The JOY OF SPECIAL FRIENDS

Such a great time today with SPECIAL friends.

(left to right) Kristine, Ruby, Tim, Mickey, Susan 

After church Tim & Kristine Hembry took Mickey & I to Claremore for a visit and dinner date with Ruby Curry (Sadly Andy was showing his new LED lighting at a gun show and wasn't with us.)  Ruby's 3 children and 2 foster children were also present.

Ruby fixed a yummy baked pasta dish, Susan prepared a large tossed salad, and Kristine brought 2 large loaves of delicious french bread.

In addition Ruby not only prepared a delicious pumpkin cake dessert, but even sent small ones home with both Kristine & I.

Tim and the boys built a large, roaring fire in the fireplace and we delighted ourselves with the spectacular view out the front window over the pond and acreage and the large number of free-range chickens, of various kinds, running all over.  

We talked and visited and ate and visited and visited some more!!!

Thanks Tim & Kristine for setting this up and thank you Ruby for being the special friend you are to Mickey & I.  

AN ANGEL NAMED CATHIE

Angels come in all types and sizes.

One of ours showed up at our home yesterday!!!

Mickey and I returned home from The King's Kitchen yesterday, which was the first Tuesday in a couple of weeks we were back in the Kitchen due to Mickey's Dr. appointments and tests, to this ~~~~~~~

Neighbor, friend and angel extra-ordinare, Cathie Hogate, decorating our ENTIRE front yard for Christmas.  This is the exact position we found her in, decorating the mail box.  I have to add, this was one of the coldest, nippiest days we've had so far this winter.

This lovely arrangement in one of my flower containers. 

T

Christmas wreath sitting on the front porch.

She wasn't finished yet and added a great big bow!

Have you ever had your tree trunk decorated?  Neither had I---but now I have!!

The wreath in place on the front door - with our Angel, and her sweet, precious smile.  

By now I have to tell you the tears are beginning to flow in my eyes.  I cannot tell you how very touched I was with this act of love and kindness from a dear friend and a breast cancer survivor.  

===============

This is not the first time Angel Cathie has shown up --- Last week, after Mickey had his pet scan David, Cathie's husband, had knocked on our door and came in carrying this adorable little basket filled with rice-krispy treats and chocolate mints, a get well card, and a medical magazine with one article highlighted and marked for Mickey to read. 

This gift basket hanging on the left side of the porch.  The little tag, folded like an envelope, reads Mickey's Mail. 

Cathie, who use to do all the decorations at our church, Coweta Assembly of God and in the beginning of The King's Kitchen, before she began her cancer battle, had been on one of the delivery route teams, 

grew some BIG Angel wings 

and brightened Christmas 2014 greatly for us.

Thank You Cathie and may God bless you greatly in the New Year - 2015.  

Thank you Cathie and David for being God's light and our dear friends. 

#56 ANNIVERSARY

Mickey and I decided to start off our 56th Anniversary celebration with hosting a dinner party for 9 of our friends the evening before .

 The table is set 

The meal consisted of:  Susan - Beef Strogaoff - black & regular olives - white & red grape                                                       juice - tea - coffee 

                                      Shirley - Greek Salad

                                      Patty - Home made yeast rolls

                                      Dianna - Carrot cake & Lemon squares

                                      Sandra - Toll house cookies & vanilla ice cream

In other words--a delicious feast prepared by ALL.

After a leisurely, wonderful meal we decided to wait until later for dessert.

(because we were all stuffed!!)

Moving to the living room we watched a Bill Cloud dvd 

"Eating From The Tree Of Good And Evil" 

This is an excellent teaching that Mickey & I share with everyone we can. 

 (left to right) Dianna, Jayme, Sandra, Patty, Arron, Danny

 Gary, Shirley, & Shirley 

Yes we had 2 Shirley's and 4 Smiths!!!

After the dvd we had desserts and coffee and talked and visited until about 10:30.

Thanks to these 9 for making our evening a real blessing

=======================

Saturday - October 4th

 My wonderful card and Pandora charm from Mickey

Charm is a Red Heart set in silver on one side

and "love" in Red in the silver on the other side 

The card reads:

Celebrating the day

I put a ring on your finger

and promised to love you

forever...

...and thanking you 

for making that promise

so easy to keep

Happy 

Anniversary

And added in his own handwriting

"I love you so much.  Thank you for sticking with me for 56 yrs."

 The heart charm itself.  

I am a blessed woman!!

So thankful for God truly making Mickey & I "one flesh", as HIS word declares, for 56 years. 

FRIENDSHIP & BLESSINGS

This lovely note, and a box of chocolate awaited us on August 18th when we arrived!!

 Our wonderful friends, John & Phyllis Rathbone, allowed Mickey & I, children Jacque & Marc, grandchildren Jessica & Aric, and Mickey's brother Jerry, from Tennessee, to spend wonderful days at their beautiful Lake Hudson home. (Son David from Florida, and granddaughter Oksana from Indiana were missing.  They had been scheduled to come but there was a change in plans and their visits will occur later.)

 Aric, Marc, Jacque

Mickey & Jerry 

Jessica in the background dishing up the spaghetti.

This family loves to eat and there were many meals during these days around this lovely large table, with a lazy Susan in the center. 

The lovely exterior.

 The large welcoming door.

 Right on beautiful Lake Hudson

 Entry 

 Two views of the Living room

 Told you this family likes to eat!  

This time I fixed a spiral ham, along with fresh tomatoes and new potatoes from Mickey's garden.

 One of the most unique features of this beautiful home is the LARGE panty with all these pull out drawers, with shelves above, on both sides of the room.  AND they were filled with all kinds of food and goodies!!

 Jacque & Jessica spent lots of hours in, and by, the pool.

 Jacque & Aric used the trampoline but I only got a picture of Jacque. 

 Father & Son in deep thought and discussion over something!! Not an unusual scene at all.

 Mickey with that first cup of morning coffee!!!

 The huge downstairs game room where Aric spent most of his time and the guys watched several football games on the large screen TV

 I was always the first one up and absolutely LOVED the QUIET

and watching the sunrises out the living room window.

This is also where Mickey & I got to do our Daily Devotions, Bible Study and prayer each morning. 

 Gorgeous kitchen where I prepared all the meals.

Note the box of chocolates (I spoke about in the opening picture) on the bar that welcomed us!!

Mickey & Jerry spent a lot of time enjoying the lake from this one, of two, patio tables. 

 The guys watching TV in the upstairs TV room.  

We all played a board game with Aric and then Marc & I joined Aric in a Wii game sort of like monopoly (which I was confused on the entire time, but it was still fun!)

Loved my LONG soaking bath each day in this lovely tub and master bath.  Of course everyone else opted for the huge showers.

Thanks again to our wonderful friends for being so very generous and blessing our family with this wonderful 

week on Lake Hudson and their beautiful home and love. 

Mickey & I and John & Phyllis's friendship and connection has been forged mostly in the prayers for each other and our families.

No wonder it is so strong!!

We love you John & Phyllis~~~~~

FRIENDS

Friend - n. 1) a person whom one knows well and is fond of, 2) an ally, supporter, or sympathizer.

Acquaintance - n. 1) Knowledge got from personal experience, 2) a person whom one knows slightly.

Pal - n. 1) A close friend.

Buddy - n. 1) a comrade; pal.

Comrade - n. 1) a friend; close companion,  2) an associate.

How loosely we throw around the name/title "friend".  

Five Characteristics of a Close (True) Friend by Frank Viola

1. A close friend rejoices in your joys and sorrows over your pains. A true friend is not just sympathetic, they are empathetic. They share your feelings, weeping with you when you weep and rejoicing with you when you rejoice.
2. A close friend won’t defriend you if you disagree. Friendships are tested when there is a disagreement. But true friends don’t cut you off because of it. They may tell you what they think you need to hear and vice versa. But they will do it in such a way where you can receive it. The reason is because you know they love you unconditionally more than they love their views.
3. A close friend stays in regular contact with you. I have friends who contact me from time to time and vice versa (once or twice a year). We regard each other as good friends. But a close friend this doth not make. Close friends communicate fairly regularly.
4. A close friend is someone whom you trust implicitly. They have earned your trust. Consequently, you don’t doubt that they have your back. And you don’t fear that they will stab you in the back. You trust them enough to confide in them about highly private and confidential matters. Close friendship brings with it disclosure (John 15:15).
5. A close friend will stand by you, defend you, even take a bullet for you when you’re under attack. To my mind, this is perhaps the highest measure of friendship or one of the rock-bottom “tests.” The posture of a true friend is, “If you hurt my friend, you’ve hurt me.” It is never, “Well, that person never did anything to hurt me, so it’s not my issue.” This attitude is what separates goats from black sheep.  True friends stand with and stand up for each other.

9 Things a true friend will never do.....by Mark & Angel Hack Life

1.  Criticize you for being flawed.

As flawed as you might be, as out of place as you sometimes feel, and as lacking as you think you are, you don’t have to hide all the imperfect pieces of yourself from a true friend.  They see your flaws as features that make you interesting and beautiful.

The quality of the happiness between two people grows in direct proportion to their acceptance, and in inverse proportion to their intolerance and expectations.  True friends love and appreciate each other just the way they are.

2.  Walk away when times get tough.

True friendship and good character is all about how a person nurtures another person when they are vulnerable and can give very little in return.  Thus, it’s not who’s standing beside you during good times, but the ones who stick by you through tough times that are your true friends.

So take note of who remains in your life when times get tough, especially the people who sacrifice the resources they have in their life to help you improve yours when you need it most.  Seriously, when you come out the other side of a difficult period in your life, look around you.  The people still standing besideyou are your true friends.

3.  Discourage you.

Unfortunately, some who seem like your friends will try to hold you back from your full potential.  It may be difficult, but don’t let these negative imposters bring you down.  Don’t ever let your so-called friends turn your sky into a ceiling.  Beware of friends who try to belittle your ambitions.  Small hearts and minds always do that.  The greatest hearts and minds – the people you should spend time around – make you feel that you, too, can become great.

Remember, encouraging things happen when you distance yourself from discouraging people.  Doing so doesn’t mean you hate them, it simply means you respect yourself. 

4.  Hold a grudge over your head.

Some people will refuse to accept that you are no longer who you used to be – that you’ve made mistakes in the past, learned from them, and moved beyond them.  They may not be able to stand the fact that you’re growing and moving on with your life, and so they will try to drag your past to catch up with you.  Do not help them by acknowledging their begrudging behavior.  Let go of their negativity,  find peace, and liberate yourself!

A true friend never holds the unchangeable past against you; instead, they help your repair your present and future.  If someone relentlessly judges you by your past and holds it against you, you might have to take matters into your own hands, and repair your present and future by leaving them behind.

5.  Lie to you.

When you keep someone in your life who is a chronic liar, and you keep giving them new chances to be trusted, you have a lot in common with this person – you’re both lying and being unfriendly to YOU.

If you know someone who avoids the truth by telling you only what you want to hear, they do so for their own benefit, not yours.  They are not a true friend and they don’t deserve to be treated as such.

6.  Pretend like they have all the answers.

If you think about the people who have had the greatest positive effect on your life – the ones who truly made a difference – you will likely realize that they aren’t the ones that tried to give you all the answers or solve all your problems.  They’re the ones who sat silently with you when you needed a moment to think, who lent you a shoulder when you needed to cry, and who tolerated not having all the answers, but stood beside you anyway.

Don’t look for a friend who will solve all your problems; look for one who will face them with you.  

7.  Take from you without giving back.

You deserve to be with friends who make you smile – friends who don’t take you for granted – friends who won’t leave you hanging.  When you notice that a friend is always taking from you without giving back, you might need to distance yourself from them for a while.  If they care, they’ll notice.  If they don’t, you know where you stand.

You should want to give, but you shouldn’t be forced to always give more than you get.  If you feel like you are being taken advantage of, respect yourself enough to confront the situation.  This doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends with those who you feel are at fault, but you need to evaluate your friendships and realize where to draw the line when you give yourself to certain people.

8.  Bully you.

It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to your friends.  Sometimes bullying comes from the most unlikely places.  Be cognizant of how your friends treat you, and look out for the subtle jabs they throw.  When necessary, confront them or distance yourself from them – whatever it takes to give yourself the opportunity to grow into who you really are.

Life’s too short to be hanging around people who try to control and manipulate you.  Anyone who does so is not a true friend.  Gain your independence by taking off the shackles and freeing yourself from these bullies.  

9.  Make you feel like you’re burdening them.

True friendship is never burdened with stressful promises and obligations.  What true friends do for each other should be done because they care and because they want to do them.  Period.

So don’t chase people.  They don’t need to be chased.  If someone is a true friend and wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever force yourself on someone who continuously overlooks your worth.

SOOOOOO are YOU A TRUE FRIEND????  

One of my favorite verses Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another . NIV

I thank and praise God for the wonderful friends He has given me throughout my lifetime.

I desire to BE A GOOD FRIEND.

BELOVED FRIEND - BARBARA 7-30-36 - 7-25-13

"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.  I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature."  Jane Austen. Northanger Abbey

 No, it is not my nature, and it was not Barbara's nature. 

Funny how friendships begin: ours began in 1975.  Don & Barbara had their house on the market for sale.  I was showing clients a house in the area and we saw the sign in front of their property.  I did not have an appointment but my clients wanted to see it so I went to the door and knocked.  (This was WAY before having cell phones.)  Don came to the door and the answer was, "We're in the kitchen in the middle of canning beans, but if you can overlook the mess come on in."

I apparently made an impression on them, even though my clients did not purchase their house, and Don later called me and wanted me to list a 2 1/2 acre lot they owned.

Thus began a friendship that remains unto this day.  By July, 1976, after Mickey & I opened our own small JJ Realty Don obtained his license and worked part-time for us.

In 1984 we moved to Albuquerque.  There were a few telephone calls and on Marc's 16th birthday, in August,1985, Don, Barbara, daughter Sabrina, and son Victor, were there.  This trip for them also included a ride in our hot-air balloon, Suzy Blue.  Although we had to sort of "trick" Barb to get in...but she loved it!!!!

This friendship endured with our move to NM and back to Tulsa, their moves to Houston, and then Springfield, Mo, and back to Tulsa.  We visited them in Houston and we visited them several time in Springfield.

In 2000 we took a trip to Canada: us in our 5th wheel and them in their motorhome.  It was great.  We would travel a ways together, then we'd part for a few days, or a week, and then we'd hook up together again. Our time with them covered August & September.

The highlight of that trip was Nova Scotia.   

 Here they are at our most northern point, Meat Cove on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

All of the trip was fantastic but the highlight was at Pictou, Birthplace of New Scotland, where we "stumbled" on the launching of the exact replica of the Ship Hector that had brought those first Scotts to North America on September 15, 1773.  

 I had been told, before we left on this trip, to be sure to see a Tattoo: a Scottish production of bagpipes, dancers and marching bands, etc.  This event was part of the celebration but it was raining literally cats & dogs.  We didn't care!!  We sat under our umbrella's and enjoyed every second of this fantastic, one of a kind show.  Our clothes were literally so soaked we had to wring them out when we got back to our campers that night.

 This picture was taken at Ron & Doty's, some other friends that bought our Dodge 1 Ton Truck after we parked the RV in 2005.  I choose this picture of Mickey & Barb because they had a running game of picking on each other.  They both loved it!!! 

 This picture was taken as the 8 of us:  Don & Barb, Jack & Mary, Ron & Doty, Mickey & I were celebrating Don's 72nd birthday September, 2010.  The reason this picture is so significant is we had just learned the evening before, September 29th, that our beloved daughter, Suzette, had lung cancer.  This group of friends were the first to be told that night.  Believe me, they were with us every step of the way during that 7 month battle and at Suzette's memorial.

 Got these out of order.  This is at Ron's big 70th birthday bash in 2008.  Don & Barb, like Mickey & I, were always together so I don't have many single pictures of just Barb.

 September, 2011 when my forever friend from New Mexico, Joan & her husband Jim, visited us.  We took them out for steaks and invited Don & Barb to join us.  They had met Joan while on that visit to NM in 1985.

 This is an earlier picture of them in their Owasso home before they moved to Houston.  They loved each other dearly and were always smiling. 

Last picture I choose was this one from that trip to Canada.  Not even sure where we were but we were touring an old town with replica's.  This one is so perfect because besides being a wonderful wife, mom, grandma, sister, and friend, Barbara was a teacher for some 32 years.  She was named Teacher of the Year before her retirement when they made their move to Houston.

This one is so perfect for us because Barbara is chiding Mickey and I am acting out.

What I have shown here is all the fun times but Don & Barbara were those friends we shared EVERYTHING with and together.  We've had a lot of laughs but we've also shed tears together and all our joys and problems.  We all love the Lord and a lot of the things we did together were Church programs and singings.  One thing I am so grateful for is after Mickey & I quit traveling and resettled in Coweta the 4 of us would hold hands and pray together before we would leave each time we were together.

The last time we saw Barb was on Friday night, July 19th, when the 4 of us celebrated Ron's 75th birthday at their motorhome  clubhouse in Flint Ridge. Mary was not with us because she had prior plans.  After the party we also met their son Victor for a few brief minutes to make a delivery from Don to him.  We were sitting in Don's car and Victor was standing outside the window and open doors talking and visiting with us.  Just as we were to leave Barbara said, "I'm getting out to give you a hug.  I can't be this close and not hug you."  She did!!!!

On Wednesday evening, July 25th, at 8:30 we came in from church to a message on our recorder:  "Hi this is Don.  I'm at St. Francis.  Barbara had a stroke about 6:30 and they brought her here by ambulance.  I have not seen her since."  Mickey & I took one look at each other and said, "We've going".  We did, and were there with Don, Sabrina and her husband Chon just as they got the horrible news that Barbara could not survive.  We remained until her sister and brother-in-law, and Sabrina's childhood friend of 40 years arrived.  We waited for Barbara to be moved from emergency to her room.  We said our final "good-bye's" and I KNOW she heard us.  Mickey told her to tell Suzette hi because she was going to get to see her before we got to.  I told her what a wonderful friend she had been. We left at midnight.

When Mickey, Marc & I arrived at the hospital the next day around 12:30 we were told by a nurse.  Barbara meet her LORD & SAVIOR that morning around 10:45.  

Mickey & son Marc were honored to serve as Pall Bearers at the beautiful service, attended by MANY family members and friends, Saturday, July 27th.    

It's not "good-bye" Barb, it's "see ya soon"!

Now it's not 8 of us, but only 6, because Mary/we lost our beloved Jack just one year prior, July 21, 2012.  

Friends - one of God's most precious gifts.