wellborn my hometown

It pleases me that I caught in the mid week Suwannee Democrat names of 3 hometown kids who are on the Deans List at St Leo University; Jason Rowe, Denielle Hoffman and Sherry Hopper. They have carried at least 12 credits and kept grades at 3.65 or better. Makes us proud to claim them.

We Wilsons have been enjoying an owl watch from our front porch. I tried to capture him on film for blog readers to share the joy, but our evening visitor blends in too well with the backdrop foliage. At dusk our owl swoops into the yard to perch on the yard light and then shows us how an owl's head seems to rotate all 360 degrees. Sometimes we can hear a sortuv whisper-y shoosh-y mewing sound and for a few days there we had two owls to watch. Was it a Mr & Mrs? or momma & baby? Only owl knows.
The Bird Book tells us he is a barred owl, a big 21 inches long, with dark eyes, dark horizontal barring on his chest and dark streaking below and that he does not generally tolerate a close approach and is easily flushed. Owl watching is a very quiet evening occupation and somehow it is spiritual.

These two smile-y guys are brothers in Christ and  very good friends besides. They are  Pastor Jim Messer of Wellborn United Methodist and Pastor Matt Dillard of Allen Chapel.   Allen Chapel is where the July Unity in the Community happened.   One Saturday each month congregations worship together, alternating in the sanctuaries of participating churches.  An invitation is extended to all 12 local congregations to join this Unity in the Community worshipful time together.  Next month a 6-7 PM service is scheduled for August 16th at the Wellborn United Methodist Church on CR 137 north of the center city railroad crossing ( 963-3071 if you have any questions)

Irene Chamberlin lived in Wellborn between 1970 and 2005. Her life spanned January 1, 1920 to July 16 2008.  She became a widow in 2005 after 56 years shared with Lewis Chamberlin. Irene visited her children in their homes for the remaining years God granted her.  Her husband is buried in the Veterans section of Live Oak cemetery and that is where her earthly remains were placed on Saturday, July 26 2008 with Rev Dennis MacMillan speaking the words of comfort.   We Wilsons lived as neighbors and the Chamberlin "kids" who had moved to Birmingham and the state of Washington, came home for their mothers funeral and with them came their grown up kids. I smile and report that they all turned out very well!

Monday @ 7-8:30 PM Cathy Willson and George Ash, owners operators of The Whistle Stop Deli&Cafe, hosted a "Town Meeting" with two of the three Democrat candidates for State Attorney of the 3rd Judicial Court, Alex Prins and Skip Jarvis. At the meeing were 2 couples who represented local businesses, (Barkers (vets) and the WhistleStop owners), two ladies who came as the Wellborn Neighborhood Watchers, two were transplants to our hometown lately from South Florida and your blogger. All of us voters want to help Wellborn progress from the good life to a better one! We have seen the gardens of campaign signs that have erupted in well traveled places. We know the local primary voting date is August 26 so it is time to figure out what jobs are being contended for and by whom.
Good questions were asked of each candidate about his stand on juvenile justice and restitution requirement, about local environmental rules and why we are not doing more recycling, about exactly how each candiate will cut back 15% required from the State Attorney Office budget, and about confronting our biggest probelm, drugs.
The Wellborn Neighborhood Watch ladies heartily jumped on the bandwagon about the importance of neighbors watching out for neighbors reminding us that we should record license tag numbers to report to our sheriff (362-2222) for questionable sightings.
The next TOWN MEETING (this one sponsored by W.N.W.) ) IS THE ANNUAL BLOCK PARTY in the Wellborn Community Park by the Blake Lowe building. This will be an afternoon/evening of free food, entertainment,and candidates to meet and greet on AUGUST 16th.
Wellborn thanks Cathy and George. It was a good meeting in a very pleasant atmosphere.

Maudell Stansel lived most of her God granted 86 years in our hometown. She was born in Jasper June 7, 1922, and she died in Live Oak July 10, 2008. She was a homemaker from an era when being wife and mother was a calling and she devoted herself thereto. She married Bobby E. Stansel and together they reared four children on the Stansel family farm acreage. Their church home was Mt Beulah Baptist. A granddaughter Chrissy Baker predeceased her. Very good friend George and Marilyn Burnham also welcomed Maudell to heaven. Surviving her are her husband Bobby E., two daughters, Carol (Tim) Stalvey and Paulette Floyd, and two sons Dwight (Glenda) and Jimmy (Teri), seven grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Her funeral was a togetherness opportunity where many old original Wellborn families gathered to uphold each other and count themselves blessed in witnessing the faith message she lived out amongst us. Rev. Charles Knight and Rev. Lewis Gooch spoke the scriptural words of comfort. Interment followed in the Mt Beulah cemetery. May God's Everlasting Arms hold the grieving family and friends.

The cover page of the October 1996 issue of the WELLBORN WHISPER is about the faith that Bobby Stansel and Maudell shared through 67 years together and which enables him to keep on keeping on now.
He wrote "It had never crossed my mind that I might be invited to write this message for the Wellborn Whisper. Mrs Wilson asked me if I would and I told her I didn't know much about writing. She said "Think about it" and she would call me back in a few days. I thought about this and prayed about it, and could not get it off my mind. Seems as though God told me to "Have faith and do it!"

WHAT IS FAITH
Hebrews 11:1 says that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen." In Matthew 9:20-22 a woman had been diseased for 12 years. She had faith enough faith in God to believe He would heal her if she could only touch his garment. Jesus turned to her and said "Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith has made thee whole", and the woman was healed.
One of the best examples of complete faith was when Abraham offered up his only son to God on the altar. We can have a good life in this world if we will put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, our God. We cannot see God, but we must have faith to believe He is everywhere and will hear and answer our prayers. God is not going to give us all we ask for, but he will always fill our needs.
In James 2:26 it says "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." This does not mean that we can work our way into salvation. The devil, if we let him, will destroy all our faith and trust and send us to hell. We must repent of our sins and ask God, in earnest, to forgive us and He will save us. Then when we are saved we will want to work and show our faith in Jesus.

Carmen Chicky is nearest to you in this video taken with my new FLIP camera. You met her a few blogs ago. These 4 babies moved from the box on Wilson's coffee table to the outdoor backyard nursery day before yesterday.

This video is a treasure
because today only Carolyn. Carla and Charkeeta are alive and walking a picketty pecketty like little hens always do, apparently as happy as if they had good sense. Carmen's time on earth was 4 days short of one month. Boo Hoo.

Jack Gaylard was born in Wellborn August 25, 1931 as a baby brother for 8 boys and 5 sisters. He died July 6,2008 and his wife Linda is thankful that his final breath was easy. Surviving from his family of origin are three sister, Freddie G. Avery, Hazel G. Law and Jessie G. Fischer. Sorrowing family include his wife Linda, three sons Jack (Ingrid), Jimmy, and Kenny(Patty), stepchildren Gina (Andrew) and James (Erin), 8 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren plus many many here and elsewhere who loved him because he was their Uncle Jack. Jack went to Wellborn school. His 44 working years were in Tampa with Anco Asbestos. He served in Korea and was a decorated veteran. Jack Gaylard loved Wellborn, his family and friends and they loved him back and will miss him a lot! Yesterday hundreds of us flocked to Wellborn United Methodist Church for his memorial service and reception following it in the WUMC fellowship hall.. Pastor Jim Messer spoke Jesus words of comfort. (John 14). Friends Linda Dye and Frank Miller sung them. Pasco Jarvis and Dwight Law added personal witness that was confirmed in the hearts of listeners as we thought of our own times spent in his company. Jack Gaylard was a helper, both to individuals and to organizations to which he belonged: WCA, WNW, WVFD, Masonic Ledge Post 132, Eastern Star, American Legion (Chaplain). Our hometown is a better place to live because it was Jack Gaylard's earthly hometown too. May God comfort his immediate family and his extended family as we keep on keeping on.

These babies sit in a box on our coffee table.  The biggest is named Carmen whose birth was midwifed by Carmen Hernandez June 21 while Jinny&Jack Wilson were in N.C.   Carmen Chickie was one of Jinny's 3 eggs, turned and cooed over for 3 weeks.  Carmen Chickie won the egg hatching contest for Jinny.   Jack's 3 never did hatch .  Of the 3 eggs that were lucky enuff to be under a real hen at our grandson's in Gainesville, 2 hatched successfully. Thus the 9 gift eggs from Chappels are accounted for.  It all started when we thought one of our hens was broody and we had no fertile eggs to give her.  She rejected the ones from Chappels so we resolved to do it ourselves!

Seen at July breakfast.
July Wellborn Community Association Blueberry Pancake breakfast crew are Beanie, her grandson Brendon Allen from New Hampshire, Wanda and Walter at the grill and Ted in the right foreground mixing batter.  Ted's wife Carla was the new meeter greeter at the door who gave us tickets to be exchanged for pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee.   Regular ticket/welcomer, Jack Gaylard,  is still not sprung from the V.A. hospital and he is missed in our hometown.  

Glynn Taylor is a repeat customer at Scott's Blueberry U-Pick.

Two brothers, Ted Turner and James Turner, peer through from their side of the tall berry bearing bushes at Scott's Blueberry Farm . Ripe berries are hanging in clusters now make easy bucket filling.