March 26- we hit the road . . . our trip was finally becoming a reality at last. We had prayed and planned it for months -- maybe even a year a two as we wanted to get back to our "home turf" - see our family- visit the Ark Encounter and revisit the places we had lived in our 50 years of marriage.
The kids encouraged it -- gifted it - we got a better vehicle -- and we hit the road.
It was a walk down memory lane and we found ourselves saying over and over "remember when . . . "
Our first stop that Monday morning was Memorial Park Cemetery. It was built in the 1930's and was a beautiful garden always lush with colors during the early Spring.
The Grotto there was a masterpiece of Dionicio Rodriquez who lived from 1891-1955.
The
Abraham Tree was always a favorite of mine.
Our next stop was over to Cherry Road to Harding Graduate School . . .
We moved to Memphis for Terry to enroll in graduate studies at Harding Graduate School of Religion in August of 1974.
Terry got to spend time visiting with a retired librarian, Don Meredith, who remembered that Terry was the first doctoral graduate of Harding Graduate School of Religion. Terry found his dissertation in the library shelves.
We were gifted a book by our favorite professors Annie Mae and Jack Lewis. They both had a profound impact on the two of us.
When we moved there we had just returned from a summer in India in 1974 -- married just 18 months -- and we found ourselves a small apartment for just $99 / month. We had no jobs --
Within a week I had found a teaching position at the Memphis Educational Division of the Nashville Institute for Neurological Studies. I made $400/month and we made it that first year.
By our second year in Memphis, Terry was working 4 jobs - substituting, teaching a girls 8th grade Bible class, a weekly chapel speaker and Bus Minister and even interim pulpit minister for the White Station Church of Christ. White Station was sooo very good to us --even supporting the next two of our summer missions to India in 1976 and 1978.
In 1975-77, I taught Physical Science at Lincoln Junior High in a minority school in Memphis.
As Terry was on staff as bus minister/ interim pulpit minister/ and counselor we were given the parsonage as our home for the last three years of our time in Memphis. The church property had been an old Southern plantation and had sprawling Magnolia trees and lots of room for our dog, Cisco to play and chase kids.
Our friends, the Burtons lived in the carriage house. We often ate meals together and Jeff pulled the worst Halloween prank ever on us.
We have so many great memories of Memphis -- dear friends -- a positive growing Church family. It was there that we suffered miscarriages and a physician discovered that I had a need for a surgery (a metroplasty) that allowed us to carry two wonderful children to full term. Our families visited us often from Illinois and even from our previous church in Wood River. We had a lot of guests in Memphis.
About noon, we headed to Nashville to visit my Alma Mater, David Lipscomb University. 65 years ago my parents began taking our family to the lectureship every year. For 8 years we would have this wonderful family vacation that was like a big Christian Camp - living in the dorms. Of course, my two brothers and I wanted to attend college at Lipscomb. For me it was coming home to get to be on the campus again.
I lived in Fanning Hall my sophomore year with seven of the most wonderful women that I still connect with today. I found myself wanting to tell the students I met on campus what a special place this was -- a protected place. I remember as a student thinking getting to study the Bible every day and be in the context of all things spiritual was a little taste of Heaven.
The Bison, our mascot was often painted by our rival team: Belmont Baptist!
I was a floor supervisor my senior year in Elam Hall. Char, my sister-in-law reminded me last week that I was her supervisor.
Every night under the stars during lectureship we would gather at 10:00 to sing praises. It's a memory that was a deep influence on me.Daily chapel was a pivotal part of each student's day. I looked forward to it. The auditorium looks much different today.
(Today, our grandson, Calvin, reminded me that he goes to CHAPEL at his preschool.)
In completing my Home Economics Education degree I was required to live a 9-week session in the Home Management House.
As a pre-med major, my brother Allen spent countless hours in the Science Building. Allen still practices today as a pediatrician after giving 7+ years to the Army, serving many years in the Army Reserve and having is own practice as a beloved doctor in Peoria IL. I worked for Chemistry professors as a secretary during one-two years in this building.
My brother, Bill, got a business degree from Lipscomb and spent many years in Agri Business in Washington State and Iowa.
Late afternoon, we headed up to Bowling Green Kentucky. I had spent many weekends visiting Bowling Green with my roommate Sharon Brumit and her family. Her family was so welcoming to this Illinois gal who was so far from home
And that was just our first day out!!!
The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey ... These forty (fifty) years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.* Deuteronomy 2:7 *This verse was special to us on our 40th anniversary after we had started Life Park Christian. Ten years later God has continued to bless our journey.
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