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Monday, September 09, 2013

Return to SPDL

Don Head will be interested in all the SPdL folk I saw Sunday. As usual, I arrived way too early. Matthew tagged along, wearing khaki shorts since all his long pants are too short. We parked in the shade, but soon afterward Claire and Andrew pulled up behind us. It took them several minutes to get everyone and everything out of the van, then we all moseyed over to the Children's Building. Edie was waiting for us there. After dropping off the youngest two we saw David Hall, who looks great despite his prematurely graying hair.

Next we found Reid wandering around the hallways, and M and I headed to the Sanctuary with him. Randy Scoggins was helping Edie with her microphone. Lindsey Acuff took his familiar seat several rows back. Sarah Maddux same in early. Before the service I was able to speak to Angela's mother, who told me Jim Suggs taught her Sunday School class once a month, but he rarely stayed for the service. Would've been nice to see him. Spoke with Connie and Danny Morris, John and Margaret Condra, Jerome, Marcine, and the guests of honor. Saw David Hall, Bill Dukes, Sue Stumm, and Ron Watts in the choir. Dolly Craig, Stacy Stringer, and Mary Ann Hall were in the congregation, but I didn't get to speak to them. Drew Kelly was visiting his mother in Charlotte.

Edie did a great job with the baby dedication, telling her son's life history and calling her daughter-in-law beautiful. Baby was active but not vocal.

Bill Self stood up to preach after the choir sang. He said it was great to be in a church that sang real church music, drawing a large laugh from the congregation. When Self accepted the Weiuca Road pastorate in 1964 he was taken out to lunch by SPdL pastor Monroe Swilley. Bill said he had been friends with every SPdL pastor since then. He has known Dock Hollingsworth for years, and is confident that Dock will do a fine job at SPdL. Self zinged Charles Quarles pretty good, saying that once he saw Charles with a hair on his head out of place. During the sermon Bill worked in his patented line "I said to myself, Self…" He said he had his own congregation trained to respond when he said that. When Self talked about his grandchildren being better, I leaned over to Danny Morris and said his grandson was the cutest.

After the service the reunion continued. Spoke with Janet Williams' parents. Janet is divorced and lives north of Clarkston. Youngest daughter Jennifer is a nurse in Florida. Middle son Steve recently moved to Orlando after living in London for many years. I told Skip Weisenbaker that I missed him at the Peachtree Road Race. Saw Ivy Anderson. Whitney Anderson came up and said hello. She is in the singles department and has moved back in with her mom, and getting ready to enter law school. Talked to offertory ushers Jerry Head and Barbara Brown. Jerry gave me an update on daughters Stacy and Debra. I already knew about Don, but forgot to ask about Steve. Oops.

Ceil appeared and got to see most of the people. One the way out the North Bridge I remembered the water fountain was where Jim and Kimberly Kitchens had first met, so I snapped a picture. On the way out we spoke to Bruce Ambrose at length, and he updated me on the Huberts. David is losing weight, walking long distances. Hubert had attended Saturday's UGA football game. Bruce had hoped Dock would be preaching so he could check him out. Monday Bruce and I finally got together and had lunch, but we were only able to scratch the surface on catching up.

That afternoon I ran into Anna's friend Caroline, who is Andrew's cousin. Told her she and Anna had missed the important family event.

1 comment:

  1. They said that they got to talk with you. Steve's a little upset you didn't ask about him - he's doing fine. Still working at Tech in the Budget office, just like dad used to do.

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