A Useful Gift!

Some of you have heard me tell a story in my preaching about our first married Christmas. I was not making much money and there were things we needed. Sure, we wanted things but we needed other things more. I put a very practical gift in layaway at Sears for Kelly Jo.

We were opening presents at my parents house and Kelly Jo's gift was wrapped under the tree. When she opened it, she found a brand new Kenmore canister vacuum cleaner!

It took weeks to pay it out of layaway in time for Christmas, but I thought is was the perfect gift. KJ needed a vacuum. It was Christmas. She liked it. It worked good for us. 

My Mother thought this practical gift was a good teaching moment. I needed to learn that wives deserve gifts they want or even something that might be considered luxury at Christmas. She told me to save practical gifts for other times, not Christmas and birthdays.

Even though Kelly Jo loved the Kenmore and used it for years, I have tried to take that lesson to heart, at least part of the time. Thanks for the help Mom!

Let me tell you why I am thinking about a Christmas present 32 years later. Yesterday we were working in the house and Kelly Jo was sweeping sawdust from boards that I was about to paint. We have an old wet/dry vac that we have also had for years.

She need a certain attachment and she knew exactly which one she needed. The job required the gray attachment in the picture below.

You know where that attachment came from, right? Yep, you guessed it. The gray attachment is from the Sears Kenmore canister vacuum that I bought for our first Christmas. She kept the attachments long after the vacuum served its time.

Now, how is that for a practical gift that is still at least partially useful 32 years later?

I do have two question for KJ. I am afraid to add up how many times we have moved from house to house, from RV to RV and from state to state. We have not lived a stationary life at all. 

Question # 1: Where in the world did you keep that thing all these years?

Question # 2: How did you find it exactly when you needed it when I know that you have no clue where your keys or phone are right this moment?

I suppose the mysteries of life will always remain mysteries! I am glad she had it handy!

I sure would like to be useful long after it seems I should be! Maybe Kelly Jo will know what to do with me some day.😁

Have a great day.

Davy

4th of July Parade

We put in a really, really long day on the house yesterday and we are starting early today. That leaves me with a muddy mind and not enough time to sort through the mud for a blog worthy diamond. I will try to work on that.😁

Odie always sends in pictures for times like this. She attended the 4th of July parade with some of the family in Waynesville last Saturday morning. It looks like they had a good time and the weather was nice.

Is that the Bat Mobile?

Wow! Lady Liberty in Waynesville?

This is by far the best thing in the whole parade. My brother Steve driving the tractor previously owned and well used by our Grandpa Godfrey Isaacs. It was restored and is owned by Gary Coffman. 

That is so cool!

Not quite Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade but not bad for a small town.

It is time to get to work. We are trying to finish a phase on a house project today since we are wanting to leave tomorrow for the weekend in Kentucky.

Thanks for reading today.

Davy

Special Visitors

We have had two sets of special visitors the last two days and we were thrilled to see them. 

Monday the Walley family from Pastor Scott Morris' church in Richton, Mississippi came to see us. They are on vacation and planned time to stop in and see the progress on the house.

Some of you may remember that Bro. Sheldon Walley came with Bro. Scott to help frame the house the last week of May.

They worked two long days on the framing of the house and were a great big help. You can read about that week and see pictures HERE.

They text me Saturday night and told me they would be in the area Sunday and wanted to stop and see us. We were out of town preaching so they shuffled their list of things to do and came in on Monday.

They stayed long enough to eat a bite of lunch and drink a little salsa with us at Acapulco. 



They had to move on that evening but we appreciate them driving out of their way to see the house and us. It was very thoughtful of them and may God bless them for it.

Tuesday evening Kelly Jo's parents came to see us. We were just finishing our work on the house as they arrived. Kelly Jo and Odie gave them the nickel tour while I finished up.

They have been covered up with medical stuff and then threw moving in on top of all that. This was their first chance to see the progress on the house. They were glad to see it and we were happy to have them here.

They came to celebrate Kelly Jo's birthday so we ate a late supper with them and enjoyed their company for as long as we could.

Today is another day of work.

Thank you for checking in.

Davy