Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
The writer is pretty sure that all her readers know the song, “Jesus Loves Me.” Perhaps it was taught during one’s youth by way of attending Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. The history behind this song, and how it came to be is very interesting.
Anna and Susan Warner lived in a lovely townhouse in New York with their father, Henry Whiting Warner, who was a successful lawyer. The “Panic of 1837” wrecked the family’s finances, forcing them to move into a ramshackle home on Constitution Island on the Hudson River, right across from the Military Academy at West Point.
Anna and Susan felt that they needed to contribute to the family income, and so they began writing poems and stories for publication. One of their most successful joint projects was a novel titled “Say and Seal” in which a little boy named Johnny Fox is dying. His Sunday School teacher, John Linden, takes him in his arms and rocks him, making up a little song: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so….” Soon this song became the best-known children’s hymn on earth.
For 40 years, Anna and Susan conducted Bible classes for cadets at West Point, and both were buried with full military honors. They are the only civilians buried in the military cemetery at West Point. To this day, their home on Constitution Island is maintained by West Point as a museum to their memory.
Life’s little instructions to make the day better include the following:
- Letting someone else have the parking space.
- A sparkling clean fridge.
- Turning off the lights when one leaves a room.
- Knowing one good joke.
- Mowing for the older person in one’s neighborhood.
Early Friday morning, 32 degrees hit the community. Frost didn’t seem to be anywhere around, which was a good thing. The weekend was cool, with “spits” of showers. Towards the end of the week, temperatures will be on the rise, according to the weather forecaster.
This week’s quotes are as follows:
“I am not a person to be pressured – by anybody or nation.” — Indira Gandhi
“You can’t get spoiled if you do your own ironing.” — Meryl Streep
“Food is the great connector, and laughs are the cement.” — Phil Rosenthal
“Every day we ought to renew our purpose.” — Thomas a Kempis
“This only is charity, to do all, all that we can do.” — John Donne
Sitting by the fire is a wonderful place to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
Graduations have kept the parents quite busy this past week. School is over for the summer vacations, with the students and teachers being ecstatic!
Memorial Day services, which were hosted by the VFW Post 9666, were held Monday at the Richard Homan Memorial Park in Sugar Grove. A large attendance showed their allegiance to this memorial holiday. The keynote speaker was Gene McConnell who referenced Ronald Reagan’s 1983 memorial address. Decorations adhered to the theme, with refreshments a most fitting ending to the ceremony. The VFW continues to make their park available to the public with donations readily received for the upkeep.
Marleta Wimer, Terry Grogg, and Claude Castleberry motored to Rosalee Grogg’s home for a weekend visit.
Mike and Robin DelBiondo were visiting Monday afternoon in the home of Willard and Judy Rader.
Flags appropriately positioned at the veterans’ graves for the weekend holiday were flying in the breeze. Thanks to all volunteers who positioned these flags, as a reminder for those who laid down their lives for this country.
Erroneously overlooked in last week’s column was the graduation of Richard Marshall, son of Robin and Joyce Marshall of McGaheysville, Virginia.
His first vacation in 15 years took place last Friday. Phil Downs motored to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, where he spent several days with friends from Louisa, Virginia. The food and company were excellent, but the weather was cold, downcast and very windy.
Helen and Rhonda Nash and Charlotte Hoover joined Diane Healey and daughter, Mary Ann Fox of Mechanicsville, Virginia, for dinner at the Korner Shop Cafe to commemorate Diane’s birthday on May 26. The celebration included cupcakes and candles, the “Happy Birthday” song and chocolate pie for the birthday girl from the sweet Korner Shop staff, and birthday cake and a beautiful sunset later that night at Diane’s home.
Porcupines have been sited on two occasions near the top of Reddish Knob on the West Virginia side. So, keep one’s eyes peeled for the critter(s).
Weekend celebrations for Geneva Mongold’s sixth birthday were held with the following attending: Evelyn Varner, Judy Costello, Eugene Varner, Jessica Varner, Randy Mongold, Joyce and Richard Marshall, Janet Judy and Jerry Harper.
Clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- The early cash register resembled a clock. One hand indicated dollars, the other cents.
- Africa’s “royal” antelope is no bigger than a house cat.
- The strawberry belongs to the rose family.
- The Alamo was named after the cottonwood trees that surrounded it. Alamo is Spanish for cottonwood.
- An early bicycle, called a hobbyhorse, had wooden wheels and no pedals.
Concerns for this week are many, and they are as follows: Charles Anderson, Roger and Joan Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Vernon “Fuzzy” Baldwin, Lynn Beatty, Debbie Beal, Jed Conrad, Jeff Craig, Mary Eye, Donna Fleisher, Lola Graham, Jordan Greathouse, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Gary and Jackie Hills, Nancy Hodges, Virgil Homan, Jr., Myrtle Hoover, Debbie Horst, Mike Jamison, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Danny Kimble, Dennis Kincaid, Kim Kline, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Rex Landis, Angela Lung, Linda Malcolm, Betty Mallow, Roger and Skip Mallow, Neil McLaughlin, Melvin Moats, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Don Nilsen, Cheryl Paine, Barbara Parker, Sutton Parrack, Shirley Pratt, Alda Propst, Kathy Propst, Linda Propst, Sheldon Propst, Steve Propst, K.D. Puffenbarger, Mary and Eldon Puffenbarger, Dick Rexrode, Harley Propst, Charles Rexrode, Jason Rexrode, Jimmy Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, the Max Rodriguez family, Donna Ruddle, John Ruddle, Annie Simmons, Barry and Phyllis Simmons, Davey Simmons, Erin Simmons, Robbie Sites, Ona Smith, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Amy Vaus, Judy Williams and Margaret Wimer.
