SouthernGrace

Whoever is happy will make others happy too. -Anne Frank


Givin' Thanks & Sayin' Grace

This page is full of literary nostalgia.  Many of these writings were penned by family members, others were "pinned" to walls in our families homes. We hope you'll enjoy this reminiscin' page with us.


YOUR MOTHER ALWAYS CARES FOR YOU

Your mother is your friend, And will be to the end, And if her hopes and dreams would just come true, No woe would touch your life, No bitterness nor strife, You know your mother always cares for you.

You know her heart beats true, Through shade and sunshine too, There's not a day she does not think of you, She grieves when you are sad, Rejoices when you are glad, You know your mother always cares for you, But not for wealth nor gold, Her love for you is told, Success may hide her face when you pursue, But if in joy or pain, In sunshine or in rain, You know your mother always cares for you.

So give her tender care, Your pleasures freely share, Though all the world be false she will be true, Then cause her no regret, And watch least you forget, You know your mother always cares for you.

Don't wound that tender heart, Don't cause the tears to start, And don't neglect her for your friendships new, Caress her every day, You know your mother always cares for you.

--Submitted by Vella Mae TALBOTT, Ryan, Oklahoma (Unknown Newspaper Clipping ca 1910)


God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor
Light for the way.
Grace for the trials
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy
Undying love....


"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
--Psalm 46:1


CROSSING THE BAR

Sunset and evening star; and one clear call for me
And may there be no moaning at the bar
When I put out to sea.
For tho' from out our bourne of time and place
The flood may bear me far.
I hope to see my -- pilot face to face.
When I have crossed the bar.


--Tenneyson


Footprints

One night a man had a dream.  In it he was walking along a beach with the Lord. 
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.  For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.
When the final scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back, at the footprints in the sand.  He noticed many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints, and realized that they came at the hardest and saddest times of his life.
Bothered about this, he questioned the Lord saying.  "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most burdensome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you the most you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My dear child, I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that
I carried you."

--Author Unknown


 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul:  He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake...  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:  for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:  thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over... Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:  and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever...

--The Twenty-Third Psalm


There is a world above.
Where parting is unknown,
A whole eternity of love,
Form'd for the good alone,
And faith beholds the dying here
Translated to that happier sphere.

--James Montgomery


The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.


Miss Me -- But Let Me Go
When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom filled room,
Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little -- but not to long,
and not with your head bowed low,
Remember the love we once shared;
Miss me -- but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone,
It's all part of the master's plan,
A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know;
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds,
Miss me -- but let me go.

--Author Uknown


 


Songs

Will The Circle Be Unbroken; Precious Memories; I'll Meet You In The Morning; When They Ring Those Golden Bells; It's Beginning To Rain; Amazing Grace; The Old Rugged Cross; What A Friend We Have In Jesus; Precious Lord Take My Hand; Beyond The Sunset

Nostalgia, author unknown - courtesy Jann TATE

Stroll with me.... Close your eyes.... and go back ...before the Internet... before bombings, aids, herpes ... before semi-automatics and crack ... Before SEGA or Super Nintendo ... way back!

I'm talking about sitting on the curb, sitting on the stoop...about hide-and-go-seek, Simon says, and red-light/green-light. Lunch boxes with a thermos...chocolate milk, going home for lunch, penny candy from the store, hopscotch, butterscotch, skates with keys, jacks and Crackerjacks, hula hoops and sunflower seeds, wax lips and mustaches, Mary Jane's, saddle shoes and Coke bottles with the names of cities on the bottom.

Remember when it took five minutes for the TV to warm up. When nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids arrived home from school. When nobody owned a purebred dog. When a quarter was a decent allowance. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.

When your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces...when all of your male teachers wore neckties, and female teachers had their hair done everyday and wore high heels.

Remember running through the sprinkler, circle pins, bobby pins, Mickey Mouse Club, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Kookla, Fran and Ollie, Spin and Marty...Dick Clark's American Bandstand ... all in black and white...and your Mom made you turn it off when a storm came.

When going around the corner was like going somewhere, and downtown seemed far away. Climbing trees, making forts, backyard shows, lemonade stands, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, staring at clouds, jumping on the bed, pillow fights, ribbon candy, Jackie Gleason, white gloves, walking to the movie theater, running till you were out of breath, laughing so hard that your stomach hurt... remember that?

Not stepping on a crack or you'd break your mother's back...silhouettes of Lincoln and Washington...the smells of school, of paste, and of 'Evening in Paris'.

What about the girl who dotted her i's with hearts? (that was before that stupid smiley face)!

The Stroll...the Slop...popcorn balls...sock hops? Remember when there were just two types of sneakers for girls and boys - Keds and PF Flyers, and the only time you wore them at school was for gym. And the girls had those ugly gym uniforms.

When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped without asking -- all for free -- every time! And, you didn't pay for air either, and you got trading stamps to boot!

When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes, or towels hidden inside the box. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.

When the worst thing you could do at school was flunk a test or chew gum. And the prom was in the gym or the lunchroom, and you danced to a real band or orchestra. When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed -- and did!

When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited the student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!

But we survived because their love was so much greater than the threat.

Remember when a '57 Chevy was everyone's dream car -- used to cruise, peel out, lay rubber, scratch off or watch the submarine races? When people went steady; and girls wore a class ring wrapped with an inch of adhesive tape, dental floss, or yarn coated with pastel-frost nail polish so it would fit their finger.

When no one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition...and the car and house doors were never locked!

Remember lying on your back on the grass with your friends and saying things like "That cloud looks like a..." And playing football or baseball with no adults needed to enforce the rules of the game.

Remember when stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger. And, with all our progress, don't you just wish, that just once you could slip back in time and savor the slower pace...and share it with the children of today?

So send this on to someone who can still remember Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Laurel and Hardy, Howdy Doody and The Peanut Gallery, The Lone Ranger and Tonto, The Shadow Knows, Nellie Belle, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk...as well as the sound of a real lawn mower on Saturday morning, and summers filled with bike rides, baseball games, bowling, visits to the public pool...and eating Kool- Aid powder from the palm of your hand.

There, didn't that feel good? Just to lean back and say, "Yeah...I remember......." Pass this on to those who might remember, and to those who can see what they missed.
 

 


Home, the spot on Earth supremely blest, a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest. -Robert Montgomery

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This site last revised: 05-Oct-2003