ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE

Betty, Merry, Judy and Hugh

1952

1953 1954
19551956
1957 19581959
1960
1961 1962 1963

This computer has a mind of its own. I selected
the order for these pictures, but he changed them around.
What happy days these were at the House of Patton.
I have more Christmas' will have to look for them. If you
wanted it you only had to ask for Christmas. Santa tried so
hard to get it on the sleigh. A bicycle, a helmet, a football all
in the same Christmas. Dolls beds and a record player. Pretty
good for poor folks. I would love to go back for a day.
~Their Mother~

FUN HERE AND THERE

Just had to add this one. Leonard was off to work with his
new "Laptop" His first hand held Computer.

My trip to Cancun brought back several memories...

First photo with Joyce Hanna on North Shore watching
the high tide surfing. We stopped at little store of such
and bought picnic. It was a beautiful day in Hawaii.

As we were about to leave by charter bus to go to Niagara Falls, I could not find Leonard. {One who never wandered
away from me?} We finally found him in the middle of
a million dollars worth of Blue Jean with a group of hippies
having a rock concert on the concrete in front of City Hall
in Tronto.


The President Clay Johnson, below, sitting with Leonard.
This San Diego Convention was the last one for Clay.
This made it very special, since Clay was so respected
by everyone, and was stepping down as President. His
brother, David stepped into his shoes.


This made in our room in Hawaii. We were about
to go to dinner.



This was made in Las Vagas, having lunch with old

Interstate friends, June and K. B. Ray.

Having dinner in Washington, D. C. Seems all we did
was eat. This was out second trip to D. C. and we
enjoyed it more the second time around. Knew more about what
we had missed the first time.

Leonard tending bar with a couple of his friends. This
was at a mock party of the St. Louis World's Fair.

THERE ARE SNOW THOUGHTS IN THE AIR

He did, didn't he? Snow and Mama and a

hammer, grandchildren, and of course

his children, and Finn.

About 45 days before we married.

Home from Cancun

My sister-in-law, Geraldine, and I took off for a little R & R in Cancun on Jan 3rd. Everyone looked at us and said, " just the two of you?" We stayed at the Blue Bay Resort and it was just great, except it was very big and spread out. We had to wait to get a little trolley each time we were ready to go somewhere, and it was a long way to the beach. The weather was a little off from usual and we only had temps in high 70's. The sun on the beach was great our last full day there, so we got a some sun and wind. We had a little balcony facing a circular wooded area in the back. The evergreens were just beautiful. They had put down very thick sod in about 15 inch pieces, skipping a couple of inches in between, giving room to spread. We could watch the boys take care of this new landscaping. It also made a great place to pray. Sometimes you need to talk to the Lord, but when and where? Resort offers few prayable moments. So even a brief opportunity is enough time until you have more. We had a couple of rain showers, which were over very quickly. Food and service could not have been any better. We loved the young Mexican boys and men around the resort. A huge swimming pool, surrounding the three new buildings, was just across from our building, and along with that was a buffet for breakfast and lunch. We came to this awesome conclusion: just because your age is four score is no reason not to try your skills at getting places, howevcr bad feet and knees are. As we lifted off from Charlotte about 10:48 last night, I told Gerry, " This ascending is my favorite part of the plane trip. I'm quite sure this will be my last ascension in this life." She said "No its not, we are going somewhere else!"

Who knows? There is more to this existence than the material side of things, when we become aware of it: the smile on that beautiful little Mexican baby; the beauty in the flowers in January; the wonderful man who lifted the rope for us and said how many, and said come with me. He saved us at least an hour of standing in line. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

So thankful for a safe and enjoyable trip.

Christmas Day Reflection

The Patton Women open gift from Uncle! It was for the four
old gals, the 5 granddaughters, and 2 great Granddaughters.
As you can see we were well pleased. This year he used a
sleigh and frog theme, what else?

Kate made it home from New York along with her fiance'
Jeremy Friedman.

Judy and Louis look over the gift Mom selected for her three girls, Merry, Judy and Natali. Music box playing "As Time Goes By" as a remembrance of Our Love of times gone by. With inscription III John 1:4, my favorite verse.

What a special Christmas.

A FAVORITE NIGHT OF A THE YEAR

We did look like this once, and we like thinking like this.

Tonight is one of our favorite times of the year, when these

five sibblings get together and celebrate the birth of the

baby Jesus, as we were taught by our parents, by conversation,

food and the giving of gifts.

I am so afraid that Edsel and Margie will not make it, however

we are thankful that they are looking forward to a wonderful

Christmas, as their son Chris, wife Jo and little "Miss Macon"

and her brother Daniel John will arrive on Thursday from

England for the holidays. They will be joined on Christmas by

Mark and family Mike's family. This is the first Christmas with-

out Mike and believe me I know what that means. Christmas

is a hard day.

On another note we here believe Betty has everything decorated

in heaven and Leonard has all the trees flocked. As Merry said

not that they need artificial snow in heaven but the Lord knows

how happy it makes him. I am sure he has a fire in some fireplace.

I am looking forward to a great time tonight. My part of the menu

sliced pork tenderloin roast, shrimp, fried chicken, green beans

and beautiful little green onions, relishes.I wish Joy, Peace,

Health and Happiness to all, today as always. Especially I wish

good days for Edsel and Margie. We love you both dearly.

Don't tell anyone but I will publish a picture of us now later.

WINTER'S COMING ON

REFLECTIONS

And then it's Winter

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you
unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I
was young, just married and embarking on my new life with
my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder
where all the years went. I know that I lived them all............
And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes
and dreams.......But, here it is.....the winter of my life and it
catches me by surprise.....How did I get here so fast????????
Where did the years go???? Where did my babies go???????
And where did my youth go?????
I remember well.....seeing older people through the years and
thinking that those older people had no worries, no job,
and their lives were so different to our busy, busy life.
I have since found that those older people had the same love
of life that young people have, have the same desires for
companionship as the young people do.
Although, God had filled my heart with so many memories
of those days gone by, it is still easy to day dream of all the
sweet things of yesteryear. I stood transfixed last night
watching a perfectly round crimson sun hanging motionless
above a distant line of trees, with bare wintry limbs
reaching up as if to puncture the glowing roundiness.
Finally I turned to walk to the car with my friends, but I
glanced back once toward the west. In just those
short minutes, the sun's brillianace had already fled. and
its sharp feature had blurred into the darkened sky around
it. What I had captured had gone. Yet not in my memory.
In sunsets I see gentle greying of older age, I see life's
meaning clearer and loved ones dearer.
I treasure most the lesson from the Psalmist, who sees
heaven reaching down to Kiss the Earth, The Psalmist
says Love and faithfullness meet together. There is
a time and season for everything, this is the season
for all who love to share that love with the world.
Have a blessed Christmas and a healthy New Year.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Three brothers, Leonard, Talmedge, Robert

What a family get-together. The Oakleys and the Pattons. When little Oakley

was a baby.

<> Abbey today at 16 with her sister, Audrey, 18 on left What a happy mother and family the night

Abbey arrived at Nashville airport!
Uncle Leonard was there, with his wife. >>

The new Mom could not wait to put her new

clothes on her.

<< Dad and Gerry at Falls, Monteagle

Johnnie, Dad and Mum on Falls porch>>



Dad with his sister, Phyllis and her husband. Bob.

Not too often, but occasionally, I pause for a moment at the

top of the hill leading to beautiful Jones Hill Cemetery, where

my husband is buried. It is always quite and peaceful. I am

sure that "lovely" is also the right word, although it seems an

odd term for the place so closely associated with the sadness

of death. Beyond the entrance, a pebble path leads around

the back of the cemetery to five small pebble paths leading

through the stones. Usually I find one just right to park beside

the gravestones of my precious mate of 63 years and also the

gravestone of my daughter, Betty. While some of the graves

are remembered with bunches of flowers, I notice one grave is

always permanently covered with heather, and another has its

own blanket of deep purple petunias and white snap-dragons.

As I examine this grave I find it is the grave of a young 16 year

old boy, killed in a car accident. He was a Watertown Purple

Tiger. I think about his parents...........Gone at 16...........I had my

daughter until she was 56. I find Leonard's mother, father, aunt,

uncle, his brother-in-law and Betty Patton Willard on those

stones in our section. I find my name on his stone, my son-in-

law on Betty's, my sister-in-law on her husbands stone.

I don't stay long, change the flowers, express my love, and

start back down that hill. I never visit there without thinking

of the final moment that Leonard slipped into the presence

of the Lord. What an odd moment, almost like an out of body

experience. I did not know then but I know now I was meant

to have the experience of almost literally seeing him being

lifted from that bed and ascending into heaven. Our names

are there, however that is not where we will rest content,

but in the shadow of his sheltering wings, where there will be

no remberance of things past-----only sublime loveliness

forever and ever. The 8th will mark the second anniversary

of his death, it seems like yesterday. In his life was hope,

beauty and loveliness- - - - -WAP

Another Family Tradition

Each year (for the last six or seven) on the day after Thanksgiving, the Regas and Sabonis-Chafee families (my Atlanta grandchildren and great-grandchildren) travel to Murfreesboro to perform a TEN FOOT miracle...They haul my beautiful Christmas tree and box after box of carefully selected tree ornaments up from the basement and joyfully turn them into a work of art. This is their part of Thanksgiving that adds generously to my thankful blessings.

This is indeed a great tradition, starting with the first tree that Leonard and I brought home as a married couple. It always took top priority in our Christmas preparations, and barring none, our tree was always the loveliest ever! Every ornament has a memory, every memory is a gift and every time that tree goes up I see Christmas past and rejoice in the one about to take place.

For every year the Christmas tree,

Brings to us all both joy and glee.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

Much pleasure doth thou bring me!

We are caught up in well-worn, comfy traditions. I ask that the Lord keep them worthy, like a deer path through the forest.They lead us forward then back again. The traditions came from what the British would call the commoners. Both the Pattons and Floyds were from an ordinary world of traditions, so good that we seem to take that path like the deer, back to where we came from. What a decent and lovely heritage we proclaim. My foremost thanks this holiday and every day is thankfullness for that heritage.We rejoice today in friendships, fellowships, acquaintances, parties, and get-togethers of every kind. We gather around this feasting table, humbled by our bounty, of our abundant life. We have so much more than we need. As we poise with fork in hand, ready to overdo, may we learn better how to live as grateful, if overstuffed, children, delighted, surprised, and generous with the sharing of our good fortune. I ask the Lord to help me to share in that abundance, with others less fortunate than we, and may someone, someday,somewhere say I am thankful to have known this person.We are such a part of the past, think of those beautiful tables laid with bounty on Richland Ave. and the wonderful meals always prepared with love on the wonderful Patton farm on Patton Hollow Road. Than take a look at the angel helping in the kitchen right here at 600.May God bless us all abundantly.

The family, Brad with his goat project, Sally giving helping hand
to a student in sewing. The program teaches young men and
women a trade to help them avoid prostitution and stealing as a
trade. They were warned not to expect any Muslims to make
decisions for Christ during their first two, four year terms in their
place of assignment. But God had other things in mind.
Here mothers worry about where they will get something to feed
their baby, not where they will get a baby sitter so they can go shopping.
First Baptist Church, Gruver,Tx sponsored a program and sent money
to buy goats, providing a cup of milk a day for malnourished children.
Another program provides giving a pregnant female goat to families
provided they return the first female kid to the center. What an
interesting and fulfilling program. {Did we get everything we thought
we even had the smallest desire for when we went to the Super, Super
Publix of Kroger this morning?}

The last report from our little family across the waters, is that
Brad is in the USA. I believe he is to speak in Knoxville, but is
spending time with his family in TX and his daughter, Emily at college
in Kentucky. It would be wonderful to see you however it is old
age, not desire that we give up to. May God continue to bless
you, sweetie, and I just pray for lots of safety for your family
while you are away. God Bless