Just when I was at my wits end trying to decide what I should chose for my challenge of the week, along comes the neatest thing from a 'sister cuz' of mine, giving me just the setting that I needed to fill in the gaps because, just minutes prior to receiving that transmittal, I had been 'moved' by a newspaper picture which I had just seen!

Upon opening our local county news, turning to the Community section, there were several pictured pages (in full color) of local grade and high students at their first day of school and the one that caught my eye and brought back even more fond memories of my very own school days....was the one entitled, 'Patriotic Tradition'!

Now, my cuz's transmittal dealt with Red Skeleton. Remember him? Excellant entertainer in his time! His presentation was entitled 'Patriotic Pledge'. Most appropriate, as well, for this week is Labor Day weekend!

I have to agree with Mr. Skeletons point of view. I was raised to be patriotic. My father chose this country to be his home. He was proud of it. He was proud to be US citizen and he raised his family to be that way.......and I still am.

When I started to school, the very first thing we were taught, the first day of school, was to go to our desks. The teacher would close the door to our room, walk to her desk at the front of the room, turn and faced the American Flag, and we automatically rose from our desks, stood beside them, placed our hands over our hearts and all resoundedly said the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in unison! That started each day of school for all eight grades of my grade school years! I have never forgotten that......I never will!

And today, bless the photographers heart, that picture in our local paper included in the photos was a picture taken of our school children here in town that makes every citizen that reads this paper...... proud to be an American! As one friend expressed to me via phone earlier this evening.......'that picture of the children,' standing at attention, beside their teacher, all eyes ahead to the flag, 'should have been on the FRONT page of the paper'.

To me, as I viewed that photo, seeing the attentive faces of those students, the proud uplifted face of the third-grade teacher which appeared to bringing the school-wide assembly proudly 'together' for announcements and recognitions by opening the session with this traditional display of patriotism, was a near tear jerker!

I was taught that during the Pledge of Allegiance one stood at attention, all eyes directed to the flag, hand over heart (service men stand at salute or attention)........and when the National Anthem starts to play, you immediately rise to your feed and remain standing until the song is completed and in addition to this, when the US flag is carried past one, say in a parade or a ceremony, again the hand is placed over ones heart, and silence follows!

This, as I said earlier, being Labor Day weekend is a holiday! Traditionally meant to be the beginning of a new school year......and tho that tradition was altered for many years, am happy to say that our local school personnel have finally resorted to the original plans of our school administration and have changed the school starting day this year to a much closer conformity to the original plannings. With the warm weather we experience in this part of the country, and lack of air conditioning in many school classrooms, this is a wise decision!

With emphasis being placed on rest and relaxation and the end of summer activities, celebrations vary far and wide as to how families chose to share this special weekend!

In the Fashion world, Labor Day has become a point of demarcation between summer styles and fall fashions and this led to longstanding problems against wearing 'white' after Labor Day, but in reality, fashion etiquette was originally prohibiting the wearing of white shoes after Labor Day whereas white or 'winter white' clothing was totally acceptable. Thank goodness that is changed. Now, as for me, even tho I have strong inhibitions about the traditions involving the flag of our country, and the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem, I have to admit, I am a trifle 'lax' on the fashion part of Labor Day.

So, I still might be wearing my white Berkies on Tuesday or Wednesday of even next weekend, I may start to 'let up' on the white tops and slacks and start about thinking of putting them to the back of the closet until next spring. But hey, I have read that wearing white AFTER Labor Day is now considered ....bold........daring.........and even innovative!!! What do you think about that, gals??

Remember, if you don't stand for 'something', you might just 'fall' for everything!

However you decide to celebrate this Labor Day weekend......maybe it is a family outing, a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's home, a barbecue, homemade ice cream and chocolate cake, or maybe you elect to just spend the entire weekend doing nothing more then what the day was intended......RELAX........but......what ever you do, remember that the day was created for ALL to enjoy!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK:

"Somebody is out there smiling because of something 'U' said ............or something 'U' did!"

Recently word hit the community that the local hospital board had notified one of the physicians who has been a resident physician here for less then 10 years that his contract with them would terminate the end of October! The people of the community were very upset. Daily they read in the paper where nearby hospitals are encountering problems keeping their doors open, they are seeking physicians to fill vacancies..........and our board is terminating a contract of one of their own special physicians!! It was very hard for them to comprehend such an action on behalf of the hospital board!

It cannot be said that this community has no backbone for they came together in a voice to the hospital board.............asking why?? Petitions to the board asking them to reconsider their past action were in local shops, main street business places. I even saw them taped to the counter of a local coffee shop/filling station where, as you paid your bill, you were sure to see it.......in plain sight. And, as a result of these actions, thousands of signatures were added to those petitions.

It appeared the community would not be always compromising....blending in with the rest of the world in spite of the fact that occasionally we are all too busy to confront abortion, injustice, abuse and other matters of vital concerns to the valid criticisms of modern Christianity.......

It certainly is true that one of the greatest ills of American society is apathy..........How many are too busy to vote on election day? Why do the civic organizations struggle, and sometimes have to fail, for lack of volunteers? Too often people express strong opinions about needed changes, but then do little about actually trying to make those changes happen by giving only a halfhearted support of the issue.

Not so last night!! Not in our little community!!.

Newpapers advertisements by various citizens addressed the issue. A paid notice was in the local paper telling of a meeting at the hospital on Thursday, August 27 at 6:30. AND, at 6:30, the large, recently remodeled lobby of the local hospital was filled to capacity with concerned citizens. So much so, that the president of the elected hospital board (as it is a county board) announced that the meeting would be relocated to the Middle School auditorium. So, everyone hopped in their cars, and headed for that destination in spite of the warm temperatures outdoors.

Even though it was addressed as an open meeting, the announcement made just prior to the actual opening of the meeting stated that the board would give each participant a three minute time limit in which to speak, but they (the board ) would take no questions, or at least respond to any questions.

So, for an hour, citizens of the community, and county, and especially patients of the physician recounted time after time, of events within the time the physician had served this area, and his service to them. Some were in tears, some were sad, some were hurt, many wanted answers, and within each presentation, suggestion after suggestions were was offered as a possible solution to resolve the problem..........Even the physican himself took a stance to a standing ovation of all in attendance. Dramatic moments were experienced by everyone in the auditorium!

No, the community did not lack backbone in this situation. They did not look the other way. They did not lack courage to stand up and be counted. There were no spineless wonders there at the auditorium last evening!

True honor is acquired by nothing but good conduct. The participants were no carbon copies of somebody else, they gave their own interprepations of the problem as they saw it. They offered suggestions. They offered recommendations. And, as stated previously, it was amazing to hear similiar recommendations in the areas that appeared to be dictating these circumstances.

We used to have a PRIDE committee in this community. Very active committee. Very agressive and progressive committee. We received State and National awards, but I truly feel that the embodiment at that meeting last evening far surpassed any previous accomplishments in the PRIDE department heretofore! I was proud of our citizens. As proud, concerned citizens of this great nation of ours,..... this county,........ they came together. They banded together. They were not spineless! THEY HAD BACKBONE!

Only time will tell the fruits of their efforts!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK:

"Don't do as others say.....just listen to them............but always do what YOU feel is right.............and good...... for all..... and not just for a few".

At Open House on Sunday, the neighbor, along with the help of her grandson, was mowing the lawn. Of course, there happened to be just ONE little dandelion, all headed out, ripe for the picking, along the side of the flower bed, so the grandson reached down, plucked it and handed it to the grandmother........you could see the mixed emotion on her face. You full well knew that her first reaction was..............'don't pick that dandelion' and before she could say more and before she could take it out of his hand.....PUFF, he blew the head of the ripe dandelion, with all its seeds, right at her..........................SO, being the loving Grandmother that she was, she accepted the gift graciously, and by this time it was just the long green stem as all the top had been strewn across the lawn by that sweet little 'puff' of the grandson.........and said, in a very mild, mannered tone of voice, 'thank you, but next time always ask Grandma before you pick any of these flowers', then she turned to me and rolled her eyes way up into the back of her head.

How many of us have had that happen??

Maybe I lack sufficient strength or something, but regardless how carefully I try to pull a dandelion out of the ground, I never seem to get the whole thing. Their roots are deep and they like to stay in the ground, probably just as a threat to me that 'hey, I am going to grow up and blossom again, trust me!'......

Isn't it amazing that dandelions can be attacked, never nurtured, ignored, and in spite of it all, bloom profusely. They require no special attention to put forth some of the prettiest yellow flowers you will ever see. They grow everywhere......in lawns, in fields, in the best of neighborhoods.........and the best place they like to live (this is my personal opinion) is between the cracks in the sidewalk!

Supposing, just supposing, you would try to plant them as special flowers in a special flower spot. Do you think they would stay in that confined area? Dream again! They would be sure to sneak through the boundaries that were made for them and show their bright, sunny yellow faces in the lawn. Believe you me, they would never stay put..........not a dandelion!

As the old saying goes..........
He who sows THORNS best not go barefoot.......so it goes with not controlling dandelions...........for if you fail to heed or impede their success.............they will take control.........TOTAL control. with most everyone attesting to that statement!

It seems that everything in life either comes from a lesson.........or it goes with a lesson, and dandelions are not without exception. Maybe, just maybe, we should use the dandelion as an example for our own lives. Maybe we need to get out of our 'gardens' and 'jump' across the boundaries in our lives and surprise those around us. Why not use our own sunny little yellow faces in all the spots of our lives, the lives of others, and this fast-pace world that seems to have us all a dither these days..........and use our faces in spots that just we can brighten.........and if we do, we might...... just might be surprised what we can do to make this ole world a better place in which to live! Sure seems like it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

"CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK"

By George Bernard Shaw............"The JOY in life is to be used for a purpose...and I want to be used up when I DIE!"

*Amen to that statement...

The Simple things in life bring the most happiness! We don't have to spend mega bucks to make memories. We don't have to have the most elaborate of all the latest gadgets to be happy.........We do not have to have designer clothes, purses and shoes to be happy........all we need is to maintain that optimistic view of the world around us and let IT bring out the sunshine of a happy today! And, all of us can be happy thinkers, and thinking I am today, back to the day the Birthday Boy was born!

I am going to look back.........back to the day that dear Gabriel was born. Early in the morning, I heard my garage door being raised and when I opened the back door to the garage, there stood an anxious father-to-be, holding his eldest son, then a little over three in his arms, ready to give to Granny for her care for awhile. Mom and Dad then hustled away, anxious to be on their way for they did have a little drive to get to the delivery hospital, and it was a good thing they did leave early because I was given to understand that they encountered some delay in road repairs and had an anxious moment or two. So brother and I spent the day, going our normal way, trying to be not too far away from the phone, awaiting some news from afar. Finally, about midafternoon, the phone call came...............'we have a new baby boy'........well, that opened the door for Granny and brother to head for the hospital. An exciting trip. Arriving at the hospital, we were ushered into the new 'tired' mothers room where we were able to gaze on a crib along side her bed with a small little figure, wrapped in a colorful receiving blanket. With big brother on one knee, Granny was given the new babe by the proud father to hold on the other knee..........and as I lifted the blanket away from those big brown eyes that greeted me, I heard big brother say, 'SSSSSHHHH, baby's sleeping'. Adorned in red boxer shorts and a bright red shirt, blue tennis shoes and white socks, big brother was already starting on the path that he continued from that day forth.........watching out for 'baby brother'.

The years that followed were, for me, extra special for I was a blessed Granny who was able to spend some precious time with the boys. Sharing a 'first day of school', taking their pictures when they were named 'Simpson Student of the Day', watch them perform at the Christmas programs, but not only at school, but at church as well. Enjoying the opportunity of sharing with their parents in the memories that they were being given as well. Having someone say, 'is that your grandson?' Precious, precious!

But, like life, and in all things, 'it comes to an end' and after Gabes kindergarten year, the family made the move to the 'big city', and Granny was left alone with memories. A hard time, lonesome for the knock at the door on Halloween and being surprised by a clown, or opening the door on May Day and not finding that little handmade paper basket of flowers on the handle of my door, or going to the church programs and not being able to find one of the grandsons in the performances. But, Granny being Granny, I simply counted my blessing and was grateful that I could still drive to be with them, and the best part, now they lived in the same town as my two granddaughters, and guess what.............I could enjoy not just one or two, but all four! Yep, it is true, life is, and can be, wonderful!

But in closing, I need to really share the reason for the title of this session, because it is one etched deep in the shell of my memories and is sure to bring a chuckle to you as it did for me when I heard those very words from the mouth of the 'birthday boy'.

As it happened, one evening, Mom and Dad had a movie which they wanted to see, so Granny was given the opportunity to 'baby sit', one she always delighted in working. As the evening progressed, we decided that the boys had played about all the toys they could stand and wanted to watch a Barney (a favorite) tape that Granny had made for them. So, we put the tape in the player, Older brother took one rocking chair, Granny the other, and so little Gabe crawled up into Grannys lap, a miniature Barney toy in his hand. Overcome with a little extra 'love', emotion, Granny hugged Gabe and said, 'Gabe, you are Granny's baby'........after all, he was the youngest of my grandchildren..............boy, what a reaction. (now, he was all of about 3 at the time)..............he slid down off my lap, put his two hands on his little hips, and with those big brown eyes flashing at me, said, 'Granny, youse take a good look at me................'IS'E A BIG BOY NOW!'.......Just that quick, watchdog big brother climbed down out of his chair, put his arm around the shoulder of his little brother and said, 'it's ok, Gabe, don't you know Granny just has ONE eye'!!

'Thank-You Gabe, for giving Granny some mighty precious moments to share, and yes, tweetums, I have to agree...............YOU IS A BIG BOY NOW!.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK:

'Life is all around you..........be happy that each day that you are able to awaken to a fresh new morning.........AND ABOVE ALL.................to one and all.........GABE included...........be sure to maintain an optimistic attitude because it will make your world a better and much happier place in which to live'!

Have a good 'un..................Nadene