American Legion Post 21, in Historic Rogersville, Tennessee (published 3-18-2024; article #460)

Introduction

Have you ever been inside an M4A3 Sherman tank? This Appalachian Irishman has! I'll explain, in the childhood memories section, farther below.

“You might as well come in and stay a while,” as Appalachian folks often say, when someone drops by. The last two articles focused on areas, within walking distance, on East Main Street, in historic Rogersville, Tennessee. The article, of 3/2/2024, was about Burton's Service Station. The 3/13/2024 article was about Brown's Corner. (Seeking help from others, I'm still trying to learn how the area got its name. Lord willing, I hope to publish an article, if I find out.) This article -- the 31st entry, under the topic section Appalachia - northeast Tennessee -- finishes a trifecta and focuses on a third location, on East Main Street, in my hometown.

The distance -- from the former Burton's Service Station (remodeled and under new ownership now) to the American Legion -- is about three-tenths of a mile, or about a six-minute walk. Let's take a virtual walk, going east, from Burton's Service Station to the American Legion. The roadside park (with the white oak tree and the monument) is along the way.

This article highlights the American Legion Post 21 and the M4A3 Sherman Tank. I'll share childhood memories, about the tank, and the restoration of the tank, in 2006.

American Legion Post 21

The majestic American Legion Post 21 has a commanding and dominant presence. The building rests atop the hill -- east of where the off-ramp, from Highway 11W (the bypass), meets East Main Street (old Highway 11W). Access is on American Legion Road.

American Legion Post 21, Google Maps Street View, Image Capture February 2024, downloaded 3/15/2024, by M. Fearghail.

From “Hawkins County War Memorial,” American Legion, 4/26/2018, we understand that the American Legion Post 21 was chartered in 1921. Two buildings, before the current location, had served the members. The current building was erected, in 1949, especially to honor World War II veterans.

The 2018 article, cited previously, emphasized the need to preserve the building. Post members had sponsored a "Save Our American Legion Post 21 Benefit" fund. The article includes an image of the cornerstone, which reads "Hawkins County War Memorial." Years ago, I saw and touched the cornerstone. I thanked God for the service of countless veterans. Their number includes many from Hawkins County, several of whom were and are my relatives.

All veterans, deceased and living, deserve the respect, admiration, and appreciation of all Americans. This article honors all veterans. Thank you for your service.

The M4A3 Sherman Tank

The M4A3 Sherman tank is visible, in the previous image, to the right (or south) of the American Legion Post 21. Sherman tanks and the soldiers, who manned them, were crucial to victory, during World War II. For further reading, please consider the following two articles:

“M4 Sherman: 'Blunder' or 'Wonder' Weapon? The American-built Sherman medium tank was admittedly inferior to its German opponents. Yet, how did it help win the war in Northwest Europe?” Warfare History Network, Early Fall 2012 (Volume 11, No. 7), by Blaine Taylor

“The Sherman M4A3 Medium Tank.” The Sherman Tank Site: the place for all things Sherman Tank (undated), by Jon T.

As the caption below the next image states, I'd taken the photograph, on 6/24/2006, a Saturday afternoon. Dad (Earl Ferrell, 9/17/1927 - 1/25/2008) was still living and doing fairly well. Other family members and I had visited Dad. I'd found out that an Eagle Scout project had restored the Sherman tank. I had stopped to take the photograph, on my way back home.

Photograph, by M. Fearghail, on Saturday afternoon, 6/24/2006. The American Legion building, in Rogersville, Tennessee, is behind and to the north (left), of the Sherman tank. The turret and gun barrel point to a corner of the building. The name on the tank is “Old Hickory.” The view looks east.

On 9/12/2006, I'd thought about writing a website article, titled “A Good Scout.” I never put down my thoughts into words, until now. An article, if it's worth writing, is better late than never -- even if it is over seventeen years late!

Childhood Memories

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a lifelong friend and his family lived in a house, in the subdivision that is just south of and behind the American Legion Post 21. My friend and I are the same age. We still keep in touch. His mother and my mother (Betty Lou Wood Ferrell, 11/24/1932 - 12/27/2000) were friends.

Sometimes, during visits with my friend, we would walk the fairly short distance to the American Legion, to explore the Sherman tank. We climbed onto the tank and up to the turret. We eased down the turret hatch, into the crew compartment. Being of grade school age and body size, with youthful flexibility, we soon realized that moving around, in the crew compartment, was not easy!

A five-man crew operated Sherman tanks. The crew included the commander, the gunner, the loader, the driver, and the assistant driver/hull gunner. The crew compartment has two levels. The upper level was for the commander, the gunner, and the loader. The commander sat or stood behind the gun barrel and the gunner. The gunner sat immediately behind the gun barrel. The loader sat to the left of the gunner. The lower level was for the driver, who had the left seat, and the assistant driver/hull gunner, who had the right seat. An excellent video description is seen on “Inside the 'Easy 8' Sherman Tank - Examining the Roles of a Tank Crew,” National Museum of Military Vehicles (YouTube), 2/4/2024. The nineteen-minute episode includes timestamps. The video, from inside the crew compartment, starts at the five-minute, thirty-second mark. It's worth watching.

My friend and I imagined that we, with three invisible crew members, fought tank battles against the Germans! The thick glass -- encased in metal on the outside top of the turret -- was cracked in several places, certainly from enemy fire. The tank exterior had several dings, dents, and marks, surely from enemy fire. That tank had seen its share of combat in World War II.

On several occasions, my friend and I paused our imaginary battles and wondered if any soldiers had died in that tank. Our imaginary battles became somber thoughts, at least for a while.

One visit to the Sherman tank included a real battle! My friend and I had lowered ourselves into the crew compartment. We encountered an angry swarm of waspers! They had nested inside the tank. Bounding out and off the tank quickly, we were not stung too many times! The waspers won that battle. Eventually, we returned, didn't find any waspers, and continued our imaginary battles. The good guys always won those battles.

My friend and his family moved to a nearby town, at the beginning of our freshman year in high school. We still got together and kept in touch, but our visits to the Sherman tank had ended.

The Tank Restored, in 2006

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Sherman tank was holding up well enough, despite the weathering, rust, and slight deterioration. As I've already stated, I'd taken the previous photograph, on 6/24/2006. I'd learned that an Eagle Scout project had restored the Sherman tank. Dad kept issues of The Rogersville Review, for us to read, when we visited. We enjoyed reading the newspapers. For several years, I have had an online and paper delivery subscription, to The Rogersville Review. My wife and I like to keep up with the news from my hometown. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman has family ties to Rogersville. Online editions of the newspaper are available by subscription only.

If you disable private browsing, however, you may be able to read, without the cost of a subscription, “Tank restored thanks to teen,” The Rogersville Review, by Bill Grubb, 6/14/2006. The article was published ten days before I'd photographed the tank.

In summary, the 6/14/2006 article indicates that the M4A3 Sherman tank had been “standing guard,” beside the American Legion Post 21, for fifty-four years. It began its guard duty in 1952. The tank had been on a two-year “leave of absence,” while an Eagle Scout (named in the article) restored the tank, for his Eagle Scout project. The restoration project also honored “a member of the Tennessee National Guard,” who was killed during service in Iraq.

Conclusion

Since we parked our vehicles at the old Burton's Service Station, we might as well walk back there. Before leaving the American Legion and the Sherman tank, we pause, at the "Hawkins County War Memorial" cornerstone, touch it, and lift up silent prayers to God, for the sacrifices of all the soldiers, who have served or are serving this nation.

The roadside park (with the white oak tree and the monument) is along the way. We stop, to relax a while, at the picnic table, under the shade of that oak tree.

Don't you wish that Burton's Service Station was still open? I'd like to walk in and buy a glass-bottled Coke and a snack.

I've enjoyed our virtual walk. On the next visit to my hometown, will I walk from the old Burton's Store to the American Legion? We will see. You may see me, resting near that old oak tree. I'll wave, if you honk at me!

Brown's Corner, in Historic Rogersville, Tennessee (published 3-13-2024; article #459)

Introduction

Why is it called Brown's Corner? Welcome, dear reader, to the 30th article, under the topic section Appalachia - northeast Tennessee. I hope to fill the section, with more articles. The most recent article, on 3/2/2024, was about Burton's Service Station, in my hometown, historic Rogersville, Tennessee. The article remembered and honored Mr. and Mrs. Burton, shared memories, and told a couple of funny stories.

Local folks, for decades, before my birth, and to this day, have called the junction, near the building, which was once Burton's Service Station, Brown's Corner. Writing the most recent article got me wondering how the area got its name.

As far as I know, Brown's Corner includes the small, triangular roadside park, where East Main Street and Highway 70 intersect. The roadside park is within walking distance, of where Burton's Service Station once was. (The building still stands.) Brown's Corner probably encompasses more of the surrounding area. I assume that it is named, after a person or family, with the common last name of Brown.

This article shares what I learned about Brown's Corner. I still can't figure out how it got its name. The conclusion asks for comments, by readers, who know the answer.

Brown's Corner: what I can find out

Well, I didn't find out much, about how Brown's Corner was named. I did find out more, about the roadside park -- especially about the white oak tree and the monument.

The White Oak Tree

The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC) includes the program “Landmark, Historic, and Heritage Tree Registry.” Scrolling down, to “Landmark and Historic Trees,” then selecting “East TN,” finds (on the top row, third entry, from the left) “The Old Stagecoach Oak” (East TN, Hawkins County, Landmark and Historic Trees). TUFC, Project, Category, East TN shows the date, of that entry (third from the top), as 2/6/2023. There is no mention of the author(s).

The following photograph is included, in the 2/6/2023 entry (“The Old Stagecoach Oak”). The caption (above the photograph) reads, “Historic Tree, 2021 • Nominated by Tom Simpson • Photo by Tom Simpson.”

I'd like to thank Tom Simpson, whom I've never met, for taking that photograph. His photograph looks west. He was standing near East Main Street, near where Highway 70 turns north. The remodeled building, which was once Burton's Service Station, is in the background.

A picnic table is beside the large oak tree. Dad and Mom took us boys on picnics, at that roadside park, back in the 1960s and 1970s. At times, Papaw and Granny Wood, Mom's parents, were with us. We gathered for a few birthday parties. I recall that at least one of them was mine. Back then, the large white oak tree, in the above image, was somewhat smaller. It provided excellent shade, from the hot summer sun.

The 2/6/2023 entry states that the “large white oak is over 15 feet in circumference and 77 feet tall. The confluence of the roads limits its total crown spread to 58 feet; although, foresters have estimated its age as around 240 years.” (Bold font used, for emphasis.)

The tree sprouted, naturally or by being planting, sometime around 1783. If that tree could talk, what stories would it tell?

The Monument

Also, the previously cited 2/6/2023 entry, “The Old Stagecoach Oak,” states that the “granite monument” (visible, to the west, or left, of the white oak tree), “. . . was erected in 1934 by the U.S. Department of Coast and Geological Survey as one of only five Zero Milestones in the United States.” (Bold text used, for emphasis.)

My research could not verify that only five Zero Milestones were built. The cited article may assume only five, incorrectly, since images of five markers are included, in “Auto Trails: Lee Highway,” on Varner Guides: American Roads (undated), under the section “Zero Milestones on the Lee Highway.” One image is the Zero Milestone, at the junction of East Main Street and Highway 70, in Rogersville. The undated Auto Trails article states that this Zero Milestone “. . . is made of local Tennessee marble.” (Bold lettering used, for emphasis.)

Lord willing, my next trip, to my hometown, will include a stop, at that roadside park. I want to see, for myself, if the monument is made of granite or marble! Decades have passed, since I've seen it up close. I don't recall, if the monument is granite or marble.

Additionally, the 2/6/2023 entry states, “The monument . . . also commemorates North Carolina Senator Benjamin Hawkins, for whom Hawkins County was named (upper East TN was part of North Carolina until 1796), and John Carter, one of the area’s first settlers and for whom the valley, Carter Valley, is named.” To correct, in kindness, the unknown author, the area is called Carter's Valley (in the possessive case).

Further, the 2/6/2023 entry, “The Old Stagecoach Oak,” states, “The monument also marks the original route of 'The Old East Tennessee Stagecoach Line' that ran through the county from 1825 until 1855.” The entry indicates that the stagecoach line, of 111 miles, connected Abington, Virginia, to Knoxville, Tennessee. During those 30 years, did my great, great, great paternal grandfather, John Ferrell (born 1780), or any of his immediate family, travel, on that stagecoach line? I wonder.

Lastly, of note, the 2/6/2023 entry, going farther back in time, indicates that buffalo and elk migration started the trail -- which The Old East Tennessee Stagecoach Line and old Highway 11W followed. Surely, native Americans and their settlements followed that initial big game trail. The trail follows what is now known, as the Holston River. The entry indicates that the native American name, for the later named Holston River, is Hogohegee, meaning “water of many islands.”

Following water, animals start trails. In time, humans turn the trails into roads. Life-giving water is the source of the trails.

Conclusion

This article has shared what I could learn about Brown's Corner. I still can't figure out how it got its name. Do you, dear reader, know how Brown's Corner got its name? If you know, then you are welcome to comment, below this article, or email me, using the Contact Form, on the right side of this website. I'd like to know.

Life-giving water brings to mind the Gospel of John, Chapter 7. The pericope is the context of the Festival of Tabernacles, when Jesus taught publicly, at the temple courts. Verses 37 and 38, in the New International Version (NIV), read as follows.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

The inspired apostle John, in the next verse, explains that Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit, which believers would receive, after His glorification. This is a vivid picture of believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, who, as streams of living water, share the love and grace of Jesus with all, who are thirsty!

If you are thirsty, spiritually, dear reader, then please accept Jesus' free offer, to come to Him and drink! If your thirst, dear reader, is quenched, by the Holy Spirit, then I trust that the ”rivers of living water” are flowing, from within you, to all, who are thirsty!

Burton's Service Station, Rogersville, Tennessee: Memories & a Couple of Funny Stories (published 3-2-2024; article #458)

Image shared, on 2/26/2024, by a member of the Facebook group “Hawkins Conversations and Stories.” An unknown photographer took the original black and white photograph, probably in the 1960s. The view looks northwest. To the left and behind the photographer is East Main Street, Rogersville, TN. To his or her right is Highway 70. The gasoline pumps are not visible.

Introduction

On this second day of meteorological spring, we know the news -- local, state, national, and international. It's disheartening. Let's step back, into a simpler time. Let's remember and be encouraged!

This article -- the 29th entry, under the “Appalachia - northeast Tennessee” topic section, and the 101st, under the “heritage” section -- remembers Burton's Service Station, in my hometown. Mr. and Mrs. Burton are remembered and honored. I'll share memories, of their service station, from childhood to young adult. I'll even tell a couple of funny stories.

The inspiration for this article came from The Rogersville Review, Midweek edition, 2/21/2024. My wife and I received the newspaper, by mail, late last week. It includes Mrs. Frances Lea Burton's obituary.

Memories: Mr. and Mrs. Burton

The 1960s and 1970s were a simpler time, at least for a boy, growing up, in northeast Tennessee. Burton's Service Station is an example, of those simpler times. Joe and Frances Burton, husband and wife, owned and operated Burton's Service Station, for 35 years.

The online obituary, for Mrs. Burton, who passed away recently, is found at Frances Lea Burton (8/5/1926 - 2/15/2024, age 97), Broome Funeral Home, Inc. (Broome Funeral Home served us, when Mom and Dad passed, in December of 2000 and January of 2008.) I remember Mrs. Burton as a congenial, southern lady, who always had a pleasant smile and a kind word. Her bright eyes even seemed to smile.

I couldn't recall when Mr. Burton passed. I knew that it was several years ago. Having found his online obituary, at James Joe Burton (11/7/1918 - 3/27/2000, age 81), Find a Grave, I realized that Mr. Burton had passed, while Mom was still in the hospital. Dad and I must have talked about Mr. Burton's passing, but I don't recall the conversation. From his obituary, I learned that Mr. Burton had volunteered for the army, in June of 1940. As a first sergeant, during World War II, he served five years, in Europe. I remember Mr. Burton as a mild mannered and honest businessman. He was good-natured and friendly. He would help you, in any way that he could.

The obituaries, for Mr. and Mrs. Burton, indicate that they were Christians. Their legacies include their store and, most importantly, their Christian lives. This article honors their legacies.

Memories: Burton's Service Station

Burton's Service Station, in Rogersville, Tennessee, was a few yards northwest of the junction, where East Main Street meets Highway 70. The building, renovated with several changes, is still standing. The triangular junction, near the store, has a small, grassy area, where folks can still picnic. As a child, Mom and Dad took us boys there, for many a picnic. We could walk, across Highway 70, to Burton's Service Station.

Other family and I were with Dad, several times, when he'd stop at Burton's Service Station. Sometimes, it was just to fill up the car or truck, with Gulf gasoline. Pulling up to one of the two or three pumps crossed a black hose that triggered a ding, so the attendant could know that someone wanted fuel. The pump would ding and flip up the number, for each gallon that the attendant pumped. A gallon of gasoline cost a few cents on the dollar, back then. The attendant or even Joe Burton himself would check the tire pressure, the oil level, and clean the windshield. In later years, you'd pump your own gasoline, notice how many gallons you'd pumped, go inside, and tell Mr. Burton or his wife how many gallons you were buying.

As a child, going into the store, through either of the two front entrance doors, was an adventure! The hardwood floor creaked, in a few places. I liked to watch Joe Burton or his wife ring up Dad's purchases, on the manual cash register. The numbers clicked up, from somewhere inside the machine! The register drawer opened and closed, with a distinct ringing sound.

Between the two front entrance doors were the coolers, with lids that opened from the top. They were filled with all types of Pet ice cream and soft drinks, in glass bottles. The drink cooler had a bottle cap opener on it. Summer visits usually included a stick of ice cream and a Coke! Both may have cost Dad a quarter.

Several rows of shelves, on the side and back walls, were filled with all sorts of groceries. I recall several kinds of canned goods, bread, flour, sugar, and so forth. I think that sliced bologna (“baloney”) was available, to make and eat a sandwich, at the store. That was fast food, back then! Near the cash register, a man could find various brands of cigars, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco (“chawin' bakker”). Snuff was also sold, especially for the women. Dad bought his cigarettes and Red Man chewing tobacco.

In the fall and winter, an old wood-burning stove kept the store warm. It was always good, to come in and stand, by the stove, to warm. Near that stove was an old rocking chair. I remember her as Granny Burton. In my early childhood years, I often saw Granny Burton, sitting and rocking, in that chair. She liked to converse with customers. She may have given me free candy, at times!

The second floor, above the store, may have been apartments. On the west side of the building, a steep stairway led up, to that level. I think that the Burtons rented out the one or two upstairs apartments. I don't recall going up to the second floor. Renters parked their vehicles near the outside stairway.

Attached, to the east of the store, was the garage, with two bays and outside entrances. The door, from inside the store to the garage, required a steep step or two down. The smell of oil and grease filled the air. The garage was always kept clean. I remember an employee, probably in his 20s, who was the mechanic.

To the east of the garage was the outside entrance, to the bathroom. I remember using the one, at the front of the store. The Burtons always kept it clean. There may have been another bathroom, for women, around to the side. The bathroom wasn't heated or cooled. Using the bathroom, on a cold day, could be a chilling experience!

In the mid-1970s, once I could drive, I bought gas, for Mom and Dad's car, at Burton's Service Station. In 1978, after high school graduation, I filled up my first two cars (a 1973 Ford Maverick, which I had only a few months, and a 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra II) at the station. The mechanic did some minor service work, on both vehicles, as I recall.

Modern service stations are usually nice enough. They, however, do not have the charm and character, of those old service stations and stores. Remembering Burton's Service Station was a trip down memory lane. I hope that you enjoyed the trip!

A Couple of Funny Stories

I have to share a couple of funny stories! They remain vividly, in my memory.

The first story is from my childhood, in grade school. Dad and Mom were renting the old Livesay farmhouse. It was just off and northwest of dead man's curve (as it may still be called), on what is now old Highway 11W, in east Hawkins County.

The black rotary phone hung on the living room wall, near the black and white television and beside the door that led to the first floor bedroom. (Three bedrooms were upstairs.) Dad must have been at work, either drilling a water well or setting a pump. Mom may have been in the kitchen or outside.

I had my chance! The phone number, for Burton's Service Station, was written on a list of phone numbers. I dialed the store. Mr. Joe Burton answered. In my best effort, to sound like a grown man, from around those parts, I asked, “Do you have Sir Walter Raleigh, in a can?” (Sir Walter Raleigh was a type of tobacco.) Mr. Burton, thinking that a man wanted to do business with him, replied, “Yes, we do.” Folks, from these parts, already know what I was doing! I replied, “You'd better let him out!” Quickly, I hung up the phone!

Back in that day, mischievous young'uns, like me, could get into trouble quickly. Business owners, neighbors, family, and other parents had a spy network! For days, I sweated, thinking that Mr. Burton would have recognized my voice, despite my effort to disguise it, tell Dad, and Dad would take a belt to my backside. Luckily, for my behind, I was never found out! To this day, I regret tricking the kind and gentle Mr. Burton.

The other story is from my senior year in high school (1977 - 1978). In January of 1978, it snowed every Wednesday. I know this, because, on Wednesdays, after school, I had a part-time job, inserting the middle section, into the main section, of The Rogersville Review. The old printing press conveyed the middle sections to me. The main sections were already printed and folded. I caught and inserted the middle sections, into the main sections. I'd drive Dad and Mom's car, to work and back. When work ended, usually after 9 PM, the snow was already falling. I'd manage to drive home safely, in the snow. School was closed, due to snow, the entire month of January, which pushed graduation, into June.

The six of us (Dad, Mom, and us four boys) were living in the newly-constructed home, in the Striggersville community (a rural area, northeast of Rogersville). Two buddies, Bill and Randy, also high school seniors, lived, with their families, a couple of cow fields apart. From the house, they were about 1.75 miles farther east, which was a long walk or bicycle ride. We all lived in the county.

Randy was dating a young lady, also in high school. She lived, with her family, in a house, in town, that was several yards east, of the Rogersville High School (which is now the Rogersville Middle School).

In January of 1978, Randy and his girlfriend had talked, by phone. Apparently, the challenge was made and accepted. Randy would walk the approximately three miles, from his house, to her house, along the snow covered roads. He would place a highway construction marker, in her front yard, to prove that he'd done it. (The Highway 11W four-lane was under construction. Small, orange marker flags were everywhere.)

Randy had called Bill and me. We accepted his offer, to hike to town, with him. The weather was cold and cloudy. I dressed warmly and told Mom that I was going to walk, to Randy's house. (Dad must have been at work.) I met Bill at Randy's house. Randy had already acquired a marker flag.

The three-mile hike to town, heading west, took us past Burton's Service Station. We were sufficiently warm and motivated. We kept going. Passing the high school, we reached the yard of Randy's girlfriend. We saw her, looking out a window. Her parents may not have been at home. We weren't invited in. Randy placed the flag, in the yard. We waved, to his girlfriend, in triumph!

On our return hike, of another approximate three miles, heading east, the weather turned colder. A strong, cold wind started blowing, into our faces. I pulled my ski mask down, to cover my face. The ski mask, around my nose and mouth, froze. We were freezing, as we hiked.

Burton's Service Station was still open. The warmth of that old wood-burning stove hastened our steps, as we trudged through the new snow that was covering the old snow.

Mr. and Mrs. Burton were surprised, to see three known high school boys, in our frozen conditions, walk into their store! They encouraged us to get near that stove quickly! Mrs. Burton may even have served us free hot chocolate. Once sufficiently warmed, the three of us thanked the Burtons, for rescuing us, from our own youthful stupidity.

The hike, back to Randy's house was easy enough. The warm wood stove, in the basement, warmed Bill and me sufficiently, for our hikes back to our homes. In total, I guess that I'd hiked about nine and a half miles, on that very cold and snowy day.

Dad was back, once I returned home. I told Dad and Mom the complete and honest story, especially how Mr. and Mrs. Burton had saved us, from freezing to death! As a high school senior, I was too old for a spanking. Mom was amazed that I'd endured the ordeal. Dad simply said, “Well, I hope that you've learned your lesson, son.” I had.

Conclusion

Yes, the current local, state, national, and international new is disheartening. I hope that this step back, to a simpler time, has been encouraging.

The recent passing of Mrs. Burton brought back good memories. Writing this article is my way of honoring Mr. and Mrs. Burton. Their legacies include Burton's Service Station and, most importantly, their Christian lifestyles. Don't you wish, dear reader, that all people would live such lifestyles. The current news would not be so disappointing.

I wonder if heaven will include some old country stores. I'd enjoy sitting around, in rocking chairs, talking with the Burtons, Mom, Dad, and so many, who are already enjoying everlasting life. We wouldn't need a wood-burning stove, to warm us, in cold weather. The Son will warm us, with His eternal love.