Subject:
The Keeper
Linda Kinkle Cianci
Class of '66
Have just read "The Keeper," an article Bob Cochran wrote a couple of few weeks ago. What really caught my attention was the statement that "People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. There is so much confusion in this world, because people are being used and things are being loved."
This pretty well sums up a conversation I'd just had with our 30-year old son. He had spent the afternoon with one of our pastors, brain-storming. He believes that today's generation, the future of the church and our country, are a bunch of spoiled brats who have no firm grasp on life, and who love things more than they love people. They are stressed-out, burned-out and tuned-out at a very young age. He is now seeing this occur even in teenagers and agonizes on a solution to turn things around. He recognizes that every generation has said the same thing about the younger generations, but the difference is that he is recognizing these things about his own.
Yes, Bob, you are right, there is SO much confusion in this world. Your comment about wanting, just once, to be wasteful, not have to re-fix and re-new.....funny, I'm still saying that sometimes today. We tried to teach these values to our children, because that's how we learned. However, most of our children's generation had "things" lavished on them because our generation didn't want them to have to grow up the way we did. They've grown up in the era of "throwing it away because there will always be more." Now, most of us, their parents, are trying to figure out how to turn back the clock and raise our children more like the way we were raised... to know what it's like to have to work to survive, not merely to acquire more things.
Mike and I recently became Dynamic Marriage certified facilitators (check out www.familydynamics. net for workshops and facilitator training in your area). Whether your marriage is great, "good enough" as Bob said, or in trouble, it's worth every minute you spend loving it, caring for it, fixing it and healing it. Our prayer is that we can help couples build stronger and happier marriages, therefore preserving the American family. That's where it all starts...learning again to Love People and use things.
Thanks, Bob, for "A Keeper."
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Subject:New Job
Linda Beal Walker
Class of '66
In case I have missed telling anyone -- I have a job now. This is my second week. I work for attorney Dwight Hawks, in Humboldt, TN. He has practiced law for 40 years and he does everything from divorce to criminal, which could be considered the same thing.
Believe it or not, he hired me to do their billing. New adventure! I have not worked in billing before so it will be a learning experience for me.
Working there is a bit different than my previous job because there is only one attorney and, counting me, there are 5 staff employees. It is so quiet and there is no yelling. The people are nice, too.
It may not be the job I wanted, but it is a job and I get a paycheck, however small, and I have no medical insurance, but it is a job and I am thankful that God answered my prayer.
Thank you to all of you that kept me in your prayers. I appreciate it so much. I found the Bible verse below while gathering things for a yard sale. It was a page out of the Upper Room, the Methodist devotional, that mother had kept. I think she kept it for me to find and God chose the time.
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Subject:Aaron Potts
Jennifer Peyton
Visitor
Just a quick note to let you and some of the friends of the Lee Generals know that my friend Aaron Potts, here in Houston, has suffered a mild heart attack. It appears they he will be under a doctors care for at least 3-4 months before he will be back on his feet again.
Aaron has been pushing himself pretty hard here lately working almost 14 hours a day 7 days a week and I suspect it caught up with him. His new e-mail address is aepot@netscape.net. Me an my husband will keep a close watch on him. Thanks.
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