something about the mountains...a poem

Something about the
 mountains
not sure what it could be...





could it be the early morning fog
hanging on for dear life,
the crisp, cool, air
that I breathe
 the rustling
brooks that skip and sputter
over the smooth rocks,



is it the music that I hear with
the fiddle and the banjo,
 the easy way of life
that draws me near,
the cry of the Cherokee
their hopes and dreams





or the churches with their steeples
reaching to the sky,
the cows in the valley,
green pasture all around
the foothills gracing it all,



 could it be the
rolling hills in the countryside,
the rustic barn, old wooden planks
falling down,
 country home with its
white columns standing tall,




There's just something that
draws me near
Not sure what it
 could be...

sjo

reprint from my blog mymorningmeanderings

I know how Dorothy must have felt in the middle of the twister. Whew! My sister and I recently returned from a trip to New York. I have often thought that I would like to teach in the inner cities of NY.  But, this trip was strictly to sight-see and enjoy the landmarks with friends; The Statue of Liberty, the 911 Memorial, Grand Central Station, Time Square, Brooklyn Bridge, and on and on...they are spectacular. All of it was great to see but it wasn't what pulled at my heart strings the most. It was all those that were begging for money and sleeping on the sidewalks with only the clothes on their backs. It was all the hundreds of thousands of people that walked the streets, rode the subways, and waited for hours on a ferry to get home from work that made a lasting impression on me. So many of them have no earthly idea of who Jesus is and how much God loves them.They are frantically striving for something that will be of no use to them in the end. It is heart breaking. So it was hard for me to just enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. Oh yeah, so let me backtrack a little to the beginning of our trip. We had just arrived at the airport and was checking in when my sister could not find her driver's license. To say we panicked is an understatement. I honestly saw the trip flash before my eyes without her. I started to think of a plan. I asked the lady that was helping us "Will you take a copy of her drivers license?" Thinking if she left them home we could get someone to send a picture of it. Hallelujah! She finally found them. So all was well. As I said before, we were with a group of friends and supposedly all had the same ticket schedules. Well, we all started to board the plane when a "beep beep" went off on mine and my sisters tickets revealing that we had missed our plane one hour previously. We never dreamed that the others held tickets with different boarding times than ours. Lesson learned, always check your tickets. Never assume anything. The man at the desk said, "You are two lucky ladies." As he explained that he found two seats on the flight with our friends. I said, "No we're not lucky we are blessed."  Although it was a great trip overall, I came home a little drained; physically and emotionally. I arrived at my mothers home in time to enjoy my grandson's football game. They hadn't been winning, truthfully they hadn't even been playing very well. Anyway, it was the big game. Our team against the county rival. I prayed. Lord, please help them play a good game. The previous game they had played was really bad. My prayers were answered. We played wonderful. It was like a new team. The score was close and both teams played very well. We were into the 3rd quarter. My grandson ran the ball, making good yardage only to be tackled by several boys pretty hard. As he got up and started walking to the sideline, he appeared to be stumbling and making motions that something was wrong. They quickly started taking off his helmet and pads and everyone rushed around to aid him. My daughter went hysterical. I sat still on the bench. My insides were screaming though! I eventually scooted away from the crowd beside the bleachers to pace and pray. Having had a son that played sports too, it was a familiar place for me to be. Who would have ever thought we would be rushing him off to the hospital in an ambulance. Long story, short all x-rays revealed normalcy in brain, ribs, and hand. Praise God. As I think about it all... maybe God is just trying to stretch me.  I jokingly told my sister that while we were in NY.  But, looking back in hindsight, there just might be something to that.  A whole lot can happen in one week. This morning, back home safe and sound in my own little quiet surroundings, I thought of this song that Holy Spirit gave me years ago. It is just as true today.

Take me to the place
where love abounds
take me to the place
where I'm safe and sound
in the river of your love
no strife is there
in the river of your love
 perfect peace is where

take me to the place...

There's a whole lot of sadness in this world; the cares might toss me around. I might lose my way at times. My focus not on point.
But, thank you Father God, if I will just stop and listen...you always quieten my soul 💝

sammie jean

"Behold, I extend peace to her like a river..." Isaiah 66:12

Talogia Creek that runs on the edge of our property

His love...

       And then there it was. A little red cabin. Hidden from others to find. A diamond in the rough. Way back in the woods in the Carolina mountains 🌄  A dream of ours. One morning I got on the computer, months ago, as I so often do to blog. The first thing that popped up on the screen in front of me was a cabin in North Carolina on Red Bird Road. My husband and I had been searching the real estate market for almost a year.  I looked through the house; fireplace ✔, front porch ✔, rustic looking ✔, on an acre of land ✔; I remember getting a little excited about it; "it was a good find." Thought about it most of the summer. Finally, in August a home came open to rent at a reasonable rate and it was possible for us to go to North Carolina for three weeks. While there, we planned on looking at homes that we had found that were interesting enough. In preparation to go, we made a list of homes we wanted to see. The cabin on Red Bird Road continued to be at the top of our list. Our first week there, we went with a realtor for three days, looking at approximately 12 homes in the Franklin, North Carolina area. We really liked that little town. However, none of the homes had that "wow" factor or I should say none of them spoke to our hearts. We agreed ahead of time that it would happen to both of us when we saw the one we were suppose to have. It wasn't until 13 days later that we were able to finally see the cabin on Red Bird Road in Hayesville. To get to the cabin, your first turn is on Vineyard Road. I absolutely love that for so many reasons. When I lived alone with my son for almost 11 years before I remarried, I decorated our home in grapes and grapevine paraphernalia. I had a large mural on the wall in the living room; an old wine press; wine bottles, grapes,...all symbolic of God's presence in our lives.  I am the vine and you are the branches, abide in me, spoke to my heart in a very special way during those years; for Him abiding in me and me abiding in Him became the most important thing to me. As we turned down Vineyard Road, I teared up as Holy Spirit reminded me of what He had done in my life, some 19 years ago. We continued down a country road, winding and turning, around curves and up hills, vineyards along the way, cows in the pasture at the foothills of the mountains. So picturesque. And then there it was. Red Bird Road. A little red cabin. What symbolism for us. I wish I just knew how many times we sat on our back porch in Chipley and watched the red birds as they flew in to eat from our back yard feeder. Our grandchildren even took pictures of them to enter in the local youth fair and won first place for their photography. They were the most brilliant red I have ever seen. We were very fond of them...to say the least. Walking around the property, we found an old cement picnic table; laden with moss. Thought it was a little strange but didn't think too much about it.  It was just like the one across the road from my house at the wayside park near the creek growing up. I can't tell you how many times I have eaten on a cement picnic table just like that one; birthday parties, cheer leading parties, class parties, reunions. It was the go-to place for all our get together events from childhood all the way through high school. We were so excited about the cabin that we invited dear friends to come to look at it with us. Looking closely, we started putting two and two together; we discovered that it must had been a camp ground many years ago. The land was still terraced and rocks strategically placed in certain areas.Someone had labored long and hard to create this scene. I could envision mothers and daddy's playing with their children and could almost hear the children laughing as they played chase around the campsite. What sweet memories they must have made there. I think that it's the neatest thing that God wants us to have this piece of property. He saved it just for us; for over four years this couple has had it for sale off and on. No buyers. How awesome to me that God so intricately wove threads of our past together just to remind us of how much He loves us. How much He has always loved us. Oh my 💓 Couldn't help but think about the beautiful star of Bethlehem that God placed in the heavens the night of Jesus' birth.✦ A sign of His love for all mankind to see. Of course, the symbolism on this property dulls in comparison to the birth of the greatest gift I will ever know.  But, in our personal life, He once again let us know...that the "small stuff " matters to Him 🐦

thank you for loving us
sammie jean

Picture taken by our grandson in our backyard in Chipley, Florida.

i remember...

I remember going to the Smoky Mountains with my parents and sister growing up. I can still see all the fog as it settled on top of the mountain early in the morning. I hear my daddy say, "That smoke is  from all those smoked hams they're smoking." Of course I believed every word of it. I loved those 

hams. Not as much as he did though. Daddy always bought one or several to bring home with us. We all loved grits and eggs, mamas homemade biscuits, country ham and red-eyed gravy for breakfast. Oh my, what a Saturday morning feast! Nothing better. We continued the tradition of enjoying the mountains with our children. I remember staying with a couple of friends and sitting on their back porch enjoying the view of the Blue Ridge Mountain range. And just wishing. Not sure when I started dreaming about a home in the mountains; might have been as a child or not until I was older. Every since I can remember I have always wanted a home there. Sixty years old now, retired, and oh so much water under the bridge. It seems like that was a lifetime ago. Those dreams. For really it was. Nine years ago we started over. My husband and I. Now it's our dream. We have returned to the mountains of North Carolina. So different this time. For this time, we really are in search for the home that has been in my dreams for all those years. It's pretty neat how we were in the mountains a year ago when our house sold. That was the first step toward our dreams coming true. I just know God has that perfect little place for us. The one that he has had all along. The home that will bring us and our family and family to come; many, many, years of enjoyment. A place of peace. A place where the Spirit of Lord is present. A place that says to our heart, "you're home" ❤️

Music

 It's been a long time since I sat in a lawn chair and listened to gospel music. We did that last night. I was instantly transported to the 70's at least 45 years ago, on the football field of a nearby town that I grew up in; lawn chairs all over the field, picnic baskets full of chicken and potato salad, quilts thrown on the ground for the babies, songs of Jesus filling the air. It took me back to my roots. Or I should say my foundation.  I absolutely loved those all night gospel sings. I looked forward to them every year. It was another time that my sister let me tag-along. She went with her friends and their families. I think I was actually a nuisance to her at times but she deeply cared about my salvation. She wasn't selfish at all when it came to sharing Jesus with me. She wanted me right there enjoying His presence too. Music has changed for me over the years. What God has done in my life through music, hasn't.  Around 1986 I started going to a different church. The music was different than any I had heard before. My collection of songs up until that time consisted of gospel and hymns, growing up in a Methodist Church. The music was different than any I had heard before. It was slower. Less instruments; piano, drums, maybe a guitar. It was more like a love song. It wasn't the music though, it was the lyrics that gripped my heart. On my first visit I remembered singing, as the dear pants for the water, oh my soul longs for you. you along are my one desire and I long to worship you. I had never sang scripture before and as I sang Holy Spirit seemed to penetrate my very heart. I realized that I wasn't singing about God anymore but I was singing directly to Him. It was like no one else was in the room. Just He and I. Simple, intimate, worship songs are still my favorite. Stripped down. Simply powerful. The music is beautiful, there is no doubt. I think it's our heart that He's most interested in. This past Sunday a well known gospel music singer/songwriter came to our church.  He led worship. I heard some good "ole" gospel tunes once again. Songs that you just can't sit still and listen to. You have to clap your hands, tap your foot, or play a tambourine (if you have one.) It's just that kind of music. He had written thousands of songs for well-known gospel groups. I listened to him as he spoke from his heart. He explained how all that had changed for him over the years.  He stated that he had even changed some of the lyrics to his songs; the arrangements. A simpler style. It was not about performance, or about how well he could sing (which he could) but it was about true worship. Holy Spirit was definitely there. I have always loved these lyrics by Matt Redman; when the music fades, all is stripped away and I simply come. Longing just to bring something that's of worth, that will bless your heart. I'll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself is not what you have required. You search much deeper within, through the way things appear, you're looking into my heart. I'm coming back to the heart of worship and it's all about you Lord Jesus, it's all about you. It's still as fresh today as it was twenty something years ago when I heard Holy Spirit say, "I have created in you a heart of worship... teach others." How in the world do you do that?  I immediately felt led to go to the scripture, an hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. Can't say I totally understood then. Can't say that I understand much better today. I do know that, I see in a mirror dimly...I know in part thus I have moved a little closer in understanding then I did yesterday. I do know that I am in pursuit of Him...not the music. If you are reading this blog you will probably agree with me, that over the years, like the well known singer/song writer said, we have chased many things; jobs, opportunities, prestige, popularity...but at the end of the day the most important thing is...I am nothing without you, Lord Jesus.

sammie jean

God's Heart (adoption)

  they

seemed to have

 come out of

nowhere

  emptiness

in their hearts

  loneliness

in their eyes

they needed

 us

we wanted

 them

God's plan

  all along

He knew our

  hearts desire

He joined us

 together

our spirits

 became one

a bond like

 no other

love

 indescribable

 joy 

  unexplainable

fullness 

   has come...

we are

    complete

With love, 

Aunt Sammie

Written for my niece, nephew (in love) and family on their special "love is forever" day 💑

July 14, 2017

Granddaughter...you are salt and light to me

Thought of my granddaughter and her courage this morning while getting ready to go to a baby shower. I only "kinda" know a hand full of people at our new church, so I was feeling a little insecure about going without my husband. I know that I rely on him like that. I realize that growing up in a small town where you are known almost your whole life by most people there is pretty easy. I took that for granted (a little.) Trying hard to step out of my comfort zone, I wanted to go to the shower. Celebrations are important. My granddaughter stayed a week with us and went to bible school in the church that we just started attending. She walked into the church where she didn't know a soul. She also was the only little child with natural brown skin. Everyone made her feel welcomed. She was a little hesitant at first but was a champ. "If she can do it then I can do it," I said. I put on my big girl panties and I went. During her week with ammie and pawpaw we tried hard to spoil her; swimming and fishing, cooking what she liked, reading a little while lying in the hammock, making frozen Oreo pops, playing a game or two of badminton, going to the movie. Our eyes were on her. I've been thinking a lot about her since that week. I can remember going with her mama for a sonogram before she was born. The worried look on the doctors face frightened me. I watched intently as he measured her length on the screen. "She is not growing properly," he said. And to add to the fear, she came early, weighing less than a 5 pound bag of sugar. She affectionately looked like a little "drowned rat."  Before she was a year old she and her brothers came to live with me for a while. I remember her mama handing me a piece of paper with the directions for her formula and the amount of medicine to give her if she got sick. She wasn't walking yet and scooted around on her backside rather than crawl on her knees. I always said she was smart. She figured out how to spare her knees on that hard linoleum floor in her house. The night that all three children, her and her two brothers and I, felt totally broken to pieces is branded in my memory. I took their little hands forming a circle, outside the building where we were and prayed. I don't remember what I said. We cried out in desperation that night. I can still see that sweet child, not much older than two, as she jumped from her seat into the aisle during mine and her pawpaws wedding and began to twirl and twirl with arms opened wide. No inhibitions; just pure, open, honest, worship. Just two years ago, my granddaughter was in a fatal car accident where her best friend was killed. She undid her seat belt in the backseat, while turned upside down, slid out the window and called her mama on the cell phone that she had given her just minutes before, all after hearing her dear friend take her last breath. I have no words. God knows what He is doing. I have no earthly idea. You're a strong little girl, granddaughter. You have been since you were conceived. Father God knew you then and He knows you now. He has seen every tear and heard every cry. He holds them in His bottles. I remember the Wednesday night, right smack dab in the middle of worship, Holy Spirit spoke into my heart, "I will be faithful to your grandchildren." Thank you Father. You have been...I know you always will be. Dear granddaughter you are brave, you are an inspiration, your little light shines brightly ❤️

I love you always and forever,

ammie