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Camille's & Mike's Children LtoR Michael holding Johnny, Beulah in seat, R-back-to-front Brandon, Nathan, Moriah

Hi family! Just wanted to send a quick "Howdy" from the Rodgers Clan in North Carolina. Lavida's news is exciting! We are all doing okay here. Still working on adjusting, the last box isn't unpacked but I think I can see it! We are leaving this week to go to Florida for a visit. Hope everyone is making plans for November! I hope to see you then, Lord willing. Love, Camille 05/25/2005

Just a quick note. I am a bit computer challenged at this time. Michael took the technology with him so we have the dinosaur. We survived the second storm too. The storms seem to have made an "X" right over my mom's house, or real close. They didn't suffer any additional damage other than a little leaking, which was quickly patched. We decided to avoid the whole thing. We left and evacuated to Atlanta. We spent a couple of days with Mike's parents and are now back home. Mike is still trying to get to North Carolina. He had a flight out yesterday (Monday) but we weren't there and they weren't having flights out. He has rescheduled for Sunday, Sept. 12.
We are keeping a close eye on Ivan and hoping he fizzles in his tracks! Love, Camille 9-7-2004

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These pictures are of my mom & Chuck's house in Lake Wales, FL. Hurricane Charley raced through this area on Friday night about 8 - 9 p.m. I believe they were on the most powerful edge of the storm because just down the road the trees and power poles were leaning the other way. Their area suffered the most damage of any area between my house and theirs which is about a 45 minute drive. Mom's Mercedes was parked under the carport nearest the house and Chuck's Buick was parked right behind it. The carport was crushed on top of both of the cars. The Buick had a tree limb come through the roof, yet the sunroof was not cracked. The trunk of the Mercedes was dented in a few places and while trying to get it uncovered the back window was cracked, but that was all the damage to it. It was squished (body pushed onto the tires) for an extended period of time and Leon said that might affect the suspension. It is in Plant City right now waiting to be repaired. My parents were home and watched the entire thing. They had a limb come down on the front of their house but it did not poke through the roof. They will have to have a new roof because of shingle loss. The trees are the biggest part. Their house had previously been covered by trees (totally shaded). Now it is completely exposed. The trees that are left only have about 1/3 of their limbs, branches and leaves. The debris in the yard was, in the cleanest spots 2-3 feet high, the heaviest spots 15-20 feet high. Their screen room got 2 little tears and the vinyl window room was unharmed. All of their neighbors had some kind of damage. Most had trees in their homes. The lady across the street had huge pine trees; they were probably 3-4 feet around at the base. Three of these trees fell, like in a triangle, right on top of her shed. One of them is bent, as if you rolled a piece of play-dough and bent it over. We are praising God that everyone in their area is okay. 8-19-2004

Dear Aunt Virginia......Michael is set to go to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University on Aug. 25th. I am excited for him but also realize my baby is going to be gone, and our family is never going to be the close knit family that we are now. Mike has accepted a job in North Carolina, and we are packing, cleaning out, throwing out, giving away, etc. We went to NC on vacation the end of June and 1st week of July. It's just been a roller coaster ever since.
Our house is on the market, and we are in a mad dash to try and finish all of the remodeling work. Mike can't get it all done, but he is working really hard to get as much done as possible.
I was just watching Jeremiah in the Super Saucer and realized how much he looks like you. It was really cute. He was smiling, and he has those dimples that you and Mindy have. I'm sending an attached picture. He cut his first 2 teeth this week.
Well, I better run and try to get the last minute things together for glorious bedtime :) :) :), my favorite time of the day.
Oh, I wanted to make sure to let you know we were and are praying for you. I am glad you are doing better! We will continue to pray for your complete recovery!
I am also going to try and attach a scanned picture of our family for you to post on the website when you can. Thanks! We love you! Love, Camille

Dear Family, Just a note to say I've been trying to keep an eye on the website and notice very minimal activity. Surely there are things going on in all of your lives that we all want to know about! We have been very busy, too busy for a old fat pregnant woman! The ultrasounds are showing the baby is rather big. The last one I had on Tuesday showed the baby weighing 8 lbs. 12 oz. These things can be off quite a bit sometimes but it doesn't sit well with a mom to think of having a 9 or 10 lb baby! We are hoping the baby will be born SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON! I took castor oil on the 5th but it wasn't time and nothing happened. So we are waiting on God's timing and praying for Quickly!

This week was both Mike's birthday on the 9th and Michael's on the 10th. We have successfully ushered one child into adulthood. (YEAH!!!!) He is working hard trying to finish this senior year well and get all the paperwork done for entrance into Embry-Riddle in the fall. I did tell you that he was accepted, right? He was also invited to participate in the Cambridge College Programme at the University of Cambridge during the summer. We can't really afford to send him but we are proud that he was offered a spot.

Brandon played on the basketball team at his school this year. While they didn't win a lot, they had a great time and Brandon learned a lot about teamwork. It was a lot of fun!

Everyone else is doing. Just wishing Mom wasn't so crabby!

I heard a funny joke the other day. A little girl (about 10) comes into the room and asks her grandmother how old she is. Grandmother tells her she doesn't tell people how old she is. The little girl pleads and the grandmother is adamant about not telling her. After a while the girl leaves the room. A few minutes later she comes into the room where grandmother is and says, "Grandma, I know how old you are, you're 62 and weigh 150 lbs." "How do you know that," grandmother wants to know, aghast. "I saw your driver's license on the dining room table and I did the math." The girl states, frankly. Then she adds, "I also saw you got an 'F' in Sex." I'm never very good at jokes but this one stuck so I thought I'd share it! Have a great day and hopefully we will have news soon. Love,Camille

2-08-2004 Just wanted to give everyone an update.

Our family has experienced a lot of sickness this year, and hopefully we are making our way to getting over it. It hasn't been major things like Jerry and Barb, but hard to deal with none the less.

Moriah had walking pneumonia a few weeks back. Before that she had strep throat. We have all had coughs and runny noses. Mike is still suffering with a bad cough. He is to go to the doctor tomorrow Monday).

I am huge at this point and feeling very OLD. The evenings are the worst. I know it won't be long now, and I keep telling myself that.

Yesterday, Michael received his acceptance letter to Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University. We are so excited for him!

Love to you all! Everyone stay warm!
Love, Camille

Dear Aunt Virginia,
Do you know the rules about published material? I was thinking of submitting a story of mine that I've written for the website. I wanted to know if it is considered published since it has been on the website? Please let me know.
Thanks! Love, Camille 12-23-2003

Glad you asked. I put the copyright symbol on the website to protect the writers. I have a one-time publishing right when you guys submit, and then rights revert to the author. Good luck!! I'm proud of all of you. I think I will publish your letter and my response in order to inform the others. Love you. AVB
(Editor's Note: "One-Time" referring to Bryburcon.com daily updates and republishing rights of website collections by the Bryburcon.com Webmaster either on the Internet or in book form. This would include the planned book series based on Bryburcon.com material. Individual authors retain the right to submit their writing to other publications for profit. If the editors of the second publication require exclusive rights, then the Bryburcon.com editor would not use the material in the planned book series without permission by the authors.)

Dear Family & Friends.

Just wanted to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We have all been down with colds and are praying wellness will arrive before Christmas!

I had an ultrasound and the baby is a boy, due March 21. His name will be Jeremiah Josiah Rodgers. The other kids are already calling him JJ. I was thinking of Jeremy, but we will see.

On December 4th my dad had been gone for 10 years. Dealing with the loss of one so close to you is very unusual. Sometimes I have to remind myself I can't just pick up the phone and call him, and other times it seems he's been gone a long time. My prayers are with Aunt Viola's family. They have had so many losses right here together. At this time of year I think a lot about those who have lost loved ones during the year. Christmas is always a time for missing those who aren't with us.

I have a Christmas letter in the works but just haven't gotten it in the envelopes and to the mailbox. I may try to email one for the website, but it will likely be after Christmas.

Love, Camille

Dear Family,
After all the family ruckus that has been going on I thought you all might enjoy a story about some family humor that took place with one of my kids a few weeks ago!

Nathan (5 years old) had started running a fever. I usually like to let a fever run for about 24 hours so the body can work the way God created it to. Nathan was lying on the couch pretty lethargic when Mike came home. He felt Nathan and said, "He's running a fever." I explained I was letting it go to help fight whatever was going on. Mike sat down beside him and explained to him he had a war going on in his body. He said the good guys were fighting the bad guys and he needed to be as still as possible to give the good guys more energy to fight the bad guys. The next day the fever had broken, and he seemed to be feeling better, but he wasn't budging off the couch. I checked on him throughout the day, and the fever didn't return, but he still wasn't moving. You know, as mothers we look for those signs when they are up and playing. He would play with toys on the couch, but he didn't get up unless to go the bathroom. By the evening I was trying to figure out if I would need to take him to the doctor the next day. I felt him, and he still was not running a fever. I asked him if he was feeling better. He answered, "Yes." I asked him why he wasn't up playing with the other kids. He said in the most serious tone a 5 year old can muster, "Mom, there's a battle going on inside me and I HAVE to lay still so the good guys can win!"

Hope you all have a wonderful day! :) Love, Camille 11-18-2003

August 22, 2003 Just wanted to check in. We had a very busy summer and are trying to get back into the swing of things with school.

We are expecting again, around March. I've been so sick! I haven't kept up with the website because of not being able to concentrate long enough. I've tried to go back and read what I've missed but haven't gotten through it all yet.

I did have an idea about Aunt Dorothy, though. I was thinking about having a showing of her paintings. I originally thought about asking everyone to bring what paintings they could to the reunion but I don't think that would work. There would be no way to display them properly and always the possibility of them getting messed up. So my second thought was to ask everyone to send a picture of their paintings to you and you could make a gallery on the website. I was just trying to think of some way for all to enjoy her wonderful work! Love, Camille

(Editor's Note: I have snapshots of a number of AD's paintings. I will see about copying those to go with the stories readers are sending in. So far two Dorothy stories for the reunion collection.)

Dear Family,
Just wanted to announce that my son, Michael Rodgers, Jr. has launched his own website. Please visit www.miniformike.com and see what he is up to. He is unable to afford subscribing to the search engines so word of mouth is the only advertising available to him. Please tell your friends! He really is a great kid! We go at the end of this month to check out Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This is his school of choice. We will see if arrangements can be made! Have a Great Summer!
Love, Camille 6-18-2003

A Postcard from Florida!
by Camille Rodgers

We have just returned from a trip to the other side of the state to visit the edge of the "big ditch"! Memorial Day is a special time in our family because Mike and I decided to enter into wedded bliss on the Memorial Day weekend nineteen years ago so we would always have a long weekend for our anniversary. This year we decided to return to our honeymoon site to celebrate the occasion. We weren't comfortable leaving the small children with someone else while being so far away, so we figured a weekend jaunt with kids would be better than no weekend jaunt at all.

This morning Mike was up around 5 a.m. I waited anxiously for that wonderful opportunity to watch this side of the "big ditch" awakened as the sun peeked over the horizon. It was just as gorgeous as it always is. I'm not a big beach goer, but I do love to see the sunrise. It's so nice to look out and see the sleepy world slowly awakening. No people on the beach, just the rushing sounds of the waves lapping over the shore and the glimmer of daylight peeking through the darkness, the variety of colors as the earth rotates so the sun can shine it's rays to chase away the darkness. I watched the last lonesome star lose its visibility as the moon stepped out of the way to welcome the greater light. Anyway, it was wonderful, and I thought all of you land-locked family would like to be reminded of the sights and sounds of Florida. Just a little postcard to say, "Hey, it's great here! Come soon and enjoy it, too." 5-26-2003

Dear Family!
Hi there! I thought I'd take this time to say, "Hi!" and let everyone know what's going on around our house since the beginning of this year!
On the first day of the year, Brandon turned 11. On the 10th of January I turned 41. On the 7th of January Brandon made the 2nd grading period honor roll and won 2nd place for his Science project. On the 17th, Michael (16 year old) got a belated Christmas present, a 1992 Geo Storm. We also were able to get a new van. It's a 1996 Ford 12 passenger van. Looks just like a church van but it works great! We are so excited!
February 1 found us glued to the TV wishing something different for the crew of the space shuttle. On the 19th little Johnny turned 3 and on the 26th Michael was inducted into the National Honor Society. On the 25th of February Michael also started his first official job at the local McDonald's in Auburndale.
On March 1 we were anything but glued to a TV. The kids were outside playing and Mike was working in the yard. Nathan came around the house crying and telling Mike he had ants on his feet. Mike brushed the ants off and told him to go inside and take a nap since he was fussing so much. A few minutes later Johnny was also complaining of the ants. I brought him in and was treating them when Nathan called from the bedroom. He said, "Mom will you come help me?" I went in there and asked what he wanted. "Will you help me on my bed (He sleeps in the top bunk)?" I said, "Nathan, why can't you get in your bed?" "My arm hurts," was his answer. "What's wrong with your arm?" He drug his arm off the bed. Once again I freaked out. I ran outside and asked Mike what was wrong with Nathan's arm. Mike came inside and determined that yes, he had broken his arm. (Recall, Johnny had broken his arm on October 2, 2002). Off to the hospital we went. Nathan had broken the big arm bone (that comes from the shoulder) right near the elbow. It was a straight break and wouldn't stay in place so they took him into surgery and put 3 pins in the arm.
On March 8 Brandon won 1st place in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby for Webelos. He also won 1st in the overall race. March 9th marked Mike's 42 birthday and the 10th marked Michael's 17th birthday. The 12th found me at the hospital with my Mom while my step-dad, Chuck was having shoulder replacement surgery. He is doing great! Brandon came in 3rd in the regional Pinewood Derby races on the 15th. My sister, Wanda, has also been back and forth between here and Illinois. She has taken a position as manager of the Springhill, Florida Car Quest Auto Parts store. Then on the 18th we took Nathan to Dr. to check his arm. The nerve going to the small finger was not functioning. The Dr. suggested surgery to find out what the problem was. We were told to be at the hospital at 5:30 the next morning. Thankfully the nerve was just stretched and bruised and the Dr. said it would very likely heal, it would just take a while.
Today, March 24th is the first day of spring break for our kids. We are very excited to have a break. Hopefully we can recover a little. The 31st will find little miss Beulah turning one year old. She is walking everywhere and trying to communicate. She is a little darling!
Well, this is life at our house! We are praying for our service men and women and praying for our country.
Love to all,
Camille Rodgers

.........

Just a note to show off Michael's new car. He is having a great time having wheels again! The car is a '92 Geo Storm.

Life on Evans Road

Dear Family,
Just wanted to let you all know we haven't fallen off the face of the earth; we have just been very busy. Life got real interesting a few weeks ago. Let's see if I can recall all of the events.

In September our dishwasher broke. No big deal; just go out and get a new one right? Well, my husband had a very discouraged look on his face when he was informed of the malady. When I saw the look on his face a vague memory began to surface from many years ago when he had installed that dishwasher. He had said, "That thing will never come out of there!" And he was so right. The cabinets and counter came out before that dishwasher did. For some time we have had plans to remodel said kicthen, so remodeling project here we are!

The death of the dishwasher caused the whole kitchen to require an emeregency room visit. We did dishes in the bathroom sink. You know you never really realize how dirty your bathroom is until you need to wash your plates in it. The cure for the kitchen woes is well under way. Thankfully a man in our church is a retired cabinet maker, and he offered his services at only the cost of materials. At this present time I have almost half of a kitchen. We don't have cabinet doors yet (Uncle Bill they are being sanded and repainted) but I do have cabinets and the use of the sink, oven, stove top and microwave.

On October 2nd Johnny fell off Moriah's Little Tikes kitchen table and broke his arm. A rush to the emergency room fixed that although our bank account was then rushed to the emergency room.

PART TWO

Then I decided to open an attachment to an email that sent our computer to the emergency room. Then the kids decided to play on Michael's computer and sent it to the emergency room. Yesterday I walked by the exercise bike (NO I did NOT say I was actually on the thing) and boom now I have a broken little toe. So as of today Johnny is out of the emergency room and Michael's computer is out of the emergency room. However, our bank account is still there and my computer is still there.

We had to format (go to the emergency room) both of our computers and Michael's took the medication prescribed by the doctor (allowed Windows to reinstall). Mine however has been a bit more difficult to cure. The doctors (both professional and amateur) have decided ours will have to have a stronger medication (a deeper reformatting sequence) because the virus it caught infected it's boot sector (apparently the heart is affected). If I gave you this virus I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry!

As for the bank account, we are pretty close to planning a funeral! But hey, the washer and dryer are working great!

Mom and Chuck are in Germany. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, October 22 and decided to take a cruise down the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers in Holland, Germany and Austria. They are having a terrific time!

Those of you who believe in prayer please pray for my sister, Wanda, and her family. I am not at liberty to disclose why but a serious need has arised in their family and they need all the prayers they can get!

And one last thing. Please email me at mikerodgers2000@att.net because Misses brainy forgot to copy her address book before deciding to reformat the computer. Well, that's news from here!

Gotta go, baby's crying. But real quick, she is doing great! She cut her third tooth the day Johnny broke his arm and has gotten three more since (6 all together). She also started crawling and pulling up on the same day! Hope to see you all in November!
Love, Camille

CAMILLE'S LITTLE PILLS

Okay folks. As is the case in this life I have had to come face to face with the questions I posed in my last article. As I was deeply thinking and responding to all of those wonderful memories about my dad's and his siblings' life at Darby about caution versus over-protection, boom, disaster strikes.

I had finished up the article, sent it and was considering that I hadn't heard much from the boys and was sure I should go check on them when Nathan (4 years old) came into the family room and said something about Johnny (2 years old) having candy. Now candy is a major "No No" around here, not because of the deficient nutritional value but because sweet stuff draws bugs (ants specifically) and we have had a terrible time with fire ants getting into the house this year. I began my investigation by questioning Nathan about how Johnny was able to get candy. He explained Johnny had gotten on the counter and gotten the candy off the top of the refrigerator.

As I entered their room I began picking up lollipop sticks and wrappers as I made my way to their bunk bed. When I reached their bed I became even more horrified (Aunt V, please fix this word-my brain is not working and I can't seem to find this word in the dictionary) to find my all-purpose medicine bottle contents lying all spread out on Johnny's bed. I immediately sent them to the living room to sit on the couch until I could get things picked up. I found the bottle and lid and scooped the remaining medicine into it.

They both promptly received 2 swats each with our "rod of correction" - one for getting into the candy and the other one for getting into my diaper bag. I looked at the remaining contents in the medicine bottle and determined that about a quarter of the bottle was gone. This is a small bottle (originally held Children's Tylenol) and I had a mixture of medicine, some ibuprophen, children's Tylenol (various flavors), and ginger capsules. I interrogated them extensively about who ate what and how many.

As is the human nature when Nathan was questioned he responded with, "Johnny
ate it." Johnny in return said, "No, Nay Nay ate it!" I said, "Look guys, no one is going to get any more spankings, I just need to know how many of each medicine you ate. Now Nathan, tell me how many white ones did you eat, how many pink ones, how many purple, etc?"

After determining I couldn't know for sure I decided to call Mike and ask his advice. Of course, he wasn't answering his phone. I called the office. They said they thought they knew who he was with and would call them. Mike called back quickly. He was at lunch with the owner and had turned his phone off because I have this uncanny ability to call him nearly every time he is in front of the boss . He suggested I call the pediatrician. I called them they said to call poison control. I called poison control and to make a short story long-the kids are fine.

But then I have this GREAT BIG question about if I can't even keep them safe in the house, how will I keep them safe outside? Or should safety be the issue?

Love to you all. I must go, I realize here I am again typing away and who knows what those boys are into now! Love, Camille

INDEPENDENCE DARBY STYLE

Now Uncle Bill, surely you are not telling us we won't hear anything else from you until November, are you? Your stories have so entranced my thoughts. I have thought about my own children and what memories they will have when they are 40-60ish.

We live relatively, Out. We are not in the city, we own an acre and there are hundreds of more swampy non-populated acres, yet my children have never visited a water hole alone. They have never played in the barn (shed in our case) unsupervised, the five year old is not allowed outside without one of the older ones. I think I've done a terrible thing! Yet, I say to myself, Why? Why have I been so protective, and I realize unfortunately my children have grown up in a different society. I can't trust other people enough to allow my children the ability to roam.

Our society has decided it is better to be safe than sorry, no matter what the cost. People drive wildly on our road, so I have to be careful with the kids around the road (unfortunately no dusty, country road where people couldn't go so fast). Our society has become so concerned with not allowing anything dangerous in our lives that even I shudder to think of my children walking in the woods where they might be snake-bit or encounter an alligator or wild hog, etc, not to mention poison ivy!

My mother told me one time, "It would be better for Michael to climb the tree and fall and break his arm, than to have never climbed the tree." I have remembered that many times, but apparently have not applied it to other situations. I cannot protect my children from every dangerous situation, and as I see from your stories, maybe I shouldn't.

I wonder what we have really done to ourselves as a society by stifling a child's natural curiosity. A few years ago we were called into a meeting with the principal of our local elementary school because Brandon had been absent a few days. He had been absent because Mike had taken him hunting as part of the opening of the hunting season in our area. The principal was very offended we would consider it an okay thing for Brandon to miss school for a hunting expedition. I found it sad that she could not see the benefits of a boy wandering around out in the woods, learning different tree species, how to tell what time of day it is by the sun's position, what to do if you got lost, how to recognize poison ivy and oak and how to avoid it, etc.

Do we really feel so superior that it is best to learn these things from a book rather than real life? Why have we become this way? Where is the happy medium? When does caution become overprotection? Help, I would value your opinions about this!

JOHN MART JOHNS
By CAMILLE JOHNS RODGERS

There is much about my father that I remember. Some of it isn't that great and some pretty funny. My Dad (John Mart Johns, 1st son of Everett and Alta) was VERY adventurous as most of you know. He always had some scheme up his sleeve or in the works. As I remember Dad I think of the time he forgot to switch to the fuel tank with fuel in it before taking off in his small antique airplane. (By the way, does someone remember who it was that was in that airplane?) I remember going to the cow pasture he had to land in to collect the pieces of the airplane. The plane came down hard, and the landing gear couldn't take the pressure so they folded out and the plane landed on it's belly. My brother, sister and I went searching the area, and we found the prop, splintered to pieces, near a barn in the pasture.

I remember the time Dad decided we needed a boat. After all, we lived in Winter Haven where the claim to fame was "Home of 100 Lakes". For some reason one boat wasn't enough either, we had to get two. One of them was a wood antique boat and the other was a newer fiberglass model. I remember the time Dad had our neighbor, him and I (I can't remember if there was anyone else in the boat) out in the boat. Dad decided to cut up, as was his nature. He made the boat go right, then left, then right, then left and suddenly the boat wasn't going anywhere at all. We looked back to see there was no longer a motor aboard to propel the boat, it was quickly sinking to the bottom of Lake Cannon. We were looking around in the boat to see if we had oars or anything to manually propel ourselves to the shore and realized there was nothing when a thunderstorm suddenly approached, bringing rain and lightening. I was scared.

Then there's the time (with the same boat) my dad decided he didn't want to have to get out and pull the boat up and tie it off once we got to shore. No, he decided he would "beach" the boat. We came flying up to get the boat far enough up on the beach. He really got a chewing out by those already on the beach. This boat was also used when we went to the St. John's river. The day was great until we got separated from the family we had come with, then it started to pour so hard you couldn't see where you were going, and we were lost on the river for several hours until the rain stopped.

I'm not sure why I was such a scared child. I remember riding home with Dad one night after they had closed the "Service Station" in Atlanta. Dad was just about to turn into our trailer park when suddenly I blinked my eyes and we were in the opposite direction from where we had just been. He looked at me and I looked at him. He asked, "Are you okay?" I said, "Yes, what's wrong?" We were preparing to turn and a man hit us from behind. Because Dad already had the wheel turned it just spun us around. The man was drunk as I recall. My mother was in the car with the others behind us. I think how frightened she must have been to see this happen to her husband and daughter. (We were okay, it just messed up Daddy's truck).

We lived in a neighborhood that was shaped like a circle. At the top of the circle was the entrance. I remember the day I came home from school and rounded the bend to see my Aunt's car at our house. I was so excited, I ran the rest of the way home. I loved to have company, and this was so unexpected! It was August 27, 1975, my parent's 20th Wedding Anniversary. I was so excited until I entered the house. My aunt was there, and she explained Dad had been in a terrible accident. I right away asked if it was his back. She said, yes and looked at me funny. My dad's back had gone out on him several months before the crane accident and we had had to go to Orlando to get him, so I thought this was the problem again. Who knows what my Aunt thought.

This day my Dad's life changed and so did ours. Dad never was a patient man, and the fact that his spinal cord was severed put a real strain on his ability to handle life. In the weeks and months that followed we became more familiar with hospitals than I knew was possible. After about 6 months Dad was finally able to come home. Physically Dad had a handicap, but we all suffered mentally and emotionally. I think we didn't realize Dad's need to grieve. When you loose a part of yourself; an arm, leg, eye sight, whatever, you need to grieve the loss, and I think Dad was unable to do that for a long time or maybe he did, it just took a long time. Whatever the case, my parents’ marriage didn't survive the accident, and for many years Dad was very bitter. But like the other obstacles in his life he overcame.

I was probably the child who was the closest to him because when I got married I moved in next to him. I recall how he would pull into our yard and beep his horn so one of us would go out and visit with him. After he passed away that was the thing I missed most. I remember when Mike and I first got married he would go up to Dad's and say, "I'll be back in a few minutes." Several hours later I would look all over for him and finally find him up at Dad's. I'd say, "I thought you were coming right back." He'd say, "I was. I told your Dad I needed to go, but he'd just kept talking and talking and talking." Mike would go up and change the light bulbs for Dad when they would blow. Mike tells about when he asked Dad if he could marry me. Dad said, "Son, I wouldn't wish either of daughters on any man!" Mike says many times he wishes he would have listened. Oh, well. He's stuck!

As the years progressed Dad was able to deal with his disability better and better and I believe he finally accepted it. He tried many things to be able to walk again, but never felt comfortable with any of them. He didn't let the wheelchair stop him though. And I was very proud when he wheeled down the walkway to give me away at my wedding.

One memory I want to make sure I pass along is the memory of Dad's faith. Dad knew the Bible and understood a great deal about it. About three years before he died he really become committed to letting God reign in his life. This has been very comforting to me and many times since I have pictured him at Jesus' feet asking, "How's Camille doing?", "Have you gotten through to her yet? Is she living her life for you?" I know he was right there with the angels rejoicing when I finally got on my knees and committed my life to Jesus.

I remember the morning he died. I had left the hospital room for a few minutes and came in to find him not breathing any longer. Uncle Bill was there and the nurses came in. I got this overwhelming since of Dad running and jumping and laughing and being so happy.

I miss Dad, especially at this time of year and in September and again in December. There are memories we wish we didn't remember and there are those to cherish and cuddle. I find myself turning away the memories that are hurtful and embracing those that aren't. Thank you for this opportunity to stroll down memory lane

BED WETTERS

I recently wrote about our new bed. There is a side story about us waiting for the bed. .
Mike had planned to get the new bed so I worked to break down the old one and get the room ready. But the day I broke the old bed down he was unable to get the new one, so we were faced with nowhere to sleep for the night. We decided I would sleep on the couch, and he would sleep on Brandon's bottom bunk.
The next morning he got up for work, but before he left he informed me he had wet the bed and asked what I wanted him to do with the mattress so I could clean it. I was petrified. We've been married for 18 years, and he has never wet the bed so I wondered what in the world could be wrong that suddenly he would wet the bed. He said it was real weird that his middle wasn't wet but all underneath him was wet and that it didn't really smell.
All during the day I kept thinking, "My goodness, I'm going to have to call the doctor." That night we had put the new bed together, put the sheets on it and were admiring it when Mike said, "Boy, I sure hope I don't wet this bed!" Michael and Brandon were in the room and Michael looked at Brandon and said, "You didn't?"
Brandon answered with a smirk and snicker and shook his head, "Yes, I did".
Mike and I looked at both of them and said, "What, what did you do?"
Brandon began to explain, he had a Star Wars cup in his hand the night before and this terrific idea began to form to put one over on dad. He had put some water in the cup and told Michael he was going to pour it on dad. Michael told him he shouldn't do that. But do that he did.
He explained he had poured some water on the bed in front of dad and couldn't see where it had gone so he got some more water and poured it on the bed. Then dad looked at him and he quickly got in bed.
Mike then told how he had gotten up, wondered why he was wet, went to the bathroom got a towel and put it on the wet spot and got back in bed and went to sleep.
We thought the whole thing was so funny and were so thankful I didn't have to call the doctor that we didn't get on to Brandon. He really loves practical jokes and pulled a good one on Mike! Mike told him it was okay, "He wasn't going to get mad, but he would get even."

BRANDON

THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE PART TWO

I thought I might better tell you about the fun times, rather than leave you with the feeling that I deal only with frustration.
We have some friends who have told us-right now is the best time in our lives, while our children are small. Mike and I look at each other and say, "This is as good as it gets? :(" So I was thinking of that the other day and wondering what could I find that is great about this time in our lives when we don't have time to think, the children come crying about one disaster after another, there is never enough money, the spaghetti is boiling over and there is someone in my bathroom with diarrhea? The following are my observations:
One of the great things about having children at this time is that they keep us young and informed. I know what "Swwwweat" means. I know what the latest hair does are, even though many of them are not allowed on my own children. I react with compassion to the person in front of me who is driving like an idiot (it could be a teenager just learning to drive and trying desperately to keep from stalling the car!). I am NEVER lonely. There is always something I could be doing-instead of folding clothes. I have a use for all those clothes stored in my closets-or will at some point in the future. My heart gets melted over and over again throughout the day when Miss Beulah focuses in on mommy and smiles this great big tremendous smile:). I beam with pride as I watch my husband and my son get up in front of the church and sing a duet; the pride lingers as I think of another son who is in the sound booth running the sound for our 5th Sunday night Sing in which he is responsible for making sure 4 tapes and 3 or 4 CD's play at the right times; the mics are functioning the way they should; the soloists are being heard throughout the church, etc.
I see the character being built in my children through their difficulties. This is especially evident with our teenager. I see the struggles he faces and know he must make the choices now instead of mom and dad making them for him. It is very exciting to see the times he makes really good choices. The times he makes bad choices are enjoyable as well while being able to watch the consequences mold him and be his teacher for the future. Even during the times when the children are fussing and fighting, I console myself knowing they are learning valuable lessons in negotiation and compromise.
And then there are the evenings when we all gather together to pray. Each child has their own concerns and petitions and then it's bedtime. Little Johnny walks up to Beulah (usually nursing in mommy's arms) and kisses her and says, "night, night, Booboo". You have to smile and say, "I've just experienced a GREAT moment!"
Yes, if I remove myself from the frustration I can indeed see this time in our lives as being very enjoyable. I just wonder why it's so easy to feel the daily frustrations and not as easy to feel the joys?
And these are the meanderings of a mother!

The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe

Do you remember the nursery rhyme about the old woman who lived in the shoe? Here let me refresh your memory: "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many children she didn't know what to do." That's me! Even my house is shaped somewhat like a shoe!
Aunt Virginia recently sent me a list of topics she thought I could write about. Many of them have to do with our day-to-day life. The first topic was, "How to schedule it all & get it all done." The answer, "I don't." At the close of the day, I throw the schedule in the garbage and the next morning I make a new one.
Her next suggestion was, "How to figure out what doesn't absolutely have to be done." That's easy, it's whatever was on the list I just threw away!
"Meals for eight-long on nutrition & short on expense"; lately meals have been a real hassle. Beulah usually needs a lot of attention right at the time I should be cooking. Babies seem to go through this stage where they must sense you are disconnected from them, and they try really hard to vie (however you spell that word) for your attention. Anyway, it's not really eight yet. Beulah doesn't eat much except second hand, so to speak. I do know the longer you cook pasta the larger it gets, so I probably leave it in a little longer than the rest of you just so I can stretch it.
I have come to the conclusion I really don't like to cook. I'm 40; I can admit some of my idiosyncrasies. I just don't like it. I like to eat but not cook. Thankfully the Lord blesses, and one chicken will still feed our family. One and a third pounds of ground chuck will still feed our family, although I have had to begin buying 2 packages of smoked sausage when we have that. Roasts are always good, and it's fun to try to create something totally new for the second go round. Tonight Michael cooked hamburgers. It was a real treat for Mom to have a break! I got to spend more time weeding through boxes of clothes to find the size that's right now.
Aunt Virginia's next suggestion was, "Ways that six are easier than one." We had Michael for almost 6 years all by himself. He is a terrific kid and always has been. The thing that is different about him is that he never was a kid. He was an inexperienced person in a small body but he never really got to be a kid because he was with so many grownups. He didn't have kid thoughts (some, but not like the others). He thought and thinks like an adult because this is all he knows. A prime example is the time I explained sales tax to him. He was five and wanted to save enough money to buy a $50.00 Lego set. I explained for every dollar something cost he would have to add 6 cents for sales tax. He understood the concept immediately and right away told me how much additional he would need. This has very little to do with Aunt V's original question except that we spent a lot more time with Michael personally. We played games, molded Play-Doh, put puzzles together, drew together, etc.
Six are easier than one because now the older kids do those things (play games-like torture younger brother or sister is their favorite, Play-Doh isn't allowed, puzzles are usually sources of heated arguments, their favorite drawing areas are walls and furniture). Wait a minute-six really aren't easier than one! Oh, I'm just kidding! It really is easier and I think much better for them because they are allowed to be kids and do kids things! Sometimes it's the adults who let the annoyances of little minds overcome their better judgment. Hey, walls can be painted and furniture needs some character, right?

FRONT: JOHNNY BACK: Moriah holding Beulah & the $75 bed

The Bed
by Camille Rodgers

When we first went into the warehouse where the auction was being held we were late. The place was extremely hot. We found the coolest spot near a fan and sat down. Over in a corner I noticed a four poster king-sized bed. I don't usually have a problem getting involved in the hype of an auction. I struck up a conversation with the woman setting next to me. It kept us both occupied and not feeling an urge to bid on anything. There wasn't a seat near for Mike to sit so he wandered around a little and finally found himself sitting on the bed in the corner.

The auction went quickly and things seemed to be going for REAL reasonable prices. The auctioneer announced he would be auctioning the bed next. I motioned for Mike to come over I told him we should bid on the bed. He shook his head and walked outside for some air. I paid attention to what the auctioneer was calling for the bed. He started the bid at $150.00. no takers, he dropped it to $100.00 and then to $75.00. I thought, "If he goes to $50.00 I'm bidding on that bed." Just about that time Mike walked up. I leaned over and said, "Mike, the bid on that bed is at $75.00." Just about that time the auctioneer looked at Mike and Mike looked back. After a little gibberish the auctioneer said, "Sold, what's your number?" looking directly at Mike.

On the drive home we were discussing the auction. Mike explained he and I looked for different things from an auction, and then he said, "I can't believe you bought that bed."
I said, "I didn't buy that bed, you did."
"I didn't buy that bed, I walked in there and you had bid on that bed," he said.
"No," was my reply. "You walked in there and I was telling you what the bid was on that bed. You are the one that signaled a bid."

Now our running joke to each other is that the other bought the bed. But bought the bed we did, and I have to say I am excited. It is a beautiful bed, and we have been needing a new bed since our previous one was a bed we said 12 years ago would be a temporary situation.

If I had a digital camera I'd show all of you a picture. Instead you will have to wait for the film to develop and hope we can get the scanner working!