By Alice Stratman Smith
When I submitted an article for the July 15-28 edition of the Dresden Buzz I asked Lynette Dotson if I could write this column. I write a weekly article for the San Saba News & Star in San Saba, Texas and showed Lynette a recent copy. I am very excited about sharing my life and thoughts with my hometown people. Oh yes, I was born and raised in Dresden across from where a paper mill used to be. There have been many changes since I lived in Dresden.
I selected Alice in Wonder Land as the title because Alice is my name and the definition for wonder is: the feeling excited by something marvelous, strange or not understood; astonishment. Wonderland: A land filled with wonders.
I did not feel wonderful leaving San Saba, Texas where my beloved husband Larry and I lived since 2006. Larry died on November 22, 2020 and my life changed drastically. We moved to Texas to be closer to Mexico where Larry organized workers and funds to build churches and bible training schools.
My daughter Jennifer Crothers and husband Bill have been amazing. They made trips to Texas to get things ready for an auction, loaded a u-haul and moved me to Zanesville in May 2021. They are just a phone call away and helping in every way they can. Oh, my important family member is Ellie, my 12-year-old chocolate Labrador. After my husband died I did not want to eat and would have stayed in bed all day except I had to get up to feed and take care of Ellie. We have both adjusted to our new home, renewing friendships, new friendships, new church (Northgate Dresden), and trusting God. I will quote a reading from Oswald Chamber’s Daily devotional to end this column. “When once you are rightly related to God by salvation and sanctification, remember that wherever you are, you are put there by God; and by the reaction of your life on the circumstances around you, you will fulfill God’s purpose, as long as you keep in the light as God is in the light.
