THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
To faithful readers everywhere,
my wish for
you is that the joy of Christmas may follow you throughout 2011.
What may we do to renew the spirit of
Christmas daily so that the joy we know at this season may truly follow
us the
whole year through? Here are some
suggestions.
Build memories that last. When I
think of Christmases past, I revel in
a world of memories that build joy upon joy.
Some of my childhood memories of Christmas are a little dim now,
but if
I try hard I can recall them, and they still fill me with joy
unspeakable.
I remember how we went to Grandma
Sarah Souther Dyer’s house. It was quite
a production, just the going. And once
there, we had cousins galore to play with, and a Christmas meal that
was tasty
and inviting. Here’s how we went: Daddy hitched our two farm mules to our
farm
wagon and put the seat at the front of the wagon on which he and mother
sat. Then back of them in the wagon bed,
warmed by black irons heated and wrapped in blankets, and with our
warmest
coats and woven woolen blankets shielding us from the winter’s cold, we
children rode. We journeyed the four
miles over a country road to Grandma’s house.
Nightfall came after we arrived, and I recall one night that
scared us
half-out-of our wits. About this story,
here, briefly, are the details.
Whether it was Christmastime or not, I
do not recall. But perhaps it was, for
we had roaring fires in the fireplaces in three areas of the old house
at
Grandma’s. The house was built first as
a cabin in 1850 by Grandma’s father, and then added-to as the family
grew and
needed more space. There was a fireplace
in the “front room,” known also as “Grandma’s room,” where she sat in
her
little chair by the window that looked out upon the tallest mountain in
Then came the nighttime task of
bedding all the children present (Uncle Hedden’s who
lived there and visiting cousins from far
and near). Quilt pallets were made on
the floor, for there were not nearly enough beds to take care of the
crowd
gathered at Grandma’s house. We cousins
talked and told stories, warned frequently by the adults that it was
time to be
quiet and go to sleep. With such
excitement in the air—and especially that of the near-disaster of a
chimney
fire—how hard it was to relax and sleep.
Christmas is made dear by building
memories. Perhaps even now you can think
of many memories from you own Christmases that will bring joy to you as
you
recall them. From childhood to my young
adulthood there were many highlights.
One was Christmas, 1949, December 23, when my husband and I had
a
near-Christmas wedding. Then there were
our years of ministry together, he as pastor and later director of
missions,
and I as a teacher. Such Christmases as
we enjoyed in the communities where we lived and worked could make a
book-length tome of truth stranger than fiction. This
year marks our sixty-first anniversary,
a life together of many joys and sorrows as well. But
nothing has accrued on the side of
sorrows that we have not had the grace and strength to bear, even now
in his
long illness.
And so it is with life. If we keep
the joy of Christmas in our hearts
all year long, we will anticipate the best.
If we remember the best parts, we will have a garden blooming in
December, even in the cold and snow.
Someone has aptly stated, “God gave us memories so we can have
roses in
December.”
Add to good memories that cheer the
heart the spirit of giving and gratitude for gifts which can be solid
fabrics
for warming every day of the year. And
with these thoughts active and alive, we can have Christmas all year
long!
C 2010 by
Ethelene Dyer
Jones; published Dec. 23, 2010 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville,
GA.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
[Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator,
freelance writer, poet, and historian. She may be reached at
e-mail edj0513@windstream.net;
phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
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