The Ugly…A Somber reflection

Did you watch the great “debate” last week?  Here we saw two old men past their prime calling each other names.  What a disaster.  It caused me think of the hundreds of thousands who gave their life or were injured in World War II to preserve our freedom.  Eighty years later we have a country divided.  We have forgotten the rules of civility, of compromise, of working for the good of the country rather than the good of the party.  As Abraham Lincoln said so succinctly, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.”  God help our country.

An Alternative: 

Well many of us will not live to see the next four years to completion.  Instead of voting for either old man, here is another option.  It tickled me eight years ago and still does.

How Do You Feel About Life?

All of these thoughts call to mind a song called Thank God I’m Old.  The lyrics below read a bit uneven, so if you want to read along to a performance, click here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RtYUDGiwDI

When you see the shape the world is in
When the way it is ain’t what it’s been
When folks just care for gold
Thank God, I’m old
When you take a gander at the news
When you hear the language people use
When no sweet songs are sung
I don’t wanna be young

Daddy time he
Doesn’t fret me
Should he spy me
That don’t upset me
Let him eye me
Come and get me
That’s fine by me
Age don’t worry me

When you see the way folks misbehave
When it’s only good times that they crave
When kids are much too bold
Thank God, I’m old
When there ain’t no He-Men left alive
When they tell you three men out of five
End up locked up or hung
I don’t wanna be young

When you see the shape the world is in
When the way it is ain’t what it’s been
When folks just care for gold
Thank God, I’m old
When you take a gander at the news
When you hear the language people use
When no sweet songs are sung
I don’t wanna be young

Daddy time he
Doesn’t fret me
Should he spy me
That don’t upset me
Let him eye me
Come and get me
That’s fine by me
Age don’t worry me

When you see the way folks misbehave
When it’s only good times that they crave
When kids are much too bold
Thank God, I’m old
When there ain’t no He-Men left alive
When they tell you three men out of five
End up locked up or hung
I don’t wanna be young

The Sad

And here is the usual—a couple of obits.

Elizabeth Bradshaw Obituary

August 12, 1936 – May 13, 2024

 

Elizabeth Jeanne Moore Bradshaw of Dallas Texas, born August 12, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas, by divine plan and power was called to the heavenly presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 13, 2024. She is survived by her devoted husband William (Bill) W. Bradshaw who was blessed by God with her presence in holy matrimony for 68 years. Betty is further survived by two brothers (Pat and Jerry Moore), four children (Bill Bradshaw, Becky Osburn, Mark Bradshaw, and Tracy Bass), nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Jeanne and Hollis Moore.

Betty grew up in San Antonio, married Bill in Jefferson Methodist Church and lived most of her adult life in Abilene, Texas where she raised their children and supported her loving husband as he built and prospered in his law practice of which she was a daily and integral part in its success in so many ways. In recent years, she and Bill retired and moved to Dallas to be near her

Betty’s life was dedicated to her husband and family, such devotion guided and sustained by her steadfast adherence to the reverent reception and application of the Biblical principles taught to her through the ministries of Berachah Church of Houston, Texas.
By means of her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His revelation through the Holy Scriptures, Betty had a profound impact on her family and those around her as to the true priorities of life. She boldly proclaimed the good news of the Gospel; faith alone in Christ alone, sharing John 3:16 to all in her periphery, “for God loved the world so much that He gave His uniquely born Son, so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life”. I Peter 5:7 was the bedrock of her faith and practice, “Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.”
We now treasure the fragrance of many wonderful memories, and because of the blessed assurance, we are confident that she is not really gone from us, but happily restored in heaven. Her family and friends anticipate greatly that reunion with her which is only made possible by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Services are to be announced at a later date.

Carolyn Cochrum Obituary

After a joyous and adventurous life, Carolyn Taylor Cochrum passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on August 12, 2023.

Carolyn was born in San Antonio on August 31, 1936. She attended Woodlawn Elementary, Horace Mann Jr. High, and Thomas Jefferson High, where she made lifelong friends. In high school, she served as the president of the school’s ‘Lassos’ and was a member of the swimming and diving team. After high school, she attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied geology and was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. After meeting Kenneth Lee Cochrum on a blind date, Carolyn married him in August 1956 and graduated from UT with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 1959.

After college, the Cochrums moved to Wichita, Kansas, where Carolyn taught kindergarten, and Ken was stationed as a meteorologist in the Air Force. After their stint in the Midwest, they moved to Beaumont, Texas, where they welcomed their son, Ken Jr., in 1963 and their daughter, Carrie, in 1966.

In 1971, Ken and Carolyn moved to Houston, where Carolyn kept an active social and volunteer life. She joined the Samuel Sorrell chapter of the DAR in Houston, was an active member of the Houston Ladies Tennis Association, served as a founding member of the Houston Junior Woman’s Club, volunteered at the Hunter and Jumper Horse Show, taught Sunday school, was an active member of the Colonel John Alston chapter of Colonial Dames of XVII century, and acted as a Sunday docent for the historical center Bayou Bend. She also enjoyed spending time with her dear friends, nicknamed ‘The Wild Bunch.’ They started as tennis friends and walked through many of life’s milestones together over the decades. Carolyn excelled as a wife, mom, and grandmother, “Honey;” she was our biggest cheerleader. Above all, Carolyn’s faith in Jesus Christ anchored her life and was bolstered by her involvement in Community Bible Study, Bible Study Fellowship, and Grace Presbyterian Church.

Carolyn is survived by her beloved husband, Ken Cochrum; her son Ken Cochrum Jr., and his wife, Ann Elvig Cochrum; her daughter Carrie Runn and her husband, Gary Runn; her brother-in-law George Cochrum and his wife, wife Karen Anderson Cochrum; her niece Elizabeth King and her husband, Creston King; her grandchildren Travis Cochrum and his wife Ruth Megli Cochrum; Amy Cochrum Havis and her husband, Kevin Havis; Courtney Runn; Davis Runn; her great-grandchildren Jude, Wes, and Hazel Cochrum, and Maisy and Hope Havis; her great-nephew Cuatro King; her great-niece Libby King. She is preceded in death by her father, Richard Kahn Taylor, her mother, Mignon Glover Taylor, and her sister Mignon Taylor Nicholson.

Carolyn will be greatly missed by her family and her many dear friends. A private family service will be held.