Through Fair and Foul Weather

I walked through my house this morning and as I did so, I took a stroll back down memory lane to my childhood home.

When I Looked Back Down the Road

As I walked, in my mind's eye, through the front door of the room that we called the front room, cum my brothers' sleeping quarters, I saw

• the little gas stove that emitted warmth on cold winter days (when the gas was not cut off)


• the dresser with the large round, nearly floor length mirror that sat in the corner


• the strip of carpet that was nailed to the floor like a runner


• the lump of a mess that used to be a sofa, although both arms had long since come off


• the smoke-blackened curtains that used to be a polished olive green color


• and saw the newspaper that had been put up to the windows as an extra deterrent against prying eyes.

I Heard

As I walked across the front room on my way to the kitchen, I stopped at the dresser where the radio sat, to look at my hair as a song ended and who did I hear? Bro. Theo Bless My Bones Wade! That was the name that he went by. Umph, umph, umph, old Bro. Wade! He was the deejay for the Christian portion of the radio programs that WDIA had back then.  Ah-h, memories some bitter and some sweet began to flood my soul as I stood there in that front room and listened to the radio of my mind.

When I entered the kitchen, I could hear the hum of the new refrigerator that Momma had gotten that took the place of the icebox that we'd had for the first ten years of my life. In the kitchen to my immediate left, I saw the huge black monster of a greasy, secondhand restaurant stove that was used for cooking and for heat in the winter. I saw the black grease-coated sides of it, the gas burners (that smoked up everything) and the enameled white doors that held the pots and pans in the bottom part of the stove.

At this Point

I stopped reminiscing and started praising. I  was sending up praises and thanksgiving to GOD for how far HE has brought me. You see, GOD, in all of HIS lovingkindness, took away the soot-blackened walls and the newspapers up to the window for privacy and replaced them with cream colored walls and mini blinds. He took away that one strip of carpet that was nailed to the floor to keep from hitting our feet on a pesky piece of flooring that was always splintering and replaced it with carpet throughout my home, except kitchen and bath. He replaced the rent man with a bank that I make a mortgage payment to. The knee-high grass has been replaced with a well-manicured lawn that is kept so by a riding mower. My stove in my kitchen... I don't have to go any further, I just want to tell you to look back down the road sometimes and see what the LORD has done for you. You will have praise time for HIM in your home, too.

Everything Perfect?

No, everything is not perfect in my home nor in my life, but I can tell you that GOD's love took care of me in fair weather and in foul weather. HE has supplied my needs materially and spiritually according to HIS riches in glory. And I can tell you to allow that love to carry you through your trials and through your troubles because if you stay faithful to HIM, He will take care of you, too!

Y'all know me and you know that sometimes I get filled up and just have to let the world know that I have a FATHER WHO sits high and looks low! Sometimes I have to say, "There is a GOD in Alma's world, and He does care about the little nobodies." How do I know? I am a little nobody, but I am a little nobody who is cherished from on high.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Yes, we have a GOD, WHO loves every one of us! Take that love with you through the rest of your year as we begin to wind down our talks on love for this quarter.