He Rules the World

Ended this decade on a difficult note. Tommy and I argue on Christmas Eve morning and I plan to drive to Ft Worth to give him his "space." But the blizzard forces me to a motel room. Christmas morning, I speak with Tommy and he is coming by to see me but wrecks (totals) his truck sliding on the ice, spins the truck around and he's on the opposite side of the road going backwards and hits a tree. So, we spend the better part of Christmas Day at the ER. Thankfully, he only has fractured ribs, and pneumonia. I go to the ER today, and I just have upper respiratory infection. So, with his loss of transportation and both of us recuperating from illness , I'm thinking God decided that we are spending time together! The wonders of His love, the wonders of His love, the wonders, wonders of His love.

Christmas 1958 Memories

This picture was taken Christmas morning in 1958. There were five Billingsley kids then; the sixth did not arrive until the next October. I was 7 years old and can remember that day vividly. My mom was the organist at the Catholic church, so setting up the things from Santa would not take place until after midnight mass. Think of it -- Lee Roy having to assemble 3 bicycles and 2 tricycles all in one night. I understand that he was up until daylight putting them together. No sooner did he finally lay down to rest, the kids came yelling for him to wake up to see what Santa brought! Boy was he grumpy that Christmas morning!

That was the year we each got a new Christmas stocking. The doll on the middle bicycle was for me. She was the cutest doll! Her hair was red in a Dutch-girl haircut. I'm thinking that later on that day, I decided to wash the doll's hair and it never looked very good after that. Thank goodness we captured a picture of it for historical verification. Otherwise, you would have thought I made up the story.

Beverly was the youngest at 2 years. She got the tricycle and baby doll. Her stocking has the little kitty cat. The animal thing was a good call. Ole Bev brought home every stray dog and cat throughout the entire county. The doll was probably a waste though. Bev was a tom-boy through and through. That next summer she got ring worms and had her hair shaved very short. Then she told everyone her name was Sam. She pretended that she was riding a horse all the time. She walked like a horse trotting. She ran like a horse. If she was standing, she would be holding the reins and shifting her weight from leg to leg just like a horse does. It looked a little odd whenever she went for communion at church, but other than that, she was true to herself. Not sure if that broom was for her or not. It might have been because Beverly was habitually cleaning all the time. (She did not get that from me being a role model :-})

Bob was the next youngest and almost 4 years old. He had the cutest cowboy stocking and a ball. I remember him getting really good use from that tricycle as he was all over the neighborhood -- probably looking for someone's water faucet to turn on outside and play with the water hose. He already had a reputation. If he wasn't watering someone's yard, he was setting something on fire. He burned down mother and daddy's bedroom when he was just 18 months old. I remember that too. He(we) were playing with a cigarette lighter, and once it lit he got scared and dropped the lighter onto the nylon bed sheets. I can remember telling my mom that I smelled something burning. Bob crawled back into his crib (it was in the parent's bedroom at the time). So my mom had to dodge through the flames to rescue her baby boy. But the exciting day revealed how quickly the newly opened fire station would take to get to our house. We drew a crowd from about 50 blocks.

I think that my bicycle had training wheels, because I remember being embarrassed. But I quickly got the swing of it and was riding my bike everywhere too. I don't know what happened to that bike. I do know that the next year I was in the 2nd grade and was caught STEALING a bike. But I was going to return it! I just didn't feel like walking home from school that day and was going to happily return the bike the next morning! The next year I was sent to Catholic school for some reason.

Diane was the oldest girl and was almost 11 years old. Looking at her bicycle, it looks like it weighs about 200 pounds! Her stocking has a high heel and a hand with a ring on it. She was quite the modern girl! She was top of the class in tap dancing school and together we put on "shows" and charged the neighborhood kids to watch us. Some idiots actually paid us too! The two of us re-enacted "Queen for a Day" in our backyard. I can remember going into great detail of our make-believe hardships just to get a new washer and dryer. Nothing cool like a trip to Disneyland, but a kitchen applicance. Notice that the Monopoly game is divided between Diane and Dick's bicycles. They had to share.

Can't really tell what gifts my brother Dick got, but from the looks of that bicycle seat, you'd have to be about 6 feet tall to mount. Dick was 12 years old then and becoming too irritated to speak to the younger kids for the next 20 years. His bad mood that day could have been from having to help his dad assemble 5 bikes in 6 hours in 20 degree weather. He was already too cool to get a toy. I think he got a watch or savings bond or something. Perhaps that duffle bag was for him.

Notice that my dad got a suit for Christmas! And the Christmas tree looks pretty pitiful. We thought it was wonderful at the time. The TV wasn't new, but I notice the aluminum foil on the top of the antenna!

I now realize why all the relatives came to our house for the holidays. No one wanted Lee Roy and Dorothy to come to their house with their 6 kids! But, my dad loved to have everyone home for the holidays and I am eternally blessed with many, many fond memories. 1958 was just one.

The Awakening

Awakening from a 30 year grief spiral.

I've spent the last 30 years feeling so sorry for poor little me, that I now realize that I've let too much living and laughter escape my karmic experience. Perhaps this was how it was supposed to go down, but I'm certainly ready to move away from those negative waves, man. Not too soon, either! Seems like the perfect time to focus on positive energy when the entire planet is in freak mode!

Can't gripe about being drowned in debt. Our nation is in worse condition.
Can't gripe about my low, low salary. Our nation is in worse condition.
Can't gripe about my high healthcare cost.Our nation is in worse condition.

See? I feel better already! I'm NOT a loser! I'm better than anyone running this country! Wow! This power of positive thinking is beginning to work!