Down Memory Lane at Blackwell High School

Recently Larry and I had the privilege of going down memory lane with Cathy.

Larry accepted the invitation to be the pastor at the First Church of the Nazarene in Blackwell, Oklahoma and we moved there in July 1971. Cathy began her junior year of high school there in August 1971. It was a good fit for her last two years of high school. She was invited to be the high school choir/ensembles pianist/accompanist. As a new student that helped her integrate into the campus activities.

It seems Cathy's DNA was designed for her to be a teacher. When she was a little girl she would teach her dolls ... and if she and friends would play school, she would volunteer to be the teacher. So it was no surprise that in high school she still felt the pull to be a teacher; she just didn't know what she wanted to teach. In the 1970s Oklahoma English curriculum gave students the option of English for four years and the last semester of their senior year, they had a choice of either Literature, Journalism or Speech.

Cathy chose Speech and Mrs. Denton was the teacher. That class changed her life forever ... it was then she realized she wanted to teach Speech. She graduated from Blackwell High School in 1973, enrolled in Speech Communication at Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977, and her Masters degree in Education in 1981. She was privileged to become involved in SNU's Adult Education Program and now has her Doctorate in Education and is a Professor and Director of the Organizational Leadership Program. It all started in a Blackwell High School classroom in 1971.

We were on our way to Wichita, Kansas on June 11th and had time to drive through Blackwell and down Memory Lane. A former classmate of Cathy's class happened to be at the school, admitted us to the building, and he and Cathy walked down Memory Lane through the halls and past various classrooms. Cathy wanted to see Mrs. Denton's former classroom (at the end of the East Hall). She said they have switched the desks some but basically it looked the same and is pictured above for documentation.

Larry and I also had the privilege to go down Memory Lane. We drove past the parsonage and the church. The church is still an inviting structure and makes a good impression for the Church of the Nazarene.

Backyard - Work In Progress

We enjoy our backyard ... it isn't an elaborate showplace that would make the yard of the month in a gardening magazine. However it represents a lot of things to Larry and me. When we moved to Lakeshore in February 2005 the backyard was a disaster. Let's say we didn't buy the house because of the backyard. There was a broken patio and almost the entire area was barren (no grass). Fortunately the front yard had nice grass and the shrubs there gave good curb appeal.



The encouraging fact was we had plans for that backyard. First we had the patio replaced - that made a great difference. Then Larry began the process of fertilizing and giving lots of tender loving care to the grass. However, in the two back corners we weren't sure there would ever be grass there without major effort. The nice alternative woud be to develop two garden areas. Now, five years later, the photo above is one of those back corners. It's still a work in progress. Every season we add a few more shrubs and/or perennials.



Our backyard reminds me of life ... we had a plan for the yard ... and our Heavenly Father reminds us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has a plan for each of us. Now, I have to tell you that some of the things we planted throughout this five-year period haven't survived. Others struggled and had to be transplanted. And that is the way of life many times. Some of our endeavors don't materialize and we have to change plans. Other times God has helped us to change from conforming to our plans to realizing that His leadership gives us better direction. He reminds us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do; everywhere you go; He's the one Who will keep you on track."



We still have to pull the weeds from our garden areas and make sure there is an ample water supply for them. That's the "work in progress." Just like I do better in life when I continue to seek God's guidance and not always rely on Connie's plans alone. Yes, I, too, am God's work in progress!