Welcome to “As We Serve with Significance”! I try to serve with significance in my community every day, a community which varies from day to day. Yesterday I took food to a friend recovering from surgery. Today I met with my prayer group. Tomorrow I plan to call four friends to wish them Thanksgiving blessings. And so my life goes, as I serve with significance.
One of the significant things no one can escape from is the history of their surroundings. Johnson City, Tennessee, my hometown, is preparing to celebrate our Sesquicentennial, or 150th birthday, on Sunday, December 1.
On December 1, 1869, Johnson City “received its first charter from the state of Tennessee under the name of Johnson City.” (Source: Greater Johnson City A Pictorial History.) Certainly much significant and lengthy work went into that event, well before the advent of devices that would ease the process today.
This is a picture of Henry Johnson, the founder of Johnson City. Thank you to http://www.stateoffranklin.net/ for providing it. And http://www.stateoffranklin.net/ is a treasure trove of great information!
The December 1, 1887 issue of The Comet, the first Johnson City newspaper, reported that “Boston society has promised to read the Bible this winter. Boston fashionables are always looking for something new.” While it’s not a new practice, I’ve tried to read the Bible through every year for many years. And most years, I’ve accomplished that. Certainly the Bible is significant!
In the December 2, 1915, issue of The Comet, the Frank Taylor Store advertised “big reductions on all our Suits and Coats for the next few days”. The store was located at 212 Main Street.
What’s significant to you?
Copyright, November 21, 2019 by Rebecca Henderson
-
More Dog Days
So we’re in the Dog Days of Summer, so you might expect to read at least another blog post about one of my dogs. The star of this week’s blog post is Sheila Barker Henderson. Some days you remember forever. For me, one of those days was September 1, 2010. On that day, at approximately… Read more
-
The Dog Days of Summer I liked this post so much from last year that I’m posting it again, with the slight change of letting you know that the Dog Days of Summer, 2021 are from July 3 until August 11. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac website, www.almanac.com, in the northern hemisphere, the dog days for 2020 started… Read more
-
Rebecca Alexander Reports
State Representative Rebecca Alexander, as she presented her first bill on the House floor (March 22), updating special education teacher guidelines for codes of conduct—the bill received 97 “yes” votes, 0 “no” votes, with two legislators out for illness. Thank you to Rebecca Alexander, 7th District State Representative of the State of Tennessee, and to… Read more
-
Have a Laugh!
When I first read this several years ago, it brought a smile to my face. Ok, I’ll admit it….not a smile, but an outright laugh. I hope it makes you laugh today! This showed up on my Facebook timeline several days ago, and comes from the Bangor, Maine, Police Department. I hope you also enjoy… Read more
-
Still the Fabric of Society
Readers of the Johnson City Press no doubt saw the information about membership in the Rotary Club on the front page of the paper each Friday in May. Stephanie McClellan, who is a Rotarian, made this possible. Thank you, Stephanie! Much of which follows is from a blog I posted about a year ago. As… Read more
-
Welcome Back, Dr. Andy Clark!
I can’t quite remember exactly how I met Dr. Andy Clark, but it may very well have been at a class reunion. Andy’s wife, Linda McGillen Clark, and I have known each other since we were in Mrs. Martha Mongtomery’s second grade class at North Side School in Johnson City, Tennessee. Linda and Andy have… Read more
-
Day Trips with Nancy Williams
I can’t remember exactly how I met Nancy Canestrari Williams, but I believe it was thru my good friend, Michele King. I was honored to be co-chair when Michele was chair of the Washington County Foundation, Ballad Health. Nancy and Michele are both delights and I wish I could spend more time with each of… Read more
-
A Quarter Century Ago….
I don’t talk about my marriage, short as it was, very much, but if I had stayed married, I would be observing my Silver Wedding Anniversary as I pen this week’s blog. My marriage was cut short not because of death, but because I elected to do so. I was a victim of domestic violence.… Read more
-
Day Trips!
Once again, this week’s blog is pretty much a re-post of a blog I posted last fall. COVID restrictions have eased up, but as I type this, gasoline is in short supply in places because of the debacle with the Colonial Pipeline. If you’re looking for a day trip in Upper East Tennessee, you’ll want… Read more
-
Wedding Dresses? Repurposed!
Since many of us are doing our spring cleaning, I am following last week’s guest blog post by Angie Hyche with another blog post you may have seen previously. If you have a wedding dress, veil, cocktail or prom dresses or anything of the sort that you’re thinking of clearing out, read on! This is… Read more
As We Serve With Significance 
Congratulations on starting your blog! I think what’s significant to me about serving others is remembering that it should be rooted, watered, and covered with REAL LOVE. Just as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we can give all kinds of efforts and sacrifices and words to others, but if our motive isn’t genuine love for our fellow man, it’s all just smoke and mirrors. Too much of the time we offer “service” that is based on manipulation, self-aggrandizement, or obligation (and I’m guilty as charged) instead of actually caring for other people. I pray that, as we follow your blog, God will use your words to let His love well up inside of us, so that we become His fountains of life-giving service!
LikeLike