What we hope you will be doing on January 30, 2010, is heading to Blue Ridge for this performance. We have found the best dulcimer player in the southern Appalachian area, Bob Thomason, who happens also to be a gifted storyteller. Bob and his wife, Melody, live in Sautee, Georgia, where he also makes beautiful dulcimers and together they record CDs (click here to listen to some of their music). They have been delighting audiences with their songs and stories of the Appalachian Mountains for almost thirty years. Bob is a native of Oconee County, S.C. and was raised in a mill village with his mountain-born relatives. He plays mountain dulcimer, old time banjo and guitar. Melody is from Homestead, Florida, and adds her wonderful clear voice to the music. They met at Clemson University, where both graduated. Bob was the Southeastern regional dulcimer champion in 1989 and has taught workshops for schools, colleges, and Elderhostels from Maine to Florida. When I first heard them at the National Homiletics Conference in Atlanta, I was so deeply moved by their music, I wanted all of you to hear them.

Then I learned that Bob is also a master storyteller; just the combination we want for Songs & Stories in January. I have heard from folks who have experienced Bob leading an Elderhostel that they were not ready for it to end after five days! So make your plans to join us for a wonderful evening of Songs & Stories Appalachian Style at Fannin County High School Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m.--TLS

RESILIENT SPIRITS HAVE RETURNED

As The Craddock Center offered the second RAINBOWS Grief Group for children. Each of us has resiliency planted deep within our hearts when we are created. When losses turn us upside down and we can’t imagine ever feeling good again, up rises resilience that helps us move through painful experiences. The participants in the program have been blessed with ten very dedicated facilitators who have been faithful in offering hope and healing. One of the best ways to work through grief is to share your story, what exactly happened, with someone you can trust. Participating in a group with others experiencing similar struggles and feelings can be very beneficial. There has been lots of laughter along with the tears. Several participants have reported they didn’t realize how overcome and defeated they felt until they began to bounce back from the resilience that was planted long ago. These young folks and their parents have now experienced that, like the seasonal changes when the barren branches of fall look stripped of life, there is within, vibrant life to leaf out again in the spring.

 We wish to thank all those who provided dinners, rides, facilitation and prayers. We are also grateful for the financial support of Kidstuff USA who helped fund this program for the past two years.--TLS

SANTA BETTER WATCH OUT

Because he has some stiff competition this year as Hugh Parker made not one, but two, trips from Houston, Texas, to deliver handmade wooden toys. He is part of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Woodshop where several retired men and women meet on Mondays and Tuesdays to share their skills creating toys for children. He drove a total of eight days to deliver a wonderful assortment of ducks, elephants, bears, dogs, cars, trucks, pigs, cats and all the other animals that were on the ark. We have also been told by Rev. Gene Watson to expect more wooden toys from the Toymakers of East Lake United Methodist Church in New Port Richey, Florida, where retired elves have been busy all year making wooden toys. We are so grateful to both these toymaker groups for sharing their handiwork with the Appalachian Mountain children. Now the local elves will have so much fun delivering joy to the children served by The Craddock Center in nine counties in north Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. For the next month you will see the Story Express rolling around these mountains delivering books, wooden toys, stuffed animals and music CDs. Thank you to all of you who have shared in bringing these happy surprises to approximately 1500 children.—TLS  

I AM SITTING HERE

Trying to think of a way to use the word ‘unbeknownst’ in an article I am writing. I like the word; it’s from a good family: an English mother and a German father.

I’m not having much luck. Maybe a lack of oxygen to the brain. I am very aware of oxygen lately. Recovering from pneumonia. I have been on oxygen. And I must confess being in a foul mood about it. I wanted to blame my neighbor for breathing too much, but I couldn’t; they are barely breathing. It’s the trees, I thought. Their job is to take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. We live in the middle of a woods and there are only two of us, for goodness sake! I threatened to replace the trees with cactus until one smart-leafed young poplar reminded me that we were not the only animals in the forest.

So — I’ve been on oxygen. It’s not free by a long shot. Just like water. Not any more. Where is Al Gore when you need him?

When the technician came with the oxygen machine he asked me how long a hose I needed. I told him 14 miles; 12 miles to Wal-Mart and 2 looking for the bottled water. It’s cheaper to go to church; only 3 miles. He assured me they would service the hose to guard against people tapping into it. Good. Down the road is a family from Chicago and those people are famous for breathing other folks’ oxygen.
The oxygen man just left. My oxygen is normal again. I have apologized to the family from Chicago and thanked the trees.

A word of advice: check your oxygen. There is an invisible drama of advice: check your oxygen. There is an invisible drama being played out, totally unbeknownst to you. — FBC

“SALE-ING”

When I tell people what Pansy and I do on Saturday mornings, they think we take a boat to the giant Hartwell Lake nearby and go sailing. In reality, I use a made-up word and say we go “sale-ing”: yard sale-ing.
We’ve been Saturday yard-sale junkies for many years. But on our first trip to Cherry Log for Dr. Craddock’s lectures a few years ago, we learned about the Story Express and the need for books for kids in Head Start programs.

From that, we caught a vision of helping children through the Craddock Center outreach and started looking for what someone has called “gently read” books, books that are new or practically new: no wear on the cover or spine, no dog-eared pages, no crayon marks, and so on.

When we get the books home, Pansy cleans each book with a damp cloth. She may use white-out to cover the previous owner’s name inside the book, and she may put in a white gummed label for the new owner’s name. For minor repair of a page, she will use cellophane tape. We don’t give the Story Express books which need major repair. We may recycle those to a local thrift store.

We get most of our books for a quarter a piece. It would be rare to pay more than 50 cents. We just don’t pay a dollar or more for a book. Sometimes we get quality books for a dime. Sometimes we get them for free.
Though we don’t keep a record of the number of books we’ve brought to Cherry Log, there certainly have been a few thousand. It’s not unusual to find 50, 60, or 80 at one house. We usually come to a Craddock Center program with the trunk or our car full of boxes of books.

Recently, for tax purposes, we’ve started keeping track of what we spend as part of our record of charitable contributions.

Maybe it’s time for you to go sale-ing.

Lawrence Webb, Anderson, South Carolina

CAR DONATION CAME JUST IN TIME

For a single mom with two young sons and a job. When her car died she had no way to get to work and was on the verge of losing her job. Then a call came in from a couple in Alpharetta who were looking for a place to donate their car. In conversation with one of The Craddock Center Board members they had learned that we are always happy to receive gently used cars as well as books. This has been a banner month for both cars and books! Thanks for all your donations. — TLS

AS THE END OF THE YEAR APPROACHES

We are looking forward to hearing from all the friends of The Craddock Center around the country. Dr. Craddock wrote last month suggesting churches send donations because he hasn’t been there for a visit. I want to invite individual friends to do the same. We are so grateful to each and every one of you for your support in the past and look forward to hearing from you before 2009 comes to an end. No gift is too large or too small. Whatever you give is just right. All of us at The Craddock Center send you our best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving. — TLS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, January 30, 2010—Songs & Stories Appalachian Style—with Bob and Melody Thomason weaving dulcimer music, songs, and stories at 7:30 p.m. at Fannin County High School, Performing Arts Center Monday, March 1, 2010—Spring Preaching Workshop—9:00 a.m.–1 p.m. at Cherry Log Christian Church with Dr. Gene Lowry presenting—No charge, but reservations required at craddockcenter@tds.net Friday, March 5, 2010—Sixth Annual Helen Lewis Lecture. Silas House, Appalachian novelist, musician and environmental activist will be the guest lecturer, 7:00 p.m. Free admission with location to be announced soon.