FAMILY
While on vacation this summer I bought a little plaque that says "Families are the Love, Memories and Laughter they share." It sits on our entertainment center as a reminder of the fun vacation we spent at the beach, marred only by the absence of two of our grandchildren, who weren't allowed to go with us, as planned.
This is the entire Robertson Clan, and today I want to share with you what I think family means. Our son, Matt, is going through a divorce that was not his choice, and has asked for custody of his two daughters, Alyssa and Charlise. He adopted Alyssa when he married her mother, and Charlise was born after they separated. Yesterday was the last of several court hearings and Amy, Pam and Jud were with us to support Matt. Jud's parents graciously accepted responsibility for Julia and Sam so that Pam and Jud would not have the stress of rushing back to pick the children up from school and daycare. The entire FAMILY was there to support the one who needed us! I am thankful that God has provided us the love and closeness to be there for each other when there is a need. He blessed us with three smart and successful children and later added Jud and the grandchildren to our family. I think that yesterday proved what the word family means! We who are Christians are all ADOPTED by God, and those children who have been placed in our family through legal adoption are so very precious to us. They are on equal footing with the two grandchildren who were added by birth. We thank God for each of them, and ask Him to watch over them and allow us to raise them. It truly does take a "village" to raise a child--a village of family, friends and church family, and most importantly God's guidance. If Matt is granted custody of his two daughters, "the village" will be there for him! So--this is the Robertson Clan as it looks today. Hope you enjoy seeing this, and whenever possible, spending time with this CLAN!

MAMA & PAPA DEAN

This picture, made years ago, is the only one I have of Mama and Papa, my maternal grandparents. It brings back a myriad of memories as I look at who they were, and how they affected my life! When we visited in the summer, their house had a special, cared-for smell of country living. The house itself was made completely of wood, inside and out, with wooden walls, wooden floors and wooden ceilings. The house had a wholesome wood smell, and Mama swept the floors daily to make sure it stayed clean. When we visited, mother always made sure we helped out, so we weren't a burden to them. We helped with the sweeping, dish washing and whatever other chores we were assigned, and they had to be finished before we were free to play and roam the woods. If I could only count the times we raced down the hallway, through the house, from the back porch to the front, and bounded off the steps or one end of the porch or the other! This house, with a hall that separated the house into two side, from the back porch, straight through to the front porch, was set on brick pillars, and at some points under the house, one could stand up without bumping into the foundation boards--and other times one COULD NOT!!! OUCH! Mama and Papa had a collie dog, and he would run under the house, barking because we were running. Woe be the kid that dog nabbed-if you stopped, he would too, and we knew to stop immediately to keep from being bitten!!! There was a wooden swing on the front porch, just right for three or four kids to swing for ages! If one sat in the middle, and held the two chains, pulled inward, the swing would tip backward, and sometimes dump the swinger(s) out, only to be repeated until one learned the exact amount of pressure to use to tip backward without falling!! Quite a feat for kids! Other fond memories this picture evokes are of walking down the red dirt road, hot and sweaty, and coming back to the house for our afternoon treat. This treat was called a "spanking" by Papa and he would have us line up for our "spanking". He would swat each of us gently on the backside, and then send us to the dining room where Mama would give each of us a Dr. Pepper or a Coca Cola--not a Coke, or Pepper, but the full name of the cherished soft drinks. These were real treats because our mother did not believe in allowing soft drinks regularly, so to be given one each day was a delight beyond imagination! One day, I'll tell you about Garland, Alabama and how much fun it was to ride in the back of Papa's pick-up on a trip to the store, but for now, I hope this has given you just a taste of a simpler time when children entertained themselves, and were expected to come up with their own ideas for entertainment. TV was only turned on at night to watch the news. Besides, who had time for TV when the outdoors offered Hide N Seek, and Lightening Bugs, galore!

Fall is COMING!!!!
I want to share with you my "haven" from work! Six years ago, David and I decided to put in a swimming pool for our relaxation in the summer! Our kids, now adults, were delighted, but did ask why we waited until they were grown to do this???? We assured them that their home, food, clothing, education and activities and such prevented us from the luxury of this delightful item, until now! Once the decision was made, we made the best choice we felt we could make--and this is how it turned out! We feel truly blessed to have this pool and we try to share it with friends and neighbors, as well as enjoying wonderful family gatherings each summer! This year, we had the opportunity to open it to the youth fellowship at our church and had a couple of parties for them, along with a cookout once, and a pizza supper another time! Why am I showing everyone our pool now--empty! Well, that's because summer is coming to an end, and with great sadness, I realize that once again the swimming season is almost over! David threatens, almost daily, that "today is the day we need to close the pool". Yesterday, with the outside temperature at a cool 81 degrees, and the pool temperature at 83, I braved the chilly water to swim, again! It is, possibly, the last time for this summer, so I took the cleaning supplies and scrubbed the sides and steps, thinking that just maybe, I can squeeze in one or two more swim days! I hope so--Anyway, if you're ever here in the summer, drop by! Bring your suit and jump right in! As a social worker, whose job is child abuse investigations, this summer respite is just perfect when I come in from a busy day of work. I change into my swimsuit, close the house up, and venture out the back door to the deck where a large umbrella shades my lounge chair, and I can stretch out for a moment, then swim, uninterrupted until David and I decide to go in for supper! Afterward, we return to the pool for another swim, often joined by family and friends, and sometimes relax there until 9 or 10 p.m. We thank God for providing this haven for us, and for allowing us to share it with others!

SCRAPBOOKING--THE NEXT GENERATION
Amy, Pam and I have enjoyed scrapbooking for a few years now and Julia has been with us to group events where we gathered to scrapbook our "memories". Julia asked me a few weeks ago if she could scrapbook too, so I promised that we would start her a book when she visited me this summer! Well--today was the day! As you can see, she took it very seriously! She cropped her own pictures (with a little help from MeMe), put the adhesive on the back and pasted them into her very own book! We had to buy stickers, later, so she's still got work to do, but she is started and she LOVED IT!!!!!
We had a wonderful weekend, as she and her family spent Sunday with us, then Julia stayed to spend the night with MeMe & G-Daddy! We had a very busy Labor Day, playing, shopping, eating and swimming. When it was time to take Julia home, she wanted to stay and play with a friend, Maudie Grace, who had come over to swim with her. Although it was unplanned, the two cuties had on swim suits just alike and they thought that was SUPER! They had great fun splashing in the pool, and we had to promise that they could do this again soon. Grandchildren are the greatest thing going !!!! I adore them!!!!

A SUNDAY VISIT
Last week, my granddaughter, Julia, told her mommy she wanted to visit Aunt Thelma, so on Sunday, we went down for an afternoon visit. My sister, Brenda and her husband Mike, were there when we arrived, as were my brother, Greg, his wife, Debra and two of their beautiful grandchildren, Ellie and Emma, Carlock (April's daughters). That's Ellie in the red checked dress, and dark hair. Next is Emma, Ellie's baby sister, then Julia and her baby brother, Sam who is in Aunt Thelma's lap. It was Aunt Thelma's first time to meet Sam, and I think, Emma, too! Aunt Thelma is 97 and is amazing!!!! We had a wonderful visit, and then Julia came home with us to spend the night! Because she lives in Georgia, her time reference is an hour ahead of ours--before daylight, she came to our bed, ready to get up and start her day!