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Cream of the Crop

Cream of the Crop

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Cream of the Crop--men at army reunionThe men in this group are some of the finest I know. They are the cream of the crop.

All served in the army as members of A Company, 1st of the 501st. Many suffer health issues as a result of their service. Not all remain with us.

Cream of the crop means the best.

Just as cream is the richest part of milk and rises to the top, these men rose to the challenge to serve when called. When they gather, they always remember their comrades—their brothers—who returned home in flag-draped boxes plus those who have died since their return home. The men (and women) who went beyond the call of duty are gone but not forgotten.

Those in the cream of the crop challenge us to give our best.

We may not be summoned for military service. Yet, we can serve in some way.

God calls us to make our world a better place.

Memorial Day and always, may the needs around us and the memories of those who gave their all spur us to action.

There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:5 NIV).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion.

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Part and Parcel

Part and Parcel

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Part and Parcel: farm house surrounded by treesWhen our family sold the house where I grew up, we included all the property on that side of the road. Those few acres, in the middle of nowhere, held part and parcel of my childhood memories.

In addition to the house, we sold:

  • The lot where my grandmother used to live
  • The woods where we played
  • Dad’s garden and orchard
  • A small hay field that helped feed our cows
  • The shop and garage

We kept all the farm property across the road. When we go fishing or check the farm, we still get to see our homeplace. However, the essential part of our childhood home no longer belongs to us.

Part and parcel means an essential part of anything.

It is a basic feature such as:

  • Edits for writers.
  • On-call duty for doctors, firefighters, social workers
  • Middle of the night baby feedings for new parents

Success requires meeting those vital responsibilities.

This expression includes a legal background.

 According to The Free Dictionary, part and parcel has been used as a legal term since the fifteenth or sixteenth century. Its main use was for “clauses of a law and for parts of a landholding.” Part means “a portion.” Parcel means “something integral with a whole.” The idiom “began to be used more loosely from about 1800. Although both nouns have the same basic meaning, the redundancy lends emphasis.”

The Bible holds part and parcel of God’s will for our lives.

  • Love God.
  • Love others.
  • Repent and trust Jesus.
  • Follow Jesus’ example.

For details, I urge you to read all the Bible.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV).

Thanks to Ann Maniscalco for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Stick Like Glue

Stick Like Glue

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Stick Like Glue-Dashaway between young couple on porchMy dog Dashaway was my favorite pet. She would stick like glue anytime I went outside.

Dashaway and I became best buddies while I was in high school. Snow kept everyone home for weeks. My parents and sister had the flu, so all the house and farm chores became my responsibility. A cousin down the road milked the cows, but Dashaway and I did the rest.

When I became tuckered out, too tired to move, Dashaway nudged me with her nose. That reminded me to keep on keeping on. She knew once work was over, we could play in the snow.

After I began dating, Dashaway still stuck like glue. If my boyfriend (now husband), and I walked outside, Dashaway walked between us. When we sat on the front porch steps, Dashaway stood or sat in the middle. She loved us, and we loved her.

To stick like glue means to stay close to someone.

For people or animals, that means we want to be together all the time. We hate to be away from one another.

Other meanings include hard-to-remove items that attach to us, such as:

  • Sticky food
  • Ink
  • Grass stain

This expression may be literal or figurative.

The above are literal examples. Figurative examples include our:

  • Reputation
  • Nickname
  • Memories

Dashaway earned her reputation as a good dog. She actually had six names, with Dashaway as first of the six. Memories of our time together stick like glue in my mind.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV).

Thanks to Sharon Berry for the suggestion.

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Good Old Days

Good Old Days

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Good Old Days--old photo of little girl holding dollSome people want life like it was years ago.

They wish for the good old days. They remember mostly good times from their past. Many desire the freedom of childhood.

The good old days were good in many ways.

  • Close family relationships
  • No need to lock doors
  • Home-cooked meals with friends
  • A more relaxed schedule

Yet, the good old days were not all good.

  • No air conditioning
  • Fewer health services
  • Poor transportation
  • No telephones or electricity in some areas

When life gets hard, people often wish for simpler times.

Much of life in the past was simpler. Plus, people get so busy with all of today’s gadgets that we forget one another.

Personal contact may be what people miss most about the good old days.

  • Taking time to talk, laugh, cry, and do nothing together
  • Looking at one another instead of cell phones or tablets
  • Asking, “How are you?” and then stopping to listen

Why can’t today become one of those good old days?

Why can’t people take time for one another? That sounds like a good plan to me. What do you think?

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NKJV).

Do you have a favorite good old days memory? If so, please comment.

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Follow in Someone’s Footsteps

Follow in Someone’s Footsteps

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Follow in Someone's Footsteps 4I wonder if wearing an apron will help me follow in the footsteps of my Granny Beasley.

  • Will it make me a better cook?
  • Will it give me a great sense of humor?
  • Will it give me arms big enough to hug the world?

I rarely saw her without her apron. She used it to:

  • Keep her clothes clean while she cooked or did other work
  • Dry tears from her own or children’s eyes
  • Fan herself during hot weather

She did take it off when people took her picture.

To follow in the footsteps of someone, we:

  • Follow the person’s example.
  • Take that person’s role or job.
  • Look to the person for guidance or an example.
  • Live like that person lived.

Follow in Someone's Footsteps7I doubt that my WorldCrafts apron will make me like Granny. However, it does:

  • Provide great memories
  • Challenge me to follow in the footsteps of Granny Beasley (and the many other positive examples in my life)
  • Encourage me to create good footsteps for others to follow

“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me” (Psalm 119:133 NIV).

Whose footsteps do you follow? Please comment.

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Let Bygones Be Bygones

Let Bygones Be Bygones

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Let Bygones Be Bygones 3The past controls too many people.

They will not let bygones be bygones. Instead of letting the past be past, they spend all their time remembering.

  • Some remember great things they did but can no longer do.
  • Others wish for the simpler, easier life when they were younger.

Far too many think about all the wrongs done to them.

  • Their family or friends hurt them.
  • Their boss treated them unfairly.
  • They lost money.
  • They never had a chance to improve their lives.

Everything that happens affects us.

Many people do suffer unfairly. Others live with painful memories. Some allow anger to control their lives. They hurt others because they feel hurt.

Life’s not always fair. We must decide how to live with that fact.

Will we learn from the past but live in the present? Only then can we look forward to the future.

Let’s not allow the past to control us.

Let bygones be bygones.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” (Isaiah 43:18 NIV).

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