News items ????

[Jo McDonald]

Hello to everyone.
Remember if you would like for the rest of us to share in your Thanksgiving happiness, send me an email or a PM.
Who shared the meal at your home -- where did you travel to be with family and friends -- What made your Thanksgiving Day special ??

I would appreciate items for the "Howard Happenings" column for this next week.

  Telephone #  374 5058
Email     jomcdonald@sktc.net

  Thank you in advance  and stay safe in your travels, and happy in your heart.
  Wishing you all a Wonderful Thanksgiving.

[Varmit]

Thought I would share this...

We had a Thanksgiving get together with my sister and her kids, and one of my Uncles and his wife, and my Dad.  My mom couldn't be here because he is taking care of my other sister in N.C.  Now I don't know about anybody else but what made it special for me was that my aunt was there.  She is a remarkable woman.  I haven't known her for very long but I really like her.  A few years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was able to get it into remission.  However it has come back and spread.  The trip here was very hard on her as they live in Oklahoma and traveling or any movement at all is very painful for her.  Yet the whole time she was here she had a smile on her face and didn't once complain.  When she found out that our dog had puppies she said that she wished she could see them so I went and got one for her.  Funny thing is that the pups are still new enough that when you pick'em up they start crying, but when I handed her the pup it quieted down and fell asleep in her lap.  While she was holding it her face lit up and her eyes got their twinkle back and she was even able to laugh a little without coughing.  Watching her with that pup made me realize that in our hustle and bustle of life we tend to put emphasis on the wrong things.  We tend to spend countless hours on obtaining things that we think we need to make us happy.  That big new truck, that new house, or a sparkly new boat are what we devote our enegry on, when we should be focused on the little things that God has blessed us with.  Time with family and friends around a home cooked meal, those few minutes between sunset and moonrise that God paints His sky with colors that are unmatched, or hearing your kids laugh, or that cold nose in the morning that wakes you up because its owner needs to go outside.  Those are the things that I give Thanks for.  Because after the day is done, those are the things that matter.  

Kinda off topic but I once heard a christian woman say that there are no dogs in heaven.  To that I say, Bah Humbug.  If God wouldn't allow dogs in Heaven, then He wouldn't have made them mans best friend.

[larryJ]

Thanks for sharing that, Varmint.  Everything you said was right on.  We had our Thanksgiving on Friday at my daughter's house which is about 5 miles from us.  It was just my wife and I, daughter and husband and their two daughters, my wife's two siblings, and two ladies we invited because they don't have much family to celebrate with.  My four-year-old granddaughter (almost 5, papa) came over to the couch where I was sitting and snuggled up next to me without saying a word.  I told her that she would have friends during her life and some would be friends for a long time.  But, family is forever.  She looked up at me and said she was very happy with her family and especially with her papa.  The food could have been bad, the company boisterous and loud, but I was giving thanks to God for my little four-year-old (almost 5, papa) granddaughter.

Larryj

[Jo McDonald]

Billy and Larry,
   Thank you both for sharing your Thanksgiving Day memories with us, your forum family.  Your messages are the true meaning of
Thanksgiving, family and God's blessings.

[jarhead]

I dobt very few had a more "thankful' Thanksgiving than my family did. on Nov 6 I took our middle daughter, Brenda, to Tulsa for a MRI on her neck. Having bad headaches for 3 months thinking it must be a pinched nerve in her neck. WRONG !!! Had a mass in her brain just a little bigger than a golf ball. A week ago yesterday she had a brain tumor about the size of a jelly bean removed and it was causing the larger mass which was spinal fluid being backed up into her brain from the little tumor. It all went good and she she was released from the hospital less than 48 hours after the surgery. They are 99% sure it's benign but has to have MRI's fairly regular for a year or so. She is supposed to take 4-6 weeks recovery -BUT---she's at work today !! Light duty of coarse but Teresa might want to buy a new shotgun at Flint Oak so Brenda HAD to be there just in case . I think she only got that tumor to scare the crap out of ol Dad & Mom and make me miss my much antisipated Nam reunion but pay backs are hell. Now she has the back of her head shaved and a nice 6-7 inch scar down the back of her head.

[Diane Amberg]

Holy Cow! I'm sure glad all seems OK. I guess she was successful in scaring the bejeepers out of you all. Happy thanksgiving! Hair grows back and scars will fade. Give her a big hug from all of us.

[mayflower]

Jarhead,

Please tell Brenda that Richard and I are thinking of her, and tell her to take it easy! She is such a great gal!

Thanks,

Anna Beth and Richard Fish

[Jo McDonald]

Give that sweet girl my love.  So glad that she had the MRI and that every thing that needed to be done for her was successful.
  Your family was blessed once again.  Love to you and yours
Jo and Fred

[Judy Harder]

Ronnie, I am so glad that Brenda is doing well.

I have been following her story that has been going around town and of course, I put her on the
prayer list at church.
God does answer prayers.

Now, for my thanksgiving. My family and I celebrated at my sisters this year. It was a bittersweet time since it has only been 3 months since mom passed.

That day was also my birthday (67th) and of course, first with out Mom. Kind of tough......but knowing where Mom is has had the mourning a little bit easier.

I did have a nice surprise. My nephew has just bought a Fat-Boy Harley Davidson and he knows I love motorcycles..........the women........my sis, sister-in-love and I were cleaning up kitchen and JP came in and told me he was just a couple of days of putting his cycle away for the winter, "did I want a ride?"  I never looked around at the girls, just grabbed my coat and followed him out.

He took me on the nicest and most fun ride. I could not control it, it is so big.....but with him as a windbrake and my winter coat and his motorcycle jacket on I had the biggest smile on my face and still smile when I think of the ride.

If you want to see a picture of me on the cycle you need to go to my facebook page.........there is also a video that the sisters took and put on there.

I stayed with Dad and tho the house was quiet....."Mom and I would have talked the time away", Dad is just deaf enough if not in same room and face to face has trouble hearing and altho we did do a lot of talking....not nearly enough.

I hope to go back at Christmas. But will need to find a new dog baby sitter.....cost almost $100 for the visit and I can't afford that.
It was a good visit. God was with me the whole time.

Praise the Lord!

[Jane]

We spent the first Thanksgiving in 3 years with our daughter in Ft. Leonard Wood. She did all the cooking and her boyfriend did the dishes. We had a great 3 days with her and since she is living in an apartment by her self, we could relax at her place. The base was shut down for the holidays so we had to go to Waynesville to play pool.