Gail B. Hyatt

Yesterday, Randy Elrod wrote a great blogpost on “Why We Call Our Community in Franklin, Tennessee ‘The Campus’.” He gave a little history about where the name came from.

“… the downtown Franklin community is very much like a college campus. Merridees is the snack bar, Starbucks at Five Points is the coffee shop, Puckett’s Grocery is the lunch room, Landmark Booksellers is the bookstore, McCreary’s is the obligatory pub and the sprawling historic homes are like fraternity houses for adults. We even have the campus police who ticket you for the slightest infraction of the law.”

Spence Smith, has written on it twice. The first time was over a year ago. It was when we first began calling our little community the “campus.” He says, Read more…

One thing I’m loving about being with my family this week is the lack of DRAMA.

There has been no walking on egg shells. No whispers behind someone’s back. We’re just there, looking at our feet and being present, loving and appreciating each other. Laughing, crying, hugging (my personal favorite), cooking, eating, cleaning, debating, sparring, eating, expressing, listening, reminiscing, more eating (what is it with the eating?) and most of all seeking to understand. I love it.

It hasn’t always been this way, and thankfully over the years, and through lots of pain, we’ve chipped away at the superfluous and been left with the gems of each other. Read more…

I woke up this morning to a text left to me by my sister-in-law, Patty Bruce, Phil’s devoted wife of about 44 years. It said:

“We wanted to share with you – Phil went to be with the Lord tonight at 10:40. We are missing him, but rejoicing in his being in the most excellent place. Love , pctkjb&d”

I have 4 older brothers, Phil is the oldest. I’m his baby sister. He’s been battling a mysterious neurological disease for the last five years and last night, his battle was over. I will miss him tremendously. His daughter, Karen began keeping a journal during his last weeks. After I read her entry from this morning, I knew I wanted to post it here. It is just beautiful. I pray that it will be an enouragement to you. (Please make sure you read the last *)

From Phil’s Journey, September 12, 2010, by Karen Rice:

i thought i would be able to sleep tonight without coming here to wrap up my day. but, apparently this has become an elemental part of my daily routine. apparently i will need some time to pass before i can share with you details that are close to my heart, but it seems best to state a few things simply to you, my dear family and friends. Read more…