Home Sweet Home

When Eric and I first started dating, he was giving me directions to his house.  I went down the road frequently but didn't know where he lived.  He told me it was a brick house and there was a big Christmas tree in the front yard.  The next time I went by, I knew exactly where he lived.  After we had been dating a few weeks, we stopped by and he introduced me to his parents.  They were hanging vertical blinds in their den.  Those blinds hung there for 35 years. 


Eric lived in this house until we were married.  There was a big fenced yard and a pasture in the back.  For a while, they had horses until the barn was blown down in a storm.  His dad always had a garden and his mom canned green beans and tomatoes.  She would freeze corn and would make pear preserves.  There were apple trees and peach trees and in the summer, homemade ice cream was made with fresh peaches. 


The house had 3 bedrooms but after Eric was born, one of the bedrooms was turned into a den.  The living room was only used for Christmas.  There was a big picture window in the front of the house where the Christmas tree always sat.  The attic had a fan that would cool the whole house at night after everyone had gone to bed.  Many birthdays and cookouts were held in the backyard.  Growing up there was lots of laughter from cousins visiting for the weekend.

We found the original house plans and paperwork in the attic.  Each week starting in Feb 1951, Eric's dad would buy something for the house; bricks, wood, plaster, paint, etc...  The prices are written on each invoice from the lumber company. 


We sold the house a year ago this month.    It was bittersweet to sign the papers knowing that the house had been Eric's parents home since being built.  The buyers had never owned a house.  We hope that they will be making memories in the house for many years to come.  And we hope that Muriel and James would be proud that this family now calls the brick house their 'home'.

He is Risen

When Eric and I were cleaning out his parents house a few years ago, we would find things that were broken or missing some pieces.  We would place those in an area while we continued looking and most of the time find the part that was needed.  One of the things that we found was an old nativity set from the 1960s that Eric could remember being set out for Christmas.  It was made out of hard plastic, with a barn and animals.  Mary and Joseph were near it, but we could not find baby Jesus.  We put all of the items in a box and kept cleaning.  As the attic became empty, we kept looking for Jesus.  We searched between the wooden floor slats, in the insulation, anywhere that something could have fallen and not been seen.  When everything was out of the attic, we made one last sweep to look for anything forgotten.  We had a flashlight and looked thoroughly all over to make sure we had not overlooked anything. 


As we were looking through the box holding the nativity set, we didn't know whether or not to throw it away.  Being the nostalgic and sentimental person that I am, I wanted to keep it and display it at our house.  But as Eric looked at each piece, he made the comment, "You can't have a manger scene without Jesus.  It isn't Christmas if you don't have Jesus".  The decision was made to throw it away. 


During the Easter season when the flowers are blooming and Easter egg hunts are taking place, we should remember that it isn't Easter without Jesus.  Christmas is about a baby, Easter is about a man.  A man who loved us enough to die for us.  A man that would rise again and would live forever.  A man.  Not chocolate bunnies, not new outfits, not a day off from work. 


A man.  A Savior.

Who Has Shaped My Life

I started attending church when I was 10 years old after being invited by my piano teacher's daughter.  There was always something going on for children and youth.  Weenie roasts, volleyball games, camping trips, anything to keep the kids involved.  The members of the church were always willing to do anything that was needed.  These same people were there for me when I got married, had children and when my father passed away.  I was a member for 25 years and firmly believe that what I was taught there helped to shape my life.


During the summer when school was out and I was too young to stay by myself while my parents worked, I stayed with my uncle and aunt.  My mom took me by their house every morning and I let myself in the back door.  My uncle wasn't there, he had already left to go have coffee with his friends.  When I would pass by their bedroom, I would hear my aunt reading her Bible and praying.  She wasn't loud, I would not have heard her had I not been in the next room.  Her everyday life mirrored how she acted behind closed doors.  That was MANY years ago but I believe she helped to shape my life.


I attended elementary school in the 1960s and rules were a lot different then.  Students were allowed to advance in subjects even if their classmates did not.  You could play dodge ball without complaining that someone hit you with the ball.  Every participant did not get a ribbon on field day, only the winners were recognized.  I had teachers who would encourage me in the subjects that I excelled at and help me with the ones I struggled with.  I can remember all of my teacher's names even though it was a long time ago.  They helped to shape my life to what it is today.


I have a great aunt that I have written about before.  She lived in the apartment beside of us when Eric and I got married.  She was a gentle soul who never raised her voice or gossiped.  I wish I could say that living near her made me be like her,  but I can't.   The memory of her quiet voice will always stay with me.  She will never know, but she helped to shape my life.


My parents grew up in the Depression Era.  Like everyone else, they did not have much.  Yet they worked hard, shared what they had, raised 3 children and loved us dearly.  Family meant the world to them and they helped us out many times.  I wish I had told them how much I appreciated all that they did, somehow I think they knew.   They shaped me every day.


My life could have taken on many shapes without these people.  They have made me what I am today.  I hope one day someone will think that I was a good influence in their life.  What a wonderful thing to be.