Monday Memories

Ok confession time here..... I did NOT get up this morning to go to my Yoga class.  Last night we had "issues" with Selah's pulse/oxy machine.  She was fine....the machine was not.  But there is no way we can go to bed or stay in bed unless she is on it and it's working.   It measures her oxygen level and her pulse.   We got up multiple times last night.  I felt like a Zombie, trying to get the thing to work.  Finally I changed out a part and things were fine.    We don't have a nurse after midnight on Sunday until Monday morning at this point.  So after the fun weekend, Selah was showing me she missed me. 

Hey I want to say THANK YOU to Wendy C for dropping off some yummy bread this weekend.  Believe it or not, they didn't open it.  That would be because instead of eating the meals I had planned, they got take out all weekend.  I think we're all going to be detoxing this week LOL!  Next time you better come in and say HI to us!  I wanted to send you an email but could not find your email address.  I'm using it tonight, making spaghetti:)  

I got some questions from my last few posts and I'm going to try and answer them.......

Taylor County only has one high school so we all knew each other from pre-school on.....  There was one primary school, one elementary and one junior high.  We were together all those years so we have lots of memories of various teachers, classes and of course each other.  Our class was originally about 170 I think.  Of course there are folks who didn't graduate who we consider as a part of our class also!   I'd say about half still live in Perry and half away from Perry.  But most have strong family ties to Perry. 

I was asked about the Race question....if I'm right, our school was not integrated until I was in first grade.   That would have been 1970....I think it was done somewhat gradually but I'm a bit hazy on the details.  My first grade teacher was a black lady and there are some black children in my first grade picture.  Looking back, I think that teacher Ms Wilson was VERY brave, given the era she lived in.  I know my first memory of a black person was at the doctor's office.  I was probably 3 or 4 years old.  I will be honest, my family were certainly NOT KKK members but they certainly were not "inclusive" either......   From my point of view, I did not see race as a huge issue in our school but I'm remembering from my point of view.  Some of my black classmates may feel very different and I do not want to say we all just loved each other and race was never an issue......because I'm sure there were some issues.  There had to have been.....  

Of course I heard the "N" word all the time.  I'm sure I used it before as a child.  I don't have any real memory of doing so, but I probably did.  But I know by the time I got to high school, I would argue with my family about using it.  They just did not get it.....

This is a true story.....My grandmother had a very close black friend around her same age.  They had a strong friendship and love for each other.  Her friend's name was Carrie.  They both were all about gardening and going to farmer's markets and cooking.  So they'd go up to Madison and pick peaches or go to Thomasville to a farmer's market....BUT my grandmother would still use the N word....so would her friend Carrie.....  One time after I was married and both ladies were old, we were all up there at my granny's and the ladies were planning something.....  Then Carrie said to Granny "Now we got to get back before dark cause I don't want no body to see a "n" leaving your house after dark"   My husband who was brought up to NEVER say the word was horrified....it got worse....   My granny then said "Carrie you are right, N's can't be over here late at night if something happened, they'd think you did it"  At this point my husband is about to pass out!   I had to explain to him, it was just two old ladies talking and they both look at things from how things USED to be.  Jon then had a "talk" with my granny after her friend had left and told her not to say the N word.  My grandmother looked at him like he was crazy and said "well she is as black as she can be, what else could I say?"    He continued trying to talk to her but she just rolled her eyes.   It wasn't so much my grandmother was so awfully prejudiced  - it was more the times the ladies had lived through colored how they saw things.  Carrie died before my grandmother and my grandmother was beside herself.  She cried and cried, took dinners over to Carrie's family.  She was heart broken. 

When I was in high school I had a friend who secretly dated a black guy.  It was a BIG deal.  her family had an idea and did not like it nor did the boy's family!   They had to hide from both families.  So Race was an issue but it was changing....

NOW I feel like race is NOT an issue, certainly not like it was back then.  The church I went to on Sunday and several races there and involved in the church.  I think there has been a huge change.  I know we at our reunion everyone was glad to see EVERYONE.....  We had all grown up together and all of us seem to care about each other. 


So my grandmother and my great aunts were sisters.  My great grandparents had 9 children and when I was young it was the 3 ladies and I had 3 uncles still alive.  The guys all lived down in Dixie County/Cross City area.  When I was about 4 years old, my Uncle Mack moved in with us.  He lived with us until he died when I was 12 years old and I adored him.  He was my "father figure"  My grandmother lived a block away from us but was over all the time. 

The BIG sport back then....Friday night FOOTBALL:)  Our high school was the Bulldogs and our colors were blue and orange.  Everyone went to the pep rallies and the games.  Nothing like the crisp cool air on a fall night, watching the game!  Football is still real big there.


So the BIG question was "would I live in Perry again if Jon could get a job there........"    WOW.......  I truly do not know.  I was red HOT to get away from there as a teenager.   Since my grandmother and aunts have all passed away, I've hardly been back....  When we left NY in 1997, we did stay with my granny for about 6 weeks while Jon was interviewing for  chaplain positions throughout the state.  We were sure he'd get one, but didn't know where in the state we'd end up so we didn't want to get our own place until we knew.  I did enjoy it for those few weeks, even tho I was stressed about him getting the job he wanted.  It worked out that he got a chaplain's position down here, near his family and where we really wanted to be at that time. 

So really since then, I've just driven through there a few times, stopped for lunch or supper with my BFF so this was the first time in many years I actually spent any quality time there.  There is so much I LOVE about Perry.....like I said in my last post, there is so many connections between folks, there is a sense of community much like in the movie "Steel Magnolia's"  Some of the best people on earth live there....  but it's a small town, that is very isolated, Tallahassee is 60 miles to the north, Madison and Mayo, both even smaller towns are about 30 miles East and Northeast and Cross City a very small town in 60 miles to the south.....  that would be odd for me.  I live in the country but can be in several large cities in 30 minutes or so.  We have issues with medical care here for out little people, I have NO idea what it would be like in Perry but probably a lot harder to get them the care I need without having to be in Tally or Gainesville (90 miles away)   I can't imagine how the school system and therapy would work either. 

Since Jon is a preacher/chaplain, his job would be either pastoring or being the chaplain at the prison there or both.....  Perry has some "challenges" in the churches to say the least.  The church I grew up in had a new pastor every year (or even less!!!!  we had one that stayed 4 months.....)   That church split and then there were TWO churches that were like that....and it was the same in many of the other churches.  Perry is full of independent folks who think they know best....and they don't really want to be pastored by anyone.  (I don't mean that snarky, I'm pretty independent too LOL )   Most everyone respects God and even still lots of folks go to church but there seems to be a dichotomy .  According to Merriam- Webster online dictionary dichotomy means.....

 a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities dichotomy

between theory and practice>; also : the process or practice of making such a division <dichotomy of the population into two opposed classes>

 

The above meaning says it so well, there is a contradiction between theory & practice.....  Folks really believe in God and in the bible but they don't do so well in the area of LIVING it.  It's a hard place for a pastor and a big fight, always has been.  Because it is a small town, if one family member gets offended....they ALL do.  Then their friends get mad....and then the pastor is sent packing...usually for speaking TRUTH.  It's hard to explain and maybe I'm not doing good with it.  But it would be very hard to live there and to pastor a church there.....I'd probably kill somebody LOL 

 

And I will take family responsibility....oh dear God.   My family were just HORRIBLE to all but a few select preachers.....we had "roast preacher" for lunch just about every Sunday.  Or they didn't like the songs the music minister picked out, or the church was too cold or too hot....or the Sunday School teacher did something .....   Whenever we have any issues in the places we've been in ministry, I just tell Jon is has to be KARMA catching up with me for all that my family did to all the preachers........  (ok I really don't believe in karma....don't worry)  

 

I'm not saying everyone in Perry is like that but spiritually it is a hard place to minister in.  The stories I know.....oh my......

 

But there is a part of me that would like to live there too.  I'd probably get in way too much trouble if I did live there LOL!  I just don't think I could be a PW (preacher's wife) there!  They'd probably ALL be talking about me:)    Perry represents a time of my life that was very care free, especially like the summers once I was in college, I'd come home, work a little, hang out with friends....there are times I wish I could go back to that time in my life.  Connected there, having lots of fun but yet knowing I wasn't going to be there long and absolutely NO responsibilities   ....does that make sense???   Looking back, that was a good place to be in. 

 

Perry also represents FOOD to me!  GOOD FOOD LOL!  As I was driving up, all I could think about was the good old home cooking I was used to having there.  If we were coming up to visit, my grandmother and aunt would have a table full of good home cooking for us.  They loved to cook and did it well.  I overdosed many times on fried chicken, biscuits and syrup ( let me tell you cane syrup can do a number on you if you eat too much LOL  TMI!)   Pecan pies, cookies, cakes......Always two meats for lunch of supper.  SWEET tea:)   Total comfort food!   Luckily there are still good restaurants there LOL!!!   I could have had fried pickles all weekend but I only let myself do it once:)  See I have some self control! 

 

So I can't really answer that question LOL.....but I do love Perry and the BPOE:)  (best people on earth) 

 

 

Don't know whose pictures these are, got them off another friend's wall but thank you!   This is all of us dancing and singing to "Time for me to fly" at the end of our reunion....sweet times:)

 

 

 

 

 

Group Hug

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As of now(1pm) Teresa is still in surgery, please continue to pray

https://www.facebook.com/groups/prayforteresab/?fref=ts

 

thank you!