Repost: Two Lives Well Lived

In light of the one year "anniversary" (if you will) of the deaths of two bright and shining young men from our community, I am reposting this from last year. Please keep these families in your prayers as they remember and deal with the still recent loss of these two loved young men.

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This has nothing to do with the South. This has nothing to do with anything you would ever expect to be put on this blog. But this is a post well deserved, and it shall be written. Today was a day of tragedy and yet hope. Today (April 26, 2010) around 6:30 pm Ryan Modrow (18) and Daniel Walters (22) died in a motorcyle accident. We lost two friends, two young men- sons, brothers, friends- in a tragic accident, and yet there is hope. These young men weren't just any young men. They were followers of Christ. The hope lies not in what they have done, but in what was done some two thousand years ago to give us hope today, tonight, and in the weeks to come. The grief is still here; it won't leave for years to come. But with the grief there is hope. They aren't gone. Their lives aren't ended. They have only just begun.

Ryan, I haven't known you long, and I may not know you well, but we had some fun times, and pulled some good pranks on each other. You always had a knack for dropping jokes at just the right time. You had a way of making everyone about you smile when you were doing the same. You were kind and caring, and you are sorely missed. You touched so many lives! Ryan, God had his hand on you, and loved you to the end of the life you lived here on this earth. I cannot even imagine the glory you are experiencing in Heaven. You will be missed.

His sister Hannah on the left, Ryan on the right.

Ryan to the left, Daniel on the right.

Daniel, I never talked with you, but I did know your brothers and sisters. You were greatly loved and respected, and you, too, will be missed. The Lord knew every hair on your head, and your death was not unexpected to Him. He called you home, and I know you will be happy there. There will be no more pain there. No more suffering, no more pain. We cannot understand the ways of God, but I know that what God has allowed to happen was for the best. Daniel, your family and friends love you, and you will always be in their hearts.


I know that we cannot know why they died when they did. But regardless of that, they lived full lives. Their lives were not in vain. God used them to touch so many others. The Bible tells us in James 4: 13-15 that life is a vapor:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city,
spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know
what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that
appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If
the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

And I know that neither Ryan's nor Daniel's lives were empty. Both lived wonderful lives and leave behind many, many loved ones. And these loved ones will treasure their memory forever. You will never be forgotten. The day will come when all will reunite with ya'll in Heaven, and there will be much rejoicing. Until then, we love ya'll.


~God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain. But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. =`)

You know you're a Southerner when...

Family reunions are also known as "weddings".
Your babies drink sweet tea from their bottles.
You actually know what a cracker house is. ;)

Now you guys can fill in the blanks... what are some other endings for this saying?

(Btw, I am currently trying to develope a really cool idea for the blog... I just need a little time to work out all the details and just how I can/will do this. :) )

A few random... things...

How many people have ever seen what night time is like in the Georgia countryside? I have. I love it. I absolutely adore it. Want to see what it looks like? Here-

First essential element would be the fire barrel. See it in the center? It's a metal trash can that is punctured. It's amazing. We now also have one. Now in Georgia, once a fire gets going (and word gets out that there's family in town) all the neighbors will emerge from their houses and sit 'round the fire. Family will drive down and stop in to say howdy to the visiting family, and we all sit and tell stories. It's a whole heap o' fun.

So that is what a Georgia night looks like. ;) On a completely different note, I have found something I really enjoy doing... beading brow bands for horses! See what it looks like-

Been thinkin' about doing it for people who want it done, but having a little trouble getting started. So we'll see... isn't it right purty, though? That's Miss CoCo, just so you know. She's a lovely model. ;)

You may not believe this (and I almost don't, neither).

Don't this blog look right purty? Well I (Kaitland) decided it was time for some sprucin' up and... what's that word? Recamping? Oh! Revamping. That's fancy fer "gussyin' up". You'll be seein' at least a post a week or so... give or take a couple weeks. We hope all our faithfuls will forgive us fer leavin' ya in the dust. All I'll say is that the hunting was good, and couldn't persactly give that up. I know ya'll will agree, right?

So let the bloggin' begin, and hopefully ya'll will like what ya see here. Happy huntin', folks!

Letter from the folks at home

( This came from a little weekly paper my grandparents get... enjoy! )
~ Kate

Son:

I am writing slow ’cause I know you can’t read fast. We don’t live where we used too. Your pa read an article that said most accidents happen within 20 miles of home. So we moved. This new place has a washing-machine. The first day we got here I put all your shirts in it. I pulled the chain and ain’t seen ‘em since.
The front porch fell off yesterday and went down the river. It wouldn’t have ben so bad except we lost two freezers, three washing-machines, and a Sears dryer. Pa said he believed one of ‘em would’ve worked if we had electricity.
It only rained twice this week, once for three days and four days the second time. I sent the coat you wanted. Aunt Sue said it would be too heavy to mail with them big brass buttons on it, so I cut ‘em off and and put ‘em in the pocket. We got a bill from the funeral home. It said that if we don’t pay the last payment on Grandma’s burial, she comes up.
Your Uncle John fell in the whiskey vat down at work yesterday. Four men tried to rescue him but he fought them off ’till he drowned. We had him cremated and he burned fer three days.
Your brother broke his leg while doing yard work. He was raking leaves and the tree limb broke.
Three of yor friends were in a terrible accident. They were riding in a pickup truck and ran off the bridge. The driver managed to get the window open and swim to safety. The other two drowned. They couldn’t get the tailgate down…
The police chief got a new car. He wrecked it the first night. He got his leg caught in the steering wheel while tying to dim the headlights.
Well, that’s about it. If I get any more news I’ll write again.
Love,
Mammy
PS. – I was going to send you some money but had already sealed the envelope.

This one's for the Rednecks.... ;)

"Well I was fixin' to!!!" The Innocence and Danger of Procrastination.

I was seriously fixin' to write a post for the blog forever. *ahem* I just, uh, didn't get to it till now.

You see me (and many other fellow Southerners) have, over time, become accustomed to the "fixin' to" mentality. We've grown up with it. We've known no different. Around here the excuse for anything is "Well I was fixin' to". From the house not being cleaned for three months to the laundry sitting in the washer for three hours. We are always "fixin'" to do it, but we don't always stick to it. We wait, and we wait, and we wait. We push it off, cause seriously... why bother with the mundane things of life?!

Sometimes it's okay. Things can wait. The book doesn't have to be read right now. You don't have to go the the grocery store right this minute. But sometimes, the "fixin' to" mentality hurts. And it hurts bad. What if you were "fixin' to" get the car fixed, but never did, and now you are stranded on the highway with no one to help? What if you were "fixin' to" get that barn roof fixed before it caved in, but too late, it did, and your little kid was in there when it happened? What if you were "fixin' to" repair your relationship ship with your husband, wife, brother, sister, mother, father, you name it, and apologize for the bad blood between you, but you found out it's too late.... they're gone?

I could go on, and on, and on! There are so many things we are "fixin' to do" that need to be done right now. While it is important to take the time to step back and go slow, there are times when you need to do things right away... no procrastinating. We have to learn to evaluate what needs doing now, and what won't hurt to put off. There's such a delicate balance, it's hard to truly pinpoint it. It is something each and everyone of us should evaluate for ourselves.

But point in hand, here I am. Guilty as charged. Yeah. I was "just fixin' " to post on here since the last one, but haven't 'til today. And so I have most likely killed my poor dear blog... :'( . It's rather ironic, isn't it, that I would procrastinate about righting a post on procastination, huh? But here I am. Again. Let's hope that I don't do this again!

~Kay

I Think This One Speaks For Itself....

O, I wish I was in the land of cotton
Old times there are not forgotten
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.

In Dixie Land where I was born in
Early on one frosty mornin'
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.

Chorus:
O, I wish I was in Dixie!
Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
To live and die in Dixie
Away, away,
Away down south in Dixie!

Old Missus marry Will, the weaver,
William was a gay deceiver
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.

But when he put his arm around her
He smiled as fierce as a forty pounder
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.

Chorus:
O, I wish I was in Dixie!
Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
To live and die in Dixie
Away, away,
Away down south in Dixie!

His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaver
But that did not seem to grieve her
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.
Old Missus acted the foolish part
And died for a man that broke her heart
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.

Chorus:
O, I wish I was in Dixie!
Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
To live and die in Dixie
Away, away,
Away down south in Dixie!

~Lyrics to Dixie.

Duct Tape Revisited- ideas that are totally awesome!

Plaid duct tape. Need I say more!!! :D

^This equals waaaaay too much fun for a Southerner that also possesses zip ties.

Hey, why not?!

Now I think this is creative. It's gotta be sturdy...

You never would have guessed this was made out of duct tape, would you?

Another wallet, this one looks more complicated.

So I'm running low on post ideas at this present time... anything you guys would like to see in particular? Serious, funny, Southern, even Northern (don't expect it to be a gushing post on the "good qualities" of the North, cause it won't be), just whatever you'd like to see! Leave us a comment and let us know!

Why I love the South, and the dilemma.

Why I love the South is truly hard to put into words... but it's definitely something I am passionate about. Maybe it's the hospitality, the cheery smiles, the slow paced life. Maybe it's cause I was born and raised here. Maybe it's the warmth and sunshine. I think it's all of the above.

But the dilemma is that the reasons I love the South are beginning to fade away. In the ever changing society and the flood of new habits and hobbies, we are losing the very things we are known for. The South is known for it's genteel manners. Children are taught from early ages the rights and wrongs of etiquette. Honor and respect are valued and held high. Sure, we don't have the best grammar and our words tend to be all slurred and pulled way out of proportion, but hey, at least we talk nice (generally).

The South was known for it's friendly, warm hospitality. When you visited you were heartily invited to join the family and treated with more honor than you could dish up with a soup ladle. Guests were special... maybe more so than the queen of England herself. Life here almost came to a standstill. There was no rushing to and fro, "I gotta get this done, need to go here, have to get this. NOW!". No, we took our time and enjoyed shopping and visiting friends. We enjoy lingering after church and enjoying fellowship meals with one another. Granted, there are times when things have to be sped up and we must meet the demands of a time schedule, but most of the time we take our time. As a dear friend said, "There's never any 'doing' with you guys. It's always 'fixing to'." Yes, we are always 'fixing to' do something (and it will eventually get done) but that's the beauty of life. Rather than rushing through and getting things done, we take our time, enjoy it, and create memories to look back on later.

And then, too... I was born in the South. My family's lived in the South for over 160 years. This is our home, it's in our blood. I am a proud Southerner, and I always will be! I take joy in the culture, mannerisms, and speech patterns of 'my people'. It is here I am home, and to think of living elsewhere (well... besides Cali, but that's a whole 'nother story) seems almost like treason. You can take the girl out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the girl. Ever.

The warmth and sunshine is another thing... life without seeing the sun is... unthinkable. I love the sun, I love the warmth (heat, really, but who really cares?). Can't say I love the humidity, but you know, life isn't perfect. I love to smell the fresh air of the countryside and breath in the smell of the orange blossoms and other sweetly scented flowers. All fed by the sun and rich soil (well... sand for where I live) of the South. I couldn't imagine not seeing cows grazing on green pastureland and driving by thickly scented orange groves. Imagine not seeing the huge, white fields of cotton, strectched out like an ocean. That would be.... sad.

But all of this is fading fast... the hospitality, respect for one another (I mean, we're all just glorified animals now, according to the scientists), the friendly smiles aren't so common, the cities are taking up the farmland, and the only thing left is that life is still somewhat slower.

What will we do when the South is gone? What will we do when the heart of the South has turned stone cold? And these concepts aren't even something that should be all Southern... what if we all stepped up and were a little more friendly? What if we all took the time to enjoy life and all that it gives us? What if, as Christians, we all showed a little more respect for one another? When you come down South, you don't go back the same. What if we all took the time to change a life, and put aside our own agendas for others. Not only would the South come back, but the name of Jesus would be glorified and souls could be saved!

So I suppose my point and challenge is to reconsider your daily life, and make time for some true Southern traditions. Smile a lot, lend a helping hand, face life straight on, take time to enjoy what comes, and respect one another with love in Jesus Christ.