Memories-Past, Present, Future

On Sunday afternoon, I took a short break from the work on our house to head down to my parent's house for a little photo session with Michael, Jessica, & Reed. The photo session turned into a trip to the "Hollis Park" found on the old family farm behind my parents house. The park and most of the old farm (all except the portion where my Mama and Daddy live) is now owned by my cousin and they have really been working to bring it back to life. After taking a few photos, Chris, Kaelyn, and Caleb came along and we all went down to the location of an old spring. We didn't quite make it to the spring because of the undergrowth, but it was the closest my Dad has been in a number of years. We took a short ride from the park through the field as far as safety allowed us to go in the truck and then walked a little ways to get there. It was great to hear my Dad tell us about the barn that used to be by 'that' tree and point out the locations where they raised tobacco which was hung in that barn. I haven't heard so much 'pep' in his voice in a while. I'm going to post a few pictures, but you can find more on Jessica's web site, "Reed All About It". We hope to get more pictures this next weekend when all of our family is together for Father's Day. Although pictures are great, the most precious things was hearing my Dad's stories and watching as Caleb had to take every step with G-Daddy and to see Kaelyn turn to make sure Grandaddy (G-Daddy) was making it up the hill okay. She grabbed his hand to help him along and he made sure to praise her for the 'help'. So much love shown. No doubt, memories in the making!





Speaking of next Sunday, there will be a dedication at church for the stained glass window placed in the youth room in memory of my cousin, Edward Wayne Hollis. Michael and Jessica, along with Chris and Regina have done a wonderful job with the youth group. They took over the Sunday School Class when Edward Wayne lost his battle after a long fight with a brain tumor and it's aftermath. He was a cherished teacher of the Sunday School Class. The window now holding the stained glass in his memory was the only window in the whole church which hadn't been replaced. It was almost as if it was waiting for him. I look forward to the dedication although there will be a sad element to it. He is greatly missed, but this is such an honor to his memory. I'm sure he will be smiling as he watches down on us. There's a chance Michael & Jessica may miss the dedication due to a prior commitment, but I hope they know how very important their role has been and how very missed they will be on this occasion.