It is a story unlike any other. I can hardly wait to tell it to you, however you will probably not find it to be a story of intrigue, mystery, murder or mayhem, but a story about a family, some of their troubles and struggles and some fun. This is the story of the Blankenships and their happenings in the past month or so.
Some things since I last wrote here, and to update a little bit on my wife Madge is that for her she seems to have nothing to be too concerned about, at least according to the cardiologist she has seen. She does seem to be doing okay, but just has not much energy. Yet, she nevers stops.
On May 01, 2008 Madge, and her sister Margaret drove down to Philip’s and Sarah’s for Natalie’s first Birthday, and to spend some time with Philip and Sarah. Charity and her husband Paul drove down on the second day, and the party was on the third. My parents, Mike and Juanita wanted to go down to for the party so we hopped in their car on Saturday morning May 03, and drove down in about three and a half hours. It was a good party, with Sarah Joyce’s parents and grandfather, brother and sisters as well.
On that Saturday afternoon there was nothing fancy. One thing that has become traditional for the children of the first birthday is to make them a singly cake with frosting, and set that cake before them, and watch them devour and destroy it. Some of the pictures of these events are quite humorous, and will be in family memories for many, many years to come.
Philip has become the gardener. He has plowed and planted he and his family a pretty good size garden. He even has a peach tree or two growing on the place and they are producing peaches. He is really looking forward to some of their fruit.
After the party was over I drove Mom and Dad home with Madge and Margaret following in the van behind us. We made a non-stop trip all the way up to about Bentonville, then we stopped and ate. I would have driven until we arrived at the WalMart in Cassville, but I received a call on my cell phone, asking to pull in and eat somewhere. So, that is what I did.
We arrived at the Dad’s and Mom’s about 9:30 p.m. or so, then, Madge and I went home to begin getting ready for bed, and prepped for the day of worship in our church on Sunday.
On the weekend before Memorial Day my sister and I along with my wife, a nephew, and a friend of his went to our family cemetery and done some needed clean up work. By the time we were finished it looked much better, but there is much more to be done. Since our parents, and Dad’s family is getting older they are no longer able to care for it, so that now falls to the younger generation, and it should be done with joy, and will be done with joy.
This past week Madge and I have been away at a Campground called Baptist Hill Assembly. It is the campground I attended as a youth, and after I was called to preach, I went many years as a counselor, and a teacher a few years, and saw many young men accept Christ as their personal Savior. We were serving as cooks to about 196 campers and staff this past week. And, NO! We were not the only cooks there was a good crew of about nine total. We served pancakes and sausage this morning (Friday) and the mornings before various and sundry good breakfast foods. For lunches we served things like sandwiches, and hotdogs or conies. For the evening meal, I call supper, some call dinner, we served fried chicken one evening, Spaghetti one evening, and something else good, that I don’t remember the other evening. This is something we enjoy, and it helps out our Association with costs and keeps the kids expenses down too. The cost for each camper was only 65 dollars, and most camps have it up over a hundred dollars. In a lot of situations the churches the kids come with pay their fee. God is great and the cost and time is worth all the reward, the eternal reward especially.
The Lord willing we will be going back in July for our Associational Children’s camp. It will be with the same cooks, but a different bunch of kids, maybe some different CGL’s [used to be counselors, but for legal reasons that had to change], and I think that means “Camper’s Guidance Leader”, but of that I am not real sure.
The Summer time is quickly approaching, and the annual Family Fourth of July event will be here before you know it. That is a day we all look forward to. Our family gathering is nearing too. That is the time near our Kid’s mother’s birthday when they all come to our house and just hang out together a day or two. This year I am planning on taking that Sunday off from our Church, and going somewhere else to church with our kids. Last year we were talking of a campout, but that does not seem to be materializing.
Sarah Lynn, that is Timothy’s wife is having a baby on June 30. How do we know the date, because it is going to be born through surgery. I said “surgery” because I am uncertain of how to spell the correct term for it. We are looking forward to that wonderful day. I know Timothy and Sarah are.
I have found out that one of the men who worked at camp with us is related to us through the Blankenships. His mother is my grandfather’s cousin. The way Forrest described it my grandfather was her “favorite cousin”.
Have a great month of June.
-Tim A. Blankenship