i know. i haven't been around in a while. all the stuff i had going on health wise around the holidays kept me from feeling like doing anything. but, i feel much better and plan to keep it that way.
i took a long weekend a couple weeks ago and went home to visit. i was never proud of being from mississippi, but the older i get, the more i love it. there's so much history. and so many people don't know it. my parents have always enjoyed just getting out and riding. seeing different things, visiting different places around the state. i'm an only child, so those outings to me are very special. i asked them next time i was home, could we ride over and see some of the old places close by. so i thought i'd share a few pictures of my favorite mississippi places....
rodney, ms
rodney actually used to be a booming town. the river ran right through it. it was quite the bustling river port. well, it's pretty much a ghost town now. all that's around are hunting camps and a few houses here and there. but, there's the gems that are left from that era. this is the old rodney presbyterian church. if you look close above the middle window on the second floor, there's a cannonball. story goes, as i've heard it and probably not that accurate, there was a union battleship stationed just outside of rodney on the river. the confederates had a camp just behind the church. the officers had an agreement that none of the men would leave the ship. well, those union soldiers just couldn't take the sight of those pretty mississippi girls all dolled up for church on sunday morning. so, a few sneaked off the ship and went to church one sunday. they didn't know some confederate generals were in the service that morning, and they captured them. the union ship fired on the church and there stuck the cannonball. it's not the original, but it's still neat.
the church was actually open the day we stopped by. it breaks my heart to see such history falling into disrepair. just to think who all worshiped there. how much these pews have seen. i think about my home church and how much it means to me, i just can't imagine it being covered in dust with broken windows. so sad.
i wonder how many times this piano has played "amazing grace", "victory in Jesus", or "just as i am". all the voices that accompanied it.
back behind the church, a hike behind the church i should add, many people don't know is a very old cemetery. want to talk about sadness, this is sadness. so many people buried back there and forgotten. many of the tombstones are broken or sinking into the ground. it's absolutely one of the most beautiful and haunting places i've ever seen. we walked around it for easily over an hour. i could have stayed there all day reading the tombstones. i actually think i'll continue this into another post. i could go on and on about the cemetery, so i'll just leave you with a taste....
I recently had the opportunity to review Lysa TerKeurst’s Unglued Devotional. I was familiar with Lysa already through Proverbs 31 Ministries. I’ve always enjoyed her devotionals but had never read any of her books. I was not disappointed. Lysa has such an easy going way of writing. It makes you feel like you’re talking to a best friend. It’s for any woman. The Unglued Devotion made me feel like I’m not the only woman experiences these things. I related to so much Lysa writes about. She truly has a gift for writing and empathizing with her audience. There is so much wisdom jammed into this little book. With the day by day devotionals, it’s easy to keep up with and apply to your life. I think any woman can relate to this book. It’s a definite keeper in my devotional collection.
