SNOWBALLS EVERYWHERE

Snowballs everywhere! Bushes, that is! It's 70º after all. 

My snowball (viburnums) bushes have a rich heritage and a circuitous journey.

They originally were propagated between family home places in Kentucky & Tennessee and back again---same Hooper/Davenport family generations just at different locations.

From this one plant have come snowball bushes at homes of extended family or friends in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee (4 towns) and Texas. A gift that keeps on giving.

Now I'll need to bring home some bluebonnets from Texas and see how they will bloom in Memphis....

......as part of a new floral family heritage tale. 

"Winter is past: ...........the flowers appear on the earth. (Song of Solomon 2: 11-12)

4/26 Morning text shared picture of this Batesville MS "heritage" snowball bush. How appropriate is the cross-shape as she is one of my ever faithful prayer warriors!

4/27 Morning text from Ellen in Walnut Grove/ St. Mary's area blessed me with another beautiful thriving "heritage" snowball bush photo.

4/27 PM text from "Alabama Ashlee" (before I even posted am one) thrilled my heart!

Both Mother and Mama Davenport are smiling down from heaven seeing their Hooper/Davenport/Adams/ Liles snowball bushes are continuing to spread joy!

4/28 Oh my, I received another snowball pic.... a Germantown "heritage" snowball that is showing signs of a cross formation! S & T must be using spiritual fertilizer.

4/29 This Texas snowball bush even comes with it's own Rhodesian Ridgeback guard dog, Zeke. The owner is our older son, who is the great, great, great grandson of the original planter.

Addendum--2 years later in Apri 2024, after dying way back in 2023, this heritage snowball bush resurrected itself on Pleasant Run in Allen, TX. WooHoo!

Is this a "Battle of the Bushes"? 

In no way....this is a celebrations of Pa Hooper my great, great, grandfather on Mother's side born in the late 1800s in Hampton Station, KY. His daughter, my "Mama Davenport" was my spiritual mentor!

Mama………….

7/28/10 ………..that’s all the name she went by when I was growing up. At least it’s what my family all called her, even Daddy, though she was his mother-in-law. Margaret Louise Hooper Davenport would have been 105 ten days ago. I know that because it was Sunday, July 18, and Molly was in the beach house researching her family tree at ancestory.com. She did “dig up” lots of interesting data. A 1930 census showed the ages of everyone in the “farm” household. Aunt Cora Mae Hooper, age 21, was living with them at the time. She even found a copy of my granddaddy’s signed WWI draft card. Dang Dang was 5 years older than she. They married when she was only 14. He was a tall, strapping corker and she was diminutive with a quiet, gentle spirit.

That info wasn’t on ancestory.com but I know it to be true. Compiled data can only give us so much information. That in itself is fascinating. But the real stories come from the hearts of those who know and remember their loved ones.

For sure, Mama was a loved one, especially by me. She was my spiritual mentor---though neither one of us had ever hear of that term. Nowadays it’s described as one mature Christian sharing his life with another in a one-on-one relational experience. The mentor invests, his God-given wisdom and resources of time and energy with the “mentoree” thus empowering him/her to align his life with Christ.
Our relationship wasn’t that formal but she shared much godly wisdom with me as she allowed me to “see” Christ in her, the hope of glory.

She lived Christ and found her joy in Him. I was just blessed to be alongside for all those years, especially during the summer when I got to spend a week at her house. I couldn’t wait to go to Mama’s---just to be with her. Mama might have been short in stature but she was the spiritual giant of my life.