out my determined stupid chin and thought I could twang it with Johnny.... at the start was so-so ok but that second verse where he belts out 'I always loved you' & 'make you happy'. . . . I cracked, my voice cracked, I even sang choking out laughs...

 'You have left me to love another, You have shattered all my dreams'

I don't know what possessed me to mess that up by joining in,.... cause I knew I'd not be able to twang it in Cash's style.... That was NOT the plan.... Same with the guitar parti I jumped into.... NOT according to plan.... By the end of the song..... I was so sick of it I was deflated & the finish went badly.  Then I realized, it's all  ok...  Cause its a lyin cheatin song about a stupid man that "will never know" . . . Thus It's aptly re-titled 'NOT' my sunshine since it's my track & I can name it whatever I feel is appropriate.  :)

One final twist is that I thought I'd made peace with all that, but my reaction in doing this song sounds otherwise.  In hindsight, it's been therapeutic in a way, but not the sort of song I care to perfect. It's gonna ride as is, sour note finish et al as a commentary to the lyin cheatin disappointment of a person he turned out to be. 

At first learning of the circumstances, I blamed myself for working 90-hrs / week on a grueling Vaccine R&D facility  start-up  & operations to launch a new product with a dedicated team of great scientists.  Now I feel this cover sourness is appropriate & exactly what the man deserves for being so character flawed.  The amount of time I spent on that project was justified because it was a pneumonia vaccine with extra serotypes to protect infants from dying.... I'd do that 13v project again in a heartbeat whereas I cannot say the same for that marriage.

I was awake early ~5am to get to an early dental appointment before 8am workday started.  I answered an early call to my husband's cell phone so the ringer would not disturbed his sleep.  In doing so, I noticed all sorts of informative texts messages & pix to/from him & an unknown woman. Hmmmm, what to do!? I decided to not be rash in jumping to an obvious conclusion, thought I'd think on it awhile.  Went to dentist, & to work to my 'normal' back-to-back-insanity-of-aggressive-timeline-facility/operations-meetings. 

By mid-afternoon I went to my office for a break, & pick up my cell phone to review the morning message I'd for we'd to myself from this unknown woman.  Just then my colleague Joe walked in with one of his sob stories, crying about how two of my staff scientists were apparently hogging a particular pump/ vessel which impacted his /our automation schedule... 

Poor Joe.. said something like "what are you gonna do about this problem?"

Joe was at the proverbial wrong place, at precisely the wrong time.  I simply looked at Joe while he was just getting seated, as I said something along the lines of: 

"I don't give a hoot what pumps/ vessel problem(s) your/ my  staff might have, tell them to PLAY NICE & work it out themselves!!!  I have a more pressing problem in that this morning...Yada Yada... I found this cell MSG... Now, you tell me what am I supposed to do with this crap????"  

Joe went from Mr. Crybaby to Mr. Compassion in a heartbeat. I knew he was moved by my words/ situaion...  As I truly was at a loss for what to think, say, or do.  Thus, unbeknownst to Joe he helped immensely in my deliberation over what to do.... do I go face it now or wait as late as possible, or worse, never menton it.  It was Joe's feedback in his immediate gut-reaction style (only Joe is famous for in meetings) that helped me face this crisis... 

Cause Joe said "don't wait, the sooner, the better"    Best advice ever. Joe left my office on the condition that I immediately go home to deal with this mess. Thanks, Joe! I suppose that's why you had leadership of that logic based automation staff, huh :)  

Before leaving my office, I typed a text note to The Woman...  but didn't send it until I got home & saw my husband's car in the garage.  As I entered the kitchen I pressed "send" on my cell, invited Kenny for a soda break, and answered his question "why are you home so early?"  In narrative, non accusatory style to invite a reasonable explanation from him.  He gave what is best described as an "unreasonable" explanation as to how this policewoman that was on the same emergency response as he & his ambulance, the two of them had some 'follow-up ' case work paperwork that required attention.  Hmmm, according to our cell phone records that attention spanned approximately Jan-Jun timeframe. . . That's a heap of paperwork!!! 

Oddly, my husband reacted by being extremely angry with me for uncovering his infidelity.  I didn't care about that per se as much as the breach of trust. Hence, I told him it seemed forgivable, fixable if we wanted us to continue the marriage.  He was dumbfounded, & continued to be angry.  Now it was time to get some dinner, so we decided to go out for pizza & a change of scenery... since we were both tapped out on that topic.    

As we're were headed out the door, the phone rang & I answered it.  It was The Woman calling my husband regarding my cell text message " Hi, I'm his wife & would appreciate you leaving him alone." ....in realizing who I was she apologized profusely saying she's a decent policewoman that doesn't date married men... My husband had told her he's divorced, she said in obvious distress. My contribution to the conversation was minimal, still he realized who I was speaking with and in his angry tone "insisted I not be rude." Hmmm....it seemed an odd remark, I realized he must be expecting a big reaction on my part.  I'm way past hormonal days, & much too old for useless drama. At the end of that conversation, & in a subsequent message she supposedly dumped him.  I don't think he ever got past his initial anger, some effort was made, but it was clear that our marriage had no future.  A sad realization to accept... As apparently this song shows... LOL I can do a better cover of it, but will refrain from offering 'proof.'

Early this year when I got around to finally looking at FB again, after ~4 years of it sitting idle... I noticed that as my FB friend Kenny had a page covered photos of him & a woman in various poses... One of which was them kissing at New Years.  I was with a friend who said... "Wow, Check it out...Would ya look at that!!!" ....without batting an eyelash, I said "oh, honey. .. I've got one of those New Year's kiss pix too, & it's absolutely worthless."  We laughed.  And so "as the world turns, " just as if a page from a soap opera. . . . Some things never change.


Perhaps I'm  not as 'big hearted' a person in forgiveness as I once thought. At least I do have peace in knowing it's long been resolved.  

'Volez-vous coucher aver moi ce sois?' Nah, gotta pass. . . . 
. . . but could be a potential cloud cover. LOL

In the end, all is well. No worries. I had fun with Cash & Dylan.  :)
Thanks guys, hats off to these two greats!!!

Guys (JC & BD), You ARE my Sunshine!!!
Give 'em a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpsq8N2Src8&sns=em
:) & all ears SMILE now ya, hear!!!!!!!!!


sksskh

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