It has been a trying week for many reasons. DeAnna and Callie Grace came to the beach for the weekend and we had such fun, so it ended well. Ted and I took DeAnna out on the boat into the bay and on the Intracoastal Waterway for fishing on Friday and she caught lots of "stuff," some of it wild, and some of it good. On Friday, we went out again to the deeper, more beautiful water of the open Gulf out beyond the North Jetties. I caught a shark right off the bat and she was impressed. We had fun and then came back and took Steven and Callie Grace to the beach at our house to join some of my dear friends, John and Joni Harding and their grandchildren for a time of playing in the sand and surf.
The reason I can always remember when Elvis died is that the anniversary is on the 16th, one day before my son's birthday on the 17th of August. I was in the kitchen icing his birthday cake when Teresa, my beloved sister in law, called to break the news. I told her that what she said wasn't funny and a bad joke, and she said, "Oh, Brenda, he really is dead. I'm not joking. Go turn on the TV." And I did and he had! I couldn't believe it. That man could sing and he will always represent a part of my growing up years. There's lots more to tell, but I won't take the time to do that now. Happy Birthday, Brent.
When Brent moved to Florida to pastor Community Bible Baptist Church, he made a joke about hurricanes following him. Everyone laughed. There's three building right now and two are heading for central Florida — Not so funny! He and his family (and us eventually) have experienced way too many hurricanes here on the Texas coast and the church (Val Verde Baptist) had storm damage at least three times from weather related issues while he was there.
Ana, Bill, and Claudette are concerns right now for all of us. We have been told to batten down the hatches, but it mostly is going to be rain — they think! We pray!
Had some experiences this week that I would have liked to have avoided seeing. Hurting people do hurtful things, and they seem to do it simply as a matter of their own existence.There is nothing uglier to me than a bitter, rude, embolden, older woman who speaks out of the meaningless heart she has emptied years ago. When you have no joy in your own life (for whatever reason) because of your past actions, alcohol, drugs (prescription and other), lack of close family, not getting along with neighbors, and jealousy and envy, there is a tendency to lash out and hurt those who are more successful and certainly more happy. I saw that demonstrated twice this week by two different women who had no cause to be concerned about issues they chose to tackle. You almost want to hold a life mirror up to their faces and demand that they stop and take a hard look at themselves, but of course, that would not be acceptable.
May God help them. Dr. John R. Rice used to say often that "bitterness and envy eats up the vessel it is stored in...and quickly at that." Dr. B. R. Lakin shared with us "If they're kicking you in the rear, you've still got the lead, so keep on going."
Ted and I ask you to join us in prayer for his only sister, Martha Ladd, of Beaumont, Texas. She underwent open heart surgery in Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, on Wednesday, August 12. She has had some complications and needs our prayers. These complications involve her heart, kidneys, lungs, being disoriented, and a staph colony. She is at this writing in an isolation ICU. Her husband and children are there with her and they all need our prayers.
May God bless all coastal residents during hurricane season — 2009 — and Happy Birthday, Brent!
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