You Can't Make Old Friends

What will I do when you are gone?  Who's gonna tell me the truth?  Who's gonna finish the stories I start the way you always do? - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers

Ya'll better buckle up for this one, it's gonna be one to hopefully make you laugh out loud.  Ya'll know I love that kinda laugh.  The one that comes from your toes and you can't stop.  

This weekend was a girls weekend and Lord have mercy it was one for the books.  One that kept us all laughing and only one that cried.  Yeah, not me this time.  But the one that cried (my opinion) just needed her eyes washed.  I mean there is something blooming somewhere.  LOL.  

There are six of us in our group we call The Birds.  Yep, I guess you can figure that one out.  We're a flock of birds that four of us have been friends almost 40 years.  The other two birds, not really sure how many years we've been friends, but I just like to say we're all friends and the years doesn't really matter.  These ladies are the ones that gonna tell me the truth, finish my story, tell me how bad I look but most importantly how beautiful they think I am even if I don't believe it myself.  (which is usually most of the time.)  

"How will I sing when you are gone 'cause it won't sound the same.  Who will join in on those harmony parts when I call your name?"  None of us can "carry a tune in a bucket" except Mrs. Bling and she loves to sing.  Me on the other hand use to be able to sing anything I wanted but dear old age with it's menopause and crap has settled in and I truly can't carry a tune in a bucket.  SUCKS!!!  BUTT...that doesn't stop me from trying to sing a little harmony when Mrs. Bling needs help.  OK, I know it's only in MY mind she needs some help.  But on occasion she has asked me to sing a little doo whop back up.  Surely ya'll getting the picture by now.  It ain't pretty or should I say it doesn't sound pretty.   

"When somebody knocks at the door, someone new walks in I will smile and shake their hands but you can't make old friends."  Trust me there have been others who have tried to fly with this flock but for whatever reason couldn't quite get off the ground.  I'm sure there was a good reason but I'm thinking it's just as simple as Dolly and Kenny's song says.  "You can't make old friends."  Old friends that gonna hold my hand if I'm scared, old friends that's gonna build me up when I'm down, old friends that will give me a hug just because. Old friends that simply 'gonna be there because the "show must go on."  

There will come a day when St. Peter will open the gate and we will fly away from this flock of friends.  But one thing I know for sure, whoever goes first will be waiting on the rest.  Waiting on their friends who will be young again, waiting on their friends with open arms 'cause we all know, you can't make old friends.

Lesson today?  Heck, let's just run with something to make you laugh.  Don't worry about how many facebook friends you have (you probably don't know half of them any way), hold on to your old friends, hold them tight every chance you get and tell them you love them.  Go have lunch with them or better yet if you're lucky enough, have a weekend like we just did. 

Love to all,
Sweet Southern Sass

Thank You For Being A Friend

"Thank you for being a friend.  Traveled down the road and back again.  Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant." -Andrew Gold

This might get a little serious so hold on tight.  I'm writing this as I'm thinking about my pal and confidant that lost his battle with cancer a few years ago.  Tomorrow is his birthday so I've really got him on my mind.  Traveled down the road and back again, yes we did.  I met this young man when he was 24 with a head full of curly hair.  As things happened, we lost touch but thank you Jesus the road made a turn back to us about 5 years ago.  As happy as I was to find him, it just didn't last long enough.  He had just been diagnosed with cancer and had lost his head of curly hair.  But let me just say he was as handsome bald as he was with all that curly hair years ago.  Why you may ask.  Well ya'll know me well enough now that I'm going to tell you why.

You see his heart was true.  He was a big man and I swear his heart was big as him.  He loved people and people loved him.  He would light up a room just by walking in it with a smile that made you want to just squeeze his cheeks like your grandma did when you're little. A smile that went from ear to ear, showed every tooth he had and in a few short minutes had everyone in the room wanting to hug him.  Yep and when he hugged you, you knew you had been hugged.

"My old friend, I recall the times we had.  I wouldn't trade them for gold 'cause they laugh and they cry and somehow sanctify me.  They're woven in the stories I have told, and tell again." - Tim McGraw

The stories I could tell if I had all the time in the world wouldn't fit on this page.  This man made me laugh so hard tears rolled down my cheek and in the next minute I would be crying because I would realize his time was limited.  His time may have been limited here on earth to a short 42 years but I can promise you he made the best out of every one of them.  He didn't know when his time would be up so he lived every day, every minute of every hour to the fullest.  He told stories that had nothing to do with anything, but he could have you believing whatever he made up, just because he could.  The more I laughed, the more he added to the story.

"And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew.  You would see the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say.  Thank you for being a friend."  A party he could throw, especially on his boat on the lake with that stinking Tennessee flag flying like he lived there instead of Georgia.  And yes of course he invited everyone he knew and most of the time they all came.  They all came because they knew a party it would be, a party they wouldn't forget with plenty of food, laughter and stories.   I'm fooling myself if I think the biggest gift would be from me because everyone at the party would have a card probably the biggest one they could find and it would simply say..."Thank you for being a friend."

"My old friend, this song's for you 'cause a few simple verses was the least that I could do to tell the world that you were here.  "cause the love and the laughter will live on long after all of the sadness and the tears.  We'll meet again my old friend"
"You'll hear me call, I'll say your name.  Then once again...Thank you for being a friend.
It's not a song and it's by no means written by a professional writer but this post is my way of letting the world know I miss my friend more than words can say.  This is a feeble attempt to honor my friends memory with a story that will bring a smile to your face like he would want it.

My lesson today?  I think my friend would want me to say...Life is too damn short.  It's like a bull, so grab it by the horns and ride it like it's your last day alive.  Tell your friends and  family you love them...every single day.  Don't drift through life telling yourself "maybe tomorrow."  Make TODAY that day and every day after that.  Spend your life actually living it instead of watching it blow away like candles on each birthday cake.  And while you're at it, have an extra slice or two.

    Thank you for being my friend,
    Sweet Southern Sass

It Ain't My Fault

"But it ain't my fault, no it ain't my fault.  Mighta had a little fun, lotta wrong I'd done...but it ain't my fault."

- Brothers Osborne

Ok folks I'm hoping this one will bring back some childhood memories or fun times that will make you laugh and hopefully not any bad things that may or may not have been your fault.

When I first heard this song, I'm up and dancing with my hands in the air (as the song says) remembering so many times I said to my mama..."It ain't my fault."  I am certain there were more times it was MY fault than not but I wasn't going to get my butt in trouble when I could blame it on someone else.  I mean why would I?

"I got my hands up I need an alibi.  Find me a witness who can testify you made a mistake.  I'm only guilty of a damn good time.  No it ain't my fault."  So many times I would come home late when I was younger and say something like, so and so wouldn't come home or so and so had to go by her house first.  Whatever came to mind at the time to keep my butt out of hot water, that's what I told.  Need an alibi?  Heck yea I needed an alibi.  I wasn't going to take all the blame, even though I'm sure it was more my fault than who I was with.  If the truth was known it was a true story that the only thing I was guilty of was a damn good time.  Come on now, that is why I was out in the first place.

"Blame my reason on my name."  As another famous songs says "I'm the only hell my mama raised."  That may not be totally true because my two brothers are right there with me, but as for the girls, I'm sure I was the only one.  That,  my friends is why I can blame anything I did on my name.  All five of us girls could be together and my mama would know it was my fault for whatever the reason.  Must have been the name.

As I'm writing this I'm just wondering how much my mama believed all those times I blurted out that it ain't my fault.  Now that I'm a mother, I'm thinking she probably never believed me so I guess that's what us mama's are suppose to do.  Give our kids a little lead way if it's not anything bigger than being late being out with friends.  However, I can promise you right this very minute, my mama would have "jerked a knot in my tail" had it been anything else more serious.  Believe me I have felt the sting of that little hickory switch and I don't like it.  I may be however old I am that I don't want to say just yet, but I'm still afraid of my mama's switch. She may be older too but I guarantee you she could "wear me out" right now and I would still be going round and round in circles trying to miss that switch.

Lesson today?  It ain't my fault!!! LOL

  Love to All, 
  Sweet Southern Sass

Good people

"Sometimes it's hard to pray.  Sometimes it's hard to stay grateful.  It's painful, hurts so bad.  Sometimes it's hard to breathe.  Gets hard to keep goin'.  We keep holdin' on to what could have been."  Empire Cast

There certainly have been times in my life I wondered why me Lord?  Certainly there have been times when it was hard to pray and times when I wasn't very grateful.  Lord have mercy I have tried to hold on to things or people that I shouldn't have.  The first thing that comes to mind is my ex-husband, but I guess he doesn't count now since it took me a hundred years to finally let him go.   Yep, it seemed like a hundred years and yes I finally let him go.  I tried to blame it all on him, but we all know it takes two for a relationship to work or not work.  Now that he's out of the picture, my second thought is my clothes that I keep way, way too long.  Come on, you know you're guilty.  Holding on to those pants or that little black dress because you like it and you will wear it again one day.  I can see a "little black dress" in my closet right now I haven't worn since 1972 and I won't throw it away because it's my favorite and I just know I will wear it again.  OK, reality check...that dress is a size two so we all know wearing that dress will never happen.  But it sure is pretty hanging in my closet.

"Sometimes it's hard to pray.  I know sometimes it's hard to be patient."  Praying is not hard for me, I pray for everything and yes I say thank the man above every day.   But being patient on the other hand is a different story.  I do not have the patience of Job as described in the bible and I probably never will.  When I google the patience of job it says "the ability to remain patient and to do what you think you should do despite having many problems."  That may explain why I have no patience.  I react before I think and that reaction causes me a headache which makes me lose all thoughts of being patient which cause me MANY problems.  Maybe I just need to take a chill pill as they say and learn to let things happen on God's time and not Mine.  The song He's An On Time God says that Job said he may not come when you want him. But he'll be there right on time.  He's an on time God, yes he is, yes he is.

We all know "Life is easy when you're up on the mountain and you've got peace of mind like you've never known.  But things change when you're down in the valley.  Don't lose faith, for you're never alone.  For the God on the mountain is the God in the valley.  When things go wrong, he'll make them right and the God of the good times is still God in the bad times."

Lesson today?   It seems I'm always at a loss for a lesson but I think today I want you just to be grateful. Make a list of what you're grateful for.  I'm thinking if you make a list and you see it in color you might just realize how much there is to be grateful for, even when you think there isn't.  One more thing...for the love of Pete, throw out that dress you haven't worn since 1999.  Clear way for something new.  Something that will make you feel sassy!!

  Love to all,
  Sweet Southern Sass

Precious Memories

"Precious memories how they linger.  How they ever flood my soul.  In the stillness of the midnight.  Precious sacred scenes unfold.  And old home scenes of my childhood in fond memory appear.  Precious memories fill my soul."  Alan Jackson

It's been a bit since I've posted anything. Not because I don't have anything to say but nothing came to mind that would make my friends smile and hopefully laugh out loud as they say.  Not to fear, it didn't last long, because today my facebook post said to name something that your mother/grandmother cooked that was your favorite. This set my mind in motion so here you go.

My first thought about something my grandmother cooked were her tea cakes.  Oh Lord have mercy, she could make some tea cakes.  Sometimes she put chocolate on them, but I like the plain ones.  I can see her now, standing in the kitchen with her apron on making them with so much love.  Yes I've tried to make them but unless you like the taste of flour, you don't want to eat the ones I make.

My Aunt said she liked her mama's cake with chocolate icing and strawberries.  Well, Lord help me, I forgot all about that cake.  But when I saw her post, I remembered it was my favorite cake.  My Aunt doesn't really know this, but Mama Highfield made that cake just for me.  She knew how much I loved it, and whether it was just for me or not, she made me feel like it was just for me.  Yes I've tried to make it but  but her chocolate icing was "real" icing made with Hershey's cocoa, not the kind out of a can.  Ya'll know that ain't worth a diddly squat compared to the real thing, but it's the best I could do.  My attempt at the "real" thing would never quite stay on the cake, then add the strawberries and it was like a landslide.  Chocolate and strawberries everywhere and the cake split in the middle.  I'm sure Mama Highfield's laughing at this, ME trying to be like her. We all know that ain't gonna happen, no way, no how.

This is not about MY grandmother, but a childhood friend posted her mama made the best biscuits ever.  Here we go again...something else I can't do.  My mama and my friends mama made them with a hole in the middle of the flour and never got outside it.  They just kept adding the flour around it until they got the dough big as they needed it to feed all of us.  Then my mama would lay it out on a flour sack cloth sprinkled with flour and cut them out.  All perfect!!!   This is where it gets good.  Another friend commented "Sherry, that's how I make mine."  Well crapola that did it.  She's my age and can make biscuits like my mama?  What happened to me?  Can't make tea cakes, can't make chocolate cake with strawberries and now someone says biscuits?

My lesson for today?  If your mama or grandmother tries to teach you how to cook...PAY ATTENTION!!!!  I watched many times, but as a kid growing up, I didn't think my grandmother would some day be gone and I would only have memories.  Luckily my mom is still here but do you really think she can teach me to make biscuits at my age?  I seriously doubt it.  Anyway, biscuits is one thing a "CAN" will do.  They even work with chicken and dumplings.  Of course my mama would beg to differ as she's making that little ball of dough in the middle of all that flour.



Love to all,
 precious memories may they ever flood your soul.
Sweet Southern Sass

Mother Like Mine

 "She's the sky that holds the clouds.  She's the lady of the house.  Oh I've got the best and the worst of her in me."  The Band Perry

My mama, I don't even know where to start, so I will just jump right on in here and say it. She definitely is  the sky, the clouds and the lady of the house.  I like to think I have the best of her because in my eyes there is no worst of her.  She walks with authority but oh so gentle when one of us are in pain.  Maybe we should ask the boys what kinda authority that broom has.  LOL  She loves telling the stories about getting the broom after them when they were younger.  Now ya'll know she didn't hurt 'em, because she slapped the bristle part of it on their butts. But that's her story and she's sticking to it.  What I got to say about that is they probably needed it.  The little devils.  I bet they're still scared of that broom and I know for a fact if mama thought they needed it, she'd wear 'em out with it.  They might laugh about it if she did it now but they wouldn't talk back, and that's a fact I know to be true.

"I'd share her if I could, so the wars would be over, 'cause she'd raise us all as friends.  And no one would ever wonder if somebody wanted them."   Yep, another fine description of my mama.  She tells us all the time we better not be "fussing."  She tries to tell us that daddy don't like it, but it's really her that doesn't like it.  If you know my mama you know she wants everyone to get along and be friends.  She never meets a stranger so I guess that's where I get my people skills.  (HaHa)  Ya'll laughing now because you think I don't have any.  Well I do when I want ya'll to witness them.  My mama loves everybody and rarely do I hear her say anything about another person.  She has seven kids and she makes us all feel like we're her only one.  Well that's according to which one of us you ask.  We all know baby girl is the favorite.  Oh wait, that's daddy's favorite.  So I guess that makes me mama's favorite.  I mean, I am the oldest, so that should count for something.

"We all need her, but no one more than me."  I'm probably the only hell my mama ever raised according to some but she's always been there for me.   I've always been the rebel child, didn't like to follow the rules and kinda beat to my own drum.  I've seen the disappointment in my mama when I would tell her something stupid I had done but she never stopped loving me.  She's always been there for me even though she didn't  like my choices and probably thought how stupid I was.  She was there when I was a young widow with a 18 month old son, she was there when I lost a job and needed a place to stay, she was there when I broke both arms and an ankle but most importantly she was there when I needed words of comfort.  Words that only a mama knows what to say.  Not just any mama, but MY mama.  My mama who makes everyone that visits feel like family.  My mama that would want ya'll to come "sit a spell" and stay and eat.  Yep, I can promise you there's food on the table if it's Sunday and if it's  not Sunday she'll have something she can fix in a flash.  Not a can of something like you would get at my house.  It will be the real thing. 

My lesson today?  Gosh I don't have a clue, so I will just leave you with this.  This post is about MY mama. MY mama that holds the clouds, the lady of OUR house and MY mama that wants us all to be friends.  My prayer today is you feel the same way about YOUR mama and that some of these words of craziness makes you want to call your mama, or more importantly go see her.   If she's not here with you on this Mother's Day, and you can't call her or visit, I pray you have "precious memories. " Precious memories in the stillness of the midnight that will take you back to your childhood, precious memories that will forever flood your soul.




Love to all...
Sweet Southern Sass

I Saw God Today

"His fingerprints are everywhere.  I just look down and stop and stare, open my eyes and I swear...I Saw God Today."  George Strait

This might be a long one but there is no doubt I saw God today.  Every where I turned, his fingerprints were there.  It started this morning when I went to church to see my niece baptized.  It's always a blessing when someone is baptized but it really is a blessing when it's my own family.  Sitting on that bench behind my nephew and his kids, the smile on his face as his wife was standing there in front of God and the whole church to be baptized, obviously I saw God today.

My mama didn't feel good today and didn't know if she would feel good enough to go to the birthday party, but she decided to go.  My mama, the matriarch of our family, laughing, enjoying her family but most importantly when she wanted  her picture made with my brother in law, only my brother in law I watched her laughing with him, being silly and it made me wonder what was going through her mind.  I wondered if it was because she's been sick since Christmas, was it because she didn't feel good today, or was it because she was happy to be there with her family.  I believe it was little bit of all the things above, but regardless of the reason, in that minute, my mama was laughing and felt good enough to be there. In that minute, I saw God Today!

"Got my face pushed up against the nursery glass, she's sleeping like a rock.  My name on her wrist, wearing tiny pink socks.  She's got my nose, she's got her mama's eyes."  Five years ago today, my niece thought it was a false alarm that she was headed to the hospital.  My great niece was only 24 weeks old, it couldn't be for real.  People, it was for real and our little princess was born.  A little peanut that weighed only 1 lb. 6 oz. she was so tiny my fist was bigger than her little body.  121 days in the NICU, we brought her home, "our bran new baby girl, she's a miracle." We saw God that day.

I've been to church, I've read the book.  I know He's there, but I don't look near as often as I should.  His fingerprints are everywhere.  I just look down and stop and stare, open my eye and then I swear, I saw God Today!  Today I went to church, we read the book and everywhere I looked, his fingerprints were everywhere. His fingerprints obviously the reason my niece was baptized today.   His fingerprints clearly giving my mama the strength to go to the birthday party and feeling good enough to laugh and enjoy her family.  His fingerprints glowing on our miracle baby girl, proof that on this day five years ago we saw God bring this baby girl to us way too early, keeping his healing hand on her tiny little body until she was strong enough for us to bring her home.  That day was a glorious day, with welcome home signs, pictures and so much joy, I can't even describe it.  One thing for sure my family saw God!  We saw God that day and today I saw him again as we celebrated our family together for one special little girl.  One little girl that brings us so much joy.

My lesson today?  I just truly don't know today, but maybe I will just leave you with this one thought.  If you don't think you saw God today, take a minute and look around you.  Think about it and I promise, whether you recognize it or not, you saw God today!

  I hope you see God today!
  Love to all,
  Sweet Southern Sass