Hi there! I’m John Thomas. I came to stay with Aunt Tonja today. She always has great surprises for me!

Oh, look! A little doggie! That’s a great surprise, Aunt Tonja!

Hee! Hee! He’s licking me! It tickles!

Get down, Finn! Get down!

Finn: Let’s go! Wanna play! Wanna jump! Wanna lick! Let’s go! Let’s go!

John Thomas: OK, but no more of that jumping on me. ‘K ?

Finn: I’m sorry, JT. Let’s be buddies again.

JT: That’s OK, Finn! Let’s play follow-the-leader. I’m the leader!

Hey! That was fun, Finn!….. Finn?……. Finn!……. Where are you?

Oh, I see you. You’re just a tired little puppy! You rest, and we’ll play again next time I come visit. Sh…..

THE END

PS. Don’t tell Finn, but John Thomas took a nap, too!

I have a few more pictures of my mother’s daddy than I do of Granddaddy Townsend, but not many more memories. Both my Granddaddy Townsend and Granddaddy Merritt died in the same year. As with Granddaddy Townsend, Joy and I would go to NC and spend a few weeks each summer. Quite a different world for us.

BELOW: Granddaddy Merritt…in Dothan, with me…1953

Here’s what I do remember about my Granddaddy Dekater DeLeon Merritt. All I ever heard him called was Granddaddy or ‘Lynn’. ( My middle name is Lynn after him. And, my niece is Lori Lynn after me.) He was a kind, soft spoken man. He was always smiling, and dancing around with us girls! And yodelling! He could yodel with the best of them. We would have to start early convincing him he needed to show us again. He’d say,”Wait till I rest a mite.” Then he’d say, “Wait till supper time.” Then, “After supper, after supper!” And then, “Before you go to bed.” And, that was about all we could take. The pleading and begging would commence. “Just one time, Granddaddy, just one.” “Pleeeeeeease”. And then, when we weren’t looking…or expecting it…he would start,”Yo-del-ay-hoo! Yo-del-aye-hee-hoo! Yo-del-yo-del-yo-del-aye-hee-aye-hee-hoo!” And, that was it! He had amused and delighted these granddaughters for another day. How did he do that? Why, that’s about the most amazing thing I had ever heard! Who taught him? I don’t even know if you can teach someone to yodel. I tried and tried and tried to learn how to sound just like him. I think I got to be pretty good…but Joy said I just sounded dumb! Whatever! It was definitely a source of amusement and envy for me!

I remember that in the years we were there visiting at Christmas, one of the nights he would take us to see a giant Christmas Tree somewhere in Wilmington. I do not remember much about it, except that it was big…very big. And quite an amazing display for us to see. And, I can also remember him taking us to see a big battleship, as well. The tree was much more impressive!

Granddaddy and Granny Merritt lived in Wilmington, NC at 1619 Orange Street. How can I remember that after all these years? There were rocking chairs and a swing on the porch. And, there were doodle bugs in the soft dirt in the backyard. We thought we could make them come out of their holes if we sang to them. Well, I didn’t really really believe it. I just went along with it for Joy’s sake. Cause that’s just the kind of sister I was…and am! I know they used to live in Clinton, NC where all the rest of the family lives. And, Mom and her sisters and brother all grew up in Clinton. I don’t think I know why they moved to Wilmington, maybe I knew at one time, but that info is buried under something else at this time. My uncle and aunt (his son) lived down the street from them. And, I think there were some other relatives in Wilmington also. Granddaddy worked at a farmers supply.

He would come home for lunch everyday. When Granny fixed the plates, she would fix an extra one and send Joy and I next door to take it to Mrs. Williamson…who was really old (according to us). She was feeble though, I remember that. After lunch, we would all sit on the front porch of that big, ‘ole house…and swing and talk…and laugh…until he would reach down and put his shoes back on and go down the steps to his car and back to work. Then Granny Merritt would send us outside to play. We would go out into the back yard and try to entice those doodle bugs to make an appearance, or head down the street to our cousin’s house.

Here are Granddaddy and Granny standing in front of their house on Orange St.

The year was 1963, and Joy and I had been staying between Clinton and Wilmington. I would have been 10 years old. We were back with Granny and Granddaddy in Wilmington. I got a letter from Mom the day before that said that she and Daddy were going to ride their motorcycle up to visit us. She just told me the secret and no one else…especially Joy…she was just a baby (8) and she would have told everyone! 🙂 Granddaddy came home for lunch, and told us that if we were good girls that afternoon, we would go to the beach when he got home. Oh, that would be great! We loved to go to the beach and go swimming. Fun, fun, fun! We followed him to the car, and he stopped and did a little jig with Joy on the sidewalk. Then he got in the car and drove off. We waved till he was out of sight. Then we went inside and started getting our swim suits on. Because it was only going to be 5 hours till we left! A girl needs time to get prepared.

I don’t know what all happened next…somehow it was hidden from us for a while. But, when Granddaddy got back to work, he said he didn’t feel good, and he went to sit down in the doorway, where there was a cool breeze. And, then he had a cerebral hemorrhage, and within minutes, he was gone from this world. The rest of the afternoon is a blur. Granny Merritt left, so someone had to take care of us. But, I don’t remember who. And, soon after, people started coming to the house. I do know that Granny or someone found my letter from Mom. They knew I had a secret, and thought it wise to find out what. They called Mother and Daddy, who were very close to leaving on the motorcycle. They repacked and left in the car. We all went to Clinton, about 70 miles away and that is where he was buried. I can remember thinking he was so old. I always thought of him as old. In later years, I found out that he was just 57 years old when he died.

Smiling, and laughing, and gentleness is what I think of when I think of him. As with my Granddaddy Townsend, I sure wish I had more memories of Granddaddy Merritt. Of course, We lived so far away, and only saw them once a year…I am just happy to have some memories.

This is why I write a blog. This is why I write things I can remember about my grandparents. This is why I write about my parents. One day, one of my boys may say,”I wonder what Mama’s Granddaddy liked to do.” And, they will be able to find out what I knew. Or maybe one of their children will want to know about Mom and Pop. So, with hopes that I never bore you, I write these memories…while I can still remember them!

I ‘come from’ good families. Hard working, honest people. Kind and generous people. Loving people. I am blessed.

Alex and I recieved a great surprise today. Don came home from work early…which is unusual unless he is sick. He walked in, and then we heard an awful noise. Alex and I heard it at the same time…and went running. We did not know what was going on. But, when we got to the door…SURPRISE!!!

Meet Finn…as in Huckleberry Finn. He’s only 6 weeks old….and just a big pile of cute!

He’s so sleepy. And, whimpering…just a little. Don has gone to get him some food and a collar. Meantime, Alex and I have been giving him a spa treatment…well, a bath, at least.

Getting comfortable…

I think he’s found out it’s gonna be quite comfortable here….’Nite, ‘Nite

I wonder if you are like me in this respect. Sometimes, just one word can send my mind back in time to a memory I didn’t even know about. It’s like the memory is there all along…waiting to come forth when triggered by the right word. That is what happened to me today. Just a word I read from another blogger sent me back to the time I remember spending with my Granddaddy Townsend.

I can not tell you much that is specific about him. The memories I have are more of a feeling. I can remember staying with he and my Grandmother. There was also an aunt who lived with them. He would be gone to his store by the time I would get up in the morning.

His store was a little grocery store in downtown Atlanta. In my mind, it is a corner store. That maybe right or not. But, I do have memories of being inside the store. The picture above shows him behind the counter . I remember the smell of that cigar. The store had a wooden floor and several aisles. There was a meat counter in the back. My granddaddy got his start in business as a butcher in larger stores. Several of his sons followed him into the same business. Being in the store, I remember an upright box of cold drinks on one side…no coke machines. And, he would always go to the box and get Joy and I a YooHoo drink.

Do you know what that is? I think you can still buy them in places…they are a chocolate drink…not milk, just a chocolate drink. But, to Joy and I they were the best things on the world. One of the things you had to do with a YooHoo was SHAKE IT! I think that was part of the fun! About half way through, you would have to put your thumb over the top and try to shake it again because the chocolate had settled. This was before we had the screw on tops. I never remember having one anywhere else than in his store, or his home. When he came home from work at night, he would always have one of those cardboard cartons that hold 6 bottle drinks filled with more of delicious drink!

We were excited! We would have one with supper, and then 2 for the next day….just enough to last till he got home from work again. Though I don’t remember any conversation I ever had with him, just this act shows me that he wanted these 2 grandchildren to feel special. Cause I’m pretty sure he didn’t take a carton of 6 YooHoo’s home for my Grandmother and Aunt!

After dinner, he would go into the den. There was a fireplace and a television and a radio. And, cigars…lots of cigars. It was always hot and funky smelling in the room. Iwould go in and sit on the arm of his chair, but I’d never stay very long. The TV was always on an Atlanta Braves game. And, if there wasn’t a Braves game on TV…there was some game….somewhere….on the radio. And he and Grandmother would sit and listen. Doing nothing, but sitting and listening. I thought it was pretty boring.

I have another memory of him, and it’s just a glimpse. We were in Atlanta with our parents, and we all went to church together…just the main worship service. I can remember that it was a big church. When the ushers began to take up the offering, he leaned over and gave me a $5.00 bill. Wow! This was something very unusual for me. We were very active in church, attending Sunday School and Worship Service, Sunday Night and Wednesday night. Every Sunday morning, Pop would fill out our offering envelope. We would check if we had read our Bible, or studied the lesson or contacted anyone who did not go to church. Then, he would give us some change. We would slip it into the envelope and lick the 2 little dabs of glue and close it up tight. Then it would go into our Bibles to be turned in to our Sunday School teacher. So even though we always took an offering to church…we never got to put money in the offering plate when it would pass in front of us every Sunday. The fact that I had 5 dollars…5 whole dollars, was really a treat for me! There was the offering plate…being passed down the row in front of mine. I could see other bills mounding up on the plate…all wadded up like they wanted to keep it secret how much that piece of green paper was worth. Not me…I was proud that I had a great big ‘ole $5.oo bill. So, I laid it out on my lap and smoothed out all the wrinkles as best I could. I kept on smoothing until the plate got in front of me. I carefully lay my beautiful offering on top of the mountain of other bills. It balanced just so on top, and it gave me such pleasure to see it there. I knew God was looking at that offering, and that He was pleased. I was giving Him 5 whole dollars! Then…TRAGEDY! As I passed the plate to my Mom, the offering blew off the top and landed on the floor. She was not happy. She did not like any kind of disturbance…even if it was an accident. I looked at her…wide eyed and scared. “Get it!”, she said in a tense whisper. I hopped down and got it off the floor and put it in her outstretched hand. She took that beautiful $5.00 bill and folded it! Folded it up tight, I tell you! Then she put it in the plate that Pop was holding and it passed on to many other rows. And, my offering got covered up and mixed in with all the rest. I thought for sure I was going to get a ‘talking to’ after church. But, it was never mentioned. Sometime later, after we were back in Dothan, I asked her why she folded up my $5 when she put it back in the plate. And, she explained to me that we should never be boastful over the things we had. And, we should never flaunt our blessings over anyone else. When we put money in the offering plate it should be done humbly…never proudly. It was a valuable lesson I learned that day.

The last memory I have is when we went to Atlanta to see him in the hospital. I didn’t know that he was very sick with cancer. Just that he was in the hospital. Joy and I were allowed to go up to his room and we went in and spoke to him. We stayed just a minute…gave him a hug….and then we were ushered out. The last image I have of him was of tears running down his face.

I asked Mom later why Granddaddy was crying when we left. And, she explained to me that he was very sad. He knew how sick he was, and that he would not see us again this side of heaven. How sad he really must have been. Not just not to see us, but knowing how close to death he was. He was a good man, and raised a big family…..7 sons and 1 daughter. From what Pop has told me, he always worked hard…with a family that large, he had to.

I so wish that I had more pictures of him. And, I wish that I could remember more about him. I wish I could remember a conversation we had. But, that will never be in this life. I was so young…and never knew him at a time that I would remember. But, these little snitches that I do recall, make me long for more. I think I would have found him very interesting. And, I bet he had some excellent stories to tell.

However, he knew me. And brought me YooHoo drinks. And, made a little girl feel bigger by giving her money for the offering plate. And, he was sad that he would not see us grow up. Sounds like a pretty good guy.

All that……and he gave me my Pop, too!

Suzanne and Adam are in Birmingham today. She had a procedure done at 8:30, and Adam is having the 10th surgery on his eye. I talked to Suze yesterday, and told her I would be on my knees in prayer. Well, I tried, really I did. But, I could only stay on my knees for about 20 minutes…but I continued praying and reading the Bible quite a while longer…from the couch! You understand. While I was reading, I read again this chapter from Psalms and it is so beautiful. It fills my heart with joy and confidence and trust in God. I felt quite compelled to share it with you today.

Psalm 139…New Living Translation

A psalm of David.

¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
² You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
³ You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
⁴ You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
⁵ You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
¹⁸ I can‚Äôt even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!…..

……. ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life

EDIT: Just talked to Suzanne and all is well with her….Adam is in surgery now.

EDIT, 2: Adam is out of surgery, and the doctor is pleased with the way everything looks.

Thank you, God