Richard Jewell

Does anyone remember my post about Richard Jewell?  I wish that there had been someone like Richard Jewell there at the Boston Marathon, someone who might have suspected a bag lying about and thought to alert the authorities.  (Please understand I am not blaming anyone! Such a tragedy and my heart goes out to all who are suffering from these bombings.)  Richard Jewell spotted the bag underneath the bench in Atlanta at the 1996 Olympics and moved people away from it. Had he not done this I believe that more people would have died or been injured in Atlanta.  (One woman died from her injuries from the bombing and a man died from a heart attack.)  The story of how Richard Jewell was treated is a very sad one and one that he did not deserve. You may read my post from last year by clicking on this title post: Richard Jewell-Unsung Hero

I hope that the flowers are blooming wherever you are in the world. Sending flowers to you all, even if these are from last year!

 

 

Amaryllis from last April, very late blooming this year!

 

 

 

 

Frozen In Time

A new book by Mitchell Zuckoff called "Frozen In Time: An Epic Story Of Survival And A Modern Quest For Lost Heroes Of World War II" will be released on April 23rd.  I was able to get an advanced reader's copy of this book and I was very pleased to do so.  It is a riveting read.  The author is a professor of journalism at Boston University and is the winner of the Winship/PEN New England Award. A very prestigious award, I am sure but I can only tell you that this is a very well written book and one that I can certainly recommend to you.

The book alternately tells the story of three planes that crashed in Greenland during World War II and the quite complicated and difficult task to rescue the survivors and then, a more present day tale of those determined to find one of those planes encased in ice, "Frozen In Time", if you will.  For nearly FIVE MONTHS during the brutal Arctic winter of 1942-1943, the survivors fought to stay alive and to keep their sanity.  The bravery and courage by these men surviving in the extreme cold  (and not all of them survived) is something to know and to honor.  As I read the book, I had no idea of who would make it and who would not...I think it is possible that I read a good bit of this book without breathing, it is just that kind of book.  Chapter 7, A Light In The Darkness, was so good I read this whole chapter ALOUD to my husband.  I have NEVER done that in my entire life! This particular chapter tells the amazing story of three men from The Royal Canadian Air Force and they were able to...sorry, you just have to read it!  There are maps of Greenland and photos of the survivors and also all the people (including the author, Mitchell Zuckoff) who located the plane that had been frozen in time.   I don't want to give you too much information about this book. I want you to find out for yourself what happens. 

"Other military branches were America's swords and spears; the Coast Guard was its shield".  That is one of the sentences that I jotted down while I was reading this book.  You will have such a respect for those who serve in The United States Coast Guard.  I know that I do.

NOTE:  I had most of this post written as a rough draft.  Tonight, the evening of April 15th,   I thought that I would add more detail to it and let you know more about the book.  However, all I can think of is the fact that the author lives just outside Boston and about the bombings that occurred today at the Boston Marathon.  Please, say a prayer.

Amazing April At Arabia

Diamorpha smallii blooming on Arabia Mountain (That is solid ROCK that you see, the plants are in very shallow soil directly on TOP of the rock!)

 

 

This Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) must have been passing by and was puzzled that he was in Georgia! He seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by the beauty.

 




 

Yellow Jasmine (Gelsemium Sempervirens)-Wish you could smell this!!

 

It's time for the diamorpha to bloom...tiny white starlike blossoms.  Look closer...

Do you see why I don't want anyone to step upon any of the sand on Arabia Mountain? You don't want to miss seeing this! And you would not want to destroy it!

 

 

One flower stitchwort (minuartia uniflora)...I call them JOY-flowers because I am overjoyed when I see them!)

 

Yellow Sunnybells  (Schoenolirion croceum)  

 

Can you see the pale green leaves on the horizon? So lovely to finally see them!

I have given you the botanical names of the wildflowers at Arabia Mountain but it is not necessary to know their names to appreciate their beauty.  Enjoy! (All photos taken by my husband, Richard on our TWO hour walk, late afternoon of April 12th.  We didn't want to leave!)

 

 

 

And I have to share this photo from last weekend...these are the cherry trees along the trail at Lenora Park in Gwinnett County, the county just north of us. Richard and I stopped here and had a bit of a walk.  We couldn't resist walking under these trees.   Almost all of them have lost their blossoms now, but they were magnificent! Hope your Spring is coming along nicely!

Yellow Daisy Seedlings

Yellow Daisy Seedlings on Arabia Mountain

 

 

	The Seedling by Paul Laurence Dunbar
	AS a quiet little seedling Lay within its darksome bed, To itself it fell a-talking, And this is what it said: "I am not so very robust, But I'll do the best I can;" And the seedling from that moment Its work of life began. So it pushed a little leaflet Up into the light of day, To examine the surroundings And show the rest the way. The leaflet liked the prospect, So it called its brother, Stem; Then two other leaflets heard it, And quickly followed them. To be sure, the haste and hurry Made the seedling sweat and pant; But almost before it knew it It found itself a plant. The sunshine poured upon it, And the clouds they gave a shower; And the little plant kept growing Till it found itself a flower. Little folks, be like the seedling, Always do the best you can; Every child must share life's labor Just as well as every man. And the sun and showers will help you Through the lonesome, struggling hours, Till you raise to light and beauty Virtue's fair, unfading flowers.

 

They will grow into this by September/October! 

11 Year Old Georgia Boy Saves Mother

http://www.11alive.com/video/2287245341001/0/11-year-old-Cumming-boy-saves-mothers-life


Please, click on the link above and watch this video! It is an interview with an 11 year old boy in Cumming, Georgia who saved his mother's life when the Jeep that they were in veered off the road, went off a steep embankment and landed in a small creek UPSIDE DOWN.  If you have ever been in an accident, you may know that you will feel dazed and confused after it happens.  Imagine, being in the vehicle and you are just a kid and you know it is up to you get help for your mother who has serious injuries and the water is coming in... Watch the video!!   What really gets me is at the end, where he is asked what does it feel like to be called a hero and he says, "It's better than being picked on".  That just breaks my heart!  How can anyone think of bullying him!  I have written about bullying and kindness before which you may read here.   I saw another video of this young boy (his name is Charlie Polk) and he is is just as quiet and unassuming as he is in this video.

I don't have a photo of Charlie Polk to show you but I will show you a photo of MY Georgia boy who also has an English heart, by the way!  Love you son, boys are the best!

 

 

Cherry Trees-Agents of Friendship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hideo Ogino, who was the President of Maxell Corporation, planted Yoshino cherry trees as a gift to the people of Rockdale County . A Cherry Blossom Festival was created to "nurture the friendship and exchange of Japanese culture".  The first festival, in 1982, had Japanese cooking classes, origami exhibits, silk flower arranging and karate demonstrations. Since that time, many people here have admired these trees and have planted many cherry trees of their own.  These photos are of the three Yoshino cherry trees in our own front yard that we purchased many years ago.  You might recognize the blossoms from post-cards from Washington, D.C.

In 1949, a man by the name of William Flicking noticed a beautiful tree with lovely blossoms in his backyard of Macon, Georgia, but was unable to identify it and no one living there could identify it either. On a business trip to Washington, D.C., he recognized that his tree was a Yoshino cherry tree, the same ones lining the Potomac River. Upon his return home, he propagated the tree and began giving the trees to those in his community.  One of those neighbors, Carolyn Crayton, talked him into having 500 cherry trees planted in her neighborhood in 1973. With all these beautiful trees, the first Cherry Blossom Festival was held in Macon in 1982 and the theme of the festival was "Love, Beauty, and International Friendship".  It is believed that there are now 300,000 cherry trees in Macon and the Cherry Blossom Festival there is very well attended!

The Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. is very well known. The gift, of 3200 cherry trees from Japan, were received in March of 1910.  There were actually 12 different varieties but the majority was the Yoshino cherry tree.  Another gift of 3,800 trees were given in 1965 by Japan and presented to one of my heroes, Lady Bird Johnson, who did so much to call attention to gardens and flowers.  In 2011, some of the original trees from Japan, were propagated and sent back to Japan making this circle of friendship complete.  I love the thought of trees being called " agents of friendship".  Isn't it wonderful to see this kind of beauty and also think of it as being used to promote peace and goodwill around the world?
It is not just in Georgia that you will see cherry blossoms against a blue sky but even in England!Look at Julie's blog at Home Jules.  Also, she has some incredible work that she shows by a textile artist by the name of Elizabeth Wall.  It inspired her to make a 4 birds quilt which I love!  Beauty, I will always exclaim over it.  You don't want to know how much I marveled over our cherry trees this past week.  Today, the pale pink petals are showering down like snow...like magic!

 

 

Col. Ben Purcell and Anne Purcell

When I did my last post, I did not know that Col. Ben Purcell had passed away the day before.   Here is his obituary. I have written a post about the book that he and his wife, Anne wrote together.  It is entitled "Love And Duty" and I highly recommend it.  I just read a book review about it and it said that they told their story "simply, honestly and without bitterness".  Col. Purcell returned to Vietnam and FORGAVE his captors, just as Mr. Zamperini did. (See my other posts about Louis Zamperini!)  In the photo above that is my Dad on the left, Anne Purcell in the middle and Col. Purcell on the right.
I took this photo at Centennial Baptist Church after a Veteran's Day Service  in 2008.  Col. Purcell and his wife, Anne had both spoken of their experiences during the Vietnam War.  Col. Purcell was 40 years old at the time of his capture and he spent 5 1/2 years imprisoned and 58 months of that was in solitary confinement.  During that time, Anne Purcell took care of the children (five of them) without knowing if her husband was dead or alive.  Anne was one of the founding members of the National League of Families that raised awareness of the POW's and MIA's in Vietnam.

  It was such an honor to meet them both and to shake their hands.  Col. Purcell had such a strong handshake! Of course, he was in his full uniform with all his medals, but honestly,  he had such a strong military bearing about him, you could just sense it, even if he had been in civilian dress.  Such a strong Christian couple, I can't tell you how much I admire them!  I found a video that was made through a program on the history channel and please, take the time to click on the following and watch and listen to this remarkable woman. http://www.history.com/shows/vietnam-in-hd/bios  (Once there, click on Anne Purcell's name and then click the watch video at the bottom.)
If you watch it to the end, you will be rewarded by seeing Col. Purcell himself.  I love the home movies of themselves as a young couple which have been added into this video.  At the end it shows them playfully running into the camera and it captures their young love perfectly.

One of the things that I saw written about him was this:  "He was a soldier for peace and a warrior for the Lord".   I treasure the words that they wrote in my copy of their book.

 

⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.