DICY AND COTTON EYED JOE

It was February of  1948 and I had just entered this world.  My sister was an old soul at the time, having just passed the ripe old age of six and 1/2 years.  The family pastor, George Southard, who in my formative years I considered to be a
'Rock Star", approached my sister and asked the  pretty little girl what the family was going to name the new baby?  My sister,  never being at a loss for words responded to the preacher,  " I'm not sure but I think we're going to call him Cotton Eyed Joe."  For the last sixty four plus years I have been thankful my parents didn't let my sister name me.This is one of the earliest stories I can remember hearing about my big sister, but the memories of her started at about the age of 3.

My big sister's name is Dianne but we all call her Dicy.  I don't know where this nickname came from but it does seem fit her rather well.  Of course when I had reached the wonderful age of about three, Dicy had also grown and was now about nine years old.  There are just a few memories that I can pull from the depths of my mind from that far back but there are a couple.  One is that Dicy was taller than me.  I can remember having to look up to her.  Isn't it strange how things work out.  It's now more than sixty years later.  In stature I am now taller and have been for awhile but I still find myself having to look up to her.

 At that time in our life,  we lived in a house in Mableton, Georgia where Ragan Plaza now sits.  I can remember we had these tall Nandina bushes in the front yard.  At the time I thought Dad must have planted these bushes just to entertain Dicy because they attracted what seemed at the time to be millions and millions of bumble bees.  I thought Dicy must be the bravest person in the world because armed with nothing more than an old fruit jar with holes punched in the top she would venture out to the picket fence where the bee bushes were and bring back to the house her bounty of bumble bees.  At the young age of nine,  Dicy had become the great white hunter, and I wanted to grow up to be just like her.  Of course at the young age of three I knew and Dicy knew I needed much practice and training to become a great bee hunter.  Here is why that first memory sticks in my mind so vividly.  Dicy was the elder.  In my mind at that time she was almost a grown-up at the age of nine.  I thought I would never be a great bee hunter like Dicy was. But even at her young age, Dicy was caring,  she was filled with patience and she was willing to share her knowledge.  Dicy got another old fruit jar.  She got the lid and the sharp potato knife and taught me how to punch holes in the top so the bees could breath.  Later on when I thought I had learned everything, I decided to make a new and better bee catching jar all by myself.  As I was punching the holes in the new lid with the sharp potato knife I missed the lid and drove the Sharp potato knife through my hand instead of the lid.  I've tried to recall if Dicy failed to teach me the safety part of making  the bee catching jar or maybe I just slept through that lesson.  I really can't remember so I will just assume I missed that lesson.  Anyway I can remember our maid, Suzy, soaking my hand in Kerosene everyday after that.  Suzy always said the kerosene was good for healing the cut but I still think she was punishing me for using her potato knife.  At my young age it was to dangerous for me to go out into the big front yard to catch the vicious bumble bees so Dicy would spend what now seems like hours and hours on the screened porch perfecting bee catching strategy by catching the safer object of the hunt,  the common housefly.  I would spend days on end catching houseflies.  I must have caught thousands.  As I think about it I must hold the world record for most houseflies caught.  Now you may think the only thing I learned in all of this is how you catch house flies and bumble bees but you would be wrong.  This practice was also very valuable in the catching of lighting bugs in later years.  The other thing Dicy taught me in this process at the time seemed kind of sissy or kind of girly.  As it turned out Dicy was way ahead of her time, although I didn't realize it until I got older.  She taught me about catch and release.  Even at her young age Dicy had compassion and she passed it on to her little brother.

As we grew older we moved to Atlanta and had many more experiences that we learned from.  As I grew it seemed I was always looking up to Dicy and I was always learning from her.  How to act and how to treat others.  How to dress and how to enjoy life.  As I was thinking back on times spent with Dicy,  I tried very hard to think of just one time,  one single moment when I didn't feel welcome in her life.  When she was a teen and I was the little pesty brother,  I cannot ever remember her pushing me away.  I knew all her friends,  she always made me feel apart of what was going on in her life and even today I'm friends with many of these same people. When I needed anything,  Dicy has always been there.  In fact it seems whenever anyone needed anything Dicy has always been there.

I could tell you many more stories of growing up with Dicy and will probably do that at another time.  She has been such an inspiration to our whole family, always putting every one's needs in front of her own.  Now it's time to think of Dicy first.  Doctors have diagnosed her with cancer.  She will meet with the surgeon Monday to determine when surgery will be performed and what other procedures  they will do.  I have no doubt she will be fine.  We have prayed to God and we all know He is in control.  The whole family believes God will use this part of Dicy's life to touch other just as He has used the rest of her life in this way.

Many of you that will read this know Dicy and have been blessed because of knowing her and I ask that you lift her up in your prayers.  Some of you haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting her.  To all of you, I ask that you lift a prayer selfishly that the Lord heal her and take care of her until you can have the great pleasure of calling Dicy your friend also.

As I said,  we have prayed to God and once again we ask for His undeserved grace.  Amen and Amen.

LISTENING 


How long has it been since you had a quite time with God?   No No No....Not a prayer time but a quite time.  For me, it had been awhile.  Oh I've had plenty of prayer times,,, "Good prayer times."  I've done prayer request and I've thanked Him for answering my prayers.  I've praised Him and I've knelt in awe at how good He's been to me and my family.  I've looked to the heavens and often wondered why He loves me so much.  But again I ask..."How about a quite time with God."

Now as you read this,  some of you may think I'm talking about you.  Let me assure you this is all about me.  If by chance it speaks to you,  maybe you should have  a quite time with God yourself.

As I stated before I've had my prayer times.  I'm not talking about that.  What I'm talking about is coming into the presence of God and keeping my mouth shut and listening.  Got that.... "LISTENING" to God.

I did that last night.  It was a cold night.  Our first below freezing night.  I went to bed and pulled the covers up tight against my body and as always I said my prayers.  I thanked God and I asked of God.  I praised God and I thanked him some more.  I told God He was great and I was amazed at His saving grace.  I thanked Him again and said Amen.  Amen is suppose to be the end of the prayer but for some reason it didn't feel finished and I laid there.....And I laid there...And I laid there some more.  And then it hit me,,,I was through with my prayer but God still had His turn coming.....He wasn't through.  God had listened to me,  He had listened with a loving heart and a loving concern.  God had heard my every word.  It was now God's turn to speak.

I pulled the covers tighter,  I turned the volume on the TV down ( I sleep with the TV on) and I said...."OK God...Speak to me."  And He did.

He talked to me about my reaction to the election.  No it wasn't an audible voice but I know it was God's voice.  He said "I know you're disappointed in the outcome and that's OK.  Nothing wrong with being disappointed.  What is wrong is the way you are reacting.  Your reaction has been to argue.  To call the other side names.  To get angry and let your anger fester.  Then you think to yourself...I'm just going to quit.  I'm not going to do my part anymore.  It is totally "us against them" and I'm sure not going to do anything to help them.  I'm going to take my ball and go home."

Then God said something that really hit home.  He said something that I went to sleep thinking about and woke up thinking about.  God said...."Wesley,  your attitude doesn't please Me."  What I was thinking,  What I was saying,  The way I was acting  didn't please God.  I then asked God to forgive me for responding the way I had been.  I ask Him to guide me in the way I should go I asked Him if it was possible to mix Christianity and politics.  The answer came to me not in that Godly voice but in a voice that nonetheless I was assured was from God.  I am a Christian first, and although I'm not of the world I am in the world.  I am in the world to make it a better place.  I am in the world to serve not only God but to likewise serve man.  I am in the world to minister to mankind.  I will hold to my morals,  express my morals and beliefs but I will do so with humility and love and not with haughtiness and anger. 

I had coaches in high school that just like me hated to lose.  To name a couple Julian Mock and Benny Davis.  But they taught me to not only win with dignity but to lose with dignity also.  They taught me about character.  I thank God for reminding me of what these men taught me and I pray I will carry myself in the future as I was taught.

And don't get this wrong.  The fight isn't over.  I will not change my beliefs in order to win but I will fight to change the minds of my brothers and sisters of this great country as God would have me do.  I will treat them as I would have them treat me and by using this strategy, God and the USA will win.  If I have offended anyone of you during this election period I ask for your forgiveness.  Now on to 2014 and 2016 and beyond

To God be the glory...Great things He has and will continue to do.