WHO'S GONNA FILL HIS SHOES???

George Jones is an icon......

 

an icon to Country Music...

 

It was such a blessing and inspiration to be able to watch ( i actually felt like I was there and a part of) the star studded memorial service for George Jones held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.  It was the perfect sight for his memorial service being George Jones was a country music legend, who had beena member of the show at Grand Ole Opry since 1956.

 

George Jones was 81 years old and was in the midst of a farewell tour that was to have wrapped up with an all star salute in November in Nashville.  He had postponed 2 performances and entered the hospital with a fever and irregular blood pressure.  He had been ill off and on over the previous year.

 

George Jones death brought universal reaction from the music community and fans.  Not just country music fans.....all music fans.

 

For almost 2 hours, I sat in my mom and dad's living room with them, as we enjoyed all the tributes through music and speeches to honor George Jones.  Tanya Tucker opened the memorial service by singing a beautiful version of "The Old Rugged Cross"  It was really cool to hear Barbara Mandrell speak about the time she first met George, she was 13 years old.  Jones was peforming and didnt have a steel guitar player, so he asked Barbara Mandrell to play the instrument during his performance.  She said he left his lasting imprint on not only her heart, but ALL of our hearts.  He sang for you and for me, and now he is singing in glory for the one who gave him that voice! Hallelujah!! Barbara and him had a duet in 1981 "I was country when country wasn't cool".

 

When you see or hear Charlie Daniels, the first thing that comes to my mind is "the devil went down to Georgia".  So, it was very touching to hear him pick up his guitar and play/sing a simple yet moving version of "Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling oh sinner, come home".

 

I've always enjoyed the upbeat sone "I don't need your rockin chair" that Travis Tritt and George Jones sang together.  At the memorial service Travis Tritt san Kris Krisofferson's "Why Me Lord?", which Jones also recorded.  The lyrics are so humbling.."why me Lord?, what have i ever done to deserve even one fo the pleasures I've known.  Lord, help me Jesus, I've wasted it so help me Jesus, I know what I am....now that I know that I've needed you so, help me Jesus, my souls in your hand."

 

As soon as Kid Rock came on stage, our normal giggles and jokes back and forth between my daddy and I came up.  No, dad, Kid Rock is not Hank Williams Jr's son.  Kid Rock was probably an unlikely participant, yet George had asked him to write a song , one he never finished, until now and it was titled "The best of me."

 

One of my favoirtes....Vince Gill...he joined Patty Loveless.  This priceless time on stage had both humor and tears.  vince told about how he used to tour with George Jones and Conway Twitty.  George would open, and Conway closed the concert.  Patty and Vince combined their talents for the most emotional performance of "Go Rest High on the Mountain" with both artist crying throughout and bring the capicity crowd to their feet and to tears.

 

It was interesting to hear the former first lady Laura bush speak at the service.  She told the crowd "no one made music like a man from East Texas, like George Jones.  She recalled putting quarters in the jukebox to hear Jones 1964 hit "The Race is On."

 

Another Grand Ole Opry member and country star Brad Paisley took the stage and he encouraged those watching the funeral who werent familar with his legacy to seek out his music and "find out what this ruckus is all about..it's worth it.  Then Brad sang "Me and Jesus".

 

Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Chesney also had tributes and expressed their love and admiration for George Jones.

 

Wynonna Judd was a neighbor to the Jones family for many years.  She remembers singing "How Great Thou ARt" at George Jones wife Tammy Wnette in 1998.  Wynonna sadid her first concert ever was George Jones and Merle Haggard.

 

The last performance was very fitting .....Alan Jackson took the stage with a somber performance of the song that defined Jone's career "He stopped loving her today."

 

One of my favorite songs by George Jones is "How Beautiful Heaven must be".  It goes like this..."We read of a place thats called heaven, its made for the pure and the free.  The angels so sweetly are singing, up there by the beautiful sea.  sweet chords from their gold harps are ringing, how beautiful heaven must be."

 

So many of George's songs, the lyrics are so right on, like "Jesus hold my hand, this would be my prayer dear Lord, each and every day, to help me do the best I can, for I need thy light to guide me day and night, Blessed Jesus, hold my hand". or "Me & Jesus"....we got our own thing going, me and Jesus, we got it all worked out"

 

One of the quesitons George asked in one of his biggest hits was "Who's gonna fill their shoes?...He says there will never be another red-headed stranger, a man in black & Folsom Prison Blues, the Okie from Muskogee or Hello Darlin.....Lord, I wonder who's gonna fill their shoes?

 

Now we can ask "Whos is gonna fill his shoes?"  It's been answered by everyone.."No one will be able to fill his shoes".

 

George Jones was well known not just for his music, yet it was also very well known he had troubles as he battled substance abuse and money troubles, but always seem to slide by.  He met his present wife Nancy, and she stood by his side and saw him and loved him out of his addiction...praise God!

 

So, thank you, Randy Travis, Oak Ridge Boys, Laura Bush, Wynonna Judd, Ronnie Milsap, Tanya Tucker, Alan Jackson, Charlie Daniels, Travis Tritt, Barbara Mandrell, Brad Paisly, Kenny Chesney, Patty loveless, Vince Gill and several others....for such a touching, meaningful and respectful tribute to Mr. George Jones...."The Possium"

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY......

For almost 50 years, there has been millions of little things that have made me happy.  I used to use tiny spiral notebooks ( ok, i still do), then larger notebooks and finally a computor, an iphone and now an ipad.  I have made entry after entry of pictures, ideas, blogs, daily inspirtational quotes messages, God showed up....., Peak & Pit of the day...., and ME Without YOU.....

 

Sometimes on a gray day or when i need a pick me up, I will flip through or scroll through my collection to cheer myself up or remind myself of all the reasons  i have to be grateful.  It's a great way to reminisce, wish and dream.  I hope you find, as I did that happiness comes from noticing and enjoying the little things in life. 

 

flannel pajamas.....oatmeal cookies....muffin pizzas....childhood candy ( flicks, candy cigarettes)...camping....hiking....swimming.....the ocean....warm sand....snapping black-eyed peas on the porch....husking corn...Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer....licking beaters with cake batter.....the butterfly effect....popcorn popping....Ball Mason canning jars....huge sanddunes...cheeks aglow....Yellowstone....deep dish pies....catching a fish....watering my flowers....gratefulness....the United States of America...ignoring those who discourage...Monday night football...Conway Twitty & George Jones....Elvis Presley...string cheese...spotting a rainbow...sunsets...catfish and hushpuppies...blueberry glazed donuts...coleman stoves...a county fair...cotton candy...flip flops....smell of a baby with baby powder or lotion....fresh cut grass... a campfire...going to sleep with a line through every item on the things to do list...answer pages in the back of the text book...street fairs....tumble weeds....peanut butter and butter sandwiches without crust....homemade hamburger with grilled onions, cheese, bacon, pickles, tomatoes, lettecue...niagria falls....Statue of Liberty....rootbeer floats...cards...dominoes....friends....

 

 

more to come.........

 

and all of this because of His Amazing Grace......

A MAN OF HONOR......

OMGOODNESS...... I don't even know where to start!  I have that problem a lot...i have so much to say, but i hope to say it so you get as much out of it as I did.  I want to show honor and respect to this gentleman in the utmost way.  So, if I find myself jumping around from here to there, i will try to refocus!  I admit, sometimes I have troubling focusing!

 

Ok....i think as long as i have been at Valley Oak Dental Group ( a mere 32 years), I believe this gentleman has been a patient there.  Of coarse, him being friendly and me being polite, friendly and courteous, we had spoken in the hallways before, yet when I was moved from Dr. Ciccarelli to Dr. Hochhalter, I was blessed to be able to get to know this man.  There's not a person one at Valley Oak Dental that doesnt just adore Mr. Rundberg.  Sure, we have talked, and i have enjoyed sharing back and forth, but this past week, something was different, and that different has made me a better person, a luckier person, a more sentimental and emotional person (I know, some are probably thinking how is that possible??!!), that different has made me another true special friend.  I would like to share this situation, this person, this friendship, this respect, this man with you.  I would first also like to say, i sent Dr. Hochhalter a text and asked him if he thought it would be ok if i blogged about Mr. Rundberg, or if i should call him Mr. R or just leave his name out and let you wonder who i was talking about.  You see, I did not want to cross the line of patient confindentially or break the HIPPA law.  a little time passed and i hadnt heard back from Dr. H, so I looked up in the white pages on my phone and I found Harold Rundberg's home phone number.  I called him, left a message and in no time, he called me back.  We had a brief conversation about our earlier in the week conversation and I told him what i would like to do and he graciously agreed and in addition, he invited me over to his home so we could talk some more and he could share some pictures with me.  I was so excited, and honored that this man would take the time out of his day for me.  I pulled up to the community area that he lives, dialed the number he told me, he answered and opened the gate, made a right, a left and couple dozen houses down on the right, he was standing outside waiting for me.  I parked, and he so kindly showed me into his home.  We sat at his kitchen table with a perfect view from a large picture window, watching the wind sway the tree branches, seeing a reflection from his swimming pool, nice green and groomed lawn, a large print thick hardback book on a stand on his table, an 8x10 picture of his lovely wife and 6 month old daughter, taken in the Phillipens.  We talked about cooking, the welcoming commitee he is on, training sight-seeing dogs, his travels, his passions and desires, my family, my passions and desires, my travels, mutal friends and what a wonderful dentist he has and that I work for!  We both agreed that DR. Hochhalter is a true gentleman, sincere, considerate and fun loving! I promised Mr. Rundberg my blog wouldnt be about the composite filling we just did on tooth #28 verses a crown! LOL....we would be leaving business out of this blog!

 

ok....the beginning....On Tuesday, May 28th, Mr. Rundberg was scheduled for his dental appointment.  As I brought him back, we started talking about his recent whirlwind of a trip he just returned from.  I was in awe!  I knew right then, i wanted to blog and share this man with the world! (not that many read my blogs, but that's ok).  I am honored to know this man, and couldnt help but want you to know him too! He was one of 39 people from Northern California...not just people....he was one of 39 WWII Veterans that was flown to Washington DC and honored at the WWII memorial.  Gosh, I'll tell you like he told me that day, then I will share more about this man that i learned about him while sitting around his kitchen table.  At the time of boarding the plane, they were the first ones to board, the fire department sprayed their hoses with enormous amounts of water spraying in an arch over the top of the plane.  According to Harold, Virgin airlines is very nice, lots of room, tv's for each passenger and the 39 Vets were accompanied by 12 guardians and guides to help them with their luggage or any other needs for the trip.  Lunch was served and once they landed at Dulles Airport in Washington DC, once again the fire department sprayed the water arches over the plane, the Veterans departed the plane first, as the remaining passengers applauded them and hundreds of people awaiting and respecting their arrival.  They were then escorted to the hotel, served dinner and had time to mingle and share stories.  The next day, they were taken to the WWII Memorial and honored and recongnized.

(shoot, i have some pictures that Mr. Rundberg shared with me, but for some strange and frustrating reason, I'm not able to upload like i normally can, guess I need Mariann's help again!)

 

As Mr. Rundberg was beaming and holding his hand over his heart, , i couldn't help but noticea slight quiver in his voice and his eyes filled with tears....tears of pride, tears of joy, tears of emotion? maybe, thats just my assumption.  They flew home on Sunday, filled with so many more memories, so many more friends, so much more to talk about and so much to talk about with others and so much over flowing in their heart.

 

This is somewhat how the few minutes went before Mr. Rundberg's dental appointment....he left me wanting to know more....more about his family, more about his life in the service, more about his love for life and love for people, more of this 91 year old man that is such an inspiration to others.  So, therefore, he invited me to his home where I learned more about him.  I learned that he served 14 years in the Navy following 7 more consective years in the Airforce. He retired from the service having traveled all over the place, from the Philipens, to Rhode Island, to Santa Ana, where he was on the squad that flew blimps, his amazing wife was willing to go whereever he was.  They have 2 beautiful daughters who both reside in Portland Oregon.  He enjoys visiting them there, but much perfers the California Valley's heat! He just beamed when speaking of his wife Lois who passed away 8 years ago.   Harold probably thinks I am about as dumb as a doorknob!  Shouldn't admit it, but I had never heard about Goose Bay in Labador, where he and his family lived and i was shocked that at times it was 52 degrees below zero..I thought he was talking about the dog Labadors at first, but then our conversation did go into Lab's the dog....Mr. Rundberg has and still is extremely involved in training Lab's for sight-seeing dogs, in fact next week, Pricillia is coming to stay with him for 10 days as her trainers will be out of town.  Mr. Rundberg worked for fairchild electronics, Motorolla, and here and there, he at one time was in management  and enjoyed working, teaching and learning from others.  He has taken to retirement very well, keeps very busy and would rather be half an hour early verses 1 minute late!  We both agreed on that, and understand each other.  This has been very fun, and intriging to get to know just a little more of this true gentleman.  He is a hero to many people and i again thanked him for his service and fighting for our country.  I am honored and a better person because of Mr. Harold Rundberg....May God continue to bless you

 

because of His Amazing Grace