December 7, 1941, the world was turned upside down; this is a photograph of a postcard I purchased several years ago when my son and I visited the location in Hawaii, known as The USS Arizona Memorial. (When this photograph left my computer, to make the trip through cyberspace to be published on my blog, it was in correct alignment. Despite several attempts, it kept showing up on the blog, "out of kilter". I finally decided that perhaps the improper alignment would make the point of how this single event knocked almost everyone's life, at the time, "out of kilter"!) The location shown in the postcard is operated by the National Park Service, and was built in remembrance of the Pearl Harbor attack, where 2,403 people were killed in a very short time. Hence, the day of December 7 was given the name everafter as "Pearl Harbor Day".
Long before the date of December 7 was given the official title of "Pearl Harbor Day", the day was significant to the man shown in this photograph, because it was the day of the year he was born. At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, he was working as a teacher and basketball coach in the small community of Olvey, in Boone County, Arkansas. I took this photo of the dedication page of the Bergman, Arkansas, yearbook, because that was where he was serving as superintendent of schools, at the time he left the field of education, to open a business, selling school and office supplies. This man is very significant to me because he was my father! Back in those days, small town yearbooks were put together by hand, and the printing shown under his photograph, is that of my mother, who was also a teacher at Bergman, and in charge of the school yearbook publication.
After my father sold his school/office supply business (known as Home School Supply, in Harrison, Arkansas), he had more time to devote to one of his hobbies, which was woodworking. I used some of his creations earlier this week, as the centerpiece for the First Place 4 Health (
www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) Victory Celebration. Having been raised during the depression, my father was "in to" recycling, long before it was fashionable! The "globes" on the candle holders are made from green, 2 liter, soda bottles. The candle holders are all of different types of wood, because Dad was using up the small scraps of wood from some of his bigger woodworking projects.
Last night, I used another set of the wooden candle holders he made, as part of the decoration for a table I hosted at my church's Christmas banquet. Dad also made the wooden stand in the center of the table, with its multiple layers for holding fruit, or in this case, Christmas ornaments!
My table was just one of 22 tables that were festively decorated to celebrate another birthday---that of Jesus Christ! You can learn more about Christmas activities scheduled at First Baptist Church in Mountain Home, Arkansas, by logging on to
www.myfbcmh.com .
I was honored to have guests at my table that kept the conversation lively, with talk of their travels----both past, present, and future!
To take this photo, I was able to get the attention of these ladies at my table, but the gentleman was busy looking at a beautiful butterfly photograph that made the cover of a well-known bank's annual publication, and was taken by one of the guests at our table!
This photograph shows not only the legacy of my father's woodworking efforts, but also the legacy of his DNA! (that is "yours truly" in the center)
These "Grandfather Clocks" were also made by Joe Keeling, so it is appropriate that the photo also represents a grandfather with his grandson. This entire week that I have been working with the candle holders dad made, one of the memory verses from First Place 4 Health has been foremost in my mind. Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (the fact that my son's last name is Shipman, and he works---hence "workmanship" reverses to "shipmanworks" makes this one of my favorite memory verses!) To paraphrase this verse another way, "For the clocks, candleholders, (and his descendants!), are Joe Keeling's workmanship, created by him, to do good works, which he prepared in advance for them to do." Likewise, each of us was created by God, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So let's get busy doing good works during this Christmas season, and in so doing, we will not only give, but also receive, "MILES OF SMILES"! Tricia
December 7, 1941, the world was turned upside down; this is a photograph of a postcard I purchased several years ago when my son and I visited the location in Hawaii, known as The USS Arizona Memorial. (When this photograph left my computer, to make the trip through cyberspace to be published on my blog, it was in correct alignment. Despite several attempts, it kept showing up on the blog, "out of kilter". I finally decided that perhaps the improper alignment would make the point of how this single event knocked almost everyone's life, at the time, "out of kilter"!) The location shown in the postcard is operated by the National Park Service, and was built in remembrance of the Pearl Harbor attack, where 2,403 people were killed in a very short time. Hence, the day of December 7 was given the name everafter as "Pearl Harbor Day". 
Long before the date of December 7 was given the official title of "Pearl Harbor Day", the day was significant to the man shown in this photograph, because it was the day of the year he was born. At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, he was working as a teacher and basketball coach in the small community of Olvey, in Boone County, Arkansas. I took this photo of the dedication page of the Bergman, Arkansas, yearbook, because that was where he was serving as superintendent of schools, at the time he left the field of education, to open a business, selling school and office supplies. This man is very significant to me because he was my father! Back in those days, small town yearbooks were put together by hand, and the printing shown under his photograph, is that of my mother, who was also a teacher at Bergman, and in charge of the school yearbook publication.
After my father sold his school/office supply business (known as Home School Supply, in Harrison, Arkansas), he had more time to devote to one of his hobbies, which was woodworking. I used some of his creations earlier this week, as the centerpiece for the First Place 4 Health ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) Victory Celebration. Having been raised during the depression, my father was "in to" recycling, long before it was fashionable! The "globes" on the candle holders are made from green, 2 liter, soda bottles. The candle holders are all of different types of wood, because Dad was using up the small scraps of wood from some of his bigger woodworking projects.
Last night, I used another set of the wooden candle holders he made, as part of the decoration for a table I hosted at my church's Christmas banquet. Dad also made the wooden stand in the center of the table, with its multiple layers for holding fruit, or in this case, Christmas ornaments!
My table was just one of 22 tables that were festively decorated to celebrate another birthday---that of Jesus Christ! You can learn more about Christmas activities scheduled at First Baptist Church in Mountain Home, Arkansas, by logging on to www.myfbcmh.com . 
I was honored to have guests at my table that kept the conversation lively, with talk of their travels----both past, present, and future!
To take this photo, I was able to get the attention of these ladies at my table, but the gentleman was busy looking at a beautiful butterfly photograph that made the cover of a well-known bank's annual publication, and was taken by one of the guests at our table!
This photograph shows not only the legacy of my father's woodworking efforts, but also the legacy of his DNA! (that is "yours truly" in the center)
These "Grandfather Clocks" were also made by Joe Keeling, so it is appropriate that the photo also represents a grandfather with his grandson. This entire week that I have been working with the candle holders dad made, one of the memory verses from First Place 4 Health has been foremost in my mind. Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (the fact that my son's last name is Shipman, and he works---hence "workmanship" reverses to "shipmanworks" makes this one of my favorite memory verses!) To paraphrase this verse another way, "For the clocks, candleholders, (and his descendants!), are Joe Keeling's workmanship, created by him, to do good works, which he prepared in advance for them to do." Likewise, each of us was created by God, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So let's get busy doing good works during this Christmas season, and in so doing, we will not only give, but also receive, "MILES OF SMILES"! Tricia
