Monday, April 26, 2010
TAMMY TO BE BAPTIZED
Sunday (yesterday) Tammy formally joined Statewood Baptist Church and will be baptized by full immersion on Mother's Day! I'm so proud of her...and she is really happy. I haven't got together with her girls yet, but plan to do so soon to try to arrange a dinner or open house after the church service, which starts at 10:45 and is usually over by noon.
CHURCH UPDATE
I have now attended church with Tammy for three consecutive Sundays. I miss the music at Grace Christian Church, but not much else. The people at Statewood Baptist are among the friendliest and nicest I've ever met, anywhere-not just in church. So saying, looks like I've found a new church! Last Sunday the Associate Pastor preached. WOW! I was blown away. The senior Pastor is good...and I know I need to hear the AP preach more than once to form a judgement...but Pastor Bob was great. He preached the sermon like ones I grew up with! I am eagerly awaiting his next turn in the pulpit, probably once a month.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
SINGING IN CHURCH
Tammy and I attended a difference church this past Sunday. It's a baptist church with a very small congregation...20 or so...of mostly Kentuckians. Very good sermon. Yet, I was not inspired. I don't know why. The people certainly were friendly and welcoming. I was raised in a Baptist church, so I had anticipated a "coming home" feeling. Instead, I had no feelings. I missed Grace Community Church, where, always, I can feel the Holy Spirit working even when their congregation is as small as Statewood Baptist's was.
To be fair, I will give Statewood another try this Sunday.
Anyway. The title of this blog is "singing in church." Because the Statewood Baptist church is very similar to the one I attended as a teenager. Where I, along with two friends, often..nearly every Sunday...stood up in front of the entire congregaton (seldom more than 50) and raised our voices to the Lord.
Now...those who know me, know I can NOT sing, and they also know that I love to. But Ruby Jones could. She had a strong, powerful voice...but she was shy. The only way she would sing was if her sister, Helen, and I sang with her. Helen was not bad, just not in the same league with Ruby. It didn't matter though. Ruby's voice drowned Helen and me out, anyway. Sometimes I just stood there and mouthed the words. Once Ruby started singing, she didn't hear Helen and me anyway...and she lost her shyness and let her voice soar. At times, I wouldn't even remember to mouth the words, because I was watching and listening to Ruby in total awe!
One evening the preacher came to call. He was trying to talk Mom and Dad into going to Church with us kids. A useless endeavor. At the time, Mom and Dad were not interested. They had not gone to church since we moved to Michigan four years ago. Anyway. As he was leaving, the preacher said to me, "Are you girls singing this Sunday?" At my affirmative answer, he said, "are you going to sing a solo? So low we can't hear you?"
Well....everybody laughed, but me. I was mortified. I guess my feeling showed. The preacher said to Mom, "Lorraine sings with Ruby and Helen, but we can never hear her."
It didn't matter what he meant. Whether it was that he wanted me to sing so low he couldn't hear me...or that I did sing so low he couldn't hear me. Either way, I was embarrassed...and that was the end of our trio! Actually, it was even the end of Ruby singing in that church because she wouldn't sing if Helen didn't and Helen wouldn't sing if I didn't!
Ruby went on to marry a preacher man and sang in church every week. I heard she was offered a record contract by a Nashville producer, but turned it down. A couple of years ago, my brother gave me a tape of Ruby singing hymns with a group. On one song she had a solo part...and I recognized her voice right away even though it had been over 50 years since I last heard her sing!
To be fair, I will give Statewood another try this Sunday.
Anyway. The title of this blog is "singing in church." Because the Statewood Baptist church is very similar to the one I attended as a teenager. Where I, along with two friends, often..nearly every Sunday...stood up in front of the entire congregaton (seldom more than 50) and raised our voices to the Lord.
Now...those who know me, know I can NOT sing, and they also know that I love to. But Ruby Jones could. She had a strong, powerful voice...but she was shy. The only way she would sing was if her sister, Helen, and I sang with her. Helen was not bad, just not in the same league with Ruby. It didn't matter though. Ruby's voice drowned Helen and me out, anyway. Sometimes I just stood there and mouthed the words. Once Ruby started singing, she didn't hear Helen and me anyway...and she lost her shyness and let her voice soar. At times, I wouldn't even remember to mouth the words, because I was watching and listening to Ruby in total awe!
One evening the preacher came to call. He was trying to talk Mom and Dad into going to Church with us kids. A useless endeavor. At the time, Mom and Dad were not interested. They had not gone to church since we moved to Michigan four years ago. Anyway. As he was leaving, the preacher said to me, "Are you girls singing this Sunday?" At my affirmative answer, he said, "are you going to sing a solo? So low we can't hear you?"
Well....everybody laughed, but me. I was mortified. I guess my feeling showed. The preacher said to Mom, "Lorraine sings with Ruby and Helen, but we can never hear her."
It didn't matter what he meant. Whether it was that he wanted me to sing so low he couldn't hear me...or that I did sing so low he couldn't hear me. Either way, I was embarrassed...and that was the end of our trio! Actually, it was even the end of Ruby singing in that church because she wouldn't sing if Helen didn't and Helen wouldn't sing if I didn't!
Ruby went on to marry a preacher man and sang in church every week. I heard she was offered a record contract by a Nashville producer, but turned it down. A couple of years ago, my brother gave me a tape of Ruby singing hymns with a group. On one song she had a solo part...and I recognized her voice right away even though it had been over 50 years since I last heard her sing!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
DYING EGGS
Today I babysat Kadyn for a few hours. We had soooo much fun. That little three-year-old could talk the socks off a preacher. He went on and on...every now and then I could recognize a word! I heard Mommy and Gramma a few times. I told Tammy that he was telling tales on them so it might have been good that I couldn't understand him.
While Tammy was gone, Kadyn and I colored, watched Spongebob, played with zsu-zsu pets. He started off across the table from me. Then he moved his chair next to mine. I said to him...you've been sitting in a chair next to me ever since you could sit by yourself. "A little baby?" he said..."yes, since you were about six months old." Shortly, he was in my lap...sitting on my knee, anyway. I said, "you're getting big to sit in my lap." "But Grammy, I been sittin in your lap since I was a little baby." ..."Yes, you have. But your feet didn't used to drag the floor." and then he giggled as only he can!
When he let Chancey out, he stayed out too. Then he came to the kitchen door and said, "It's hot, Grammy. You come out here, too." I knew why. I had told him to stay on the porch...and if I went out, he could go into the yard. And sure enough, as soon as I hit the porch, he said he needed his flip-flops!
Earlier, when he first got here, I told him we were going to color Easter eggs when Tammy got back. A lot of his conversation centered around that. If he asked once, he asked ten times, "When we gonna color the eggs?" later, a said, when your grandma gets back. And I had to explain what each thing in the kit was and what it did and how we would color the eggs. While we were outside, I watched him walking around the yard, looking down. He looked under the steps, behind the air conditioning unit, searched his power wheel car. I said, "Kadyn, what are you doing?" Are you looking for something?" He looked at me like I didn't have good sense, and said, "Grammy, if we gonna color eggs, I have to find them!" I lost it! I laughed so hard, I had a coughing spasm. I had to bring him inside and show him the pan full of hard-boiled eggs that we were going to color...otherwise, he'd still be looking for eggs because he wouldn't believe me when I tried to explain that I already had the eggs.
When Tammy got back, the first thing he said was, "Gramma, we color eggs now?" That child was so excited. Tammy was mixing up the dye and he was right at the sink trying to help her. We tried to show him how to use a spoon and gently drop the eggs into the dye...and to dip them out. No way! He plopped them in, splashing dye every which way...Thank God, I had thought to cover the table with a thick towel!
I gave him the wire egg dipper and showed him how to use it. He did...with one hand. The other hand went into the dye to place the egg on the dipper. Tammy said his mom would be mad because he had dye all over him. I told her to blame me for it. It was worth all the blame in the world to see how much he enjoyed dying those eggs! When the three dozen were done, he said, "Grammy, cook some more!"
As he took the eggs out of the dye, he placed them in the egg carton. When we were finished, he said, "I take them home." "No, no...leave them here until Sunday." "No, Grammy, I take them home!" I ended up giving him one dozen to take home and he was satisfied.
Cleaning him up afterwards was a trip! Tammy had him at the sink, scrubbing him with soap and dish soap. I was standing by him, supervising. He stuck his hand over the faucet...squirting water all over me...and giggled. A couple minutes later, he reached over and turned on the sprayer...getting Tammy that time...and giggled.
As he went out the door, carrying his eggs and goodie bag, I said, "I love you, Kadyn." "I love you too, Grammy." "You come back soon." "I will tomorrow."
He left one tired...but very happy...Grammy.
While Tammy was gone, Kadyn and I colored, watched Spongebob, played with zsu-zsu pets. He started off across the table from me. Then he moved his chair next to mine. I said to him...you've been sitting in a chair next to me ever since you could sit by yourself. "A little baby?" he said..."yes, since you were about six months old." Shortly, he was in my lap...sitting on my knee, anyway. I said, "you're getting big to sit in my lap." "But Grammy, I been sittin in your lap since I was a little baby." ..."Yes, you have. But your feet didn't used to drag the floor." and then he giggled as only he can!
When he let Chancey out, he stayed out too. Then he came to the kitchen door and said, "It's hot, Grammy. You come out here, too." I knew why. I had told him to stay on the porch...and if I went out, he could go into the yard. And sure enough, as soon as I hit the porch, he said he needed his flip-flops!
Earlier, when he first got here, I told him we were going to color Easter eggs when Tammy got back. A lot of his conversation centered around that. If he asked once, he asked ten times, "When we gonna color the eggs?" later, a said, when your grandma gets back. And I had to explain what each thing in the kit was and what it did and how we would color the eggs. While we were outside, I watched him walking around the yard, looking down. He looked under the steps, behind the air conditioning unit, searched his power wheel car. I said, "Kadyn, what are you doing?" Are you looking for something?" He looked at me like I didn't have good sense, and said, "Grammy, if we gonna color eggs, I have to find them!" I lost it! I laughed so hard, I had a coughing spasm. I had to bring him inside and show him the pan full of hard-boiled eggs that we were going to color...otherwise, he'd still be looking for eggs because he wouldn't believe me when I tried to explain that I already had the eggs.
When Tammy got back, the first thing he said was, "Gramma, we color eggs now?" That child was so excited. Tammy was mixing up the dye and he was right at the sink trying to help her. We tried to show him how to use a spoon and gently drop the eggs into the dye...and to dip them out. No way! He plopped them in, splashing dye every which way...Thank God, I had thought to cover the table with a thick towel!
I gave him the wire egg dipper and showed him how to use it. He did...with one hand. The other hand went into the dye to place the egg on the dipper. Tammy said his mom would be mad because he had dye all over him. I told her to blame me for it. It was worth all the blame in the world to see how much he enjoyed dying those eggs! When the three dozen were done, he said, "Grammy, cook some more!"
As he took the eggs out of the dye, he placed them in the egg carton. When we were finished, he said, "I take them home." "No, no...leave them here until Sunday." "No, Grammy, I take them home!" I ended up giving him one dozen to take home and he was satisfied.
Cleaning him up afterwards was a trip! Tammy had him at the sink, scrubbing him with soap and dish soap. I was standing by him, supervising. He stuck his hand over the faucet...squirting water all over me...and giggled. A couple minutes later, he reached over and turned on the sprayer...getting Tammy that time...and giggled.
As he went out the door, carrying his eggs and goodie bag, I said, "I love you, Kadyn." "I love you too, Grammy." "You come back soon." "I will tomorrow."
He left one tired...but very happy...Grammy.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
