MEMORIAL DAY GRATITUDE!

Veterans are special!

Daddy being chief among them!

I still recall the story prim and proper Mother told of taking a bus to Indianapolis to greet my wounded in the leg Daddy. He was returning from Lety in the Philippines where he was shot by a sniper in a tree as he led his platoon. Some, Daddy included, had walked through their own shoes.

Mother was in a taxi approaching hotel with rollers still in her hair when she saw Daddy crossing the street. 

Forget the rollers! She jumped out of the "cab" and ran to him. Though injured, he picked her up and swung her around.

The most wonderful memory in her life!

VETERANS'DAY!

CELEBRATING VETERANS DAY 2025

Remembering my favorite vet.

WWII Purple Heart Recipient. 

Wounded on Leyte Island in the Philippines leading his patrol.

Child of God. (1 Peter 3:15)

Son of Gena and Pap.

Wealth of words of kindness.

Evident gentleness.(Philippians 4:5)

My favorite Dance Partner!

AROMATIC MEMORIES

9 years ago today Daddy died. I feel sad all over! I still miss this gentle giant in my life.

A punctual man. His kids could pretty much set their watches by him.

Early to rise with his 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast to always be on time at Hopkinsville Livestock Company on 1st street. Sick day was not a term in his vocabulary.

Daddy always worked. In earlier years he workd in Clarksville on Wednesday & Russellville on Sat.

His Post Office run would be followed M, T, R, & F by lunch at Roundies, with jello as his dessert. 

As I said in a 2018 blog entry: Remembering Daddy........

His character is etched on my heart. My hope is that the next generations, his grandchildren  and "great grands" will consider the character of their Grandaddy Brud and emulate it as they remember him.

Of course, the greatgrands will ony remember as they have been told be cause the few who were born before he died were youngsters. 

It's important to tell those of next generations of the goodness of the Lord as we share the memories and stories of ones in our family who followed Him. (PSALM 78:4)

CONSIDERING CHARACTER: REMEMBERING DADDY!

Clifton Thacker Adams. Daddy. The kindest man I ever knew!

Dance w/ Daddy my 45th class reunion

• A faithful husband. 
• My dancing Daddy. I learned to dance standing on his feet & looking up to him. He taught me not to look at my feet because that could cause me to stumble. A biblical analogy I adhere to even today, knowing not to look down on my circumstances (or I might lose my way/footing) but to look up and focus on the face of my dance partner, my heavenly Father, who will lead me.
• A loyal friend. Daddy would always fill-up at Rudy's Texaco even if it had the highest prices in town because Rudy was his friend. It helped that the attendants pumped the gas because Daddy never pumped his own gas.

• A man of courage who fought for his country in WWII & was wounded in the isle of Leyte in the Philippines, though he rarely talked about it. 
• A man with a great work ethic, regardless of the pay. His first job paid $19 a week. Daddy worked until September 2010, retiring at age 87.
• A man of consistency. His methodical routine defined him. We all knew his schedule. Post off ice at 10 am. At 11am he would be "walking for exercise" (at the mall in his later years) at 3 pm he would be standing on the porch of Hopkinsville Livestock waiting for the school bus to drive by so that he could wave at his granddaughters, Polly & Allyson, and at 9 pm he would be peeling his nightly orange. On Sundays he would be at the First Methodist Church sitting in the pew---back row of front center section on  right hand side.
• A man of few words. A wise man. A man of understanding. Did he know his character reflected scripture? A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. (Proverbs 17:27)

• A quiet, gentle man. I never heard him raise his voice.

• A "gentleman" as well. In his final weeks, he wore a monitor so that he wouldn't stand alone and lose his balance. In the dining room the monitor alarm sounded constantly as Daddy stood every time a lady came to his table.

Daddy died 7 years ago today.

My older brother, Buddy said it well in this morning's text.

"Daddy never said anything bad about anyone and no one said anything bad about him."

His character is etched on my heart. My hope is that the next generations, his grandchildren  and "great grands" will consider the character of their Grandaddy Brud and emulate it as they remember him.

Disclaimer---I am my brother's favorite sister, I just happen to be his only sister.

CHOOSE: GRATITUDE

Daddy used to begin his day, "thanking the good Lord for everyday He gave Him."

That's not a bad idea as everyday is a gift from Him. 

I sip from my cuppa "graTEAtude" as a reminder.

Today is indeed God's gift.

Choose "Gratitude" as an expression of that and live it out for the rest of the day!

18 ways....

.....18 ways to quick start start a day.....

5 --USPS cards
3 --text messages
2 --email messages
2 --on-line cards
1 --singing card
1 --surprise google message *
1 --bag w/ cheesestraws & poundcake
1 --yummy cupcake *
1 --tray of lemon squares
1/2 --salted caramel
1/2 --handcrafted chocolate heart

18 ways to remind one to number her days and be "grateful for each day the good Lord gives." (Daddy aka Grandaddy Brud) (Psalms 90:12)

* Google --"How do it know?"

** my fave white cupcake with buttercream frosting--design by Molly in a "Dotsy" liner 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

6/16/13 As Owen asked Molly, "Why are there 3 excitements after Happy Father's Day!!! ?" Well Owen, those excitements (also known as exclamation points) do indicate excitement. Excitement for all of us who have sons and son-in-laws who are dads today, because that means we are grandparents.

So....today is exciting....except, not totally. 

Two years ago today, Daddy died. And that takes a good bit of the excitement out of the day. 

But God....reminds me of the 89 years I had with a father who loved me, never raised his voice and was known "about town" as a quiet and gentle man, noted for his integrity.

Both of us with a head full of dark hair.
 I don't remember the picture--but  I so-o-o remember Daddy!

Much like King David, Daddy "walked with integrity of heart and uprightness..." (1 Kings 9:4) 

Praises that the Lord was Daddy's shield in WWII and through many years of good health as he "worked" until he was 88. Proverbs 2:8 says, "He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints."

Meditation for Monday

6/20/11 Son, Buddy sharing his Grandaddy Brud's story gave lots of "food for thought" from God's word.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11: 28-30)

How like God to take the very words that I had included for last Monday's meditation to be used today at Daddy's funeral with different implications---that's just like I asked you blog readers to consider (6/13/11).
Buddy used the words humility and gentle as two words that others often used to describe Daddy but shared that those two descriptors were the only ones found in scripture that the Lord used to describe Himself.

What a testimony to lead a life in which those adjectives come to mind as others remember you! What a blessing to have called such a man, Daddy!

NECESSARY Pruning

3/13/11 Yesterday, I spent time with hubby in the yard with clippers and pruning shears. Felder Rushing, former Memphian, and 10th-generation American gardener, would be rolling his eyes because the Liles prune when time allows. Convenience often rules our lives even to our lawn care. I spent less time outside than hubby did though I did try not only to direct his efforts but also to try my hand with the pruning shears as well. Fatigue took me inside before the job was completed but I took a spiritual lesson with me as I closed the door to the outside world and sat at the feet of my Master Gardener.

(John 15) ¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Pruning both in the garden and in our spiritual lives is necessary for healthy growth. We have to get rid of the superfluous and useless parts that compete with the healthy growth. Pruning helps to bring balance and it guides the shaping of the plant (or person) to be all it (or she) was intended to be by the one who planted it.

These last 6-8 weeks, the Lord has begun an awareness of pruning that is needed in my life. I don’t have enough time in my day for everything. My time needs trimming and shaping. I need to know my Master Gardener’s plan for me for this season in my life. I know that pruning is painful. I just need to remember that God will never leave me and His pruning is loving surgery to allow me to let His “Sonlight” go deeper than it ever has before. If it becomes the blessing that my cancer was, I know I’m going to love the results. **

A Well pruned life---what does it look like? I’ve seen it in the lives of others---Marge Andrews, Geary Irwin, Mary Ann Frazier. But I don’t know what it looks like in my own life----but God ….God willing and guiding (“apart from Me, you can do nothing.” John 15:6), I’m going to find out because I have recently enrolled in Basic Pruning 101, A Guide to NECESSARY Pruning. Care to join me? The text is God’s Word and is free on-line.

**Before I even could post this blog entry, I received an upsetting phone call. I had planned to be in KY this week for the first part of Spring Break. My cardiologist visit on Wednesday and another carotid artery “episode” thwarted those plans.

This phone call was from brother, Bobby, with an update on Daddy. Friday, Daddy had trouble eating lunch because his right hand was swollen & wouldn’t work for him. Care clinic and ER visits showed no stroke but an appointment was set for Monday with his internist. Late this afternoon an ambulance took him to Jennie Stuart hospital. Daddy has had a stroke and though we’re hopeful it’s mild, he couldn’t recall Bobby’s name or remember his own birth date.

Please join me in praying God’s best for Daddy.

Routine for a “New Dance”

4/22/10     I am a Daddy's Girl! 

During"back in the day" college years my phone rang every Wednesday, as Daddy could call long distance "free" from Clarksville Livestock Company,

For years, my daddy has been “routine” personified. He ate grapefruit for breakfast everyday. He walked every day. Had Wednesday lunch at Mama Davenport’s in Clarksville, TN every week. You could plan your days by him---and really down to the hour and sometimes even the minute. We often joked about him being the “man to set your clock by.”

• 6:14 am wake-up
• 7:15 am “library time.”
• 8am out the door.
• 10:15 post office run.
• 3:15pm front step Hopkinsville Livestock Company (originally Altsheler and Payne) with an ice-cold 6½ oz. bottled coke---the ones in the bottle with the light green tint and embossed at the bottom with the name of the local bottler. He chose that time to watch his granddaughters, Polly and Allyson, come by on the school bus.
• 9 pm his orange that he ate every night in front of the TV---a dish towel over his lap to catch the drips.
• Bedtime 10:14.

As he aged, the routine changed somewhat and his coke became a 12 0z. can b/c the little grocery in Trenton, KY where he got his “bottle” supply finally ran out. He eventually changed to the canned “diet Coke” variety. His orange became a ½ an orange. Lunch at Roundies remained a daily routine and any of the waitresses could get his order w/o writing it down b/c it rarely varied---salmon patties on Monday, always beets on his Tuesday plate, chicken and dumplings for Thursday and ending his week with his Friday fish. They always brought his jello with fruit about 2/3 through his meal. A nod from him was all it took. Sat. lunch at the VFW was a given b/c for his “big” dollar in the jar donation, he was fed---a lunch this World War II “purple heart recipient” deserves.

That routine gave him security---it’s what he hung his hat on. Plus, when Mother was living, she supported his routine and kept it running smoothly for him. Now he hangs his hat and coats and clothes all over everywhere---although there seems to be a system to that too, I just don’t always understand it.
In the last 6 mos. Daddy really began to fail---maybe even the past year but I was not with him as much b/c of my treatment/surgeries in Texas. He still walked at the mall, though slower and not as far, and in the past month, not at all. More and more his confidence is deteriorating. His memory is fleeting and too much of the time he won’t even try but just say, “I can’t remember anything.” I hear him talking to himself trying to remind himself of what is next and even his speech falters some. What I am seeing is that Daddy is desperately trying to hold on. Trying to hold on to life as he once new it. I want to hold on for him---to hold on to the healthy Daddy, still walking his mile. Daddy, working at age 88. Daddy, only taking 1 aspirin a day Daddy and reading The Upper Room daily.

Daddy---the way I’ve always known him.

Daddy, my first dance partner---the one who danced with me standing on the top of his feet as a child----danced with me at my wedding and even at my 45th high school class reunion. There won’t be any more of those dances with my earthly father. That makes me very sad!

How do I handle this new struggle in unfamiliar territory?
I, who just 2 nights ago encouraged others to “dance,” am going to have to apply those same principles to new steps needed for this unfamiliar dance---a dance to a new tune with my heavenly Father.

Discovering that I need new revelation from God’s word or maybe it’s new application of truth I already know---THOTS---Trusting Him On This Subject as I begin to seek

Accepting that aging of a parent and its physical difficulties are for the most part out of my control and accepting (trying) my emotional pain

Noticing God’s hand in the provision of 2 brothers who are the best and the one who is closest in distance never waivers in attentiveness to Daddy’s needs

Celebrating last night’s phone call---Daddy sounded good and even told me he got some chili at Roundies for lunch b/c it was the daily special---but he said “it wasn’t that special” and he wouldn’t order it again.

Extending hope to others in this type struggle as I learn from it---but hoping others will extend to me their stories of “long distance” care for parents and how it’s worked for them

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4