Music Takes Me Back . . .

So this morning I turn on my TV to Easy Listening, as always, open the LR blinds, and head to the kitchen to make my coffee. Decide to mop the kitchen floor and wash the rugs. THEN, make the coffee. 

Once again, the music takes me away. This time it’s "Grandfather’s Clock." OMG, now that’s one I haven’t heard since . . . wow, a long time.


It was, of course, just one of the many – I thought at the time – silly little dittys we kids sang as we played and ran around the neighborhood.


Grandfather’s Clock, and "It’s Raining, it’s Pouring" , Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, Catch a Tiger By the Toe ( well, some kids sang it different but MY Mom taught me some words are just too ugly and we don’t say them).


And then there were the popular songs of the day – like " Don’t Sit Under the Apple tree," " I’m Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover," " I’ll Be Seeing You," "White Cliffs of Dover," "When the Lights Come On Again". All those heart-rendering, patriotic, romantic war-time melodies.


Do you remember them too?


My Beautiful Old Detroit Neighborhood. Mostly demolished now. One and a half blocks from my grade school, Grayling Elementary, and two streets over from the State Fair Grounds (where we spent many a summer day – all day – back in those long-ago times of my – can I say– perfect? – childhood.


There was a vacant lot two houses down from my house – just about in the middle of the block – great for playing baseball and kick the can. Of course we all knew the rules – come in when the street lights come on. Often of a summer evening, our parents were visiting back and forth on someone’s front porch. Keeping an ‘eye out’. Every house had a front porch, of course.


Back in those days, after school, or in the summertime when there was no school, we – mostly my (3) girlfriends and I – neighbors all – played together. And this is how it went. You went down the street to your friend’s house and stood on the sidewalk in front of her door – and called her name. (Sing-songy voice required).


Mar – il – lynn . . . (pause) . . . Mar – il – lynn.


Glor – ee – ah . . . . Glor – ee – ah.


Dee – Aaannn


Mare – ree


After one or two calls, the girl would come out to play. Or her mother would come to the door and say, "Marilyn can’t come and play right now."


On the opposite end of the street from the one that led to the school was a huge piece of property. Mostly filled with cinders and dirt. Probably a 4-5 acre piece of land. At the back the land rose about ten feet or so and that’s were the railroad tracks ran. And still do, of course. We spent a lot of time running around that land, sometimes catching frogs or tadpoles in the pools that formed and, god forbid – climbing up and "walking the tracks". Yeah, we did. When I think about that . . .


But that’s enough for today. Don’t want to repeat myself; most of these precious memories have been recorded in my first book, Sarah’s Story (available on Lulu.com--30% discount-- and Amazon.com.)

Regrets . . . (Originally written 12/27/2009)

Don’t Be The Kind of Father Who . . .

As your children stand at your casket,
silent tears falling from their eyes,
mourning not only the physical loss
of the man who was their father,
but also for the missed opportunities
when they were children growing up
with a man who was basically
such a good man, really,
but also someone it was very hard to love.
Because loving you exposed them
to so much hurt.

Genealogy Research/Editing Services -- 2015

Sarah Barnes, Tennessee Writer

http://www.SarahSaysExpressYourself.blogspot.com

TnWriterSarahB@aol.com

615-636-8144

　




Freelance Writer, Editor,
Genealogist (member of MTGS,
Midle TN Genealogical Society)
 Author
Sarah’s Story, A Memoir http://goo.gl/mm6dhL URL to purchase
　
　
　
　
　
Option #1
Genealogy Research - $10/hour

2-3 hours of research generally produce data/information on you, your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. The more detail you provide (name, date of birth, location, etc.) the greater the likelihood of locating him/her/them. End result includes ancestor report of information found.
　

Option #2
Scanning of pictures – $2.00 per picture

　

Option #3
If several generations have been researched and located, I can produce attractive genie reports illustrating the information. Several styles/options available. $2 – $5 per report. (See samples attached.) Scanned pictures can be added to reports.

　
Option #4 – Editing

I will edit/proofread manuscripts, etc. at $.01 per word. (Ex. 500 words doubled-spaced = 2 pages – $5.00).

Sarah's Story . . .

. . . now available on Lulu.com, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble --

Please purchase from Lulu.  I get $5.++ from Lulu.  I get $1.78 from Amazon.

THANKS!


Lulu.com --

http://goo.gl/mm6dhL



Amazon.com --

http://www.amazon.com/Sarahs-Story-Sarah-Barnes/dp/0578157055/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429996219&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=Sarah.s+Story%2C+by+Sarah+Barnes

Fred and Wilma -- The Flintstones -- 03 29 2015

Fred and Wilma -- "You know, like the Flintstones," they said the morning I met them at Spring Hill Methodist Church. About a year ago.

It was the time during the service, right after the call to worship, when the minister tells us to take a break to "meet and greet" one another. This elderly couple was sitting in the pew right behind me and both reached out their hands as I stood and turned towards them.

It was my first visit here. I liked it so much I never got around to visiting the Episcopal church across the street.  I quickly claimed my ‘comfortable place' in the pew in front of Fred and Wilma. Which was also behind the pew with the big crack about 3 feet long in the seat. Finding my "spot" by sighting Fred and Wilma became my weekly routine.

And soon the handshake became a gentle hug for and with each of them. You might say it made my sense of "homeness" in this place complete.

A few weeks ago, during ‘sharing joys and sorrow' time during the service we learned one of our members had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. His name, along with others experiencing various trials and illnesses appeared in the bulletin. Early on in my attendance at this church I began adding the new names from the bulletin each week to my daily prayer list. For my own daily devotion time of prayers and scripture reading – Sitting next to the fire in my fireplace in winter and out on my screened-in porch during the warmer months. Along with my coffee, it has become my morning ritual.

Each day I take out my list and name each person asking God to provide healing, or comfort, or protection – whatever it is that particular person or family needs.

Today, at church, a new couple was sitting about mid-way in the rows. I didn’t see Fred and Wilma so I looked for the cracked pew as my marker and found my "spot" that way.  It was directly in front of these new folks. During meet and greet I turned around to shake their hands. We exchanged greetings and I learned they had been coming about a month. I told them Fred and Wilma usually sat there but I hadn’t seen them for a few weeks. (Sometimes I go to church in Franklin with my son and his family).

I turned to sit back down and suddenly it hit me. Like a punch to my stomach. Fred and Wilma . . . Fred as in THE Fred Thompson with stomach cancer I have recently been praying for.

Dear little Fred and Wilma – who remind me so much of my own precious parents now residing in heaven. I think Pastor Keith would forgive me if he knew I only half listened to his sermon today. Mostly I spent his sermon time crying and praying for these two sweet dear souls.

Please, God, Jehovah Rophi, reign down healing upon your precious son, Fred.

　

　

Consider This . . .

Consider this "What If" –

Human societies draw a line. And we say "cross this line" and we will fight you, go to war with you, kill you . . . through the Ages. It’s the Human Way. We protect our own.

And so it goes.

Freedom isn’t free; right? Right.

Societies need their "warriors" to protect the rest of us. Me, for example, who can hardly bear to kill a bug. Thank God there are "warriors" to fight my serious battles.

But, What If –

What IF – literally, really, all the time, everyone – relinquished that responsibility to God?

What IF – we did as He instructs and allowed Him to fight our battles for us?

What IF – ALWAYS we LOVED our ENEMIES.?

What IF – ALWAYS we DID GOOD to those who DISPITEFULLY USE US?

How long would the killing continue?

Would God intervene like He did with Daniel in the lion’s den? Or with Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego? Or when He parted the Red Sea?

But then, we’ll never know . . . will we?

　 Sarah

Ponderings . . . Something Cannot Come From Nothing (03/18/2015)

Something cannot come from nothing . . .

            "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth . . . "

Who created God?

             "I Am that I Am . . . "

A timeless statement. Incorporating yesterday, today, tomorrow. A forever statement. A "present" statement. "He" is now . . . always has been. No beginning, no end.

God is Ultimate Love. AND Ultimate Logic.

? ? ? ? ?

A circle has no beginning and no end . . .

* * * * *

There is something to grasp here. I’m not sure what.