Thursday Treasures #1

This post will make three posts in one week. That will probably not happen on a continuing basis, but I felt like I was a bit behind in sharing so it warranted two posts this week to update and not overwhelm a reader with one gigantic post. 

I would like to ask readers to pray for my cousin that I mentioned yesterday. He has been taken to Pensacola and of course no one is allowed to be with him. He was experiencing breathing difficulties so his wife got him to the local hospital and he was transported on to Pensacola. I am glad for that because they will be much more equipped to handle the Covid situation. 

After reading a couple of Pam's treasure posts, I thought I would share too. Now, I have no idea if I will keep this up. Time will tell. I do write a blog for my children and those are longer more detailed versions for them. 

I will make this one a shorter one. I am not known for shorter words posts though:)

A Cup of Ambition

My treasure today is a small green teacup given to me for 8th grade graduation. The gift was from a lovely little couple who lived in my neighborhood. Why is it so special that I would hold onto it so very long?

It has to do more with the association of feelings with meeting this elderly retired couple and dog who moved into my neighborhood as a middle schooler. 

We had moved to the small town of Brewton, AL which is about 20 miles from the country where both my parents were born and raised and that I lived after my dad died. It was a good move for me. It gave me many more opportunities than I would have had living in the rural area.

My mom remarried and the move came along with that. Here I was in those awkward middle school years...

• new person in my life (that I learned to love and am glad that he was in my mom's life all those years)
• new home / new school
• braces
• new friends (I had basically been in a classroom with the same kids from 1st to 5th and cousins for friends)
• shag haircut (I had naturally curly hair...shag haircut looked like a poodle cut and my favorite "boy" friend in the neighborhood was honest and told me so)

There was lots of good, but it was coupled with lots of changes and those awkward years.

In moves this sweet little couple and a Lemony type dog. Have I mentioned I have loved dogs since birth? I mean really loved them. My mother is not a dog person. I didn't have one until I married. I have only been without a dog for about 2 months since.

This sweet little dog of theirs became my bud. I went daily to brush, pet and visit with him. This sweet little couple also had retired out of the Army and their home was filled with treasures from their travels and a love for history. They didn't have family close by, so I was happy to look at their travel treasures, listen to their stories, and I couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like had Dad not died. Would we have been much like them with travels in the Army?

Anyway, knowing them just sort of set my mind on things I wanted in life. I didn't especially love 7th grade with braces and a poodle cut when straight as a board was in style. I spent much time thinking about what I did want in life. I have always been a thinker. 

So, after 8th grade graduation we moved to a neighborhood a couple of streets away and they moved too. I associated that cup with the idea of being ambitious.

I have always called it my cup of ambition. It was ALWAYS on my dresser until spring 2003 when we moved in our current home. It moved to the dining room treasure cabinet, but when I was writing the post for my kids several months ago I moved it to the side table in the dining room. 

My cup of ambition is a treasure I don't plan to get rid of  because of the ideas I associated with that time in my life. I have been so blessed and some of those thoughts that came in those awkward years were good thoughts that gave me the umpth to be studious.

That is my Thursday Treasure....a cup of ambition.

So, you can see from this series of pictures that the boy was right. I did learn a valuable lesson from this haircut. I only have two other horror stories with hair both of which have taught me that I have a good luck and I should stick with it. A nice above shoulders bob!!!

First up is what I looked like when I started sixth grade and moved to Brewton.

Next up, is the beginning of seventh grade ... braces on so no open smile.

And then someone decided that a shag haircut was the thing to do. You don't do that when your hair is wavy like above. I was an unhappy camper for a long months growing it out!!!