Tag: Texas

Posted in food, Grace, gratitude, Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving to Remember

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead…” Philippians 3:13

It was a Thanksgiving to remember.  Throughout the years, Thanksgiving has been a big deal in our family.  Growing up it was a time when Momma would buy a huge turkey and cook it all night in the roaster oven that set by the stove for such an occasion.  It was a time when pies were baked, ambrosia was made, and giblet gravy simmered on the stove.  It was a time for two kinds of dressing—cornbread and cornbread with oysters. I’m not sure where that came from, but it was pretty popular.  Then, of course, it was a time when most everyone would come home, and we would feast on good food and fellowship with family.

When I graduated from high school and enlisted in the Air Force things had to change.  My first duty station was about 15 miles from the Canadian border in a town called Minot—Minot, North Dakota.  I arrived there in October, and it was already too cold for a Florida boy.  The holidays were looming ahead, and it looked like Thanksgiving was going to be a solo flight.  But then something happened.  Somehow, remember this is long before cellphones, my brother Jimmy, who lived in Amarillo, Texas, called and invited me to his house for Thanksgiving.

Again, somehow, someway, it happened.  My base pay of $320 per month didn’t allow for plane tickets so it meant a trip to the credit union to see if I could get a loan. They granted it and I bought the ticket, got my leave approved and had someone haul me to the airport. So, like the song says, over the river and through the woods, I was on my way, not to grandmother’s house but my brother’s.  I can remember flying down to Amarillo on that two engine, piston driven, plane feeling excited and afraid all at the same time.  What in the world was I doing?

Soon enough, I was on the ground and there was my big brother and a couple of his kids waiting for me.  The best I can remember he worked, maybe managed, a ranch of sorts.  It seemed we drove a long way out into the Texas countryside before finally arriving at his house.  The next day was Thanksgiving and it was so much like the one at home.  We ate well and enjoyed good family fellowship.  The thing that was so different was that in the past I was treated as the baby of the family—which I was.  But that day—I was his peer.  I was a man.

As much as I enjoyed Thanksgiving Day, the next couple of days were also awesome.  We went jackrabbit hunting.  It was cold with snow covering the ground, and we would jolt and bounce through the fields in his old Willis Jeep.  Back at the house we drank hot coffee as he would spin tales about his time in the Air Force.  Jimmy was always bigger than life and he was that day too.  We also put up the Christmas tree while I was there.  One of his favorite Christmas albums was Charlie Pride’s “Christmas in My Hometown.” We played it over and over again while I was there.  To this day it is still one of my favorites.

Soon it was time for me to head back to the far north.  We headed back to the airport and soon those piston engines were shaking and vibrating the old plane again as I flew back to Minot.  I’ve had many good Thanksgivings over the years but that one stands out for me.  It was a time when my brother made sure I wasn’t alone at a time when too many were.  That was back in 1972 so a lot of water has flowed beneath the bridge.  I’m decades older and he is now in heaven.  But I am left with the memories…memories that still refresh my soul and make me smile.

To be honest, there are other Thanksgivings that were not so easy…times when another brother and his family were not on speaking terms with the family, times when Daddy was sick and times when the family went separate ways. But I have grown to realize that each of us have a choice.  We can choose to remember and relish the good times, or we can remember and dwell on the hard times.  The choice is ours.  Paul, the guy who wrote about two-thirds of the New Testament in the Bible had plenty of hard memories.  He was a pretty bad guy before he met Jesus.  After Jesus, he began to write some new stories in his life, and he made the decision to leave the past in the past.  We should too.

I know holidays can be hard because of the past, or maybe the present. Let me encourage you to choose to remember the good and let go of the rest.  It’s not easy but it is possible—with a little help from God.  I know these days He’s getting a lot of bad press, but trust me, if you don’t know Him you should get acquainted.  He loves you more than you know, and He wants to help you do life here.  He can even help with those difficult memories.

One of the things that is a staple of mine in life is to eat and nap. This Thanksgiving, Lord willing, I will eat a very good meal, and I will take a very nice nap.  Try it—you’ll like it.  Also on Thanksgiving, I’m going to take a nap of sorts with my best friend Jesus. I’m going to pull aside, rest and just chat about all the ways He has blessed me.  It might take a while because I’m pretty blessed—and so are you.  We also will probably talk about some of the hard things going on now. He won’t judge me—He will just love me. You know that Thanksgiving so many years ago my brother treated me as his peer. Today Jesus treats me as a friend—a friend closer than a brother.  A friend that can handle my past and my future.  A friend I can trust. That’s why, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful, travel, USA

From Sea to Shining Sea

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Give thanks for everything.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18


With the slam of the door and a twist of the key we were off.  Every summer families all across the country take to the roads and skies on vacation.  We live in a country where the destination can be anywhere and everywhere.  As the song, “America the Beautiful” says, “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain.” And that is just the start. The great song, “God Bless America,” says, “From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam.” Truly from sea to shining sea America is worth seeing.

Well, even though the Taylor tribe didn’t make it from one sea to the other, we did get to see a chunk of it.  And, times being what they were, our travels weren’t planned with destinations in mind but rather family in mind.  We would travel to where they lived and stay with them…seeing what there was to see. And trust me…there was always something to see.

My brother Lee and his family lived in New Jersey.  Now to be honest there wasn’t too much to see in New Jersey but next door to his state was New York City and there was plenty to see there.  I was pretty young when we made that journey but I remember being amazed at all the big buildings and the zillions of people.  It seems we saw the grand lady, the Statue of Liberty and marveled to see how she welcomed millions to this new land of opportunity.

My brother Jimmy and his family lived in Texas and I know two things.  Texas was a long way from Florida and it was a whole lot different.  I don’t think I saw a single palm tree but believe it or not, we saw one of the biggest lakes ever…right there in Texas.  We had a cook out, rode in a fast boat, and learned first-hand that everything is big in Texas.

My brother Joe and his tribe lived in the Smoky Mountains and hands down that was one of my favorite places.  I was amazed at the mountains and all the lush greenness that covered them. It is still one of my favorite places to go.  Not long ago I found myself at a lookout overlooking a wide and deep gorge.  I stood and marveled remembering that the last time I had stood there was when I was about ten.  It hadn’t changed a bit.

Of course when my sister Agnes and her husband settled in Daytona Beach for him to go to school I thought we had won the lottery.  It was close enough that we could visit more than once and it was always the grandest of adventures.  I remember she would buy steaks from Publix with a fat patty of butter right in the middle.  Oh, and when she cooked spaghetti she always put pepperoni in it.  She was and is a great cook.

Yup, there’s a lot to be said for summer, vacations, and family. I was so grateful because honestly without them, our vacations would have been a whole lot shorter but because of their generosity—we had a great time.  It reminds me that the best things are things we don’t buy at the store.  The best things are family and the memories we have of good times, past and present. I am thankful for this great land and for my great family.  Paul, the guy in the Bible, said we should always give thanks and I’m learning why that is so. And when you’re feeling a little underwhelmed with life, just ask the Father to fill in the gaps.  After all, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, travel

From Sea to Shining Sea

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Give thanks for everything.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

With the slam of the door and a twist of the key we were off.  Every summer families all across the country take to the roads and skies on vacation.  We live in a country where the destination can be anywhere and everywhere.  As the song, “America the Beautiful” says, “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain.” And that is just the start. The great song, “God Bless America,” says, “From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam.” Truly from sea to shining sea America is worth seeing.

Well, even though the Taylor tribe didn’t make it from one sea to the other, we did get to see a chunk of it.  And, times being what they were, our travels weren’t planned with destinations in mind but rather family in mind.  We would travel to where they lived and stay with them…seeing what there was to see. And trust me…there was always something to see.

My brother Lee and his family lived in New Jersey.  Now to be honest there wasn’t too much to see in New Jersey but next door to his state was New York City and there was plenty to see there.  I was pretty young when we made that journey but I remember being amazed at all the big buildings and the zillions of people.  It seems we saw the grand lady, the Statue of Liberty and marveled to see how she welcomed millions to this new land of opportunity.

My brother Jimmy and his family lived in Texas and I know two things.  Texas was a long way from Florida and it was a whole lot different.  I don’t think I saw a single palm tree but believe it or not, we saw one of the biggest lakes ever…right there in Texas.  We had a cook out, rode in a fast boat, and learned first-hand that everything is big in Texas.

My brother Joe and his tribe lived in the Smoky Mountains and hands down that was one of my favorite places.  I was amazed at the mountains and all the lush greenness that covered them. It is still one of my favorite places to go.  Not long ago I found myself at a lookout overlooking a wide and deep gorge.  I stood and marveled remembering that the last time I had stood there was when I was about ten.  It hadn’t changed a bit.

Of course when my sister Agnes and her husband settled in Daytona Beach for him to go to school I thought we had won the lottery.  It was close enough that we could visit more than once and it was always the grandest of adventures.  She was a good cook and I remember she would buy steaks from Publix with a fat patty of butter right in the middle.  Oh, and when she cooked spaghetti she always put pepperoni in it.  She was and is a great cook.

Yup, there’s a lot to be said for summer, vacations, and family. I was so grateful because honestly without them, our vacations would have been a whole lot shorter but because of their generosity—we had a great time.  It reminds me that the best things are things we don’t buy at the store.  The best things are family and the memories we have of good times, past and present. I am thankful for this great land and for my great family.  Paul, the guy in the Bible, said we should always give thanks and I’m learning why that is so. And when you’re feeling a little underwhelmed with life, just ask the Father to fill in the gaps.  After all, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne