In 1953 a tall handsome young preacher met a beautiful curvy redhead and fell in love. He chased her until she caught him. They married in 1955. They exchanged beautiful gold and silver filigree wedding bands as a symbol of their love and commitment. They had four daughters and lived a life of love that rivaled some of the greatest love stories ever written. They were faithfully, happily married for 52 years when the still handsome preacher and still lovely redhead stood hand in hand, side by side as they both battled cancer and all of its ravages. They lost hair, lost weight, lost time, but never lost hope. After two years, the handsome preacher lost his battle with cancer, and he died. The beautiful redhead battled on without him, but never quit missing him. She remains a strong and inspiring cancer survivor.

Their daughters and sons in laws, seven grands and now five great grands never quit missing their husband, daddy or grandad. He was quite a man! The second grandson of the young preacher I proudly call son.

Last month I joyfully and tearfully watched him marry! Like many young couples they walked a few roads to get to that point. Health, deployment to Iraq, job changes and other hurdles made it challenging to work out all the details, but they stuck it out and stuck together until the “I DO” happened and it was enchanting.
When we began planning the wedding my son nervously asked his beloved grandmother whom he calls Nani if she would consider allowing him to wear his Grandad’s wedding ring. She agreed with concern that it might not fit and could not be sized because of the filigree and etching. He timidly removed it from the box where Nani said it had been for 10 long years of missing Grandad and slipped it on his finger. It fit like it was made for him! She challenged him to wear it as a reminder of the man his grandad would want him to become.

So, 62 years later, in the same week as his grandparents wedding anniversary, my beloved son slipped that ring on and kissed his beloved as the beach sunset blazed over the water of Matagorda Bay! It was if he had his grandad’s blessing in that moment. I can only hope and pray they have one half of the happiness, joy and adventure my precious parents had in their lives together. They come from a long line of love, so I think their chances are really good! Congratulations Matt and Ashley!

Three books this time; two are excellent and inspire enjoyable reading and one?

John Grisham’s THE CONFESSION brings to light the inadequacies of our justice system, particularly as it was back in the early ‘90’s.  The book details the story of a young man in Texas wrongly accused of murder and sentenced to death.  Shortly before the execution date another man confesses to the crime.  Despite a frantic trip to get the Court of Appeals Department of the State of  Texas to rule on the confession, the defending attorneys fail to get a hearing as the department has closed at 5:00 p.m.  Although by law there must be a member of that  Appellate department on duty at all times to be available to hear and review any last minute pleadings, the defending attorneys were locked out.  Additionally, the presence of this one “duty judge” had not been publicized to death penalty attorneys, which is really a crime in itself, and non-electronic filings were not available at this time.  A plot beautifully written by Grisham, the resulting failure of a hearing takes your breath away as do the anticipated  resulting problems in the small East Texas town where the young man lived.

NEW YORK by Edward Rutherford details the historical settlement of Manhattan by the Dutch and English and follows five families from the 1600’s to September 11, 2001.  The book also tells of the rise of so many well known families: Vanderbilt, Pierpont Morgan, Rockefeller and other men deeply involved in the growth of Manhattan.  It was fascinating reading of the development of Park and  5th Avenues with the building of the huge, almost palace-like, homes of the “rich folk” along that area.  A beautifully plotted and written book, and I heartily recommend the reading of it.

The last book is named DARKNESS by Karen Robards which I found extremely disappointing with a weak plot as well as characters.  Although some of the description about parts of Alaska were interesting, they could have been expounded on.  However, this author seems to be more involved with sexual encounters and those constant thoughts of the characters than a deeper analysis of the characters’ employers or highlights of the area involved.  I doubt I’ll ever read another of her books.
The last session of this Summer’s Reading Program will be Tuesday, the 19th of July and will mark the party ending this year’s program.  Do hope all our young attendees really enjoyed the sessions and will look forward to next year’s program starting June.

We, in the Library, and our wonderful helpers are anticipating the writing and assembling of our SECOND Christmas and Holiday Recipe book.  As you readers are the ones who make this possible with the sharing of a special traditional recipe and the explanation of why it is special, we look forward in the coming months (and November is not that far away) to  receiving those recipes. And we thank you very much for help.

I know I’ve used the following quote for several years, but it really makes sense: Just think about it!

“When An Old Person Dies, A Library Burns Down!”
Karen Gillespie

And we certainly don’t want our Library to burn down! Bless all who support it in so many different ways; we welcome our visitors that enter  here from time to time and also the many regular folks who are part of our every day joy.

AA meets each Saturday night at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Port O’Connor.
Seadrift Chamber of Commerce meets the third Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. at First National Bank meeting room, Seadrift
Commissioner’s Court meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 10 a.m., 1st Floor of the Court House, Port Lavaca.
Crossroads Astronomy Club meets at 7:00 p.m., third Mondays, at U of H, Victoria, Room 223 info: wes81461@yahoo.com 935-2016
Calhoun County Quilt Guild meets the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at the Fairgrounds Exhibit Building.
Calhoun County Democratic Club meets the last Thursday of the month
CASA (Christians Against Substance Abuse) meets each Thursday from 7-8 p.m. Call 361-652-7451 for meeting place.
First Baptist Youth Group (Port O’Connor) meets every Wednesday night from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Grades 6th – 12th; Team Kids Grades 1-5
Port O’Connor Cemetery Association meets 3rd Thursday of each month at POC Community Center
POC Lions Club meets at First National Bank, Port O’Connor
Ladies Bible & Book Study is held every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Port O’Connor
VFW Post 4403 meets first Tuesday of each month. 552-3886
Open Mon-Friday; Closed Weekends R. Guitierrez 210-872-1198

July 19-24 Lone Star Shoot Out www.thelonestarshootout.com

Thurs., July 21 What Bugs You? mini-lecture 1:00-2:00 pm Extension office 186 CR 101, Port Lavaca

Sat., July 23 Seadrift Family Fun Day 10:00-3:00 Seadrift Civic Center

Sun., July 31 5th Sunday Fellowship & Singing 6:00 pm First Baptist Fellowship Hall, Seadrift

Tues., Aug. 2 Seadrift City Council 7:00 pm Seadrift City Hall

Tues., Aug. 2 Bunco 7:00 pm Port O’Connor Community Center

Aug. 5 & 6 Readin’, Ritin’ & Reelin’ Tournament 361-649-7707 Port O’Connor Community Center

Mon., Aug. 8 Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce 6:30 pn Port O’Connor Community Center

Fri., Aug. 12 Beginner Paddle & Lesson 9:00 am 713-829-2852

Sat., Aug. 13 Speedy Stop Kids Fishing Tournament www.speedystop.com

Sun., Aug. 14 Paddle Powderhorn Ranch Shoreline 8:00-3:00 713-829-2852

Thurs., Aug. 25 Cruise Ship Industry Hearing 10:00 am Corpus Christi (361) 695-2048

We had a great Father’s Day celebration at the Church and a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! For Independence Day celebrations, we had a group from Weslaco who also ministered in both services on July 3. Pastor Mario Perez and his wife Ruth did a masterful job of leading us in praise in the morning service before Pastor Mario preached. In the evening service, we just sang praises to the Lord under their direction. It was refreshing!

Pastor Joane has announced that she will begin teaching, “I Am N – Voice of the Martyrs” for the next several Tuesdays. The books are available by calling Pastor Joane at 361/648-4622. The classes will be held in the parsonage at 7:00 p.m. It will be a very informative series about the persecution around the world that is coming through ISIS. Everyone is welcomed.

We are gearing up for the fishing tournaments that begin right away. In prepartion, we have constructed a cover over our “pit” and should have the cover for the freezer completed before POCO. We are excited to be a part of Poco Bueno, the Lone Star Shoot-Out, and the Shark-Tooth because they provide for us an opportunity to feed many needy families. Last year, we estimated that we passed out about 12,000 meal portions from the fish we cleaned. It is because we have a host of people who come and help us clean all the fish, and others who help us distribute it to the families that are ministered unto by it. Thanks is such a small way of expression for our heart-filled gratitude for your assistance.

The Retreat Center is very busy this time of year. We have two more groups coming this month and several groups coming in August and September. It is such a joy to see people come needing a respite and leaving so renewed that they are anxious to return to Port O’Connor as soon as possible. We have had to turn away some groups who could not find an opening and we are always sad to say, “We have no room in the inn!” But, we are grateful for the many who get to come and enjoy a few days of R&R.

Captain Robert is here teaching the Sea Academy class this week. He is filling his classes to the max because, as announced, there will only be three more classes after this one. The scheduled dates of the other classes are November 11-18, 2016; February 24 thru March 3, 2017; and the last class is scheduled for May 19-26, 2017. Those desiring to become “boat captains” should call the Sea Academy at 361/758-6184 or Captain Robert at 361/816-3010. Please do not try to wait until the last day, for, as I said, the classes are filling up quickly!

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation whose goal is to simply assist all in making Heaven our home! We offer many opportunities to gather together for inspiration and instruction. Each Sunday, we begin with Bible Study for all ages at 10:00 a.m. and our Morning Service begins at 11:00 a.m. Each Sunday evening, we enjoy time together at 6:00 p.m. Pastor Jesse Alderete leads a Spanish Service each Tuesday beginning at 6:00 p.m., and for the summer, Pastor Joane will be teaching “I Am N” at 7:00 p.m. on the first floor of the parsonage. We enjoy a Midweek Service together on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. From time to time, we add additional activities to our schedule for special emphasis or for target groups. One will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel, and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

This summer has really been hot in both temperature and exciting functions. The Vacation Bible School at the Church was successfully completed on June 9. This years “Submerged” led by Candice Stryker, was outstanding and the average attendance was 63. Thanks to all the teachers, helpers, workers and Van Drivers for their professional help! The boys and girls had a contest by donating their change each morning for Missions and the total collected was $576.20! This money was sent to South Texas Children’s Home.

The Church was packed on June 9 with children, parents, and grandparents for Graduation. The teachers, Megan Sandy, April Price, Kim Sonnier, Diane Cooley and Paula McCauley, presented certificates to each of the children. The children sang their VBS songs for their parents and everyone enjoyed the refreshments.

The children’s “Pre-Teen Camp” at Palacios Baptist Encampment had eight departing June 13. They reported having an outstanding time and four of the Children accepted Jesus as their Savior!

The Youth loaded up the van on Monday, July 4, for their trip to Camp Zephyr, on the banks of Lake Corpus Christi. Twelve of our youth and Bro. Raymond Grant and Candice Stryker left the Church about 11 am, July 4. I know because I was mowing the Church lawn at the time.

The Church is presently preparing member and friends information for a new Photo Directory for Members and Friends of the Church. Photos will be taken in late August. One Directory and one 8 by 10 Family Photo will be given to each Family at no cost. Individual photos will be available to purchase.

Our Church suffered a huge loss on June 2,2016, when our loved one Tommy Smith went to Heaven. Our prayers are with his wife Brenda and the entire Smith family. Tommy was one of my best friends and fishing partner and a huge asset to the Church. Tommy will be sorely missed and I am having a hard time handling the loss.

The Church received notice of another loss this past week. Hilda Covarrubias, 57, passed away on Monday, June 27 at her home in Roland, OK. Services were held at our Church on Tuesday, July 5, followed by burial in POC Cemetery. Hilda is survived by son Joseph, sisters Irene Sorrow, Sherry Covarrubias, Ludine, Claudine and brothers Rudy, Adolfo and Alfred.

The Church has been working on the three lots behind the church by clearing the weeds and small trees and vines. The property was purchased recently and should be a perfect place for “Outdoor Activity”

See You in Church Sunday.