The All Important Lantern!

  Back years ago, I wrote about Great-grandfather's lantern but today as I was dusting the buffet, the tale of the importance of the lantern came rushing back into my brain.  While this is just a run-of-the-mill lantern as far as lanterns go, it is a pretty significant piece of my history.   You see, I may not be here if this lantern had not belonged to Great-grandfather.  Most folks have some tale of items that "changed my life" but few have things that were a determining factor in their pure existence.  I do.  It is the lantern.  A pretty nondescript lantern but a lantern all the same. Now, I cannot attest to the whole truth involved in these tales as over the years there have been some pretty good storytellers in the family who may have...umm...exaggerated just a wee bit now and again but since I have been told the same story by several different family members over the years, I have to believe there may be some bit of truth in there somewhere.

  The tale that I previously told took place far back in time during the Great Depression.  It was then that my great-grandparents lived in a massive old manor in Biloxi.  As was the custom of folks at the time, they owned a cow and a few chickens even though they lived in town.  No one thought this was strange and both the cow and chickens were highly important in their lives.  Survival at the time was not guaranteed and having critters that provided food was a wise choice.  Great-grandfather used to head out before dawn to feed and milk the cow.  He toted the lantern to provide light for his chores.  On the fateful morning of our tale, Great-grandfather found more than the cow in the barn.  During the night, an intruder had slipped into the barn to escape the cold.  This was not unusual at the time since many folks had lost their homes and many men were out searching for work.  When Great-grandfather questioned the man about his presence, the man lunged at him with a knife!  Quick thinking saved the day as the lantern became a weapon.  When Great-grandfather swung the lantern, it caught the man up side the head and stunned him enough for him to be bound hand and foot.  Great-grandfather sent one of his young sons to the constable's office and it was discovered that the man had escaped from prison where he was being held on a murder charge.  Had that lantern not been in hand, Great-grandfather may not have survive the attack!  But this was not the lifesaving matter that is tied to me...in a roundabout way.

  Strange as it may seem, this was not the first time that the lantern had saved Great-grandfather's life. Long before he had children, he and Great-grandmother bought an old farm far out in the country from their city house.  The "Farm", though only minutes away from the house with modern transportation, was a good couple of hours away when riding an old horse.  A tale has been passed down through the generations that an approaching hurricane caught Great-grandfather on the trail back to the city.  In days past, there were no warnings of such things and, if one did not read the signs correctly, a storm might catch one unawares.  Just as Great-grandfather was to catch the ferry to haul him (and his horse) across the Bay, the storm struck with a vengeance.  Although it was terrible weather, the ferryman agreed to make the crossing.  Once out on the water, things took a turn for the worse.  The ferry was being tossed about like a toy and the men on the far shore could not see well enough to help.  Great-grandfather lit the lantern and started sending signals.  Without that lantern, the ferryman and Great-grandfather could have been lost in that storm.  As it was, things turned out well and the lantern had saved the day.  Great-grandfather made it home to his lovely bride and they rode out the hurricane together.  This was the tale of the lantern that is tied to my being.  If Great-grandfather had not survived the ferry crossing during the hurricane, there would have been no children born to the happy couple.  Hattie was born and raised in the old house and on the Farm.  Hattie was my mother's mother and, hence, how I am tied to a old lantern.  Had Great-grandfather not survived, Hattie would have never been born...nor my mom....nor me.  Lanterns are important!

  This lantern has...no, IS...history.  So many pieces such as this are tossed as junk when, in actuality, they are important family pieces.  With the coming of electric lights, the old lantern was passed along to my parents.  City folks received electricity far sooner than farm folks.  Since Pop and Mom needed lanterns to take care of their livestock in the wee hours of the morn, the lantern, once again, came into use.  Later, once electricity was commonplace, the lantern was used during storms and other power outages.  Now, the thing sits proudly in my living room.  Yep, it is dented (possibly from contact with an evil person's head), rusted (perhaps from saltwater blown during a hurricane!) and otherwise useless (except as a conversation piece and a reminder that all things have their purpose.)  Life is good...treat it wisely and with respect.  Be thankful for what you have, even rusty, dented old lanterns. You never know when some weird item might just save your life!

  

If Only There Was A Switch

  I have this quirky aunt who does some of the strangest things.  Now that she is nearing the age of ninety, those things are occurring more often than ever.  The only difference is that what used to be strange but funny things now have at times changed to strange but sometimes hurtful things.  I realize that this is due to a bit of dementia setting in with age so, instead of getting upset, I try my best to overlook any such incidences.  She is under several doctors' care which is all we can ask at this point in time.  

  Today hunting for a flashlight, I found a small plastic lantern.  This is a battery-operated "toy" type thing and not one that is of much use.  I giggled when I pulled it from the cabinet.  Most folks would have tossed it long ago but it reminds me of so many things.  Back before Hurricane Katrina, my oldest son went overseas with the military.  This tiny, toy lantern was a gift to him from this aunt.  Aunty thought this would be a grand thing for him to pack in his bag of gear.  "This will give you a bit of light when you don't have any in your tent." she told him.  Being the good man he is, my son thanked her profusely and set the lantern aside.  We had a good laugh over the incident after she left the Little Bayou House.  Could you imagine the guffaws from the other soldiers on seeing the toy lantern being unpacked?  Needless to say, the lantern stayed here.

  During and after Hurricane Katrina, I admit that the toy lantern did come in handy.  Without power for weeks and weeks, the lantern burned brightly.  Its tiny bit of golden glow somehow made things seem better.  Once the crews repaired the power lines, the lantern was stashed in the closet and forgotten....until today.

  I put batteries in the slots and was amazed to find that the toy still worked.  Its little bulb beamed brightly.  I thought about that lantern and it still functioning.  How I wish that Aunty was still doing as well as it.  It is sad to watch a loved one go downhill to the point that everyday life becomes a chore.  Dementia patients can experience many emotions in a matter of minutes.  They can be scared, sad, angry and paranoid with no apparent explanation other than they lack control of their lives. Aunty realizes that things are not the same anymore and that in itself is a challenge. I do so wish I had a switch to turn to make her light up again...just like the little toy lantern.  Burn bright, Little Lantern, burn bright for Aunty.

Moroccan-style Greenhouse?

  This past week saw me celebrating (or trying not to celebrate) my birthday.  I was in high hopes that everyone would simply forget that birthdays exist and would not endow me with useless dust collectors. I know this sounds a bit ungrateful but those who have been inside the Little Bayou House know it is filled to capacity with useless items.  It seems that I am the collector of things that no one else wants so my shelves have endless amount of items on which dust may settle.  I need no more.  I got more.

  Actually, Mark did really well this year.  He got me seeds!  Not just any seeds but hard to find herb seeds. This made me extremely happy as I do use a lot of herbs and, well, plants do not sit on a shelf.  He also bought me a birdhouse, a sundial and a Weedeater!  (To be honest, I begged for the Weedeater as mine had gone kaput this past summer and I was in dire need of one.)  Michael is building the greenhouse as my gift (and for a bunch of future gifts!) so that is something that does not qualify as a dust collector either.  Greenhouses are hard to be dusty since they are so humid. Then we come to Darling Daughter's gift to me.

  Elizabeth is probably the only person in the world who would dream up a Moroccan style of decorating.....in a greenhouse.  She and Robbie sent me four Moroccan-style lanterns as a gift. These, she explained, were to be hung in the greenhouse along with any other funky items she sends. Of course, I love them.  She and I are so alike on our ideas of things that it is almost scary. I had looked at these very same lanterns about three months ago.  I had even gone so far as to ask Michael to mount a very "scrolly" header board that I found in some hurricane debris years ago.  It was off of a porch of one of the old houses in Biloxi.  The waters washed it across the Bay and left it in my yard.  The thing was too pretty to just toss in the trash so I have saved it all of these years with intentions of using it somewhere special.  Well, now I know where that special place is! It is in my "Moroccan-style" greenhouse!  The lanterns will hang from the header board and look right nice!  Only my daughter would know that! Elizabeth and I both use our imaginations when it comes to decorating even if it is in a utilitarian outbuilding!  Who says that greenhouses cannot be fully decorated?

  I must admit that I am excited about getting my long awaited greenhouse and I am just as excited about hanging my lanterns!  Dust collectors, bah! Moroccan lanterns are not dust collectors!  Not at all! They are fabulous! I will have one fantastically decorated greenhouse filled with weird and wonderful things!  Greenhouses are not just for plants! Thank you, Sweet Daughter!  (You have great decorating style!)

Be a lantern.

Well, it is that time of year again.  That one day a year where we make all sorts of resolutions to better ourselves in the coming three hundred and sixty-five days.  At least most of us attempt it for about three days before falling back into our safe, "feel-good" zone where we have resided for our entire lives.  Not many folks can set goals for the new year and actually stick with them.  I have been pondering just what my resolutions for this upcoming year should be.  It occurred to me that perhaps there is just one resolution that any of us need to make.  A single promise from each of us would solve multitudes of problems in this old world.  Each of us should vow to become a lantern.

It would be fantastic if each of us would vow to become a lantern, a light unto the world.  Each of us could strive to bring light, bring hope to those who need it most.  No matter how small or simple of a deed it is, if it brings a smile to someone, it is well worth the effort.  Even just a kind word or a warm smile can make a positive difference in someone's life.  A friendly handshake, a hug, a few kind words might just be all it takes to turn someone in a different direction. For those who can afford it, financial help for those who are down on their luck might just be the turning point.  A visit to an elderly neighbor who spends days at a time by themselves, a heartfelt thank you said to a veteran, a donation made to your favorite charity or merely a random kind note on a social network might be all it takes.  None of these would be that difficult to achieve and the rewards would be phenomenal!

Sometimes a bit of hope is all it takes. Hope can open paths where darkness once blocked the way.  Hope can give strength where weakness once reigned.  Hope, in itself, can mend all that was broken beyond repair.  Being a beacon of light in times of darkness not only helps those who seek help but also helps the person providing the glimmer of hope. To become that light in bleak hours not only benefits those in despair but also the light itself.  Given fuel, a lantern burns brighter thus may illuminate further into the darkness.  That fuel, in this case, is the good feeling that one gets from helping in whatever way possible.

Be a beacon, lend a hand, give a kind word or share your wealth.  Do whatever it takes to ease just one person's life and with that, the world will seem a bit brighter.  All it takes is one person..all it takes is you..me..each of us.  It cannot be that difficult.  One resolution...do one kind act a day for three hundred and sixty-five consecutive days.  Be a lantern.  I hope to be.

May each of you find opportunity knocking at your door, happiness at your doorstep and a warm heart and true love on your hearth. May God bless each of you.  Have a most prosperous and healthy coming year.  Happy New Year's Day from all of us at Little Bayou House!