. . . a thousand words I will not be able to adequately describe the scene in the photo above. And my words cannot express what took place in the last late night moments of the 2011 Bennett Family Vacation. It's a personal moment, but deserves top billing on my blog tonight. I'm sure you have the same kind of bonding with your family. I hope so. After Mother and Daddy went home to be with the Lord, we determined to keep the home fires burning, to stay close, to watch out for each other, and to meet up at least once a year, face to face. Well, this year was my turn to host, and when I was appointed last year at Petit Jean Mountain near Little Rock, Arkansas, I was asked to have it in my corner of the world. Knowing me, as most of you do, I'm a North-of-Florida kind of girl, desiring to head for the Great Smokey Mountains or the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I reluctantly settled on Orlando. I thought we could use Disney as the main attraction. Only six o...

John Adams wrote this to his wife, Abigail— "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." Well, that was a little special to me, since my mother was due to have me on July 4, 1940. I came early. I was born on July 2. John Adams was ingenious in so many ways! "Solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." Hmmm! He had the intestinal fortitude (courage and perseverance) to invoke the name of God Almighty. My kind of guy! INDEPENDENCE DAY! We should more often refer to this special holiday as such. Somehow Fourth of July just doesn't take it out far enough. What a great country, ours! With all its ills and woes, we are still the greatest on planet earth! But we come short of celebrating all that is tr...