TWO-PARENT RICH

By Danna Shirley

This phrase dropped into my thoughts one day when I was listening to a radio program on the condition of our present generation’s children and how they’re coping with their home life. My definition of two-parent rich is growing up with both parents, mother and father, loving each other unconditionally, whether they live in a mansion or in low-income housing. Sadly, divorce, single-parent homes, death of a parent, or being raised by other family members seems to be the norm today.

Most of society believes “rich” means monetary wealth but can all the money in the world buy happiness, health, loving marriages, respectful children, friendships?

If we could take our eyes off of money, and put them on people, we would see helping hands and meeting needs not only in our own communities but as far as our prayers and donations would take us . . . 

like taking coloring books and crayons, cleaning supplies, and warm clothes to the many displaced fire victims in Gatlinburg, TN . . .

or taking Christmas presents to an orphanage . . .

or singing Christmas carols at an assisted living facility . . .

or baking cookies for a shut-in neighbor . . . 

or just dropping a few dollars in the Salvation Army red kettle every time you shop for yourself at Wal Mart . . .

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD . . . (this would be?)

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world                

                                                                             

I see skies of blue and clouds of white                            
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night                 
And I think to myself what a wonderful world                
                                                                             

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky               

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do

They're really saying I love you

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll never know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world 

CRYING LOST

by Danna Shirley

Japan, 1992...
You've never been lost until you've been lost in a foreign country and can't speak the language.

We had only been in Japan a short time when my son, Aaron's friend, Bubba (Derrick Pruitt), told us about an indoor water park. With my family of five, plus Bubba, we had to take two cars to get us all there.

Unfortunately I forgot to remind my husband, Ron, not to lose me behind him. As we weaved in and out of traffic with me panicking to keep up, we got separated by a big truck. Ron was totally out of sight when he, of course, took an exit. He told me later he watched from the overpass and waved as I drove under and beyond where I should have turned. Bubba was in the back seat not paying any attention to where I was driving.

Now I was on a toll road and was determined I would not pay because I had made the mistake of being there. All I wanted to do was turn around. Would they let me...BUT NO! They had me park and all of us piled out of the car and into the toll office while they called someone who could speak English.

Kristen said, "Mom, please just pay the toll," but I was the Ugly American and argued on the phone with the interpreter. They would not budge so I paid, but under protest.

Bubba finally got us to the water park. The rest of our party was already there...except Ron. He had gone back to the exit looking for me. When he finally came back to the park, he found me lounging in a chair watching the kids have fun in the wave pool.

With the frustrated look on his face, all I could say was, "You shouldn't have lost me behind you!"

MY VIEW ON THE ELECTION 2016

I do not apologize for being a Conservative Christian Republican. That said, I've heard of other Conservative Christians saying they'll not vote because they don't like either candidate. For shame, for shame!

I also am looking at the dilemma of not being comfortable with Trump but I'm definitely scared to death of Hillary. So if I don't vote, it's an automatic vote for Hillary. The race is too close not to vote at all.

My first and foremost scrutiny of the candidates is the question of PRO-LIFE and that means I'm for Trump. He may put his foot in his mouth alot (he's not a slick-tongued politican and maybe that's what we need right now) but he's definitely pro-life. I would also like to address his comments about women...we need to remind ourselves of our own comments about men when we're in our private conversations. We are just as guilty!

The Supreme Court gave us legal abortion in 1973 and the result has been millions of children murdered and our future lost. The next President will be able to appoint at least one and maybe up to three Justices to the SUPREME COURT. Who do you think Hillary will appoint? Those for life or those for death? Obama is remaining in Washington, D.C. and he is a Constitutional lawyer. Could Hillary appoint him to the Supreme Court. It's a possibility!
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/03/politics/obama-washington-staying-d-c-after-presidency/

That's just two issues of extreme importance in my estimation. But here's more...To quote one of my well-respected ministries, the ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice): "Collusion, corruption, and cronyism - the more we find out, the worse it gets. The Executive overreach and lawlessness reaches new heights. The Obama Administration's FBI Director Comey led a faux investigation, violating the law and his oath of office."

With this election I am now reminded of hearing that a lot of Conservative Christians would not vote for Romney because he was Morman...that's how we ended up with Obama in 2012 for four more years...thanks for that!

I'm also reminded of the three-way race between Bill Clinton, George Bush (the father), and Ross Perot in 1992. There was no way Perot could win but he took votes away from George Bush and that is how we got Bill Clinton (who didn't even have the majority of votes), an impeached president who refused to leave office. For shame again!

Now we are facing another Clinton in office. Hillary will look sweet and innocent (lie) to the public and voice her real feelings in private. There is just too much against her...the emails but especially the Benghazi massacre. I suggest you watch the movie "13 Hours" which tells the true story by someone who was actually there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_Hours:_The_Secret_Soldiers_of_Benghazi 
I've made a decision not to watch R-rated movies but I wanted to know the real story so I braved the visual and language. Knowing the truth was worth the watch.

I appeal to all Christians to please vote. We can't afford four to eight more years of a Clinton presidency which would just be a continuation of the Obama presidency.

Thanks for reading and heeding my message to PLEASE VOTE!

TO PARTY . . . OR PREPARE?

The following is a message I gave to my son's Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting when he was in tenth grade, Vancleave, MS:

CHOICES...To Party or Prepare?
Some of you may be thinking, "Hey, my whole life is ahead of me. There's plenty of time to play the catch up game after I have a little fun."

Yes, that may be possible, but the further behind you fall, the harder it is to undo already set attitudes and habits. Once you've fallen into that trap of always putting it off 'til later, the more you deceive yourself.

Putting forth the little extra effort it takes to do well, makes your goals far more attainable now than trying to play catch up later in life. If you don't let yourself keep ahead of the game, then your circumstances can overwhelm you and eventually overtake you yielding an attitude of, "There's no way I'll ever get out of this one so why even try?" . . . then you give up instead of catch up!

There will always be a time of having fun and enjoying yourself but it should never be at the expense of effecting your future. I'm sure you can paint your own picture with the following key words:
           Ds and Fs = failure
           Drugs = addiction
           Drinking = alcoholism
           Smoking = lung and/or mouth cancer
           Sex = pregnancy or abortion or AIDS

Why hope to play catch up from these when you are already ahead of the game now?

To Party

or Prepare?

It's 

Your

Choice

THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL...

This was an assignment to rewrite a nursery rhyme:

By Danna Shirley 

In consult with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl,
that hung down right across her nose.

 

She would flip it and flop it,

snip it and crop it,

But it never seemed away it would go.

Now sometimes she was frustrated

And sometimes she was aggravated

And sometimes she was really provoked.

But whether good or bad,

Tamed or blamed,

She would never, never, never give up.

She visited the beauty shop.

She visited the barber shop.

And as a last resort she went to her Mama.

The beauty shop gave no results.

The barber shop was a huge insult.

But Mama was the absolute right adult.

Mama whipped it and twisted it,

She twirled it and curled it,

And her first look in the mirror was a dream.

Now the little girl

Had a bedazzled little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead. 

The Rollin' Store

by Danna Shirley
This is an assignment in writing class to use all the words in bold (or any form thereof) in a story:

extraordinary     byway     happy     Spanish     chicken coop     
beautiful     community     heartburn     hair           

In our little community of Shirley’s Crossroad, just a little byway out in the country, Daddy Jack and me would take our rollin’ store and sell the vegetables we plucked from the patch by the house that MawMaw tended for us every year.

Daddy Jack and me did the big plantin’ out in the field but MawMaw watched over the radishes, carrots, sweet taters, tomatas, and strawberries. When they was ripe and ready, she boxed ‘em up and we took ‘em in our makeshift trailer headin’ down the road. We stopped at every house along the way and sold a little bit here and a little bit there. We had a good business goin’ and pretty soon others were doin’ the same. In fact, they was steppin’ on our livelihood.

We come up with a new idea when Daddy Jack went out to the chicken coop one mornin’. Now ever’body round here had chickens so ever’body had eggs, but we begin to color them eggs just like at Easter and the young’uns loved it. They begged their momma to buy our eggs. So we was now one step up on the competition.

Next we figured ta pickle some of them eggs but that didn’t go over so good with Festus Barker cuz it caused his heartburn to flare up. He said it were a hair raisin’ experience fer him all night long.

We were happy and even makin’ a pretty good livin’ but time marches on and life happens. I got drafted and went in the Army. Daddy Jack and MawMaw was getting’ older and it weren’t so easy to get out in the patch or drive the rollin’ store. Soon they was just plantin’ for themselves and enjoying the fruit of their labor.

I was stationed in Texas and met a beautiful Mexican gal and she taught me Spanish so’s I could get around with the locals. She fixed up some vittles I’d never tasted before and they was extraordinarily hot. My taste buds were burnin’ but I took a likin’ to them tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and quesadillas. I think I'll marry her and bring her back home with me. We'll add somethin' new to the rollin' store.

There is a Shirley's Crossroads in Crenshaw County, AL and my grandfather-in-law, Daddy Jack, did have a rolling store. he was born in 1890.

GROWING UP . . .

by Danna Shirley

Writing assignment

Pa looked pretty forlorn as we rambled down the dirt road to the bus stop. I was the oldest of three brothers and he needed me to stay and work the farm with him but I just couldn’t. I’d been telling him when I turned eighteen I would be oughta there and leave the farming with him and my brothers. It was just not for me! The drought, the flood, the bugs eating the crops, the sun burning up the plants, the dust and broken down farm equipment. I didn’t want to even start a life like that. I knew I was disappointing him but I was also excited to head down the road to Central Community College and plot my own course for life. I was pretty smart and I would make it.

Now we were sitting on the tailgate of the pickup truck, Shep’s head on my knee on one side and Pa wrestling with his hat on the other. We never had the man-to-man talk before and I’m sure Pa was thinkin’ about it. It would be awkward, though, for both of us. I already knew the facts of life; I’d been raised on a farm watching and birthing everything under the sun. I watched Ma and Pa, too, but they never even touched in front of us boys; never kissed. I guess that was only for after the lights went out.

Now I was waiting on the bus and the only thing I could take with me was a suitcase and all I had learned from Ma and Pa; love from family, a good work ethic, loyalty from a faithful dog, and God to guide me and keep me safe. 

It would be an excellent adventure.

HERE, BETWEEN THE SHELVES

The following is an assignment to write a story using the sentence: "Here, between the shelves."

I saw a glimmer on the bottom shelf of the bookcase. It was strange to see something shiny while everything else was covered in dust. I scooted a book of Tarzan to the right and was surprised to find a band showcasing seven round diamonds lying there. It sparkled from every angle and written inside were the words, Jane~We’re a Perfect Fit~Love, Tom and then almost unseen was the date, 1968. How did this ring find its way here, between the shelves, in this dusty basement? Who was Jane . . . and who was Tom . . . and how old were they in 1968? I had inherited the house and all its contents from Great Aunt Edith, but this ring was from Tom to a Jane. Who were they?

I knew of Great Aunt Edith from my Aunt Tabby, Mom’s sister, but now they were all gone and it seemed I was the last living relative to inherit. I didn’t particularly want to leave my home in California to go to a small town in South Alabama but my curiosity had gotten the best of me so here I was. Why I had started in the basement I’ll never know but I put the ring in my pocket and continued perusing my new-found possessions. The basement also contained a wine cellar, an old trunk, a chifferobe with what looked like clothes from the 1920s and 30s and two pairs of high-button shoes. Wow, I could dress to the nines for any costume party now.

I found many more delightful surprises upstairs. There was an antique table and chairs on an oriental rug in the formal dining room. China, silver, and crystal were in the matching hutch with a tea cart and a silver tea service beside it. 

While going through some old magazines for recycle, I found a newspaper clipping in an album hidden in the stack. It was the wedding announcement of Tom Blake to Jane Leslie, December 19, 1968. They had gotten married in Reno but would be making their home in Mississippi while Tom attended Ole Miss. Now the ‘who’ and the ‘where’ were solved but what about the why? Why would her wedding ring be left on a dusty shelf in the basement of this old house in Alabama?

It was getting late and I chose one of the upstairs bedrooms to collapse and sleep. It had been a long day and I only had a week off from work to settle this estate and return to California.

The next morning I took my time going through the kitchen. I searched the shelves, pantry, drawers, and cabinets, but there was nothing unusual there to identify Tom and Jane. I got down to the business of deciding what I would keep and what I would sell, however, I knew I would keep the diamond ring. Besides the china, silver, etc. there were some beautiful paintings, jewelry, and a BMW in the garage. Those were definitely keepers.

The rest, the dishes, pots and pans, toilet paper and Cheerios, could go by the wayside with the estate sale liquidator. As for me, I would be investigating the mystery of Tom and Jane. I began with the stack of magazines where I found the album. The top were addressed to Aunt Edith but as I moved lower and lower through the stack, I found the rest addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Blake. The top address was in Alabama 1983 but those prior were New Jersey 1980, Washington 1975, Bermuda 1972, and the earliest address was in Oxford, Mississippi at Ole Miss 1968. Interspersed among them were Ladies Home Journal, Time, and Woman’s Day; then Parents Magazine and children’s Highlights began to appear. Okay, Tom and Jane had children. Hopefully one was a boy who still lived here.

            I got online and looked up ‘Blake’ at this address but as I clicked on several ‘Blakes’ here in town, related people began to appear. I would not be deterred. Finally the name Jane came up under James and Victoria Blake. I called their number and asked to speak to Jane.

            “This is Jane speaking. May I help you?”

            “Yes, are you the Jane Blake that used to live at 885 Fourth Avenue?”

            “Why, yes, but I haven’t lived there in a long time. Not since my husband died.”

            “Did you happen to lose something very valuable and sentimental in the basement of that old house?”

            “Yes, yes,” she said very excitedly. “I lost my wedding ring. We couldn’t afford another so Tom just bought me a plain gold band.”

            “Well, I found it, here, between the shelves of an old bookcase. Can I bring it to you?”

            “Yes, yes, please do come over!” 

            Fifteen minutes later I was knocking on her door. She opened it with tears in her eyes and hugged my neck. I slipped it on her finger and it still fit. It did my heart good to see the happiness on her face. There was happiness on my face, too. I was a blessing and I received a blessing . . . and, after all, I still had the BMW in the garage at home. 

WHAT IF . . .

Danna Shirley

This phrase conjures up so many scenarios that it is difficult to even calculate the results. My “what if” thoughts tend toward my life with my husband, Ron.

What if his ship hadn’t come into port in San Pablo, California where I lived in 1968? He was there for just three short months before going to Viet Nam for the third time but it was long enough for us to meet, get engaged, and marry upon his return.  

What if there had not been that fateful meeting that took me away from my family and everything I knew in California and sent me to a place and culture I didn’t know in Montgomery, Alabama. This was just the beginning of Navy life living in three countries and seven states over the course of our thirty-four years together.

What if Ron’s separation from the Navy hadn’t led us to his employment with Alabama Power in Demopolis and eventually to his decision to pursue continuing education which brought us back to Montgomery?

What if our short time there hadn’t brought us to attend First Assembly of God Church before moving on to our next destination?

What if our hearts hadn’t been ripe for harvest to bring us both to His saving grace and our salvation through the testimony of Betty Baxter?

(Note: It is important to understand we had lived in Montgomery several different times and had the opportunity to attend this church previously but in God’s grand scheme of things “our hearts weren’t ripe for harvest” until May, 1980.

What if Betty Baxter hadn’t been healed from a crippling and debilitating condition that led her to serve God and give her testimony the rest of her life? Her faithfulness to God brought her to speak at First Assembly of God Church, which brought us to our salvation?

This is not to say we each wouldn’t find God another way by His leading but would I have this family . . . my family now? 

We were just two people out of billions and billions over time in whom God orchestrated down the long path of life to dwell in our present place in His kingdom.      

Here’s another exciting chain of events to follow…

http://www.travisagnew.org/2013/07/22/the-chain-of-events-for-billy-grahams-conversion/

What if a young teacher named Edward Kimball hadn’t taken a Saturday and sought to help a young man understand what the gospel was all about? He went to the shoe store where he was stocking shelves and led Dwight L. Moody to receive the Lord. 

What if this young man hadn’t received salvation in the stockroom of that shoe store? D. L. Moody wouldn’t have touched two continents for God, with untold thousands coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

What if another man’s heart was not touched by God under Moody’s preaching? Wilbur Chapman was an evangelist who preached to thousands. One day, a professional ball player had a day off and attended one of Chapman’s meetings, and thus, Billy Sunday was converted.

What if this baseball player, Billy Sunday, hadn't quit baseball and become part of Chapman's team. When Chapman accepted the pastorate of a large church, Billy Sunday began his own evangelistic crusades. A young man named Mordecai Ham attended one of these crusades and was converted. 

What if this scholarly and dignified gentleman, Mordecai Ham, had decided he wouldn’t go listen to an ex-baseball player? Then he wouldn’t have come to Charlotte, NC to preach against a house of ill repute located right across from the local high school. Some male students were going to interrupt the meetings and a young man named Billy Frank Graham decided to see what would happen.

What if the most famous evangelist of our day, Billy Graham, hadn’t been curious to attend the meeting of Mordecai Ham? He wouldn’t have given his heart to Jesus in 1934 and as a result, travel the world and preach the gospel to approximately 2.2 billion people.

As the old saying goes, 

"You can count the apples on a tree,

but only God knows how many apples are in a single seed.”

We cannot possibly know how many lives have been converted by Billy Graham or how many more seeds have come to fruition through him and Ham, and Sunday, and Chapman, and Moody, and Kimball, or even you and me.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;

it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10)

          All we can do is be faithful with our part in and for the Kingdom and trust God for the results.