Have you ever had Vietnamese bread? I never had any before today, and it is delicious! It tastes sweet and buttery, but is also very light. Thank you very much to my hair stylists, Chris and Kim in Snellville, for pampering me today, and for the Vietnamese bread!
Happy holidays to all! May you enjoy happy and restful holidays, and a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous new year! Thank you for all of your readership and support during 2017.
Hands at Keyboard (Retrieved from zahraurae.com, January 16, 2016)
Already, another year of blogging has passed and I am into the next one. I must say that I have been somewhat remiss in keeping up with blogging about many interests and issues that I would have liked to, particularly in the past six months or so, however it is a comfort to know that this WordPress platform is here when I have the time for it.
Therefore, I would like to take a moment and express my appreciation to the 34 regular followers of my blog, for recently attaining 100 “likes,” and for amassing nearly 26,500 hits to my page! While I have not kept up with the specific stats this past year regarding the most popular topics on my blog, and it is not a goal to acquire an obscene amount of followers or hits, I am grateful that there are those out there who read and take some enjoyment from my posts.
So, thank you, again, and I hope you continue to have an interest in my posts on WordPress! 🙂
View Toward Tennessee from Cherokee, North Carolina, July 2010
May all of you who are fathers enjoy a happy Father’s Day. Hopefully, you will get a chance to enjoy some R&R, and do something that you like. A special hat’s off to those of you who spend quality time with your children. They are the next generation of leaders, and need you to be good and positive role models for them. Be safe and enjoy this Father’s Day!
David I. Briggs, U.S. Army Service Photo, 1968 (Retrieved May 25, 2015 from http://www.virtualwall.org)
David I. Briggs, a distant cousin of mine, was a man who I never knew, but whose pain for his loss I felt through the hearts and spirits of his family – his mother, father, and sisters. David was the only son of Ivan Francis Briggs (1907-2000) and Louise (Gullo) Briggs (1915-1997) of North Collins, New York. He was 21 when he and most members of his battalion (C Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division) were killed in heavy gunfire in Tay Ninh, Vietnam on November 23, 1968 (Small, 2001).
It is my understanding from having read an article in the Hamburg Sun, that David’s battalion invaded an opposing forces’ base camp, but underestimated their strength (Gordon, 2012). David and his captain were the first to have sacrificed their lives in that invasion (Gordon, 2012). Thirteen men of the battalion were killed on that November day (Small, 2001).
Vintage Memorial Day Remembrance (Retrieved May 25, 2015 from http://www.crazywebsite.com)
I met my distant cousins, Ivan, Louise, and one of their twin daughters, in my early to mid-teens while visiting them in North Collins, New York. Louise was a wonderful cook, and it is said that it is one of the reasons that Ivan married her.
From what I observed, Ivan and Louise also had a love for family. Anyone who knew them could sense the pain and loss they carried with them due to the death of their son, David. I remember after having first met Louise and Ivan that I asked my parents about the sense of deep sadness in them that I felt, and discovered that they still grieved the loss of their son, David.
Funeral Card of David Briggs, North Collins, New York, 1968
At that time, I was astounded to know that Ivan and Louise still grieved for David after so many years, and realized that he was very much loved by them. I believe they carried that sense of grief and sadness in themselves from the time that David was killed until their own deaths. When I met them, nearly 20 years had passed, and they were still hurting from his death. Family said that it broke Louise’s heart when David was killed; she was never the same after that.
So, while I never knew David, nor, I believe, any men who have been killed during the course of duty in war, I know that they will always be remembered for their bravery and for giving the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. May we remember and honor all those who have gone before us, who have given their lives to make this world a better place. May God bless you, David, and may you rest in peace.
References:
Gordon, C. (July 13, 2012). Traveling Vietnam wall coming to Eden, Briggs remembered. Hamburg, NY: The Sun. Retrieved May 25, 2015. http://www.thesunnews.net/news/916-Traveling_Vietnam_Wall_coming_to_Eden,_Briggs_remembered.html
Small, L.R. (2001). David Ivan Briggs. VirturalWall.org. Retrieved May 25, 2015. http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BriggsDI01a.htm
Orange Rose, Snellville, Georgia, May 9, 2015
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, moms-to-be, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and anyone who serves in this blessed maternal role! Please enjoy this photo of a beautiful orange rose that I snapped yesterday in my neighborhood! 🙂
Easter Bouquet (April 5, 2015)
May this beautiful bouquet of Spring flowers find you enjoying a blessed and happy Easter!
Flowering Cherry Trees in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
We have had two or three days of rainy weather within the past week that have really brought out the Spring flowers and plants near Atlanta, Georgia. Floral buds are blossoming with fragrant and beautiful flowers.
Red Camelia in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Leaf buds are bursting with fresh, new leaves. The daffodils are already just about done for this year, however the azaleas are just beginning to bloom. I saw the first azalea flowers in bloom in my neighborhood today – they are on two red flowering bushes.
First Azalea to Flower in my Neighborhood this Year (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Please enjoy this collage of photos of some of the my neighborhood flowers, plants, bushes, and trees springing forth the new life that comes with Spring. 🙂
Flowering Tree in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Flowering Tree in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Flowering Tree in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Flowering Tree in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
The View from Underneath a Flowering Cherry Tree in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
A Flowering Fruit Tree in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
A Flowering Shrub in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Holly and Berries in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Patch of Clover in a Neighbor’s Yard (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Daffodils in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Pink Camelias in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Tree Seeds on a Tree in my Neighborhood (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
Even the dandelions are out in full force already!
The Yard with the Most Dandelions in my Neighborhood! (Michele Babcock-Nice, March 23, 2015)
I hope you enjoyed this stroll through my neighborhood, seeing many of the flowers and plants that have sprung forth with new life again this Spring. I can hardly wait until the azaleas are in full bloom!
Happy Thanksgiving! (Retrieved from http://www.vintag.es, November 27, 2014)
On Thanksgiving, what I am always most thankful for is my family. My family is always there for me in thick and thin. My family has weathered many storms and enjoyed sunny days together; I can count on my family for love, compassion, and support, and I provide the same to them. I don’t have a very large family, nor do I have much money, but I have a big heart, full of lots of love. My love is shared with and among my family, for whom I am most thankful on Thanksgiving and every day.
Other things for which I am thankful include food, faith, community, freedom, education, technology, career, and health. I am thankful for food, though it is not easy to get by from month to month with food prices continuing to rise. I appreciate my faith because, if it was not for that, I would not be where I am today, and things would likely be much worse. I am grateful for community, such as organizations that provide fellowship, to my family.
I am always thankful for freedom and I remember my grandmother’s stories about when she lived in Communist Poland, with people fearing for their lives when homes were raided in the middle of the night and people were never seen again. I am grateful for education, though the large debt required to pay for it is a hardship. I appreciate technology that makes life easier. And, I am thankful for career in many capacities, including that of being a mother, as well as for the potential of a stable gainful and enjoyable employment in a workplace with decent people, if that is ever attainable. I am thankful for my good health so I do not have to pay out-of-pocket to see the doctor as a result of being without health insurance.
So often, organizations such as colleges, churches, and charities have fundraising drives to help give to those in need. When I am asked to donate, I reply that I could benefit from some assistance, myself. As a poor single white mother, so often such places overlook people such as myself, as has occurred again this year. People in my shoes are reduced to begging for even a little bit in return. People may maintain the perspective that whites have privilege and that is definitely a stereotype that hurts poor white single mothers such as myself because the majority of any aid, as I observe, goes to people of other races.
I am also thankful for the holes in some of my shabby clothes and worn-out shoes, the place that I live even though it is not my own, the student loans that provide opportunity, my nearly decade-old vehicle that is still in great shape, and that sacrifices that I am able to make for the benefit of my family. I am thankful for the $15 haircut that I get every two months instead of going to a salon and spending loads of money, and the $3 bottle of fingernail polish that I can use for a manicure or pedicure instead of going someplace to have it done for me. I am grateful for the free lunch that I eat twice each week at my apprenticeship, and for the store closing sale at the local KMart where I can save a few dollars on Christmas gifts for my son. I am thankful for what little I have because more is always spent than saved.
These are additional reasons why I am thankful for my family, particularly at Thanksgiving. Every so often, there is that rare person who comes along who might be caring and/or supportive, but with my family, I know they will always be there, in good and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. People should be more important than money and possessions, and indeed, my family is most important to me.
So, on this Thanksgiving, I invite you to think about family, values, and people in need. Think about and be thankful for people who are close to you. Think about people whom you see at work or in church every week who have little or nothing, and who are usually overlooked in their need. Take action on what you can do rather than what you cannot. Open your heart and mind to see what you do not want to see, and take action for what you otherwise would not have done. A little bit goes a long way, especially for folks who don’t have much.
Happy Thanksgiving! Remember what you are thankful for!
My Son’s Mother’s Day Drawing of and Message to Me, May 9, 2013
This week, I was voted #1 mom in the world by my son! 🙂 Being a mom is a wonderful thing! It is an experience that cannot be replaced, and must be lived every moment of every day. I love being a mom to my son. As a mom, I do my best to invest as much quality time and care into him as possible. Each and every day, I feel and know that I have been blessed by God to be a mom. My child is the only one I will ever have; and I always do my best to act in ways that will benefit him.
Not only do I have compassion, care, understanding, and nurturance for my own child, I am concerned for the welfare and well-being of all children. Children live in a world that caters to adults, including adult interests, needs, and wants. Sometimes, people overlook what is most beneficial for children, and make decisions and take actions that best serve adults. As a society that I hope becomes more enlightened, I am one who encourages increased understanding, appreciation, rights, and protections for children. And as a mom, I believe this is imperative for the benefit and well-being of my child, as well as children throughout the world.
On this Mother’s Day, let us honor, remember, and appreciate our moms. And, for those of us who are moms, let us remember why we became moms. Each mother is a role model for her children, and has been given a great responsibility to raise, care for, protect, and nurture her child(ren). In our world of increasing adult self-interests, it is vitally important to remember and support mothers, so that they can provide for and do what is best for their children. Thank you to my son and extended family for remembering, honoring, appreciating – and most of all – loving me on this Mother’s Day. 🙂
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