Tuesday Thoughts

Good Morning Friends...It's Tuesday already...and I'm afraid I'm not keeping up with everything, like the Tuesday 4 meme, etc.  But we've had some sad news in our family, and that, along with still recuperating from this bug I've had, has kind of slowed me down.

My husband's cousin "Sonny", Charles E. Kirk II, (on the left below), passed away this past weekend after a prolonged illness.  He would have turned 80 in January. 

Cousin Sonny, hubby's brother Billy, and hubby John, circa Thanksgiving, 2009, at their family camp in the Ocala National Forest.

Here again, Sonny is with his lovely wife Joy, and our cousin Jane is on the front left, and my MIL "Nanny" Vivian is on the front right. This was probably in 2017, while "Nanny" was still living in the nursing home.

Sonny is the son of my MIL's oldest sister Nellie.

Here's the obituary just posted by his wife Joy on Facebook today:

"Ellijay, Georgia
Charles Eugene Kirk, Jr. (Sonny, Tiny), 79, passed from this life to his heavenly home on November 25, 2022 surrounded by family.
Charles was born January 9, 1943 to Charles Sr. and Nellie Kirk. He graduated from Apopka High School and continued his education at Mississippi College where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Charles spent his career in furniture manufacturing and after selling his business in 2007 retired to the North Georgia Mountains. He was a founding member of Ellijay City Church.
His survivors include:
Joy Kirk (wife) of Ellijay, GA and Jane Driver (sister) of Wildwood, FL.
Three sons: Charles Eugene Kirk, III of Centerville, Ohio, Brennan Kirk of Buford, GA, and Matthew McDowell of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Two daughters: Melissa Kirk of Buford, GA and Julie McDowell of Ellijay, GA.
Five grandchildren: Dustin Schaefer of Addison, TX; Duncan Schaefer (Courtney) of Bowling Green, KY; Caleb Kirk of Athens, OH; Olivia Kirk and Asher Kirk of Buford, GA.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents: Charles Eugene Kirk, Sr. and Nellie Mae Martin Kirk Capansky; his two daughters, Jannelyn Gail Kirk Shaeffer and Lorie Gailynn Kirk.
In lieu of flowers it was Charles’ wish that donations be made to his most recent passion, the building of Ellijay City Church, P.O. Box 1596, Ellijay, GA 30540.
For online donations go to www.EllijayCityChurch.com.
A celebration of life will be held in his honor on Wednesday Nov 30 at 6:30 pm at Ellijay City Church. For our friends from out of town we will be celebrating him again on what would have been his 80th birthday (his request). Details to follow later!"

 Since we are included in the "friends (family) from out of town", we will be "celebrating him again on what would have been his 80th birthday" in January.  Sonny had been looking forward to his 80th birthday celebration, and they were already making plans to have such a gathering when he took ill last month.  He told his wife that he would like for her to still have his birthday celebration whether or not he was present, and so that is the plan.  We are planning to travel north to Ellijay with our kids Benton and Rose when the time comes. Thankfully that isn't until after Christmas, so we will have time to plan.

And hopefully we won't have any more sickness here by then and will be ready to travel.  This morning I tried to go to Dixie Cottage but couldn't stay long.  I am having some tummy distress as an aftermath of sinus drainage and medications...and needed to come home.  "enough said".

So I haven't been able to do much of anything.  I have taken down all the fall/Thanksgiving decor and am starting to put out a few Christmas things, but the tree and all the major trimmings will have to wait until the weekend, when our son Scott will be home to help get things out of the shed. I took a look around inside the shed to see if hubby and I could do it alone, and decided we'd be better off to wait for help.  Everything is stacked up high and out of our reach...well organized for a change, but arranged by Scott, who is very tall and agile and strong.

Most of these tubs stacked up are Christmas decor. The tree(s) are to the left.

And the outdoor things are stuck behind these shelves/tubs, so I definitely can't get to them.

One interesting side note here...one of our dear blogging friends, who shall remain unnamed, may recognize the large red storage totes.  Not long before we moved to this house, she and her dear "beloved" had also moved into their new house, which is about an hour's drive from here.  Once they finished their unpacking they had several of these nice totes empty and were so kind to think that perhaps we could use them for storage here at our new house, so they drove them all the way here for us as a gift. We enjoyed a good visit and lunch, and yes, once we got our things better organized the red totes became excellent storage containers for much of our Christmas decor. We were happy to get things out of cardboard boxes so they would keep in better shape.  So you see, our blogging connections reach far and wide...and this is a very special memory of a very precious friendship...

So anyway, the only thing I have done inside thus far is to bring out the Christmas dolls and some of the Christmas tea things, since these are kept inside the house where they won't get too hot in the shed:

Lily Grace has changed into her lovely Christmas dress (which was actually a gift from another of our dear blogging friends!),

 and she joins her other friends at the table ready for a tea party.  These girls usually stay out year round, but I had to put them away while we were having the floors installed, (except for Lily Grace and her dog Bailey, who had to stay out and watch all the action!)

And these are the four Martin Sisters, all ready for their Christmas tea party. I've told you about them before, but in case you've forgotten, these dolls represent my mother in law and her sisters:

L to R: Daisy Pearl, Vivian (my MIL), Nellie Mae, and Dorothy.  I am sure they are all actually joyfully welcoming Nellie's son "Sonny" into heaven these past few days. I can just imagine the commotion that is going on in their corner of heaven.  A very happy reunion for sure.

Well, with those thoughts in mind I will close this for today.  

You know, the Advent season gives us just this same hope. The hope of eternal  life...

Isaiah 9: 2, 6-7

2 "The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

Upon them a light has shined."

6 "For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

It's because of the hope that came through that Child, the Babe in the Manger, Jesus Christ our Lord, that we have the hope of salvation and eternal life.  Because of Jesus, we can face whatever sorrows come our way, because we know He holds our future...and Because He lives, we too shall live!  What joy and peace we have because of that great light that shined in the darkness...