20 Nov 2016 Family: Sisters. Brothers. Friends.

by Brenda McClain

Just words to you? We hope not.  

Family is family; friends are friends.

Ever stopped talking to someone because they did not follow your “script” for life?

Music legend Bill Gaither once said to me regarding this issue, “They will be fine until they stub their toe.”

Haven’t we all stubbed our toe once or twice? I sure have; it’s never fun.

When another music legend, Eva Mae LeFever, was truly embarrassed about something she said publicly, Bill called because she did not want to get out of her house. Bill not only got her out of the house, but to the next Gaither Homecoming filming in Asheville, N.C. Eva Mae sat right by him at the piano. Always, he honored his music family. Tears were shed that day.

Never judge others from their mistakes.

We all make mistakes, and it’s through mistakes we discover who we really are — what we really mean to those seeing us at our worst.

It’s a gift to know who we can and cannot count on.

Growing up in Conway, my beloved mother recalled a time when a family that she knew didn’t have wood to heat their house. It was the dead of winter. The owner of Smith Ford heard about their peril and sent an employee to get wood to that family.

Was he family or friend? To that family, that day — he was both. What do you think?

When Mother was alive, we went to Chili’s for lunch on Sundays. The food almost didn’t matter, because they treated my mother — barely walking with a walker — like they were genuinely excited to see her. They welcomed her with open arms.

The staff at Bates Furniture is always kind and understanding beyond words. Of course, this is where we purchased mattresses!  

We were an “every six months family” to the dentist and had annual eye exams.  

Westport Dental’s team did everything they could to take care of my mother’s teeth when she was in a wheelchair and could not get into their exam chairs. Once, we really thought Dr. Richard Wiedower was going to stand on his head to check her teeth.

This is how we first met the staff at Baker Eye Institute. They are beyond kind. Since then, we’ve read Dr. David Baker is one of the best eye surgeons in the world. We didn’t know that then, but we understood later, when he cared for Mother so very well.

People who cared for my mother when it was difficult on everyone (including her) will always have my loyalty.

When her hospital bed broke and we couldn’t get her out of bed, it was Sav-On Drugs that came out within the hour to repair the problem. Have any idea how blessed we felt that day?

Mikie McLendon, the late Jackie Shock, Geraine Lackey and her late husband, Carroll, are friends she loved and who loved her.

Robinson and Center Church of Christ minister Steve Norris visited her at home and at the hospital. When she was able to attend church, he welcomed her from the pulpit. After a lifetime of attending church three times a week and being baptized there as a child, she missed her church the most.

It’s these people and businesses who make Conway family.  

Art on the Green’s team has learned from the best of Conway and beyond. If you walk through our doors, we hope you feel like part of our Conway family. This is our desire. Of course, we sell art and hope we also convey a lifestyle of love and hospitality.  

Visit Art on the Green’s blog at artonthegreen.net/blog. We look forward to telling more about those who make the difference in Conway, Ark. — those who make Conway family.

We all agreed when Kate Hoopchuk, our advertising manager, observed recently, “I have never worked for kinder people.”  

We wish you a holiday season filled with LOVE and GRACE.