06.19.07
Posted in Janet's Posts at 9:20 am by John
Just a quick update regarding Kay. She will see the surgeon this Friday and we’ll learn more about her pathology, etc. We are praying fervently that she will be able to bypass any chemotherapy – thank you for helping us pray to this end. I’ll keep you all in the loop. THANK YOU in advance for your prayers and thoughtfulness.
Also, I want to let you know about a special concert planned for this Friday, June 22nd in Clayton, North Carolina. Ivan Parker and I will be sharing a concert at the lovely Clayton Center downtown. We always have a great time working together, and this time we’ve a surprise or two up our sleeves…. Don’t miss it!
For tickets call:Â 919-550-4143 or 919-553-1737Â or visit www.theclaytoncenter.com
We’ll look for you!
Janet
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06.09.07
Posted in Janet's Posts at 7:43 am by Janet
Hey Everybody,
It’s a nice Saturday morning in North Carolina. I’ve a much-anticipated weekend off so I wanted to shoot you a note before my Saturday gets swallowed up by ‘things.’
John sent you a note saying that all the new projects are available – the hymns project, SOUNDS LIKE SUNDAY, the new Gaither DVD and CD release, BEST OF JANET, and the new Springhill release, GREATEST HITS. Have I really been around that long? I guess after 30 years you should have at least one ‘best’ or ‘hit’ under your belt…
I’m copying a story from my dear sister, Kay. She’s the one who never meets a stranger, the one who has, for years, worked in my office, raised a wonderful son, and served as a pastor’s wife – all at the same time. We just found out yesterday that she, too, has breast cancer. They think they found it very early and they won’t know what treatments it will entail until after the surgery. I’ll keep you all updated. I know that she covets your prayers.
When we first started working on the project, SOUNDS LIKE SUNDAY, the owners of the record label designated a portion of the proceeds to go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research (see the back of the CD). Now that my beloved sister has been diagnosed, I am even more grateful to them for helping to chip away at this dreadful disease.
So, sit back, and get a life perspective from Kay. She’d love to think she made you laugh.
Love,
Janet
Those Were The Days…. by Kay Loftis
I awoke very early one day last week, couldn’t sleep, and the word ‘reflect’ was rolling over and over in my mind. I got up, went to my computer, and began thinking at 3:48 in the morning when all was still. I pulled out my old Webster’s Dictionary and looked up the word, ‘reflect’, and it’s description was “to look back.†I decided to do just that.
Growing up, there was only my sister and I. We were very close and every Christmas, Santa would bring us great toys such as an operational ‘Jack in the Box’, various Barbie dolls (including but not limited to clothes and accessories), a Baby Boo doll that really cried, Tinker Toys, etc. You know, real fun stuff. We had homemade play houses and one bicycle to share between us. I have a few of my old toys today but my little sister doesn’t have much left. You see, my Mother had a lot of nephews and nieces who played rough. They usually destroyed their toys the day after Christmas! We loved those cousins though and when they would come to visit us, usually every weekend, I would hide my toys and give them my sister’s toys to tear up. I would say, “Here, Sissy wants you to play with this Baby Boo doll today.†Ah, those were the days!
Being the oldest, I was the first to reach driving age. My Dad had a 1961 Ford with a column shift, 4 barrel carburetor, and a V-8 engine. Today we do not know what a car is anymore. That was a real automobile. When we went on vacation, my sister and I could ride in style. One of us could sleep on the back seat, the other in the back window. When the sun got hot, you would just switch places and keep on riding. It was in that car that I had to get my driver’s license. My sister on the other hand, never had a problem with driving. She was driving when she was 5 years old.
I tried several times and still could not get my driver’s license. At one point the instructor asked me to perform a 3-point road turn. I had a difficult time operating the clutch and gas pedal simultaneously, while trying to get a smooth ride all at the same time. I made the first turn fine, but on the second turn, I got the car in the ditch and could not get it out. The instructor had to change places with me and get the car out of the ditch. During the drive back to the motor vehicle office, the instructor was very quiet. When we arrived I noticed his pale, white expression, and wondered if, perhaps, he was getting that virus that was going around? I asked him, “Did I get my license this time?†He said, “No, you’ll have to try again.†When I reached my limit, realizing I would never get a driver’s license in my dad’s 1961 Ford with a column shift, a friend from church loaned me her small car with an automatic transmission. I took the test and finally passed.
I remember the movie, “The Wizard of Oz†coming on television only one time a year and it was always on Sunday night. My sister and I wanted to stay home from church and see it, but Mom and Dad always made us go to church and, of course, that would be the night that the service would go on and on and on. We would usually see just the last few minutes of it. My sister was a much better church goer than me. Mom and Dad worked everyday and we didn’t attend church on Wednesday nights. My sister would ride to church with my Grandfather (who lived 2 doors down from us) on Wednesday nights. I really wanted to go but the show, “Lost in Space†was on tv that night and I had to stay home and watch it for my sister. Lesson to young people – Remember if you stay home on Wednesday nights and watch tv, you will be working the product table for your sister one day while she is on stage singing.
In the summertime, Mom always worked and we would stay at home with a sitter until we got old enough to stay by ourselves. In the summertime, we would make tents by placing a homemade quilt over chair backs and secure them with heavy books. We’d make pimento cheese sandwiches, position ourselves under the tent, and watch “I Love Lucy†on the portable 19†black and white tv my dad had won in a car dealership drawing. Other days we’d just sit on the front porch drinking our Mom’s homemade iced tea (she made the best!) and dream about our futures. Those were the days!
Mama usually got home from work about 30 minutes after we got home from school. Many time she’d go straight to her bedroom, kneel by her bed and pray. She would ask if we wanted to pray with her and, of course, when someone asks you, you always say yes. I remember Mama prayed a long time. My sister would be praying and I would be looking around, looking out the window, thinking I would love to be in our playhouse, when, the first thing you know, I would fall asleep. I used to think, ‘Sissy and I are going to start playing today before Mama comes home so we won’t have to pray with her.’ Ah, those were the days.
We grew up and followed the Lord’s direction for our lives, probably because of those days of prayer, as well as church meetings, revival meetings and our wonderful family life. However, I still am not a great driver. Just 2 weeks ago, I was driving down the road, a blue light approaches, stops me and an officer walks up to my car. I asked him what was I doing wrong? He said he’d clocked me at 69 in a 55 zone. I told him I was going to a birthday party, which made no difference to him. I asked him for a warning and he said he would think about it. When he goes returned to my car he was carrying a ticket. That was my first ticket ever! He had no mercy on me either. A friend told me about traffic school so the following week I signed on. We were divided into 3 groups and given the various topics of road hazards and solutions for discussion and class insight. We had problems with too much light, sunlight, night driving, when someone had their bright headlights shining in your rearview mirror. Our spokesperson said you can put bright, blue lights on your vehicle and it helps you to see clearer in the nighttime. I told the class we had already seen the blue light clearly enough.
Maybe someday, I will say of this experience in life, too, those were the days!
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