Back in the Day

Some of you know that I grew up in a southern gospel music ministry.  My family, known as The Dunsmores, traveled all over the eastern U.S. singing in all kinds of diverse venues. One common venue for southern gospel singings was a high school auditorium.  I wrote this short story of a night spent doing what our family did every weekend, in a high school auditorium.  Enjoy...
The stage was made of old hardwood.  It smelled old.  It had character, though, from many years and many feet that had passed along its surface.  I wondered how old this high school wsa, what year it was built, and how many students had stood on this stage and performed in a play, or won a spelling bee.  Suddenly, my wondering thoughts were disrupted by my Dad whispering in my ear, "One more song and we're on".  I looked at the drummer who was on stage now, and winced as I realized how much rearranging of the drums was needed for me to be able to reach them all enough to play them.  The song was ending.  It was time.  I looked behind me to make sure the band was all there. Yep,there they stood cracking jokes as usual.  Five guys, four of them my cousins, three of them my age, still in our teens.  They were whispering and scheming about putting on roller skates they had found in the band room behind the stage. Greg played bass, Jerry played rhythm guitar, Bill (Pig) played keyboard, and Mark played lead guitar, banjo, dobro, steel, and any other musical instrument he picked up.  He was phenomenally talented.  Barney, the non-cousin, sang bass.
As we walked onto the stage the small crowd politely applauded.  The auditorium was a bit over half-full.  In this small town high school auditorium, we were singing to about four hundred people, a third of which were other groups and their families & friends. I tried my best to remember what it was like when The Dunsmores sang in front of packed auditoriums, but I was too young back then to remember any of it now.  I just have the stories and newspaper articles to aid my memory.  Those were the glory days of true southern gospel music, performed by true God-fearing, Jesus-loving, folks who had a calling to go out and share the good news of Jesus with the world. My family fell into that category, but music industry had moved on, and it was now all about how much product was sold. Like Dad always said, "I don't care if it's twenty people or twenty thousand, we give them our best, that's why we practice every week". 
The first song was fast, so it was hard to play and pull the drums in at the same time. I missed a beat or two, but managed to get the drums back in order.  By the end of the set the crowd was on their feet, some applauding, some "Amen"ing, and some praising the Lord. 
The four hour trip home was comical, as always. My cousin, Mark, stood in the front of the bus and provided standup comic relief with his impersonations. My face hurt after a few minutes from laughing so hard.  Even Dad laughed,and he usually doesn't laugh when he's driving. Jerry and Greg were arguing over a girl they'd met at the record table.  They couldn't remember her name, but she had given Jerry her phone number. Greg was fuming. Meanwhile, Barney was sitting on the couch in the back of the bus,already snoring, with his head cocked back and mouth wide open while drool dripped down the side of his chin. PIg walked back there to change, saw Barney snoring, and immedialely yelled to Greg and Jerry to "Get Mark", meaning that a practical joke was soon to be played.  Mark stopped in the middle of his impersonation of Dad singing, "Home is so much more than winders, walls and doors" when he saw the mischievious grin on Jerry's face.  He grabbed his shaving kit from his bag and squirted some on his hand.  They all four applied some of it to Barney's nose, hands, and bare feet.  They then took his tie and tickled his nose with it.  Barney jumped, yelled, and sneezed all a the same time.  Shaving cream and snot flew in all directions.  "Barney!! You ruined my new Bachrach's shirt! I paid $100 for this shirt", yelled Greg.  "It sure didn't get you that girl's phone number tonight, now,did it", Pig joked. Greg again started fuming.  Barney started laughing, in his notorious, "Hya hya hya" bass voice.  Nothing could make him mad.  He laughed at everything, even with shaving cream all over his face, hands, and toes.  Mark just stood their grinning, satisfied with his practical joke handiwork.
Oh how I miss the good ol days.

Quotes to live by.....

I love all scripture, inspiring song lyrics, and wise quotes, so I'll share some of my favorites with you here....

Scripture:
 - John 14:27:  "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid".

 - Psalm 46:10:  "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth".

 - Ephesians 6:13:  "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand".

 - Romans 8:18:  "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us".

 - Jeremiah 29:11:  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".


Song Lyrics:
 - "Oh, no, You never let go through the calm and through the storm.  Oh, no, You never let go, Lord, You never let go of me" -- Never Let Go

 - "Jerusalem, I want to rest on the banks of your river in that city, city of God" - Jerusalem

 - "I wanna know how it feels to make my way down the streets of gold.  I wanna know how it feels to have a talk with the saints of old.  I wanna know what it's like to rest my feet by the river of life.  I've heard of Heaven, and I know that it's real.  I wanna know how it feels".  - I Wanna Know How It  Feels

 - "A strong wind or lightning never panics the Lord.  He's master of everything, He can bring sweet accord, like conduct the tempestuous see in sweet melody, and the lightning and thunder will sing harmony" - Don't Look at the Waves

 - "We'll meet again on the other side of Jordan.  There will be a brand new morning in that land.  Walk hand in hand, we'll forget what pain has been.  We'll rejoice for death shall end.  We'll meet again" - We'll Meet Again (written by my good friend, Ray Scarbrough).

 - "Father forgive me for the sins that I produce.  Not seen on the outside, but inside running loose.  My outward appearance hides the inner truth.  Consume the inside with love and praising You" - Consume the Inside (written by my good friend, Keith Howard).

 - "Whatever You're doing inside of me, it feels like chaos but somehow there's peace.  It's hard to surrender to what I can't see, but I'm giving in to something Heavenly" - Whatever You're Doing

 - "Amazing love, how can it be that You my King would die for me?  Amazing love, I know it's true, and it's my joy to honor You, in all I do, to honor You" - Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone

 - "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was, and is, and is to come.  With all creation I sing praise to the King of Kings.  You are my everything, and I will adore You" - Revelation song

 - "It always makes a difference when Jesus passes by.  The devil trembles, the enemy flees when Jesus comes on the scene.  He always shines a ray of light, the darkening clouds must fly.  It always makes a difference when Jesus passes by".


 Inspiring Quotes:
 - "Small minds discuss people.  Average minds discuss events.  Great minds discuss ideas" - Eleanor Roosevelt

 - "Talent is good.  Practice is better.  Passion is best" - Frank Lloyd Wright

 - "Knowledge must bow to Spirit"

 - "Faith is not believing that God can.  It is knowing that God will"

 - "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 - "When you're feeling stressed, remember Moses started out as a basket case, and the Lord made something of him anyway"


And that's my $.02

The most wonderful time of her year

We took our baby girl to "Meet Your Teacher" night last night.  I refer to my 6-year-old 1st grader daughter as my "baby girl" bc she will always be my baby girl, even when she's a mommy herself (Let's hope I live long enough to experience that, by the way).  Well, God smiled really big on her and gave her the best teacher, Mrs. Babelay, and made sure that her friend and neighbor, Braden, is in her class, too, which makes her world nearly perfect.  The only thing missing in her 1st grade class is Caroline, her bff in Kindergarten.  Caroline is the sweetest little red-headed ball of energy that I've ever seen, who reminds me of myself about 35 years ago.  But Hannah told me last night that it's ok, bc she can play with Caroline in after-school care, "when you don't have to be quiet or do any work, you can just play". 

Let me insert a prequel here.  See, we live in a subdivision full of young families, and six out of seven of the homes on our little cul-de-sac lane have kids between the ages of 2 and 10.  There are eight kids on our street, to be exact, plus two more who live close enough to be a part of our cul-de-sac family.  I was pregnant with Hannah when we moved into our house more than six years ago, so Hannah has "grown up" with these kids.  We birthday party together, garage-sale together, and congregate in the street chatting while the kids play until past everyone's bed time several nights a week, weather permitting.  We are as close to family as you can get. 

So last night was an impromptu celebration of sorts for the kids.  They told each other what teacher they got, who's in their class, and how excited they are to go back to school on Monday.  They rode their bikes and scooters, played camp, and shot some basketball.  It was fun to watch their blissful little faces as they played, and one of those moments that I believe I'll remember for a long time. 

It's nice to enjoy life's priceless little moments unfold, knowing you didn't have to pay a dime for it, and no amount of money could buy it anyway.