2026 Oct 13, 14, Trip with Travel Lady to Dover, Land Between the Lakes, Reelfoot Land and Patti's Settlement

Day 1, Tuesday,  October  13, 2026 

 We started the day with a trip to Lawrenceburg and stopped at Hardie's for breakfast, where I ordered a sausage, egg, and biscuit. Hubby ordered a pork chop biscuit with gravy. $10.94

We met another couple from Columbia, TN, who were also going on the same trip. We got a text from our guide that our bus was having problems and had to be replaced, so they were running 30 minutes late. 

So we sat and talked to our new friends. 

We arrived at the church where we parked overnight for our trip and waited with others for the bus Starship Atlantis. 

Around 8:30, everyone boarded the bus, and we began our journey. We stopped in Waynesboro to pick up a couple.

Our first stop was the Patsy Cline and Chat Akins rest stop in Holladay, TN, around 10:30 A.M., to use the restrooms.

We arrived at the Visitor Center in Stewart County, Dover, TN, at 11:47 A.M., where we were welcomed with a buffet-style lunch that included BBQ, Turkey, green beans, creamed potatoes, and rolls, with iced tea or water. After we finished our meal, we walked through the museum, which had Civil War memorabilia from Dover. We saw quilts, photos, riverboats, and American Indian artifacts, and a full-size map of Dover from the winter of the Civil War. We saw a replica of Joe's Country Store, a replica of the Home of Thomas and Julia Cruthers, and a portrait of William Harrison Scarborough, a portraitist and miniaturist. 

Around 1 P.M.,  we rode through the Fort Donelson Battlefield National Park. Fort Donelson National Battlefield played a crucial role during the American Civil War because of its location on the Cumberland River. 

Around 1:45 P.M., we arrived at The Home Place 1850, a working farm with historic buildings, programs, and gift shops. I bought three postcards: National Recreation KY. TN, Golden Pond Visitor Center & Planetarium, and The Homeplace 1850s Living History Farm for $1 each; I also bought a bottle of Grape Prepel for $4.

Everyone walked through the gift shop, used the restrooms, and walked through the displays; then we gathered in the classroom and were divided into two groups.

Our group walked through the park, stopping to visit a couple of homes and see how people would have lived in the 1800s. 

We saw the American Guinea Hogs, Pinkey and Blake, basking in the sun. 

We saw the Dominickers' chickens and their rooster, Obadiah. I said Obadiah was from the Bible, and our guide said yes, but sometimes the kids think she says Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. Fun Fact.

Our last visit was to see Cinnamon, the therapy horse, and Todd the mule. Our guide ran to get a couple of apples to feed them.

Sarah, our guide, held up the two apples and called Cinnamon and Todd. They recognized her and came running for those apples, which they enjoyed. 

A couple of kids were nearby; one patted the horses, but the other was afraid. Our guide said they get visitors from all over the US and other countries. We thanked her, walked back to the building, used the restrooms, and boarded our bus. 

At 4:30, we rode through the Elk & Bison Prairie National Recreation Area, Caadiz, KY.  

We saw several male and female Elk and several bison crossing the road.

A herd of bison lay in the grass, resting near the water, while others stood in the middle of the road, blocking cars.

Our next stop was Patti's Settlement in the 1880s. We visited the gift shop and walked around outside, where we saw several great places to take photos. One was the water wheel at the Grist Mill, an enclosed area with umbrellas and the words Pattie's, the pumpkin display, and the GB Duck Toy Emporium; we saw a kids' play area, a bright yellow Crosley, and a Rooser rocker, Lots of birdhouses, a manager display, polar bear and pig displays. We saw a chapel, a life-size chess game, an old car, and Calvin's Swine Moonshine.

Around 6 P.M., we were taken to the dining room where we were served a choice of pork chops, chicken, or Salmon with the fixings. Before the food came out, they brought us strawberry, whipped butter, and bread shaped like a flower in a ceramic flower pot. 

We were served a variety of drinks, then a house salad. I chose Raspberry vinaigrette while Hubby chose Thousand Island dressing.

Hubby chose a thick, juicy 16 oz center-cut pork chop, charbroiled and seasoned with Patti's seasoning sauce, served with a large baked potato. 

I chose Salmon broiled over an open flame, served over a bed of rice pilaf with a large baked potato. Hubby and I only ate the meat because after the bread and salad, we could only eat the meat. 

Dessert choices were  Bill's boatsinker pie, a dark double-fudge brownie topped with coffee ice cream, piled high with whipped cream, covered with chocolate syrup, and topped with a cherry.

Sawdust Pie: coconut graham cracker crumb with pecans in an egg batter, baked in a flaky pie shell. Topped with a banana slice and whipped cream. We got ours to-go. 

In the gift shop, I bought minies of Horton Hears-a-Whoo elephant, the Grinch, Cindy-Hoo-Loo, and Max, the Grinch's dog. $43.63

Once everyone finished dinner, we headed to our hotel, Patti's Settlement Hotel. We were in room 202.

Day 2, Wednesday, October 14, 2026 

We had breakfast at the hotel around 7 A.M. I ate scrambled eggs, sausage with gravy, and apple juice.

We loaded our luggage onto the motor coach around 8 A.M. and began our day's adventures.

Our first stop was at the Reelfoot Lake Visitor Center around 9:30 A.M.

We had 30 minutes to use the restroom, visit the R.C. Donaldson Memorial Museum, and shop (which features a variety of displays bout the nature center )

Several of us walked outside to see the rescued bald eagle and red-tailed hawks, then walked down the boardwalk to the lake, where we saw cypress trees, turtles, and great blue herons. 

At 10 A.M., we all gathered in the interpretive room where Ranger Madlyn Cox and Ranger Joah Winford gave a demonstration with the Barred owl, the Mini Screech owl, and the American kestrel.

We ate a family-style lunch across the street at Boyette's, which included fried fish, white beans, coleslaw, hush puppies, French fries, onion rings, Iced tea, and a variety of pies for dessert. The food was great.

When we finished eating, we walked back across the street and boarded the bus with our guides, Coy Hussey and Shane Morrow, who filled our heads with information about the park. 

We rode several miles throughout the park, where we saw one of their bald eagles in the middle of the road eating roadkill from a raccoon. We saw egrets, Great Blue Herons, and White Pelicans. We stopped for a group photo in front of a large, croppie. (fish) 

We thanked our guides and dropped them off around 2:45 P.M. at the Visitor Center. 

Then we began our journey home, but first stopped at our golden nugget, Rusty's TV and Movie Museum of Cars, which took about 30 minutes. 

Back on the road, we stopped at Love's and bought a bag of Cheetos, nuts, a cheese stick, and a couple of drinks. 

Our next stop was to drop off a couple in Waynesboro, then head to Lawrenceburg, where most people got off. We got off here. Then the bus took the remaining passengers to Florence. 

We stopped at Krystal to use the restroom and purchase three double Krystals, which we ate on the way home. $13.86

We arrived home late. Another great trip in the books. 

Photos

Day 1

9336-9337 Loading on bus Lawrenceburg, TN 8:11 A.M.

9338-9342 Holaday, TN 10:20 A.M.

9343-9345 Traveling to Springfield, TN 

9346-9375 Visitor Center, Dover, TN, and lunch 11:47–12:38 P.M. 

9376-9410 Fort Donelson Battlefield, Dover, TN 1:04–1:20 P.M. 

9411-9486 The Homeplace Working Farm and Living History Museum, Dover, TN  1:43–3:18 P.M.

9487-9536 Land Between the Lakes Elk and Bison Prairie, Grand Pond, KY 4:18–4:49 P.M.

9537-9621 Patti's Settlement at Grand Rivers, KY, including dinner 55:14–6:50 P.M.

Day 2 

9625 Breakfast @6:56 AM

9626-9629  Patti's Inn and Suites, Grand Rivers, KY 7:17–7:44 A.M.

9630-9737 Reelfoot Lake Visitor Center and Park, LAKE County, Tipptonville, TN  

9739-9765 Rusty's TV & Movie Car Museum, Jackson, TN  4:15-4:2PM

2026 Oct 9-10, Bibical History Tour LaGrange, GA with Backroads Tours LLC

 We woke up at 4 A.M., showered, finished packing, and hit the road by 4:30 A.M.

We stopped atHardie'ss in Scottsboro for breakfast, where I ordered a sausage, cheese, and egg biscuit and a Diet Coke. 

We continued to Patches in Scottsboro, where we parked our car. Loaded onto bus 1023, driven by Barbara Dudley, and began our journey to LaGrange, GA. 

Our itinerary changed because Hurricane ISAISA, a Category 3 storm, impacted the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. 

We made our first stop at Loves.

My great-grandkids called and sang me happy birthday. Hayne and Hazel went with their grandad and dad to Dolly's Travel Tennessean off I-65 North. My other great-grandson Atlas was at Disney World, and he called and sang Happy Birthday to me. 

We arrived at 11:22 A.M. and stayed until 4:30 P.M. 

After the long ride, everyone used the restroom, then gathered in a room with a replica of the first tabernacle the Israelites took with them throughout their wilderness wanderings. They also had a map of first-century Jerusalem. After a brief introduction, our guide took us outside, where she talked about 

the lambs and goats, the threshing of the wheat at the Threshing floor. She talked about the blood of the grapes and olives at the grape press.  

https://biblehub.com/topical/t/threshing.htm

We saw the Catacombs of the early church, the watchtower, the Agricultural Terrace, the well, the Sheepfold (temporary and permanent), and the New Testament Tomb. 

We ate lunch just as the early Christians ate at the Lord's Last Supper. We sat at a Roman triclinium-style table. A triclinium is a formal dining room in a Roman building. The word comes from the Greeks: a sort of couch or chaise lounge. 

https://en.galaxys25userguide.com/

We were served olives, grilled chicken, hummus, lentil soup, bread, grape juice, and water. We used our bread as spoons. 

Our guide told us the story of the 12 apostles at the Lord's Last Supper.

We were guided through the Artifacts Gallery.

We gathered outside for a Shepherd's Bread Experience. Everyone patted out their dough and placed it on a pan over an open fire. The bread was served with honey and Butter. 

We used the restrooms, visited the gift shop, then loaded onto the bus and headed to the Marriott by Hilton, room 415. 

Saturday, October 10: 

We ate breakfast at the hotel; it was buffet-style. I got eggs, biscuits, jelly, and apple juice. We sat with a couple and talked for several minutes. 

We loaded onto the bus at 8:30 A.M. and began our journey home. We wanted to get home before the weather got bad. We didn't encounter any bad weather, but it did rain.

We stopped at Love's in Waco, GA, where we bought a 6-inch Philly Sub and three cookies, which Hubby and I split. We also bought a Mountain Dew and Diet Coke. 

We played Bingo and watched TV on our way back to Scottsboro. 

We loaded our luggage into the car and began our two-hour drive home. We arrived around 2 P.M. So glad we didn't get any bad effects from the hurricane.

3897 iPad Travel Scottsboro at 7:39 A.M.

9172-9173 Travel Oxford, AL at 9:53 A, 

9174-9175 Wedowee, AL at 10:27 A.M. 

9176-9177 West Point Lake, GA at 12:05 P.M.

9178-9273 LaGrange Biblical Historical Center at 12:20–3:54 P.M.

9274-9302 Downtown LaGrandg Ga @ 5:51–6:06 P.M.

9304-9306 Karvelas Pizza Company LaGrange, Ga at 6:16–6:39 P.M.

9307-9310 LaGrange, GA at7:10 P.M.M

9211-9312 Courtyard by Marriott at 7:13 P.M. 

Saturday, October 10: Travel Home

3902 IPAD Key Card at 6:46 A.M.

9313-Breakfast at Courtyard by Marriott

9314 LaGrandge at 8:22 A.M.

9315-9321 Courtyard by Marriott inside at 8:23 A.M. \

9322-9323 Loves at 9:23 A.M. 

The day we came full circle October 22, 2013

 The day we came full circle

October 22, 2013

Hubby's off days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and we both like to take day trips.

We buy lottery tickets every other week using the same numbers; we have never won much money.

Our day started with the drive to St. Joe, Tennessee, to buy lottery tickets and scratch-offs. 

I guess it was my lucky day, for I won $19.00.

We stopped at the US Post Office in St. Joe to drop off a letter to my daughter, Lora, containing her birth Certificate. 

We ate lunch at Long John's Silvers in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. I ordered shrimp, and Travis ordered a large seafood plate; we spent $12.00.

We stopped in at Duncan's for some fresh vegetables. We purchased bananas, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, and two freshly made fried pies. 

Instead of coming back home on Highway 43, we decided to take the scenic drive through Natchez Trace.

We rode west on Highway 64; I was taking pictures along the way of old barns, silos, and animals.

We turned right onto the Natchez Trace at mile marker 370, headed south. 

Along the way, we stopped at Sweetwater Branch, McGlamery Stand, and the Collinwood rest area to use the restroom.

At the rest area, a man was playing some sort of instrument, and we started talking.

We talked about Unions, Bell South (from which he was retired), the economy, and the government. 

I think this man could have talked all day, but someone came in asking for information, and I said thank you and left. 

We got back on the Trace heading south. Our next stop was the Alabama-Tennessee state line. 

This marker explained that John Coffee, a general under Andrew Jackson, supervised the surveying of the line between the two states from 1817 to 1822.

The marker had the seals of Alabama and Tennessee on either side. 

The seal of Tennessee:  The Great Seal of the State of Tennessee, 1796, Agriculture and Commerce

The Alabama Seal: Alabama Great Seal depicting a map of the great state of Alabama with its four bordering states of Tennessee to the North, Georgia to the East, Mississippi to the West, and Florida to the South. 

Our next stop was in the middle of the Colbert Ferry Bridge, which connects Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, and I got out of the van and started snapping pictures. 

These counties are facing one another, both with a view of the Tennessee River and each with a hint of autumn.

Our next stop was Colbert's Stand, where Levi Colbert, a Chickasaw chief, operated a ferry across the Tennessee River from 1800 to 1819.

We then drove down to the edge of the Tennessee River on the Colbert Side so I could take some more pictures. 

We stopped at the restroom on the trail, and I met a couple eating a picnic lunch or snack. They had parked their bicycles; the bicycles were two steps higher than a regular bicycle. I had to ask how hard they were to ride.

They said Do you want to try? I said No thanks; the last time I rode a bicycle, I was struck by lightning. I went on to tell them about my lightning experience.

The girl said, "You are the only person I know who has been hit by lightning."

I said goodbye, and we left.

 

We got off the Trace at Cherokee and drove through the town, not much to see.

Our next route headed toward Hawk Pride Mountain, where I had spent most of my early childhood.

I wanted to see how much it had changed since we left. Our home place had long been demolished, and another had been built. 

The gravel road that I once traveled was now paved (called Pride Road). 

We turned right onto New Bethel Road and drove past New Bethel Elementary School where I spent six years. 

The school building itself looked pretty much the same. The playground where I once played with swings, jump boards, & baseball fields were all gone.

The pine thicket where I once played was still there, and I thought, do they still let the children play in the woods as I once did? The memories of donkey basketball games and cakewalks lingered in my thoughts. 

As I took out my camera to photograph the school building, I thought to myself. 

How I wished I could capture all those memories of long ago with my camera.

Time to leave those memories behind and head down the other side of the mountain on Frankfort Road, which led to Highway 72.

We traveled through Muscle Shoals, stopping at Mapco for fuel, and spent $31.00.

We crossed the Patton Island Bridge and stopped at Veterans Park to take pictures of the newly restored markers.

The newly restored markers were: AGM-28 Hound Dog Missiles, 16" Projectile, Purple Heart Marker, Anti-Tank Gun, Gooney Bird Propeller, WWII Anchor, the Honest John Rocket, The Hawk Missile, The Phantom, The Cobra Helicopter, and Lieutenant Colonel R. Edward Yeilding.

We then drove past this strange house in East Florence, and I tried to take pictures, but it was overgrown with weeds, bushes, and trees.

We still had enough time to get our hair cut at Cost Cutters, and haircuts on Tuesdays are $12.00  per cut all day.

What a beautiful day it was, and we saw so many sights. We drove to Lawrenceburg, Tn., down the Natchez Trace to Cherokee, through Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals, Florence, and back to Killen. I said today we have come full circle in our adventures.

What will our next adventure be? Will it take us on a long journey, or will it be another day trip?

Or maybe I will take a trip alone. Who knows!

11/23/13

My great-grandfather was a follower, and he listened to Rev. Charles Jessup.

 My great-grandfather was a follower, and he listened to Rev. Charles Jessup.

Papa went to visit Tennis in Florida; the last thing he said before he left was:

 "We are going to Florida; if nothing happens, be sure to listen to my preacher, Charles Jessup.

" Papa died two days after arriving in Florida.

My grandmother's father and stepmother are buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Town Creek (they were probably Pentecostal, since they listened to Rev. Charles Jessup).

My grandmother said. "I have been baptized 3 times; the first time was in the creek beside Mt Zion Church of Christ (where the family went to church), at a Baptist Church, and at a Pentecostal Church."

I went to the Church of God in Sheffield with my grandmother (when I was a child)

My grandmother never drove a car, so she depended solely on others to take her to church. Mr. Ulman would come by on Sunday morning and Sunday night to pick up my grandmother and anyone else who wanted to go.

I remember one night riding home with Mr. Ulman. My cousin and I were riding in the front seat. My cousin was next to the door. The door must not have been closed completely. When we turned at the red light, the door flew open, and my cousin, leaning against it, fell out onto the street. We weren't going fast, so she got only a few bruises.  

My grandmother watched religious programs on TV and read the Bible daily. In her later years, she could not see very well, but she knew the Bible inside out. My grandmother was a Godly woman and never talked badly about anyone. She led a simple life, never had much to give, but she shared what she had. She loved everyone.

My mother went to tent meetings with Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, and many others.

I don't remember her going to church until we moved to Florence. We went to Assembly of God on Spur St until my parents moved to Jacksonburg; then she would meet in people's homes for prayer meetings. She went to different churches, but I don't know where she went; my sons sometimes went to church with her. I was married when the family moved to Jacksonburg.

I remember going to a tent meeting with my grandmother and mother; I was very small. 

There was a call to repent, and my mother went up front and joined the prayer line.

My grandmother stayed behind with me. 

When the preacher placed his hand on her forehead, he said Be healed." She fell to the floor. I thought she was dead. 

My dad would take my mother to these meetings, but he never went inside. I went a few times with her but never trusted those preachers. 

I remember my mother was claiming the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues when we misbehaved or when she & dad would argue. She frightened me when she was in this state. She would also leave a large bible in our bedroom, pray over us, and tell us about the devil and how he would come after us if we misbehaved. I could never sleep alone after she finished preaching to us at night.

My great-grandmother Alice is buried at Mt Zion Church of Christ.

She was 31 when she died, when a cyst burst inside her womb. Old Doctor Stutts told her he could operate and remove the cyst, but she said no. Doctor Stutts methods were crude. 

My grandmother's grandparents(both died at the age of 40) are buried at Piney Grove Church of Christ. 

Myrtle Tucker Aldridge was a school teacher in Fayette County, and she researched the Dennis, Tucker, Posey, and Tidwell families. 

Grandmother Dennis was a small, gentle woman with black hair and blue eyes, and she never weighed over 100 pounds.

She visited the sick, helped lay out the dead, and sometimes rode miles on horseback to help others.  

She also served as a midwife. She is buried in a family plot in Perry County.

We must remember that, far back, people were not as enlightened as they are now, and there was a lot of superstition. 

The Thomas sisters tied silver dimes to their oxen's horns to ward off witches. 

Granny told this: "When mammy was born, she had one convulsion after another. 

The midwife in attendance told her mother that if the baby lived till sunrise, she might be able to do something about it. 

When the sun came up, the old lady took the baby to the piazza (granny always called a porch a piazza), pulled her mouth open wide, and let the sunshine in it. 

Mammy was free of convulsions the rest of her life except when a child was born. 

So after that, she had 9 convulsions. 

They also believed in signs, ghosts, things being sent on people, or judgment from God. 

She died of Cholera Maubes. 

A young doctor, an understudy of an older doctor, was involved. 

He gave her two doses of morphine. 

The second dose lulled her into a sleep from which she never awoke.  

Papa was 5 at the time. 

Because of the grief of the family, especially that of his mother, and the noise of his grandmother struggling to breathe, the day she died was etched in his memory. 

One of her great-granddaughters said. ' I can just see Aunt Em just humming as she crossed the fields with her song book under her arm. She sang out of the Old books at Yates School House. 

She sang from either Christian Harmony or the Sacred Harp Book, printed and sold by Collins& Co.

In 1844, B.F. White and some of his students compiled a small songbook known as the Sacred Harp. Written in four-shape notes, it was the first hymn or songbook in that style.

Christian Harmony was originally called Southern Harmony, written in 1835, revised in 1866, and still used today. These songs are a form of worship and give singers a spiritual lift.

Don't know much about my grandfather's family(on my mother's side), but I do remember that my grandfather was afraid of the devil and Hell, and he told scary stories about bloody bones. 

Church history of my dad's family

My dad's parents went to the Baptist Church later in life. I don't remember them going to church when I was growing up.

My dad went to a Catholic Elementary School in Sheffield. Never remember him going to church. He did join the church after he moved in with one of my sisters. (He was in his 90s).

Distant cousin of my grandfather Rumble

Ellen Denyer married John Templement Coolidge Davis, and they started the Yonge Street Mission in Toronto, which still exists today.

The Mission started humbly enough with a "Gospel Wagon" which handed out food and clothing, then progressed to a rented storefront on Yonge Street. The founder was John Coolidge ('Hallelujah') Davis.

My grandfather's parents were gone by the time I was born never heard much about them going to church, but I am sure they did. 

My grandmother's grandparents: Ennis & Pasmore Families

The schoolhouse served as a meeting place for the many religious faiths. They held church services in homes until then. The ministers traveled many miles, some by horse and buggy, others on horseback, from one community to another over trails that were rough and lonely.

A couple of years later, in 1910-1911, the church was built and dedicated as a Methodist Church in 1911. 

Mr. John Fleming organized a choir. The Presbyterian congregation held services twice monthly. Their minister usually came in from Scott, a nearby village. The Methodist minister came from the Wilkie charge, as Phippen had no resident minister. 

The first Sunday school was organized with Mr. Wesley Ennis as superintendent, who came with his family from Ontario(my grandmothers, grandfather)

Mrs. Martha Ennis was always an active worker in church affairs. Mrs. Ennis was one of the four on the first quarterly board of the Methodist Church in that district, when services were held in various farmhouses. 

She also helped arrange the erection of the Methodist church building after the town of Wilkie was established, and was president of the Ladies' Aid at Phippen during the period she lived there.

In the spring of 1929, she came to Battleford with her husband and lived here until the spring of 1933, when they moved to North Battleford, where they have since resided.

A surprise and birthday party for Thomas Pasmore 

On Thursday, August 22nd, about 3 O'clock in the afternoon, Thomas Pasmore, Esq .'s house was taken possession of by all his children and their respective families, about fifty in number. Some arrived by train and some by other conveyances. The nine children were present, with twenty-eight grandchildren, four sons-in-law, and two daughters-in-law, as well as Lieutenant Sullivan of the Salvation Army, Miss Nimock, teacher, and Burke W. Lambrecht of The Advertiser. 

Tables were soon erected upon the lawn, and spread with the good things of this world, and surrounded by happy Company; they did ample justice to the good things set before them. After supper the grandfather arose and, in speech replete with sympathy and feeling, thanked God for the blessing of health and strength which he and his partner enjoyed, and hoped they would all survive to meet him on the "other side of the river." 

The Company then sang "Shall we gather at the river," and Lieutenant Sullivan led in prayer. Mr. Lambrecht, on behalf of the children, presented Mr. Pasmore with a beautiful armchair and Mrs. Pasmore with a fine rocking chair, and read the address which appears below. Mr. Pasmore in reply thanked his children for their fine present, but said no gifts they could bestow on him would do him so much good as to see them all striving to make Heaven their home. About 9 P.M. this happy Company broke up, much pleased with the good time and the reunion gathering, which they had so much enjoyed. Mr. and Mrs. Pasmore are still hale and hearty and look as though they might yet enjoy many such birthday scenes. It is about half a century since he left old England, and over four decades have passed in Blenheim Township. A few years ago, Mr. Pasmore left his two valuable farms in charge of his sons and since resided in our village. 

The following is the Address: Drumbo, August 222, 1890 

Dear Father and Mother:

On this birthday, we thank God for sparing you thus far, and we gather to honor this day with a joyful reunion. We are thankful to have had a good mother to care for us in infancy and youth, and now, as old age sheds its blessing and honors on your head, we pray that you never forget the great debt of gratitude we owe you.

And Father, as this day specially reminds us that you have arrived at the end of the seventieth arch of the bridge of life, we desire to thank you for your loving care and Godly influence, and to recognize the duty we owe to you of helping you by deeds of love and kindness, over the remaining arches of the bridge. 

As a token of our love, accept these presents. May their use bring you physical comfort, and pleasant memories in connection therewith bring mental comfort, and may God, who has been your guide in the past, still give spiritual comfort.

May we all live so that when the toils of life are past, we may, as an unbroken family, meet where we shall never grow old but shall possess the bloom of eternal youth in our Heavenly Father's Kingdom.

So you can see I was brought up among many different religious faiths, but with only one Heavenly Father. 

Our lineage has brought us thus far, but only belief in Jesus Christ can save us.