Memories - grace grits and gardening

Ten Tips for a Fun Family Reunion!

June 14, 2016 By Talya Tate Boerner

Here in the South we are all about “the reunion”. Family reunion, church reunion, class reunion… If you belong to a group of some sort—and of course you do!—there’s a good chance you’ll receive an invitation to a reunion before the end of summer. You may even be asked to plan it. Today I’m sharing my ten tips for a fun family reunion, tips to make yours a roaring success from planning to execution.

1. Planners gotta plan. There are a few people in our family who always step up and take charge. Whew! These people form the primary planning committee. They suggest two or three dates and a couple of locations and everyone votes. It’s the democratic way.

2. Spread the Word. Once a date and location is decided upon, it doesn’t take long to spread the word in our family. We are a group of talkers, and we have a family Facebook page. The thing to remember within a large family is that people get news different ways. It’s important to cover all the bases via email invitations, phone calls, Facebook, and mail paper invitations. (American Greetings has a great online site for printing free invitations!)Continue Reading

WWII Letters of Reverend L. T. Lawrence

May 30, 2016 By Talya Tate Boerner

Mississippi Co, Ar seeing boys off to war

Osceola Courthouse lawn. Seeing soldiers off to war.

Reverend L. T. Lawrence served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Osceola during WWII. The Mississippi County Historical & Genealogical Society recently devoted an entire Delta Review publication to Reverend Lawrence. Lib Shippen, Treasurer of the historical society, spent hours and hours of her time on this project. It’s special and perfect for Memorial Day. I think you’ll agree.

As local boys went off to war, Reverend Lawrence began writing a monthly letter to every serviceman, a sort of hometown newsletter which he called Hands and Hearts Across the Seas. The project grew larger as the war continued. The cost to mimeograph and mail these letters grew too. By the end of the war, Reverend Lawrence was mailing out over 750 letters a month, half to servicemen and half to family members who wanted to keep up with news. The people of Mississippi County helped cover the cost with monthly donations.

These letters are now part of Osceola history.
A part of WWII history.

Each letter includes news of the town, a joke or two, a prayer & scripture reading—heartfelt greetings from Osceola.

The boys immediately began writing back to Reverend Lawrence. Lawrence included news he received from soldiers in subsequent letters. These letters changed lives and in many cases saved lives.

Through Reverend Lawrence’s letters and responses, we have first hand accounts of not only what was happening in Northeast Arkansas (and in the U.S.), but also what was happening from our hometown soldiers’ perspectives from foreign soil. Most of these boys had never been out of Mississippi County. Many have names I recognize today. Some didn’t return.

With permission from the historical society and Ms. Shippen, here are a few excerpts.

Letter No. 1, November 1943:
Dear Friend: …We thought that some of you fellows in the armed services would be interested in a mimeographed letter from us every once in a while. So we are trying it out…Nathan Weinberg has lost a couple of letters out of his sign on the store. It now reads ATHAN WINBERG…Osceola has had an experience with gas, but it is due to the fact that they are canning turnip greens at the canning factory and the odor is strong all over this section… Seriously Speaking—A Bible verse for all of us to ponder in our hearts-“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39. Will you take your New Testament now and read the entire 8th chapter of Romans? As you read it, remember that a lot of others are reading it—I believe all who receive this letter will do it. If you do not have a New Testament, write to me and I’ll try to get one to you…Continue Reading

Life is a Highway

May 21, 2016 By Talya Tate Boerner

It’s true. Life is a highway, and a portion of mine has been spent on Interstate 35 from Dallas to Austin. Dallas holds the most memories, some so fresh I can remember particular smells or what I thought at the time. Some memories hit me unexpectedly, carrying me back twenty years or more.

Waco is midway between Dallas and Austin. We speed past the exit but I marvel at the obvious changes since I was a young college student. The interstate is lined with restaurants, Baylor’s impressive new stadium, construction everywhere, but still my eyes seek out those parts that were mine. The Brazos River. My dorm, Alexander Hall. Pat Neff, glowing green after a game day win.

I left little pieces of myself there, but we have no time to stop and visit. Not this time. Our daughter graduates from University of Texas Law School this afternoon. Her whole life has pointed to this moment. As a kid she was focused, centered, wise beyond her years. Austin is her place filled with her memories.

What’s next?

We never know. Lots of life, hopefully, and maybe someday I’ll be driving this highway again headed to my granddaughter’s graduation. And my daughter will feel as proud as I do right now.