Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. ~ Denis Waitley ~
Happy Birthday Erma! Congratulations! It’s a gratuitous event these days and times, to reach the milestone of living for sixty-eight years. There’s an old adage that says “With age comes beauty and wisdom”. Your image, superimposed with the August birth flower of a Gladiolus, brings additional beauty to this birthday wish. Our daily blessings are a portion of our happiness and spiritual events as we travel this earthly journey. Surely you’ve earned every minute of love, grace and gratitude to be expressed on your behalf today. As you celebrate this sensational day, may your immediate family and “all social distancing friends”, honor you with gifts of intrigue and sentiment.
Pietro Aretino has stated “I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because, of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship. Unlike Pietro, instead of being a miser, I’m a collector of friends. Lately, I’ve always closed out my celebratory wishes by saying “stay safe my friend”. My specific reason is based upon the current state of pandemic events. With age also comes the wisdom of friendship, therefore I make the declaration with inclusiveness. Each of us is a treasure to someone, family, co-worker, classmate or an association. Let us all be mindful that “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude”. Even during this pandemic. While we celebrate with you Erma, as “social distancing friends”, may you have a Peter White Caravan of Dreams type of day. May we all take a celebratory moment together and have a “Soul Embrace”….enjoy your day….stay safe my friend….
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. ~ Saint Basil ~
Make space in your life for the things that matter, for family and friends, love and generosity, fun and joy. Without this, you will burn out in mid-career and wonder where your life went.
~ Jonathan Sacks ~
Happy Birthday Lillian! Let the rite of passage ceremonies for the day begin. The joyousness of receiving accolades from family and friends has finally arrived. May each of your blessings be full of love, generosity and exhilaration. Depending on which English XII class you attended (Brinkley, Burrow, Black or Jones), a gentleman by the name of Henry David Thoreau was frequently mentioned. He once stated, “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm”. At our age, enthusiasm has become our daily multi-vitamin. We’re now beyond our mid-career positions, so you’ll have substantial space in your life for celebrating the things that really matter.
Speaking of school, another famous educator by the name of Maria Montessori declares “Joy, feeling one's own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul”. During your day of celebration, may your inner spirit experience all the factors declared by Maria. May you be overwhelmed with JOY, VALUE, APPRECIATION andLOVE. I wish you a 24/7 day of celebration, complimented by Gerald Albright and Norman Brown. Don’t be about the moment; be “In The Moment”.....stay safe my friend....enjoy your day....
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. ~ Melody Beattie ~
Happy Birthday Shirley and Tommie! You’ve reached another exceptionally great milestone achievement. Presently, you are now residents of Memphis and Detroit, cities known for fabulous music produced during the seventies. Complimentary to your birthday, another most enjoyable celebration occurred in 1970, combining both cities. During the time frame of May 24-30, the 1970 BTW High School Graduation Exercises were being completed. The Temptations were singing about a “Ball of Confusion”, The Newcomers sang “Pin the Tale on the Donkey”, Edwin Starr sang about “War” and Johnnie Taylor sang “I Am Somebody”. These songs are relevant to us once again these days. The Covid-19 Pandemic has been declared a War, the governments and the citizens of the world are attempting to endure a Ball of Confusion. Politicians are looking to Pin the Tail on a Donkey and The BLM Movement is prophesying to the world that I Am Somebody.
Basically, our daily home and national activities are in somewhat of a crisis. However, this situation doesn’t preclude us from minimal celebrations and discernments. Glennon Doyle Melton has stated “The amazing thing about love and attention and encouragement and grace and success and joy is that these things are infinite. We get a new supply every single morning, and so we can give it away all day. We never, ever have to monitor the supply of others or grab or hoard”. For our age, I think that’s a perceptive observation to be written by a forty-four year old. May her words be mindful to you today as you each celebrate with family and friends. May the gifts you receive be full of love, attention, encouragement, grace, success and joy. Because they are infinite gifts, your supply will be blessed and priceless. Regift some of them tomorrow, if you desire! Remember, don’t monitor, grab or hoard them! When your virtuous consumption of those gifts has ended for the evening, I wish you an elegant night filled with Nils as your entertainer. Enjoy your moments of sentimentalism and get “Caught in the Groove”….stay safe my friends....
The thoughful inspirational messages that you share with your class is so uplifting to this classmate and it is most likely the same for others.
Your spirit in knowing what to say and when to say it is beautiful, thank you.
Thank you for your contribution to the class of 1970 web page and for directing our website, It is greatly needed and you do a great job in providing one for us
Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin ~
Gratuitous news from Edward Johnson. I received texted information that he has tested negative for the Covid 19 virus. Edward was unsuccessful in passing previous tests after two weeks and an ICU stint. He spent an additional fourteen days in quarantine prior to retesting.Ed returned to be retested Friday and received the positive news that he’d tested negative Monday. He’s now home recuperating with a healthy oxygen supply. Happy to be home, Edward would like to thank every member of the “Warrior Family” who has uttered prayers on his behalf and to especially thank KayKay Suttles for her faithful phone calls to check on his wellness...Although the mail service has been slowed down, you can still flood his mailbox with get-well cards. Send them to:Edward Johnson- 4841 Beaconfield Cove-Memphis TN-38141….
If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.
~ Eleonora Duse ~
Happy Birthday Debra! You’re reached the next relative position on your scale of accomplishments. John Maxwell tells us "Enjoyment is an incredible energizer to the human spirit". As you celebrate today, may your spiritual welfare and physical prosperity be tremendously energized through the enjoyment you’ve merited.
May your caregiver be faithful to the words of Henri Nouwen, which states "When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand". Know that your classmates wish you a "Jazz Funk Soul" day of celebration. We’ll be your "Silent Partner" longingly awaiting, to see you once again….enjoy your day…stay safe my friend……
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life, you will have been all of these.
Happy Sixty-Eighth Birthday Marilyn! By “Means of Grace” we’ve been blessed and fortunate to prosper thus far and now you’ve been added to the celebratory fold. There are a number of different artificial sweeteners availablefor purchase,which has become the most commonly used, within the United States. Sucralose, saccharin and aspartameare a few. We know them as Sweet'N Low, Truvia, Splenda or Equal. Joseph Addison, an English writer stated “The greatest sweetener of human life is Friendship. To raise this to the highest pitch of enjoyment, is a secret which but few discover”. Over the years, as our classmate, you’ve discovered the greatest sweetener of human life. The consumption of artificial sweeteners increases the risk of weight gain, Diabetes and also has other dangerous side effects. Your friendship though, may be described as providential, fabulous, unparalleled or exquisite to many among us. Any equivalent consumption of your friendship hasn't caused the dangerous side effects as those of artificial sweeteners. The only side effects experienced, should equal to those of the highest pitch of enjoyment and friendly association.
Today as you celebrate this anniversary, may you receive zero artificial sweeteners! Let there be fragrant blossoms, phenomenal gifts, an extravagant dinner with your family and other exorbitant expressions of love from your social distancing friends. British author George Eliot stated “Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another. Your influence has been interfaced throughout the days of our acquaintance. Covid-19 has maintained an influence on our mobility these days. After the celebrations are finished, use your creativeness and go for a cruise. Since Riverside Drive and Tom Lee Park are closed, I wish you a “Tim Bowman” evening….take a cruise along “Seaside Drive”….take a dip if you choose….enjoy your day….stay safe my friend….
I have not been on this site for several weeks so I am behind on birthday wishes. Let me begin. Happy birthday to Erma, Lillian, Marilyn, Shirley, Tommie and Debra. I have a story to share with you.
I have always been afraid of flying grasshopper and hopping ones too. LOL A couple of weeks ago I got in my care sat down and was about to put my key in the ignition when out of the corner of my eye I saw a grasshopper sitting in the passenger seat calmly staring at me. I immediately went in to panic mode planning my exit route and envisioning that he/she was going to fly directly into my quaranting fro. I got out of the car, slammed the door. I proceeded to tell this lady how afraid I was of grasshooppers, She looked at me as if I was crazy and drove off. I had to get home. I looked into the car and the grasshopper was in the back window. I remebered that I had a towel in the trunk and I covered the grasshopper with the towel wedging it into the corners trying not to kill it to avoid a bad storm or bad luck. Remember when we were kids we were told killing a spider would bring rain or something like that. I drove all the way home dreading the sound of thumping on the window announcing his/her escape. I made it home safely, told my husband what happened. He laughed knowing well my fear. He rescued the grasshopper into the grass.
A few days later, I decided to look up grasshoppers to see if they had any significance since everything that God made is good.. They are close to crickets and the chinese believe crickets bring good luck. I am a southern baptist and I will never admit I belive in luck. I can't forget as a child I searched the grass for four leaf clover. The grasshopper is such a small thing but this was a very strange experience. Anyway I looked it up. The grasshopper can only hop forward and is a symbol of good luck all over the world. It could be that when it shows up it is affirming that you are moving forward in the right direction from one spot to another not looking backward. I love the positive. I won't look for another one but just maybe my opinion is slightly changed.
Oh, by the way, I got so wrapped up in my story I forgot the point of the story. Happy Birthday and I hope your lives are filled with good and wonderful forward movements.
What comes out when life squeezes you? When someone hurts or offends you? If anger, pain and fear come out of you, it's because that's what's inside. ~ Wayne Dyer ~
True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one's self, and in the next, from the friendship and conversation of a few select companions.
The notion that you can endanger your physical and mental health by letting strong passions go unsatisfied is a vicious falsehood. ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin ~
You can never maintain a friendship if you don't tell the truth, even if it hurts.
~ Peyton List ~
Welcome to the website Darryll Cleaves. You joined the site on August 30th however, no one from the Reunion Committee has extended an official welcome. Like John Thomas and his beloved brother “Rat” were back in the day, I’m simply a cheerleader for those who read from the website. It’s been paid for and should be utilized by all classmates. Fill free as everyone else is, to post information, concerns or news items of interest to the class.
I believe that Cherlyn (Mickey) Harris is the official website administrator and can answer any questions, reset passwords or provide additional information. As a fellow veteran, I’m sure those among us who have served, would also thank you for your service. Welcome home! Enjoy the website, there’s a lot of reading to catch up on. Get Up Close and Personal…We’ve been through a lot over the years and we’re Happy to C U are alive and well.
Most of the things in your life are not in your control - the family you are born into, the parents, and the siblings you have. It is only friendship and love that you create for yourself in this lifetime.
~ Rana Daggubati ~
Happy Birthday De’ Clayborn! Congratulations on achieving your sixty-eighth year milestone! Although an unwelcomed predation has attempted to ruin your celebration of life, your interactions for total recovery have been unrestrained. The esteem accorded to you, your family and friends by twice becoming a survivor is befitting of two highly cherished words, “Grace and Mercy”. Cordially proclaimed by Minister Joyce Meyer, God's graceis amazing! We're saved by grace - God's undeserved favor - and we live by grace, which is also God's power in our lives to do what we could never do in our own strength. And it's all because God is love, and He loves us unconditionally, constantly and completely. Vanessa Bell Calloway is indeed a cancer survivor; however spokesperson Vanessa Williams has these encouraging words to offer you also: Whether it's your family, friends, community that you connect with, don't be afraid to reach out. That's my biggest advice that I can say for anyone going through any kind of obstacle or trials or tribulations. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask questions. Ask for help, because you never know where you'll find it.
You’ve obviously received help from your family thus far, so now it’s time to celebrate with spirit. There’s no greater gift to be given than what you’ve received, so I suggest that your social distancing friends extend to you ancillary nurturing expressions, of support during your continued recovery. We are made in the image of God, and we need to put Spirit back into the equation when we want to improve our physical and our mental health. (Bruce Lipton) As you begin your spirit of grace celebratory party, please reflect upon the words of William Hazlitt; Grace is the absence of everything that indicates pain or difficulty, hesitation or incongruity. Pull up your favorite recliner, lean back and be free of pain, difficulty, hesitation or incongruity. May you have a Tim Bowman evening of celebration….I wish you an “Amazing Grace Party”….enjoy your day and stay safe my friend…
Happy Birthday De' Clayborn. The music choice that Kenneth selected for you reminds me the it is only by His amazing grace that we are able to experience this milestone. Happy Birthday warrior sister and many more.
Thank you Kenny for all the inspirational messages, and Birthday wishes and personal songs that you pick out for each classmate, that is one of your great gifts from God, and I for one really enjoy them. I want to wish all my classmates that have reached that 68 mark a Happy Belated Birthday and to those that are yet to get there a Happy birthday also, Stay safe and be blessed.
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