JUST A LITTLE, THAT CAN'T HURT-AND OTHER LIES WE TELL OURSELVES

As in many families, addictions-alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.-have had a lot of impact on mine. 

I wish I could nullify, blot out all the damage addictions have caused. I wish I had all the money that is down the drain-not just the cost of the "have to have" but all the fines, fees, loss of work in the aftermath. 

Sometimes it takes years to dig out of the hole we dug for ourselves and our loved ones and sometimes we never get completely out. Then there are the effects on our health, the destruction of our bodies.

JUST SAYIN'

I guess the reason for this kind of "rant" is this poem I ran across the other day that I wrote several years ago. It isn't dated so my best guess is 8-10. At this time there are still consequences being paid from the actions of that time-health issues, deaths, monetary.

JUST

It "just" started with such little things,

"just" a little sneaking round, "just" little disobeyings.

"Just" ignoring God's very own commandments,

"just" not putting God first, "just" not honoring his parents.

"Just" trying that very first cigarette,

"just" not thinking he'd have to look back in regret.

Then the "justs" just got easier and crazier-

just to have more fun to feel just a little jazzier.  

So then he had to try "just" a little smoke

"just" for that higher high he craved when he awoke.

And "just" to intensify his mood, "just" help him think

he began to add "just" a little drink.

Now, he's lost his home and family, sees life with disgust

at all the destruction caused by "just" those "little justs".

It is "just" Satan's greatest fairy tale, "just" his biggest piece of fiction

that all those "little justs" wouldn't destroy him with addiction. 

If he's "just"stood on God's Word, kept all His commandments

he'd have found his true need was "just" God's love, God's peace and God's contentment. 

May God bless and keep you today

Carolyn Wainscott

  

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME

This falls in the category of things I want my children to know.

In all the boxes and albums of full of photos there is not one of my Granny's home where my brother, Larry, and I were born in 1940 and 1941. I know, I have been searching. There are photos of the front yard, of us playing and posing when we were children but not one of the home. 

When I was two years old and Larry a babe in arms, Mom and Dad came to Cincinnati because there was no work in or around Emlyn, Kentucky. Dad had just gotten out of the CCC project and needed a job to raise his family. A few months after we came to Cincinnati, they went back and brought Granny to live with us but we kids went back with her to spend summers. The height of our day was the train going by every afternoon. The railroad track was just across the road. I also went to the one room school in Emlyn for a time. We were well watched over by Granny, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sarah and Cheek Alder who still lived in the house, as they sat on the front porch in their rocking chairs. That is one of my fondest memories-glancing that way from our play to see them sitting there. So fond that I have rocking chairs on my front porch and hope that my great, grandchildren will remember me in my rocking chair watching them play. 

To tell you how long I have been wanting a picture of that house-over 20 years ago, my husband and I were returning from a trip to Gatlinburg  coming up I-75 which runs behind Granny's old  home place. The fact is, when the interstate was built, it split Granny's property in half and took the middle of her land. We drove around through Williamsburg to Rt. 25 that runs through Emlyn so I could get a picture but the house was no longer there. 

The house was built before 1920 by our grandfather, Tom Crockett.  We have the receipt for his purchases to build it.

A couple of weeks ago my sister, Shirley, got a phone call out of the blue from a gal we don't even know. She had been given Shirley's # by a relative in Emlyn. She is researching her genealogy. We are probably distant relatives. She emailed Shirley some photos and lo, and behold, there is Granny's home-the one I was born in along with some other photos that we have along with others we don't have. 

I don't know who anyone is here yet-the banisters weren't on the porch when we were growing up.Larry said the photo was probably taken in the 50's. Am going to try and find out who had the photo originally.

the back of the house-Granny cooked on a wood burning cook stove with a warming oven on the top. I thought there was a tiny room on the back that had a well. It had a cylinder shape that was on a pulley that was dropped down into the well and drawn up for our water. it would have been where the right screen door is. 

we already had these photos but they are handy so here they are-this is our Granny holding cousin, Kenny, son of George with my sister, Shirley, brothers, Larry and Jim and me.

This was probably taken in Granny's front yard. The house in the background would be the Rains' home. 

this was taken in 1918 we think at the side of Granny's house. She is in the first row, left. She is holding George, Mom's brother, Raymond, her older son is at her right, with Tom just behind her. We didn't know some of the people in the picture but we do know now from the email Shirley received. 

This is our grandfather, Tom, holding George. the photo was taken the same day as the above group photo and looks like on the front porch.Shirley has the original in her front hall in its old frame.

 So, I finally have pictures of where I was born in such a roundabout way it is uncanny. I love it. I can't wait to see what else we might find out. 

So, thank you, Janis in Tennessee for sharing all this with us. 

Carolyn Wainscott

DISASTER OR NOT

It was in the 20's yesterday and our furnace and heat pump were being replaced so the house got a little cool. My son, Jeff, has been so aggravated over the furnace situation last winter and this. Repairmen have been out several times, replaced parts, put more freon in-just patching it up to keep it running. It was probably the original  furnace when the house was built and I was aware when we bought it 1 1/2 years ago what we were getting into.  I told him I couldn't get upset over a furnace when there is so much else going on in our world. I am just thankful to be able to get my house warm.

I thought about calling this piece "When Disaster Strikes" but a disaster is losing your whole home to flood or tornado or financial hardship, a disaster is losing a loved one-especially as we have witnessed in terrorists killing for the whole world to see, a disaster is having your family hungry and not being able to do anything about it. Those are disasters, a furnace biting the dust when it can be replaced is not a disaster. 

Now I don't have a money tree in the back yard with $100 bills for leaves that we can go out and pick, neither did it rain pennies from heaven yesterday and we did have to scrape [I do mean scrape] some $ together but we had a home owners warranty that will take care of most of the expense so we aren't so hard hit.  

I have been accused of living in denial at times, well, a lot of the time because I choose to try and look at the bright side of things-at how much worse things could be, at how much more others are going through, at how very blessed I am. 

As I sit here at my window writing this, it is snowing and the temperature is dropping but my home is nice and warm. Each time a repairman came out I could pay for the repair. Yes, there were other things I would rather have done with the money-buy more fabric, shoes, clothes but I could take care of the necessities. 

So here I am living in denial again, looking at the bright side of having dodged the bullet of having to pay for a major repair out of my Social Security. 

And as I sit here at my window, watching the snow, I am choosing to look on the bright side of being 75 years old with good health, a cancer survivor twice over, in my nice warm home with food in the pantry and clothes in my closet and thanking my LORD and Saviour for all my blessings.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Eph 5:20 

God bless and keep you

Carolyn Wainscott

Psalm 23

David's confidence in God's grace

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 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. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 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.

Psalms 23:1-6 

WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, WRONG CHOICES

There is a trial just coming to a conclusion involving several college kids that will impact all of them for the rest of their lives. 

All those involved seem to be in the top echelon of the school-star athletes, an honor student.

The athletes were found guilty on all counts of rape of the female honor student. 

All said they were too intoxicated to remember anything about the rape including the rape victim. 

One of the football players and the female student had been partying. He brought her back to his dorm and can be seen carrying her around the hall from room to room with the aid of several other young men. He seems to be having a great time as they all do, smiling and laughing on the videos from the security cameras. 

Video and photos were taken, sent across country, in fact, to friends. One responded, according to his own testimony that they had better get rid of her and all the evidence. Now he is also being charged for some complicity and attempting to destroy evidence and he was hundreds of miles away.

Several young men participated in raping the young woman as she was in the drunken stupor, lifeless, unable to defend herself. 

How can that level of debauchery be reached?

 How do people join in such hurtful behavior? 

How and why didn't someone step up and say "Stop" instead of participating?

How can anyone just turn their back and walk away knowing what is going on, especially to someone so helpless?

Is that evil always lurking in our minds just waiting for its chance to come out when the opportunity arises?

Now, for the events of a few hours of "fun", 2 young men with great futures ahead of them have already been convicted and will spend many years in prison and be labeled as sex offenders for the rest of their lives and more trials coming up for others. Their careers ruined. All of them. 

And what of the young woman? Will she be able to get past this? 

And the families, what about the families? One father principally collapsed at the verdict of his son. His pride and joy. Instead of watching him play football and glory in all the hoopla, he will be visiting him and watching him through bars. 

How sad. So many people's lives changed over night. So many hopes and dreams crushed. 

Each and every one of them were in the wrong place at the wrong time making wrong choices and will suffer the consequences along with all those around them.

This morning's Bible verse from Dr. David Jeremiah was:

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour

Psalms 8:4-5 

Had all those young people remembered the glory and honour that God had crowned them with, honoured the strong, young bodies they were privileged to have, they would now be readying to graduate, starting their careers. Instead, they are graduating into a daily grind of bars, marching to some else's orders and the possibility of the same thing happening to them. 

That is a high price to pay for a few minutes of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time making the wrong choices. I think they would tell all of us that this is just not worth it.

I ask God to be with "All Mine" to keep them safe daily and to lead them into right choices and to keep them out of wrong places and circumstances.

May God bless you and keep you and "All Yours"

Carolyn Wainscott