Remembering and feeling grateful

HUMOR

Friends of mine from way back made a video to entertain their family during self-isolation.  I love that John is using garden clippers to cut Lou's hair.  They are both 88, have been married 66 years, and have five children, 18 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.  I've known them and some of their children since the 1960s.  This link will take you to their video in a Today article.

MEMORIES

Tuesday — Brainstorm

Write down one favorite song from every decade of your life; bonus — name one from each year of your life.

This may take me longer than a single day.  I immediately remembered a song I loved at a child, so I'm ready to start making my list of songs, as suggested by the Crown Center.  I'll have to come up with eight decades worth, beginning with the ...

1940s — Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (click to read the lyrics) from the movie Song of the South.  The movie came out in 1946, the year I would start to school in the fall.  My Aunt Bonnie took me to see it, and I came out singing that song and I'm still singing it.  Some say the movie was racist; I see why, but I came away from it loving Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit.

GRATITUDE

I'm grateful to another Bonnie I met while waiting to be seated at La Bonne Bouchée two or three years ago — or more.  Donna and I were in a crowd on this ramp up from the bakery into the cafe, and I struck up a conversation with two other women.  Somehow Bonnie remembered I had mentioned knowing the Rev. David Beebe when he was pastor of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Chattanooga.  He and his wife Judy lived in my neighborhood in the 1980s and once walked to my house for a patio party.  I got in touch with him when I moved to St. Louis in 2014.

Last week, Bonnie sent me a church bulletin with a note:  "I thought you might like reading this.  I had to find your card again."  Here's what was in the bulletin:

A Loss in Our Church Family — Our sympathy is extended to the family of David Beebe, who died on March 4, 2020.

On David's Facebook page, I found this photo of him and a notice that his memorial service, originally scheduled for March 29th, had to be postponed because of COVID-19 concerns.  I also found this link to his obituary, for friends who may remember him and his activism in the Chattanooga community.  I'm very surprised that the other Bonnie remembered me all this time, since we only spoke that one time, and then only for maybe ten minutes or so.  Thank you, Bonnie R, for letting me know about David.