APRIL 2008
WELL, MY
I didn’t realize I had so much to go in another
newsletter, but this is going to be full of news.
Starting with Glen and Carolyn’s trip to
“We did talk to John Craig (he sounded GREAT and normally up-beat) and he strongly encouraged us to go see Aunt Nina. We did and were also very pleased with her cognizance... and tickled to see the Chambers Reunion yellow ball clap on her dresser! We had a good visit and I also took a nice picture of she and Glen which I will send soon - (we just got home and got the car unloaded, but not the camera as yet). Enjoyed the newsletter. Carolyn (and Glen) Chambers “
A couple of days later, a follow-up:
“I finally got my pictures drained from the camera this evening. Nina's picture is attached. She was so tickled... neath that big grin she said "you hug me like you love me". And of course she tickled me when she pronounced me "pretty as a picture" (a very old one no doubt) Carolyn.”
People, I have just not become proficient enough to include pictures in the newsletter. I do get some beauties, and this was one of them. And all those precious babies……forgive me for not sharing. When one of you younger people are ready to take this project out of my hands, there’s no doubt it will be much better. But on to another great letter without the picture…..
“Thanks for another
great newsletter! I finally have a photo from the
On
Seems like the year for
family weddings ... Hmmmm....
Ah, Yes!
Later,
you can read about another!!
But it’s not my turn to brag, yet…..
“Our Altell Cell was long distance in and out of
I will try to have it with me at all times.
Our new way of life in a 200 apartment retirement center is fun
and something different everyday. We are very happy and enjoy
having absolutely nothing to do.
I have been driving in Kingwood and Humble, both a
part of
Subject:
Lillie's Great-Great
“Here's a picture of three of the five generations
in our family. Grandma Lillie with me and her Great-Great Grandson
Ryder who is 6 months old.
Ben couldn't make it home
for the visit but Kristin
brought the baby to see us here in Powell. It was great to finally meet
the little cutie! They'll be back in June for a longer visit and
hopefully Ben will get the time off too.
Love,
Laurie [Larsen]
NOW..
it’s my turn!!!
On a different note... you know that [sister]
Patti has moved to Missoula,
she went to Phoenix to stay with my ex-mom-in-law Susan Peterson (who
got laid up here for awhile after a Christmas visit - and my sisters got
to know her -- and love her as I do -- while she was in rehab.
Anyhow Patti accompanied Susan back to
I'm happy to have Patti back. We are fixing
up the 'little wing' -- the back of my house that soon will have a bath,
a sitting room, small kitchenette and bedroom with nice hardwood floors
being put in too! She'll stay back there and we'll be out of each
other's way but close enough to shout or visit any ole time. So
that should work out great. She's threatening never to leave!
love you
Deni
[Llovet]
A VERY
SERIOUS SUBJECT
I sent the
word out, and received this note from Connie that evening:
Thank you Dear Aunt
Maryanne. I am trying to stay positive, but have my moments.
Ang, Aaron & Paul will be with me tomorrow, but I will have a huge host
of angels praying for me. Everywhere from
Sunday,
About John: He keeps in touch with me on a fairly frequent basis, and is progressing much better than expected, following that horrible accident. He is hoping to go back to work soon. He still needs our prayers.
Family, I know there is a lot going on that we never hear about among the various branches. And prayer is a powerful tool. I’m not ashamed to tell you that I want your prayers. Let us know if you go through a time when you really need all of us to pray. That’s all we can do….. about ANYTHING!
Tuesday,
“Connie got the best news - the cancer had not
spread into the lymph nodes. She had reconstruction surgery at the
same time as the mastectomy.
She is doing very well - getting stronger everyday. The
Eisenhour-Chambers semi-annual domino tournament was this past weekend
in
At the end of May I'm retiring after 36 years of teaching.
Can't wait!! Then our 3 granddaughters (ages 12, 11, and 10) from
Bragging
time again….
“Lilah
was nervous about even participating because she has been sick. I told
her to just do whatever she could do and that would be fine with us. We
didn't expect her to place in any of the events, so all in all, I think
it turned out as good as possible.
She took third place in the high jump by
clearing 4' 8". The second place finisher cleared the same height, but
did it on her first attempt. The first place finisher cleared 4' 10",
but had the crossbar bouncing hard (it just didn't fall off). So even
though she wasn't feeling good, Lilah still managed to be competitive.
On the triple jump, she place third with a
jump of 32' 4" which tied her best jump ever. Her team mate beat her out
of second place by 1/4 of an inch and first place was won by a girl that
had a once in a lifetime jump of 33' 3.
For the mile relay, her team took third place,
which about what we were anticipating.
Prior to the start of the half mile sprint, Lilah
told me she just didn't feel like she was going to be able to do it. I
told her to tell her Coach. The 1/2 mile run is an event that [friend]
Bethany has won for the last three meets (Lilah did it for the first
time last week), so I figured it wouldn't hurt if Lilah was pulled out.
At least she would be rested up for the mile. But when they
called for the 8th grade runners, Lilah and Bethany both went out to the
starting line.
Since it was such a close race for 2nd, 3rd and 4th
place, for the final stretch, the stands went wild with excitement. Some
folks yelling for Graham, some for Burk, some for
I asked Lilah about why she ran that race, and she
said that she had rested enough to go ahead and run. And then when she
was running, she got to thinking about the fact that with anything lower
than third place, you just get a ribbon.
But she wanted a medal, and that's why she sprinted the last part
of the race.
When it came time for the mile run, I was
pessimistic about her winning again, because of using her energy up. And
she was very worried about not winning. I couldn't emphasize enough to
her that it really didn't matter. But when the race started she took
the lead again and held it till the end for first place finish.
Cullen
participated in three or four events and did really good. He was greatly
outsized so he has to work twice as hard to match the competitions
strides. But he showed a lot of heart by hanging in there and I suspect
next year, he will do even better. Love ya,
Billy [Gilmore]
Note:
Lilah has never lost the Mile Run, in any meet since she
began track.
She’s in the 8th grade.
Cullen is our Great-grandson, son of Cecil Jr. and Jana Gilmore, and is in the 7th grade. I’m just a little bit proud of my kids…….all of them.
ABOUT THAT
We are still finding interesting fossils and artifacts. Debbie Gilmore found a perfect arrowhead in the creek last Sunday…. April 13th. If any of you are interested in that sort of thing, come prepared to hunt and dig.
UPDATE ON
First of all, our FRIDAY
THE 13TH CRUISE has been scheduled for
Food will be ready at the Gathering House. Everybody is on your own to eat before we go to the Texoma Belle Riverboat. Bring a sweater or jacket, since it gets pretty cool on the water after dark.
SATURDAY,
JUNE 14TH
CATERED SIT-DOWN DINNER AT
IMPORTANT: We must have a head-count. If you know NOW that you WILL NOT BE HERE, please let me know. And if you know you WILL, let me know….. Otherwise, tell me as soon as your plans are secure. Everything hinges on numbers……
The new building is still far from finished. Plan just the same as if it was ready to occupy. And if it is not in a usable state by then, you will be invited to the PUBLIC HANGING of our contractor at sunrise Saturday morning!!!
I know
all of you kept the last newsletter, as a reference page for reunion
information….. Sure you
did…..!!! This is the last
you will hear from me until after the
OKAY, ready
for this? An
Announcement…. An Advertisement!
[I am still in shock from all this.]
CRUISING THROUGH THE GOOD
BOOK WITH GRANNIE ANNIE
That is the title to a children's book that is in
it's final stages before being printed. Under normal
circumstances, I wouldn't be tooting my own horn by bragging about this
little book. However, I have learned that the book is not my work
at all, but rather that of the Lord. Therefore, I have no shame in
talking about what a wonderful book it is.
I wrote the main part of the text some 5 years ago,
but grew discouraged and laid it aside. After the publication of
my life story, and my becoming acquainted with the publisher, I knew I
needed to finish this children's version of a Bible Guide, in
the disguise of a funny little story and coloring book.
My publisher, Kathy, sent an illustrator, Ruby, to
me, without any of us knowing the Christian status of the other two.
But God knew, and He brought us three together for His own purpose.
Ruby is a very dedicated artist, and her precious work is what will initially attract children to the words inside. When she read the manuscript, she said, "This is the book that I thought I was supposed to write and illustrate. God didn't tell me that somebody else had already written the words, and all I have to do is draw the pictures!"
Before I go any further, I want to share a page
from the book that explains its' purpose:
A
MESSAGE TO PARENTS
Greetings,
Grannie Annie is in real life a great-grandmother, with another
generation now coming along.
I say that so that you will know that I’m qualified for the
title, and role. My knowledge of the Bible comes not only from
education, but from many years of teaching Sunday School, as well as
designing and managing a children’s worship service in our church.
One of my
greatest concerns has always been the lack of continuity in the way we
teach our young children.
The lessons are a series of stories that they learn well, without ever
being able to place them in chronological order, or in a certain time
frame. We throw big words
at them, without ever explaining the meaning, thus leaving them void of
understanding.
I believe it is the responsibility of parents, teachers, and
other leaders to instill a love of the Word in these children at a young
age, while they are still receptive.
My greatest regret is that I did not give my children a working
knowledge of the Bible while they were under my wing.
They had to learn the same way I
did, as adults.
This little book is designed to be a Bible Study Guide in
disguise. I want the
children to have fun, while reading with the help of a parent, teacher,
older sibling or another “buddy”.
Sharing what they are learning will help to ingrain these
“lessons” in those young heads, as they are also laughing with you.
I have been very determined not to bring denomination into this
book. It is not my desire
to snag little ones into a certain doctrine.
However, I admit without apology that I pray this study will
secure the child as a believer in Jesus as our Savior.
It is my hope that you, too, might find a bit of knowledge, or a new thought, while helping your child go through these pages. If you find my efforts worthwhile, please recommend this book to other parents or teachers.
............................................................................
I asked
several people from
different denominations to review the rough manuscript, without the
pictures being available. The responses have been overwhelmingly
positive. Among them was the following from a friend:
"WHY
WAS THERE NOT A BOOK LIKE THIS WHEN WE WERE FIRST BEGINNING TO LEARN ?
MAYBE WE (I) WOULDN'T HAVE HAD SUCH A STRUGGLE. I CAN REMEMBER POOR
LITTLE JEAN DENNY STANDING IN FRONT OF A GROUP OF JUNIORS AT FIRST
BAPTIST ~ IOWA PARK ~ TRYING TO KEEP OUR ATTENTION BY READING TO US &
TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE BIBLE. NO WONDER IT TOOK SO LONG TO
Another voiced the same sort of opinion, saying "I wish I had had a book
like this when I was a child."
And an 83 year old friend wrote "I have learned sooooo much from this book. It came from God." "Yes, you can use my name. It is an awesome book. Mary" The back cover of the book describes it as for children "from 9 to 90"……… Mary is of course within that bracket, and her telling me that she learned something fulfills my desire that it will interest adults, as well as children. I was assured by others that the work had to have come from God. I can't argue that fact, due to the way things happened.
I had
asked for prayer that I might make the right decisions concerning the
book. Many, many people responded, and the results of those
prayers brought about another miracle:
Still another friend has a very extensive ministry to Alcoholics
and the down-trodden in
"MARYANNE,
I HAVE PRINTED OUT YOUR BOOK,
I shared
these notes with you so that you will understand that this book extends
far beyond my human efforts.
The book
will be full sized, 8-1/2 x 11 inches, with a spiral binding, so that
children can turn the pages back to color It will contain some 90
pages of text and pictures. The cover is adorable, colorful and
laminated to last.
Because they are
designed to be personalized and kept, one book can't be shared between
children. I
encourage you to purchase a book for each grandchild, great-grandchild,
niece or nephew in your family, or perhaps other children you
know. You wouldn't be
ashamed to have one in your own library!
Honest!!!!
Since the
retail price is set to cover marketing expenses, we are able to offer it
to you at the pre-publication price of $8.95. Postage
is $2.50 per book. Actual mailing costs will be figured if multiples
are ordered. The books
will be shipped from my home in
That price
will be good until the book is ready to print. I cannot give you a
date, since there are many illustrations still to be done, but
hopefully, it will be in the hands of the printers before June.
You may look at the text manuscript during the
Thanks for
tolerating my attempt at advertising..... and thanks for your
support, either through orders or prayer. Profits will be returned
to the Lord's work.
Now….. I don’t want any smart remarks about this raunchy old broad hiding my light under a bushel… I’ve always had a good side….. you just didn’t know it!!! All my life, I’ve been told that a work is blessed, regardless of how unworthy the worker is…. And now, I believe it!!!