Home movies

When my mother passed away a few years ago and we were cleaning out my parent's house, we found their old home movies and projector.  Several of the more recent movies had been transferred to DVDs, but there was still a box of the small reels and Super 8 reels.  I brought them home and put them away thinking one day soon I would transfer them. 


One day turned into 3 years and yesterday Eric and I spent the day watching old home movies.  Some of the movies had been spliced together and were labeled.  Some were just on a reel and it took watching them a few times to finally realize what it was. 


As we sat in our darkened den with no sound except the clicking of the projector, we were taken back many years.  There were vacations, Christmas and Easter films, reunions, weddings and other times.  When we would see one of my cousins at a young age Eric would ask "now who is that?  Wow, she looks just like your aunt."  Other times the comments ranged from "your niece looks more like you than your sister" to "you can never tell what year it is because your dad looked the same all the time." 


One part was my sister's 8th grade dance.  I asked my sister who had made the film and my mother had gone that night to the school.  It was 1962 and hearing that my mom made a movie of everyone made me suddenly feel very rich.  I had seen these home movies before and knew we had a camera in the early 60s.  But now I wondered what my parents had sacrificed to be able to purchase what must have been an extravagant expense. 


I am sure if my parents were here and I could ask what made them buy a camera when surely there were other things that were needed more, they would tell me that they wanted those memories to be here long after they were gone. 


The projector and screen are still set up in our den.  We will finish watching the stack of old movies tonight and have our list to be transferred this weekend.  And I hope if my mom and dad can see us, they will know how much my sister, brother and I appreciate them looking into the future so that we could look into the past.

Happy Birthday Andrew

In 1992,  Eric had an opportunity to work in Florida to restore phone service after a hurricane had hit.  He was going to be gone for a few months, coming home every second or third week-end.  Since our families were close by and our church friends were here if anything happened, Eric made the decision to go. 


Our son Andrew was 9 years old during this time and one night I noticed him going into each room before we went to bed.  After watching him do this for a few nights, I questioned what he was doing.  An elderly person at our church had told Andrew that since his dad was gone, he would be the 'man of the house'.  Andrew had taken his duties quite seriously and was going behind me and checking the doors and windows to make sure they were locked. 


He still takes those 'man of the house' duties to heart.  What a great feeling to know that we have raised him to be a good protector and a good provider. 


Andrew, you are a good husband, father and son.  We love you very much.


Happy birthday Andrew.

Welcome Spring

We live in the south where the winters are mostly mild.  This year we have had 2 snow storms, the most recent shut everything down.  It is so hard to imagine spring and warm weather being so close when you have a fire in the fireplace and snow is on the ground. 

A few days after the sun had come out and the snow was melting, I looked at the plants that we have growing in our yard.  Brushing away the pine needles and dead leaves, I saw the beginning of new life.  Knowing that in a few short weeks, flowers will start to bloom, leaves will grow on the trees and everything will be green again. 



God has a plan for everything.
Ecclesiastes says

1	To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2	a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

	May you always be patient and know that God will restore beauty to your life.

Please email me

If you are enjoying my blog, please send me an email at agsummer@bellsouth.net.  I will not print anything you write and I will not respond unless you request it.  Thanks.
Bridget Summerville

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope your day is full of love and happiness.  Please let everyone know how much you appreciate all that they do.  Remember, Valentine's Day is only 1 day a year, so don't let those "I love you's", "You make me happy", "I appreciate you", only be spoken today.  Hallmark and American Greetings sell cards the other 364 days of the year.  Russell Stover and Whitman's samplers can be bought all year long.  Florists have roses, tulips and carnations in July also.  Think about it.


Happy Valentine's Day.

Happy Birthday Paul

When our kids were younger, we would always try to be positive in anything that they did.  We would praise their accomplishments like making the honor roll, entering the Reflections Contest, winning the spelling or geography bee, etc... Anything that they had worked for, we would try to acknowledge it in a big way.  We would put a sign in the yard, buy a cake/giant cookie, go to their favorite restaurant or something that would let them know that we were proud of them.


When Paul was 11, I took a computer class at the local community college.  It was a 2 morning a week, 3-4 week class.  At the end of the course, we received a certificate with our name that stated that we had successfully completed the class.  I brought it home and left it in on the table. 


I had a small wooden chest in our bedroom that I kept cross stitch material, thread, and assorted frames and mats.  Nothing fancy, just some odds and ends.  When I came back that afternoon, my certificate was laying on the kitchen counter.  Paul had gotten a frame out of the chest and 'framed' my certificate.  He wanted me to know that he was proud of me.


Paul, you have always been a very thoughtful young man.  You are a good husband, father and son.  We love you very much.


Happy birthday Paul.

Lazy Sundays

When I was growing up, we used to visit my Granny on Sunday afternoons.  She lived about 5 miles away and my mom and I would go to her house.  When we would leave, we would drive another 5 miles to the two stores that my mother liked to go.  One of these stores closed many years ago.  It was the kind of store that carried everything.  Clothes, electronics, tools, etc...  The other store has now announced that they are closing in the next few weeks. 


I decided that I wanted to go walk around this store last Sunday.  It has been remodeled so nothing is like it was back in the 60s.  But I could go to the exact spot where years ago, the ICEE machine was and where they sold nuts that had been under a sun lamp, staying warm.  Sometimes, the store would have a sale on giant candy bars that were divided into squares.  Each square had a letter on it and it would spell out the name of the candy company.  My mother was a chocoholic so she would always buy them.  This was the same store that I would buy the necklace or earrings that I usually got for my mom for Christmas.


As Eric and I wandered around, we were both saying "this is where the garden supplies were, this is where the toys were", etc...


The last aisle I went down was where I would spend my time during Christmas.  It was the sporting goods aisle.  My dad loved to fish and I always bought him a pack of purple or black rubber worms, a roll of fishing line and a package of red/white corks.


As we walked out, I thought back to the days that I spent in that store in the 'big city'.  Lazy Sunday afternoons with nothing to do but walk around and smell the popcorn and wait for the Blue Light Specials.