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I am going to admit it. After having all five of my children I had put on some unwanted weight. I tried and tried to get rid of it on my own, but it was not going very well. After trying many different tactics I gave in and paid the money to join Weight Watchers. I faithfully went to the meetings, paid my money, and kept track of everything I ate. Slowly, but surely, the pounds melted away and I felt free of the extra load I had been carrying.

It was 10:18 PM. Everyone was asleep when Uncle Chuck called to talk. I went out onto our side porch and settled into my new Cracker Barrel rocker to catch up on life. After we hung up I remained on the porch to think and pray. The cool breeze caressed my skin as I breathed in the fresh air. Bright pinpoints of light shone in the clear sky giving a sense of peace.

I am the kind of person who develops great expectations. I have done this all my life. I have big dreams about how things should be but those dreams are often dashed when things do not turn out as I expected.

The men huddled together engrossed in deep conversation. For years they had loved and cared for their paralyzed friend with patient endurance. Day by day they had performed the most menial and primitive needs for this one who could do nothing for himself. They loved him and that is what kept them at their tasks.

You just have to love old houses. They are full of surprises and you never know what you will find. Sometimes the surprises are fun, like when we took down our aged mantle piece and discovered some charred postcards written in the 1800's along with an old coin from 1825, and a couple of pictures from years past. But other surprises are not so pleasant.

Recently while visiting a friend we got talking about the large pine trees in her front yard. They were randomly scattered around the lawn and over time had grown large and full. For many years they had provided hiding places for the children who played around them. For many hours they were an obstacle course for the lawn mower that had circled them. And on many days they provided a beautiful backdrop for family events and special pictures.