Page 12A THE BEACON August 2018
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In the OOD OLD DAYS
jeaniesmith10 @ gmail . com
By Jeanie ( Hurley ) Smith
Bittersweet
I knew this day would come eventually , but I never knew it would be so emotional . With a heavy heart , I want to let you know that this is officially my last story for the Beacon . The past couple of years it ’ s been difficult for me to write . My hands shake , and my mind doesn ’ t want to cooperate . Thankfully , we were able to reprint some of my old stories to help fill in , and whenever I could write a new story , I did . But it has gotten harder and harder . So at 91 , it ’ s time to put my pen down and say goodbye to all my faithful readers who made writing such a joy for over 20 years .
Writing for the Beacon was one of the most exciting things I ever did in my life ! Because of my stories , I got to meet so many wonderful people . I received so many phone calls , messages , emails and letters from many of you , telling me how much you enjoyed reading them . That ’ s what kept me going for so long and what made it worthwhile for me to write . Being able to make someone laugh , cry , smile , or to imagine , is what writing is all about . So thank you for allowing me into your homes for all these years !
When I first started writing for the Beacon , it was 1995 , and I was only 67 years old !! How can that be ? So much has happened over those years . The turn of the century , floods , hurricanes , the bombing of the Twin Towers , the launch of Facebook , the invention of smartphones , marriages , divorces , deaths , births , graduations , and more .
It ’ s hard to comprehend what all I ’ ve lived through . Growing up with gravel roads , no electricity , no televisions , an outhouse for our bathroom and a well for our water , to now having a touch-tone dishwasher , a washer and dryer
“ When my time comes , just put me in a Pine Box .”
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Jeanie and Jesse on their wedding day over seventyone years ago - April 18 , 1947 . Young love for sure .
that play music when they ’ re finished , an iPad that can do just about anything , and cell phones that take pictures , give directions , and have the Internet at your fingertips , not to mention make phone calls and text messages - it ’ s just unbelievable ! We endured the Great Depression , WWII , rationing - things I ’ m not sure today ’ s generation could tolerate ... Those years taught me lessons I could have never learned otherwise . We also lived during some of the best times of our lives .
This past year has been what I call a banner year . We have celebrated some significant milestones . Jesse turned 90 this past March , then in April we celebrated our 71st wedding anniversary , and July 14th I turned 91 ! And on top of all that , on my birthday our nephew Eron Smith , hosted a Smith family reunion for us , up at Bright Christian Church . He even made a book of our family tree and family history , dating back to the early 1800 ’ s . As difficult as some days can be , we are blessed beyond words . We still live in our little house on Jackson Ridge and are able to get around pretty good . Jesse does better than I do . Despite being on oxygen 24 hours a day , he still manages to get to church every Sunday , to the Alumni Banquet , funerals , and other special events . It ’ s harder for me because my old body can ’ t sit in regular chairs for very long , I can ’ t walk long distances , and I get tired just from talking . LOL , but overall , we are blest beyond words . We have two wonderful kids - our son Mark and our daughter Cyndi , and one of them is here every day !!
God has blessed us with a wonderful life . I ’ m not sure why He ’ s left us on this earth
May 1959 , A goodbye kiss as Jesse heads off to his first trip to the Kiamichi Mountains , to attend the annual Men ’ s Christian Retreat . Jesse went on to attend this retreat for fiftyseven years !
for as long as He has , but since we ’ re still here , we try to be His faithful servants . He has promised eternal life , to those who accept and follow Him , so at our age that is something we look forward to . I keep telling my kids , I ’ m ready today if God decides it ’ s time , so don ’ t be sad . I ’ m not giving up , but I don ’ t need to hold on either . I ’ m grateful that we got to be here as long as we have .
To each of you , thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this journey so enjoyable . My prayer for each of you is that God will bless you and your families with love , health , happiness , faith , and hope . Thank you for taking the time to read about my
Jeanie and Jesse sharing their morning prayer .
Jeanie and Jesse after a wonderful meal in the Amish Country , one of their favorite places !
“ good old days ” experiences . I hope when you get to be my age that you have your own “ good old days ” stories to share with others . God bless
Editor ’ s note : Many thanks to Jeanie for sharing so much with all of us throughout the years . Her stories will live on in our hearts .
Class of 1958- Linda ( Bourquein ) Wright , Karen Schmeltzer Brandt , Shirley ( Shell ) Sizemore , Danny Hurley , Bonnie ( Roark ) Denney , Winnie ( McQueen ) Haber
2018 Bright High School Alumni Banquet
By Karen Schmeltzer Brandt , Class of 1958
Bright High School had graduating classes from 1926 through 1959 and a total of 471 graduates . Still with us are 162 of them .
Thirteen of the thirty-nine living graduates who graduated seventy or more years ago attended the banquet . A nice crowd of fifty-nine BHS Alumni , three who attended
Bright and moved on , and two who had attended BHS three years and then went on to graduate from North Dearborn High School . Over one hundred were in attendance including spouses , friends , and family . Teachers Cliff and Suzanne Giltner joined in the fun this year . Folks came from near and far back home to Bright and saw some changes in our little town .
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