Dear Reader:

Every Ya will tell you, hands down, that Brooke makes the best grits. While vacationing on any of our retreats she makes a big breakfast one morning  for all of us…. getting up early and ‘putting the grits on.’ They literally simmer for hours….but the wait is well worth it.

They are the creamiest, tastiest grits around. (*Now trying to wash or clean out the pot…whew…that is an entirely different matter…they have to soak about as many hours as it took the grits to simmer to get clean in time for the next retreat.)

These days, the Ya’s are having to pluck one “true grit” out of the pot to deal with the medical challenges facing all of us at  varying degrees. Right now… this refers mostly to Libby and Brooke.

Libby had to reach way down to find her true grit before her surgery earlier this month…but she did it and came through with flying colors. It will take awhile to completely recover but she just amazed all of us with the ‘grit’ she showed in preparation for the surgery and after it. Last of her stitches came out yesterday!

Then again, she is the daughter of the once “Queen of the World Grits Festival” in St. George, SC. Her mother, Nell Bennett, organized and ran the festival for many years and was famous in the low country for her southern hospitality and beautiful, warm smile.

Nell could rattle off recipes for tomato-gravy grits, french-fried grits and grits pie — the result was worth the months of work for her and the festival steering committee, as she greeted festival-goers with a cheery, “Grittings to you.”

After Nell’s death the state senate had the interchange between highways 78 and 15 named in her honor…she was St. George’s most famous, lovable resident.

Brooke is surely pulling our her own true grit as I type. She was supposed to start her own physical therapy tomorrow on her shoulder/arm….now everything has been postponed until the doctors inform the family what procedures and rehab lie ahead for Ted in his situation.

* Just heard that Ted is being transferred to a rehab center for two weeks to get his strength built back up before being released to return home… so Brooke will be staying longer than initially expected.

But knowing Brooke…she understands that (just like cooking grits slow and steady brings about the best results) all Brooke can do now is take each day at a time…researching as many potential medical options as possible, doing her homework, and then letting the chips fall where they may. The situation is in God’s control…not hers. Brooke is the epitome of  “true grit.”

Sis Kinney said it best in her comments yesterday…. “As we get older and older, we have to remind ourselves that at least we’re getting older and older! And, with that age progression comes the inevitable aches and pains, and sometimes – like Brooke’s husband – falls and breaks.

I feel VERY blessed that I have never had a broken bone; have lots of aches and pains though! Glad Brooke’s Ted is on the mend.
And, yes, the hugs and kisses from grandchildren are sometimes the glue that hold us together in our “not feeling best” state!”

So until tomorrow….Grandmother used to tell me to have “pluck” …another good word for “grit”.…both meaning….“sticktoitiveness” a diligent spirit; the nagging conviction that keeps us pressing on when it’d be easier to give up.

When the going gets tough and the tough get going...grit your teeth…pluck up your back straight and tall… show the world your most important access to success….true grit….Always remembering you are the one who never gives up!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Sweet memories of happier days (in the mountains) when the Ya’s went to Saluda to stay in Ted and Brooke’s mountain cabin to go see The Carole King Show in Greenville.