Uncles....

I have been focusing on the Treat's this week due to father's day.  I placed the Aunts on the blog and today I would like to place the Uncles there.  Charles, Marion, Russell, Jim (dad), Victor, Jackie and Joe.  These are some of the funniest people I have ever known.  They could fuss, but you didn't talk about them.  You could watch for hours as they entertained you and each other. 

It was fun growing up and visiting Granny and Grandpa Treat.  Granny was having children along with her kids.  Jackie and I are close to the same age.  I have several cousins that were also within a few years of each other and it was always crowded when we got together.  I remember one Saturday evening that everyone was out except me and Grandpa.  We sat by the big stove in the living room.  I don't remember ever having another one on one with him.  There wasn't enough of him to spend time with each one individually!

My dad wrote me a long letter once.  I opened it, it said hello and then there were about 15 pages of jokes he had copied from a joke book.  His greatest aim in life was to make people laugh and this year I have been remembering some of the things that he did.  His brothers were his music buddies and so many of the children carried on the tradition.

Well, I am grateful for my memories.  Have you revisited any of yours? 

Remembering Jim Treat....

The above picture is of Jim, LaRue, and Jimmie Roger Treat.  I wasn't born yet.   You can tell it was sometime in the 1940s by the car and clothes.

One of the things I remember about my dad was his love of humor.  He would try any and every way to make you laugh.  Once he found the key, there was no turning back.  If he was in the room, he was entertaining the other occupant (yes, even if there was only one other person).

He loved to embarrass his kids. (Probably, his nieces and nephews, also.)  He would get my younger brother, Jerry, in a crowd and ask him if he was scared.  Jerry would chuckle, then Dad would tell him to stay close to him and he would protect him.  (Jerry was 6'4" and Dad about 5'11").

His favorite joke was (that I remember) two men sitting on a riverbank.  Man One turned to Man Two and said:  "That alligator just bit my leg off!"  Man Two said:  "It Did!  Which one?"  Then Man One looked at him and said , "I don't know, when you've seen one alligator, you've seen them all."

I'm not sure why it was funny, but when he told it, we were all in stitches. 

My father was a musician and it was the one thing that defined him.  We spent a lot of my childhood surrounded by family and friends who played a multitude of instruments.  They would gather and play for hours and hours.  When I close my eyes, I am transported back to that living room and the music that was produced by Jimmie, Charles, Victor, Marion, Russell and later their kids.

(Thanks for letting me ramble about my family today.  I hope that my kids have some really good memories of their childhood, not merely rough patches that we encountered. )

If your dad is still with you - spend an hour hugging him and laughing with him around some memories!

  

The Aunts....

Memories of my Dad and Mom flooded my mind when I saw this picture.  Aunt Talmadge, Opal, Velma, (Mom) LaRue, and Blanche are all prominent women in my childhood.  Every time we went to Arkansas, we would shuffle kids and houses and food. 

They had a garden between Aunt Winoka's (dad's sister) and Granny Treat's houses.  When they cooked, there was always chicken, pork chops, fresh tomatoes, green beans, peas, cornbread, biscuits
and just about any vegetable you can name.  The desserts were plentiful, too!

Love abounds in a crowd and the Treat family is a crowd.  My parents came from two strong groups and remembering their contributions to my life fills my heart with gratitude.

These women contributed to my life in childhood and in adulthood.  God places us in families and I am truly grateful for mine.  I have one aunt from Mom's side - Jessie, alive.  I have one Aunt Geneva and two Uncles:  Jack and Joe, from Dad's.  I love remembering special times we shared.

The Peaceful Pelican raises his head when I remember!

There is love and there is love...

 

 This is Snicker.  She is half Pug and half Chihuahua.  As you can tell, Kamri loves her!  Snicker is a hoot.  She is a fuss budget, tattletale and clingy.  If she can get on your lap, she will.  She lives with two Labs and a mutt.  (Those are her canine companions, not the human ones).

We don't always choose our situation or our surroundings.  We can't always control who comes and who goes.  We don't know when a crisis will happen, but having loved ones around will go a long way in making things better. 

I was thinking about the friendships that God has brought into my life the past few years.  Many of them have been friends for a lifetime.  Some, are relatively new.  But each one has played a part in my healing and my being able to find a way through the challenges of caregiving and post caregiving.  (There is a post caregiving journey.)

Today I encourage you to seek out a friend.  Tell them how much they mean to you and how much their friendship has helped you in your journey!

Also, include God in your gratitude.  He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother...

                                                     Galveston.......

Civil War?

 

The Civil War was a difficult and devastating event in the history of the United States.  Abraham Lincoln fought that war from the White House.  His men fought on the battlefields across the eastern coast.  Misty, Johnathan and Kamri went to Washington DC several years ago and stood at his monument.

Sometimes caregiving seems like a civil war.  Families don't know how to unite and share the load of the one who is ill.  One finds himself, or herself, doing the majority and becoming used up in the process.

How can I get my family members to help?
Is someone trying to help and I am not allowing them to?
What is the best plan for my loved one?

Identify the problem.  Seek someone you trust to help you see clearly some steps to be taken.

Don't fight a war that will choose you as the victim.  There is help.  If you don't see any way, please contact me and I will do my best to lead you to a solution.  jtreatwalker@yahoo.com 

God bless - John 1:5 "The light shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."

Long ago and far away....

In a few days, I will be leaving for Marshall, AR and the Treat Family reunion.  This picture was taken many years ago.  I am the one on my mother's lap.  My older brother, Jim, is beside me.

Each reunion is missing a few more.  My dad came from a family of eleven kids.  When we went to see my grandparents, there were always several cousins sharing the beds and getting along was a necessity.  Their little house seemed large, but when I return, I realize just how small it was and how fitting everyone in was a major accomplishment.

Life is like that front bedroom with three regular beds touching each other and a path between.  Life is full of making things fit and finding ways to successfully achieve an impossible task.  It was not always comfortable, but when I remember those days, I am filled with memories of love and fried chicken, fresh tomatoes and cornbread. 

You can find a way.  Deuteronomy 1:33 says, "...who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go." The Israelites didn't always listen, but if you will, He will give you the answer!


Love this picture.  He is diving for dinner and looks successful!

Confused?

I love this photograph.  When I thought about using it, I saw God and Satan striving for my life and knew that if I chose incorrectly, I would be caught, tried, and sentenced.  The girls are grinning, but life situations are not so funny!

Maybe you are in the center of life challenging choices and aren't sure where to turn or who to turn to.  I never went wrong when I prayed, sought good counsel and was educated on my options.  You can find what you need with God's help.  He has always brought what I need and who I need when I needed them,

Caregivers.com is a wonderful website.  It has links for caregiver information that will lead you to any problem and help you solve it.

 

Galveston wood art from tree destroyed in IKE.