Catch Up Time

Goodness it has been a whirlwind few months with a Red Hot & Blue restaurant finally joining the ranks of the corporate offices here in Winston Salem. It's a slow process, this opening up a restaurant business, and it is not for the faint-hearted. I never knew how involved the whole process was until now. "Out of sight, out of mind," has been my response to those who have asked about the business and I was content in saying that up to this point.

The process from start to finish took about 70 days to reconvert an existing restaurant. It was so much fun watching the changes from day to day, and now it's neat watching the new relationships gel. Randy is loving getting to know their staff and returning customers. He is truly in his element. It is hard for me to stand on the sidelines because I really am a change agent and teacher. I want to jump in and say, "Let's try this! How about that?" Don't think I don't do that, and they have all been very gracious, but I really want to get in there and be in charge of the "classroom," because I really do see all of our lives as one big interaction with each other. I see my life as a change agent for GOOD.

It's very interesting how my life has taken such an interesting turn. I told you about the women's retreat I did back in September. Well, a new invitation came out of that for me to speak at another Lutheran church over near Greensboro as "The Mystery Guest Speaker" at their yearly stewardship campaign. Their Evite invitation was so beautiful and they had so many wonderful things planned. I couldn't wait to hear "The Mystery Guest Speaker" by the time I got there. I left on cloud 9. They laughed in the right places and nodded and "Amened" just like I'm used to with the Baptists. And of course, the food was plentiful and delicious. The pastor said that everything revolves around food with the Lutherans. So help me, I thought that was just a Baptist saying. I'll bet the Catholics and Methodists say the same thing, along with all the other denominations.

THE BOOK is always looming on the horizon. Leah made the comment as Randy and I were en route home from the dinner that I needed to see the book as a history lesson in the making for the neighborhood, because teaching is what I do best. She's right. I'm starting to get excited as my time is "freed up" for a while. I interviewed Lilian the cook yesterday and cannot wait to try some of her recipes.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my sister Linda's house in Jonesboro, GA. Some of our cousins were there from our childhood. It's always fun to be reunited with my sisters and their families...add our first and second cousins in and you have a true THANKSGIVING, because that is what it is all about. We pictured our mothers smiling from above.

My sister Scarlette, and our second cousin, Lena, are into family history, and have both joined DAR and the Manakin Huguenot Society. Here's what I pulled up as an explanation:

The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin In the Colony of Virginia

History: Huguenots began coming to Virginia as early as 1620. In 1700-1701, five ships arrived at the mouth of the James River, then the York and the Rappahannock rivers, east of present-day Richmond, Virginia. French Huguenots, having fled religious persecution, had lived in England and Ireland and done military services for King William. They were granted lands in the New World for a permanent home where they had the freedom to worship as they pleased. West of Richmond, many founded a colony on the site of a village deserted by the Monacan Indians.This is a society of the descendants of that colony and French Protestants who came to Virginia before 1786 [see history of the society]. The society headquarters and library are located beside the Manakin Episcopal Church on the original King William Parish glebe land in Manakintown.

Welcome "Gator," my newest follower and cousin from where else but Florida.