My Novels

Friday, August 06, 2004

Today I had to make a trip to Wal-mart, NOT my favorite thing to do. But sometimes I need items I can only find there, thus it is a necessary evil. I left around 10:00 and got back near 2:00. Yes, it takes hours to scout the whole HUGE Superstore...and, of course, even though I don't buy everything I want, I like to look at things I might purchase in the future. I did see a nice bike there, which I want to do a bit of research on...ah, I can dream!

Absolutely PERFECT weather, unbelievable for August in the South! It is a mild 83 degrees today, light wind and sunny...feels almost like a hint of Fall in the air. A cool front came through last night, and though we only got one small shower, the temps are supposed to stay in the low 80s all weekend! Hope DH and I get lots accomplished on the place this weekend; we're hoping to get two loads of gravel delivered either this afternoon or tomorrow morning for the new driveway and carport.

I got a check in the mail today from Amazon.com; it was from past sales of my novels, when those were available there. Not a great windfall, but nothing to sneeze at either! I'm also an associate, and occasionally review books at my website, and earn money when readers click on my link to Amazon.com to buy a book I recommend. That brings in a small amount, but still worthwhile, since I love to read anyway and reviews are easy.

I finally finished typing up some information/facts about this area from a regional history book. I thought it would make an interesting side-bar when I put together all the data about previous owners of this land/house. I want to eventually get all that printed up in a grand style, have it framed and hanging on the wall in the living room. I detest straight typing, though my speed is blazing fast; it's just a bore, and something I put off till necessary. And it was necessary to get that done, since I had to return the history book to the library today when I was in town.

What else? The other morning I was thinking of my paternal grandmother, and a vivid memory came to me: She and I are standing in the front bedroom of their old house, it's Sunday morning, and the sunshine drenches the clear long windows. We are making up the bed, and as she snaps the crisply clean sheets out, then drapes them over the bed, I smell that fresh 'outdoor' air scent that comes from laundry dried on a line. Then I hear the small radio being turned on, and a Gospel Quartet sings a song my grandmother loved. I can almost transport myself back to that day, it is so real in my memory...

Anyhow, I never attend church, and my grandmother wasn't a regular either. She DID believe in God, but often said one didn't have to be inside a church to "worship" in their own manner. In fact, often she and my grandfather would read the Bible a few hours each Sunday afternoon, during a quiet, peaceful time...and that was their idea of worship. At any rate, I became curious about the song I remembered, looked it up on the web and found the lyrics:

I'LL FLY AWAY

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away.
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O Glory,
I'll fly away.
When I die, Hallelujah, bye and bye,
I'll fly away.

When the shadows of this life have flown,
I'll fly away.
Like a bird thrown, driven by the storm,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O Glory,
I'll fly away.
When I die, Hallelujah, bye and bye,
I'll fly away.

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away.
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O Glory,
I'll fly away.
When I die, Hallelujah, bye and bye,
I'll fly away.

- Words and Music by A. E. Brumley, 1932


Ah, yes...I can almost hear that song again... It evokes a beautiful, pure love, the warm, wonderful feeling of my grandmother's house, her dear presence.

And I will ALWAYS have her memory, which is the gift she left me simply by being the wonderful, loving person she was to me.

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