" SORRY CHARLIE- TONIGHT IS "GIRLS NIGHT OUT" BE BACK AROUND MIDNIGHT

The little girl on the far right , standing next to the old lady was about 10 years old when this photo was taken. Her name was Winnie Davis Cargile-She was my grandmother. Her father, Henry Cargile was descended from the Virginia farmer, John Renault Cargile. Henry's Father left Va. in the 1800s and began operating a Ferry on the Ocmulgee River in Ga. Life was hard , and Henry was ready for a change and moved his family to the Henry / Fayette county area to try to make a living farming. Winnie's earliest memories involved WORK... the ONLY "social" life was attending Church at the Old prospect Methodist Church.. When Winnie was 14 years old, she met a young farmer named Charlie Callaway.. Charlie was 21 ..( he should have been shot!).. well.. Love "slapped em upside the head" and they had a plan- they would run off and get married.. Charlie met Winnie in his"buggy" and she was SO excited to be going with him, he said that she did'nt even use the little step.. to get up into the buggy,,, he said she "hopped" straight off the ground into the buggy...THE next day, Winnie's father drove up into Charlie's yard and shouted to em-" Yall better have a marriage license in there.. and it better BE SIGNED!!" The newlyweds assured him that they were indeed married and they began "setting up housekeeping" in the little house.. In about a year, Winnie would give birth to a little boy who only lived a few days. They buried him on the property.. they did'nt give him a name.. pain prevents us from doing things.. sometimes..The years went by and Charlie and Winnie worked hard, bought their own farm and raised 9 children to be born. EVERY day for most of the 60 years with Charlie, her life was this: waking up early to prepare breakfast for everyone, working in the field, preparing dinner( "lunch' for all you yankees) going back to the field... preparing Supper,, cleaning, washing, taking care of her children.. Her life was about SERVING her family, helping her Husband.. NEVER once did she take a trip to NEW YORK with 'the girls" to go shopping( hey, she didnt even go to Atlanta shopping).. there was no"me time" for Winnie.. No prozac to help numb the pain of reality( although she did dip snuff for about 70 years- it finally killed her)She NEVER was alone with any man.. except her HUSBAND.. no"guy friends"..She went through the Great Depression , spent sleepless nights as sons were in Europe serving our country in WWII, she outlived several of her own children...She was not a "hugger" or a "toucher" but she can touch us today.. she teaches us that our obsession with our personal comfort has weakened us.. She teaches us that LOVING and SERVING our family gives us satisfaction and fulfills us.. SHE NEVER complained about the work that she had to do.. she never sat around with other women and said," Charlie is making me so angry.. he is not thinking about MY NEEDS I need a weekend away with some of the "gals"- I deserve it!!".. no those words would have sounded strange coming from her... Her HUSBAND LOVED her .. He showed it by the way he lived.. He was NEVER alone with another woman .. he was HOME every NIGHT, he took care of her and they WORKED together.. those were different times.. They NEVER had to go to counseling... They never read any of the SELF-help books on how to make your marriage "work"... Dear friends..have you ever stopped to think," what are we LOOKING FOR???' JUST what is it that we want to "FEEL ABOUT OURSELVES"???Sartre' , Camus, and the existentialists begged us to ask ourselves," Have I been authenticated?

The Hippies in their search for meaning said," hey Man, I am just trying to find out where IT'S at.. and what IT'S all about"?? Winnie lived to know a few hippies( some of them were her grandchildren..) when they asked her those questions.. she would tell them...just where "it's at" and "what it's all about".-. it's in the field working side by side with your husband or wife, it's at the dinner table as you sit down together for a meal of peas and cornbread-thankful to God for another morsel! It's all of the Family by the fireside ,warming yourselves on the cold winter nights, it's sitting by the bed of a little one, nursing him back to health and praying that the doctor will come on time.It's at the graveside of one of your sons and you are wishing that YOU had gone before him!!. and the WHAT??? WHAT is it all about?? it's about serving and LOVING the Family that God has blessed you with... that's what 'it's all about... POOR Winnie.. she died in 1979.. before, The View,Oprah,and Dr. Phil came on the scene... too bad.. she might have watched them and figured out just how"unhappy" she really was...