Sunshine On My Shoulders

Happy Trails

My daughter and granddaughter with Roy Rogers' son and grandson.

This Saturday, July 24, is National Day of the Cowboy.

That event set me to thinking about our family's history with the "Singing Cowboy," Roy Rogers. When our daughter was a little tyke, we looked for wholesome movies for her to watch, and came upon some old Roy Rogers videos. She loved them, thus beginning her lifelong following of Roy and Dale Evans.

Although she was not in the "baby boomer," cowboy fan age group, Rebekah watched every movie available, read every book Dale ever wrote, collected recordings and became a trivia expert on anything concerning Roy Rogers. She even visited Dale's childhood home in Uvalde, Texas, sending Dale a photograph and beginning a correspondence with her and her daughter.

On a visit to California, she visited with Roy's family at the Roy Rogers Museum. And then we took her as an older teenager to Branson, Missouri, where she enjoyed the family show and the museum which had been moved to that state.

When she heard the museum would be closing, her husband surprised her by taking her and their new daughter for a farewell visit to Branson. Roy's son, Dusty, and his son treated her like part of the family.

The museum's contents are being sold off little by little. Trigger is to be sold this week...kind of fitting I suppose, concerning the National Day of the Cowboy.

My daughter would tell you, "Did you know that Roy always said that when he died, he wanted to be stuffed and placed beside Trigger?"

Rebekah has traded in her old Roy Rogers video collection for some newer DVD's. Her daughter, after all, must be introduced to her cowboy friend. This Saturday, on National Day of the Cowboy, we will celebrate her daughter's first birthday. And the "Happy Trails" tradition goes on.

Little Known "First" of Moon Walk

Do you know what was the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten?

There is a little known "first" which took place on the moon when men first landed with the Apollo 11 space mission. Buzz Aldrin had brought in his preference kit, a personal communion set given to him by his pastor. Upon landing in the Eagle on the moon's surface, he radioed back to Houston, requesting a few moments of silence.

"In the radio blackout," he later wrote, "I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the 1/6 gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.'  Eagle's metal body creaked." He went on to explain how he partook of the bread, and then drank from the cup. 

Finally, he related, "I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility."

Buzz Aldrin's intention was to read the communion Scripture, transmitting it back to earth, but at the last minute he was not allowed to do so. NASA was already embroiled in a legal matter with Madelyn Murray O'Hare over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas, and they wanted to prevent more problems. Such a shame.

This marvelous incident of acknowleding God's presence on the moon is something I often relate to children, especially when teaching the omnipresence of God.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of man walking on the moon. It would be a good time to acquaint your friends with this historical "first!"

In Spite of the Storm

Just outside my mom's front door, in the midst of the tossed salad left behind by Hurricane Ike, one single lily just came to full bloom. It seems to be symbolic of a new beginning, of new life. All over Conroe, you can witness the display of tree graveyards lining each street, waiting to be hauled away in the city's death wagon. There is mourning from folks who are grieving the loss of dear tree friends which have shaded their homes for years. Thus, the sighting of this tough lily around town brings hope. It blooms in September, in the heart of hurricane season, so it is appropriately named the "Hurricane Lily." In spite of the storm, life springs anew.

The Hurricane Story of THE WEDDING CLOCK

My maternal grandparents received this clock as a wedding gift in 1929. It has a hurricane story to tell, dating back to September of 1933 in San Benito, Texas. In those days there was little evacuation before a hurricane. People simply secured their homesteads as best they could, hunkered down, sometimes moving to a nearby fortress, such as a well built hotel. During this hurricane, the third and worst one to impact their city that year, my grandparents and also their parents, my great-grandparents, decided to weather the storm in their homes.

The wind and rain was so fierce that the roof of my great-grandparent's home caved in, and the walls as well. During the eye of the storm they waded in chest-deep water to take refuge in my grandparent's home. As the dirty side of the storm with its accompanying tornadoes began to savagely beat upon them, they had to pile up furniture to keep the doors closed. The house felt as if it would shake apart. I can almost hear the prayers of my godly grandmother as she cried out to God for protection. God's choice was protection for them, and as the storm subsided someone announced, "Look! THE WEDDING CLOCK is still hanging on the wall!" That was amazing to them. The strength of the storm was such that as they walked around in the aftermath, my grandfathers saw a straw, like a straw from a broom, that had been blown clear through a telephone pole. Astonishing.

THE WEDDING CLOCK passed to my mother. It is no wonder that when she was surveying the carnage around her home left from Hurricane Ike, as she walked into the guest bedroom, she gratefully thought, "Look! THE WEDDING CLOCK is still hanging on the wall!"

Thoughts About Hurricane Ike

The giant storm, Hurricane Ike, which hit Galveston on September 12, and then traveled up Highway 45, left incredible destruction. It was rated as a Cat 2 storm, with the surge equal to a Cat 3. Over 2 million homes in Houston were left without power, as well as homes from Galveston to Huntsville. Downtown Houston looked like a war zone (so did my neighborhood!) and it is said that every living household, up to 4 million people, sustained some damage.

Now, following the storm, I am so proud of Houston! I already realized the heart of Houstonians when I worked closely with a Hurricane Katrina shelter, and witnessed the incredible response of our people. With this storm, I am able to see that heart in action again. Neighbor helping neighbor, checking on each other, sharing with one another, sacrificing for each other. I LOVE OUR CITY!

Our next door neighbor immediately offered to share their generator to keep our refrigerator running. They drive it over in their truck twice a day for us to use. Gas is scarce, but they insist in sharing with us.

I could not help but contrast this disaster with one which my good friends lived through. In a far away land, their family survived a great earthquake. The nationals did not know how to react, did not know how to reach out a helping hand. They stood around waiting to be told what to do. My friends were able to leave a positive testimony of their Christian faith as they sacrificially reached out in love to hurting people.

I am posting some storm photos I want to remember. The first two are from Bolivar Peninsula. The one lone house was built to withstand the wind and surge of a Cat 5 storm. It withstood the test.

A bit of humor helped alleviate some of the stress!

We Did NOT LIKE Hurricane IKE!

before the storm...

during the storm...

   

after the storm...

beginning photos are at my home...ones at end are at or near my Mom's in Conroe

 

Yikes IKE!

Our basic preparation for Hurricane Ike:

• windows boarded
• yard items secured
• vehicles full of gas
• photos of possessions taken (insurance reasons)
• laundry caught up (power goes out!)
• plenty of ice
• containers of water for flushing
• cash on hand
• important papers double zip-locked
• medicines and supplies purchased, with LOTS of drinking water
• pets wearing ID collars
• batteries and weather radio
• rechargeable batteries and cell phones kept fully charged
• bed prepared in safest part of house to ride out the storm
• lastly, take a hot shower and wash hair, as it may the last for a while

To see the best hurricane tracking chart I've seen, click here. Move your cursor to different cities, and be sure to check out options in the far right corner of the screen. Another great link is houstonhidefromthewind.org.  Just move your cursor to your zip code.

It goes unsaid that we are praying for our area during this time. We do all we can to sensibly prepare, but realize that GOD IS IN THE STORM, and He is One who can always be trusted.

URGENT Prayer Request

The children in INDIA about whom I have written in former posts (see "Favorite Memory from INDIA," "Panoply of Joy," "Laura's Mother") are having trouble sleeping tonight, fearful to be awakened by an attack. The situation is very grave right now, more serious for INDIA, say many respected Christian leaders, than at any time in recent history.

These tribal Christians, my friends, live close to where massive attacks against Christians took place, and are deeply concerned for their families.

                        

                                                                                                            

Nearby is the tribal orphanage.  As the violence is escalating every day, these dear ones are in very real danger.

I am told the government has shut down media stations to prevent the story from leaking worldwide.

Read Pastor Sudheer's own words concerning the recent persecution (emphasis added):

Dear Brothers and Sisters, This is a time of mourning in India. The situation is critical in India in the state Orissa, the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh and around 30 km from the place where we are having a Children Home in Paderu. Right now there are tensions in the villages and many districts. Hindu mobs of around 700-800 are attacking villages where the Christians are during the nights and burning the whole villages. The unofficial report from the Christians is that at least 950 Christians are missing and around 50 churches are burned along with whole villages where the Christians live are burnt. We are planning to go and visit some of the villages to assess the situation in one week time. But in the mean time we urge every brother and sister in Christ to pray for the Christians who have lost their homes and in fact everything. We do not know the intensity of the need but one thing we know is that there is immense need for food provisions and need to build homes, churches. Please do pray for the need. I also request you kindly send this update to friends for their prayers. In His Service, Sudheer This is a picture of Sudheer (son of Pastor Mekala) preaching to his beloved tribal church. As we go to bed in our safe homes tonight, could we forfeit some of our sleep... and cry out to God in behalf of these dear believers?

Gary Goes to Qatar

Today I found out that our U. S. Navy friend Gary is on the way to Qatar. He has played a very active part in the war but, until now, always from U.S. soil. This is a new experience for him...and for his wife and sons. He was advised not to take a cell phone with him. That it why it was such a treat to receive, when he stepped from the plane for a layover in Bangor, Maine, a cell phone with 15 minutes call time. The troop support people there took pictures and gave them a link so their families could see them. How cool!

Here is the picture they took of Gary...calling home.

And here is a picture of me...thanking Gary...for serving our country!

We are so proud of Gary. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.