The Greatest of the Great, A Golden Reunion

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Two weeks ago, I attended my fiftieth high school reunion. Like everyone else there, I wondered where on earth the years had gone. It had been fifty years since I had seen some of my classmates. Others, I’ve seen fairly recently. Facebook and Instagram have proven valuable instruments in keeping us connected to one another.

The festivities began on Thursday and concluded with a breakfast on Sunday morning at the Andalusia Country Club. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend all of the events, but I did make it for the Saturday evening gathering at Springdale, an old estate in Andalusia, purchased by the city, and now used for purposes such as our class reunion.

It's That Time of Year . . . Have You Done This?

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Here it is, already past the mid-point mark of October and I am just now thinking about October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With the stories I know of family and friends who have walked this dark road, you would think I’d remember. But, life took over, I got busy . . . and I simply forgot.

My sister Bobbie was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2015. My husband and I were sitting in the Fatz restaurant in Candler, North Carolina, when I got the call from her. I had to leave the restaurant, I was crying so hard.

Cancer is the one word that most of us dread hearing. It invades our bodies and our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, unlike anything else on the face of the earth. It’s an ugly word.

But, since our family members are followers of Christ, we all began to pray for my sister. I put her on every prayer chain I could find. In fact, many of you prayed for her. I cannot begin to tell you how very thankful we are for every single utterance of her name.

An Unexpected Journey

by Debra DuPree Williams                                                                           @DDuPreeWilliams

Back in 2011, when my husband and I lived with our eldest son and his family for a few months, I spent a great deal of time with our then, fourteen-month-old granddaughter. She was a delight, as was her seven-year-old sister. Their needs were very different. Jim chauffeured P to all of her camps and activities while I remained at home with E.

E and I spent many happy hours devouring every little board book and every picture book in their home. She had her favorites. One of those was about a band. Since she comes from a long line of musicians, including her dad who plays guitar and drums, and her mother who was a drummer in a rock band back in her school days, I think it was just a genetic thing for her to be drawn to that little book.

But one of her books made me cringe every time I read it. The rhythm of the words was off. I had a hard time reading that book, but E loved it, so I read it anyway and tried not to make too many faces.

One night I thought, I can do this. I’ve written poetry all my life. I think I could write a children’s book. So, I set about giving it a go. I wrote a book about music, of course (I have two degrees in music). It wasn’t a grand book, but it was a start. It featured an adorable little conductor whom I called Maestro Musik. It taught some basic music lessons, too.

From Generation to Generation

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Our Great-Nephew Brit and His Beautiful wife, Kelly

I did something for the first time ever this past Friday. Actually, my husband and I did this together. We attended a baby reveal party. Now, when we were having our kids, there was no such thing as a baby reveal party. If you wanted to know the sex of your unborn child, they would tell you during a routine ultrasound, but only if you wanted to know. And no one had heard of a baby-reveal party.

We didn’t want to know. We decided that we wanted to be surprised because we knew we were going to be thrilled no matter the baby’s gender. So, three times we waited. Three times we were blessed with little boys. Precious little boys.

Now We See in a Mirror Darkly

                                              by Debra DuPreeWilliams @DDuPreeWilliams

I recently had cataracts surgery. I cannot begin to tell you how much I dreaded that particular procedure. Even though my husband and several family members have been through it and they all assured me that it was “a piece of cake” I just couldn’t imagine being awake, though highly sedated, for such. I’m the proverbial chicken when it comes to things like this. At one time, I was even needle phobic and would pass out during a simple blood draw. Heart issues cured me of that, big time.

Fast forward to this past Wednesday when I had my left eye done. My husband had told me, “You won’t even remember it. All you’ll see is bright lights and a psychedelic show.” I’m not much for light shows. They give me migraines, every single time. Just the thought of being aware of what was happening to me was enough to have me running for the hills.

Helping One Another in the Midst of Life's Storms

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

One thing we Americans do well is to look out for one another. While some factions seek only to tear us apart, I just don’t see that as a part of our future. When the going gets tough, we come to one another’s aid in dramatic ways.

Take hurricane Harvey. Who could have predicted the amount of flooding the poor people of Texas would have to endure? It just wasn’t on the radar, pun intended. At least, not to the extent that was seen. 

But people were hurting, and others heard their cries and came running. Even when they didn’t have to. Even when they put themselves in harm’s way. Even to the extent of sacrificing their lives in order to help their fellow man. The Bible tells us in John 15:13, Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

Mayhaws, Mimi, Mel, and Mayhem - Brought to You by a Nasty Gal Named Irma

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

What a couple of weeks we’ve had. Virtually every square inch of Florida has been impacted in one way or another by hurricane, Irma. We didn’t just get to watch as most of our country did, from a safe distance and the air-conditioned luxury of our living room. No, we had to watch in order to make the decision if we should stay or go. Many of Florida’s citizens had no choice as they were in mandatory evacuation zones. Where we live was right on the edge of one of those zones. So, we prepared by putting up our storm shutters, bringing in supplies of food and water, talking our two middle sons into coming to our home, gassing up our car, and praying.