A friend and I challenged each other to read through the book of Proverbs from April 1st to May 1st.  Simple enough.  We would check in with each other and note what jumped out for us in the chapter each day.  When we got busy, we’d read and catch up posting as we could.  Things were going well and I was enjoying the notes back and forth.  Since she’s out of state, it was like spending time over Tea and sharing new insights together.  It was great and I truly looked forward to each day.

Then, April 26th happened.

The memory of an event from tenth grade became so overwhelming that I could hardly contain myself.  I could hardly read to the end of the chapter before I would break out laughing so hard.  I’d have to start all over again, calm down and try again.  I’d get to verse 11 and it would start all over again, me–hysterically laughing.  I sent my friend my note for that day telling her I could hardly get through today’s chapter.  Not that it was hard to digest the scriptures – but it was hard to remove an old picture in my mind.  Yeah, I have one of those kinds of memories—forever etched!

Here’s the verse:  “Like a dog that returns to its vomit, Is a fool who repeats his folly.”  Isn’t that hilarious??!!!  I can hardly contain myself even now.  What?  You don’t think that verse is funny?  Ohhhh, then you probably need to know why I titled this Blog Post today – “Scripture Repeats Itself With A Dog!!”

Come along for the walk down memory lane….

Long ago, in a faraway land—ok, across town—there were two young tenth grade girls walking to their high school early one fall morning.  It was a pretty day, warm and sunny.  I happen to be one of those girls.  As customary for us, we were talking a mile a minute about a bazillion things.  Come on, it had been almost 12 hours since we’d last talked on the phone before bedtime just the night before.  Lots to say, you know.   So, as I was talking, I noticed across the street to my left,  the dog in this one front fenced in yard that was always outside barking at us wasn’t barking this morning.  Not missing a beat in my story (have you ever talked to me–I’m the one with ADD!) I pointed out that — Ewwww, that dog was puking and eating it back up over and over, and continued on with my story.

When I got about 2 houses down the street – I glanced to my right to get my friend’s take on my story and I realized she wasn’t there.  Where in the world is she?  I stopped and turned around and there she was back two houses on her hands and knees in someone’s front yard.  I hurried back to her and said, “Are you ok – what are you doing on your hands and knees?”  Then it hit me—she had the dry heaves!  She was moved by the dog–literally!  I busted out laughing and said, “Are you trying to copy the dog?”  Now before you go all crazy on me and think I’m heartless, if you read back to a previous post I made about a certain bike accident – this was THE friend that thought I had died, used her foot to check – then told me to shut up when she saw that I was laughing, not crying!

As I’m trying to get her to get up so we won’t be late to school, she breaks out in the heaves again.  Needless to say getting past these last 12 houses until the school door took us forever as my friend pretty much visited the grass up front and personal at about every other yard!  This cracks me up to this day.
But – the story continues.

Throughout the day, when I’d pass her at our lockers or in the hall, all I’d say is  “DOG!” and she’d start up again with the dry heaves.  I even had other people passing her and saying “What about a dog?” and yes it would start up.  For many years, all I’d have to say is…”Remember that dog on 13th street that one morning?” And one hand would go over her mouth and the other hand would hold her stomach.  My Mom, who has lost some of memory from her stroke two years ago, will from time to time think of my friend and ask if I’d seen or heard from her lately.  Then she’ll say – “Does she still almost puke when you talk about that dog?” and she’ll giggle.   Funny memory for others as well!

So many funny memories with this friend over the past 46 years!  Some more funny than others and some (maybe this one) more funny to one of us than the other.  But, memories nonetheless.

Now you understand why I said “Scripture Repeats Itself With A Dog” and why I just couldn’t get past that verse 11 in Proverbs 26!

…..and that’s all I have to say about that!

Tammy

So, today is May 4th.   There have been so many things going on around us in this country and in the world this past two weeks.  Some days it’s hard to keep your mind from racing.  However, this morning, my mind is in a reflective mood.

It was this day in 1970, that my Papaw Meade passed away.  If you’re from Northeast Ohio, you many have caught on to the date significance–maybe not.  It was May 4, 1970.  Yeah, that May 4th.  The day that the event happened at Kent State University where students were shot.

For years as I missed my Grandpa, every May 4th we would have to hear about that event over and over.  It made it harder some years to move on from grief from losing my Grandpa.  I realize that there were students families that were grieving, too.  I guess that’s why I wonder sometime why we find the need to re-tell sad or tragic things on the media over and over,  day after day, year after year.  At only 10 years old, I had enough memories in my mind and in my heart that having this continual reminder that this was the day that I lost “Papaw” was very tough at times.  With the recent events in the world, I haven’t noticed any mention of the May 4, 1970 event–at least not yet this morning.  Could it be that there is something else seeking our attention?

My attention, however, this morning is thinking of Papaw, which then pulls up the thought of Mamaw Meade, too, that I lost last year.  I think of how my Grandma lived for 40 years without the love her life.  She often told me stories of their “courting” time.  I loved her story of how they were married….”We had gone up to Abington (VA) to stand up at the court house for Bryce’s (Grandpa) cousins to get married.  Well, as we started driving on back home, Bryce said – Toot’s, we shoulda just got married while we were there.  I told him, yes, probably should’ve.  So he turned the car around and we went back and got married.   And that was that!”   Ahhhh, true romance!  Hehehe.  Grandma always said, “folks sure make a big to do about gettin’ married these days, sure seems a waste of money that could be best used to set up housekeeping.”  She’s got a point.

For me today, I am wiping a couple tears – and parking on some of the most wonderful and funny things both my Papaw and Mamaw said.  I’m going to spend my day recalling some of the things they have said to me or to others that bring joy to my heart and smile my face off.  Oh, the love I have for both of them.

I’ll end with one of my most favorite memories of my Papaw…….

As a small girl my Papaw would always sing this Debbie Reynolds song to me in his gruff voice and then he’d smile –
  
     I hear the cottonwoods whispering above,
        Tammy…..Tammy….Tammy’s in love.
     The old hooty owl hooty hoos to the dove,
        Tammy…..Tammy…..Tammy’s in love.

Argh, I’d cringe!!  But it’s where my name came from and what I’d give to hear him sing it today!
Sigh…..

…..and that’s all I have to say about that!

Tammy
(and yes, Tammy’s in love!)

Last week, I began reading a daily blog posting of a friend who is being prepared to be sent off across the big pond.  It made me think about how many people I am connected to that are either there, have been there or are preparing to go there.  There?  The land of defending our Freedom.  I started counting on my fingers how many people I know personally or know them through their family members.  I ran out of fingers!  We are all touched somehow by someone who is defending our Freedom.