Happy Birthday Eric

Today is my husband Eric's birthday.  As I thought about what to write on my blog, many thoughts ran through my mind.  I thought about how respectful he was to my parents when we first met and how nice he was to my family.  I thought about him helping me cut my sister and brother-in-law's grass when they were on vacation, even though he had only met them once.  I thought about the times that he dropped everything and would go when his parents called him and asked him to come do something for them.  I thought about the times that he worked out of town during storm damage with the phone company and was gone for 2-3 weeks at a time.  I thought about how he took care of his dad in the few months before his dad died.  There were many thoughts racing through my mind and I knew I could be here all day typing away.  How do you pick out a few things to write about when there are so many that could describe someone like Eric?  You don't.  I just hope that anyone who reads this blog already knows him and knows all that he has done in his 55 years.  And I hope that everyone knows how much I love and appreciate him.

Happy birthday to the best husband, dad, father-in-law and Pops. 

Always Remember

In the late 70s and early 80s, my parents took a lot of one day trips.  They would fly out of Charlotte at 6:00am and return around midnight the same day.  The tour group would be picked up in the city they were visiting and would go to all of the tourist sites.  This was a good way for my parents to travel since they only had to miss one day of work, all of the arrangements had been made for them and they never had to drive anywhere.

One of the earliest places where they went was New York City.  They were excited to see the Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Rockefeller Center and eat lunch at Chinatown.  As they were on the ferry to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty, my dad asked my mother what her thoughts were then.  My mother said, "as a little girl growing up in the country, I never thought I would see this".  My mother then asked my dad what he was thinking.  His response was, "I am thinking about all of the service men in WWII who were coming home and the first thing they saw was the Statue of Liberty."

I wonder if the service men on the ships cheered as they came into the harbor.  I wonder if the men kept looking at their watches, wondering if they would ever make it home.  I wonder if the men stepped off of the ships and thanked God they were back on American ground.  I wonder if the men saw an American flag and teared up at the beautiful colors and what they represented.  I wonder if the men thought of the many who didn't make it home.

Always remember Memorial Day and what this day means to the United States of America.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother's birthday.  I can think of a lot of things to write about her but I picked one subject that I felt described her perfectly.

When I was around 10 years old, my mother and aunt had just started taking a sewing class at the local community college.  My mother bought a sewing machine and could really make that machine hum.  Around that time, I started going to church with a friend.  Since I had not previously attended church, I had a limited amount of dresses.  My mom, knowing that I would want to have nice things like the other girls at the church, started making my dress clothes.  She would buy a pattern that had 3-4 different styles of dresses and a variety of cloth.  She could make a short sleeved dress out of a solid color material with a polka dot color jacket.  The extra polka dot material was used to make a skirt or jumper.  She could always find cloth on sale at different stores and use the same pattern over and over again.  For 3-4 years I had dresses that were as nice or nicer than you could buy in a store. 

When my mom passed away and we were cleaning out my parents house, we found her big sewing hamper.  Inside were remnants of cloth that she had used over the years.  Included was material that had been used to make my dresses for Easter, church camp and other special occasions.  I cut a 1 inch square from each piece to bring home with me.  I really didn't need to keep any of it, I can still see some of these dresses in my mind when I think about those days.   But when I see this small stack of cloth, I am reminded of the time and sacrifices that my mom made for me. 

Happy Birthday momma.

New grandson

This afternoon Eric and I will become Pops and Granny B for the 3rd time.  This is a happy time for our family and we are excited to see who he looks like and how his big sister reacts to him.

My parents and in-laws are all deceased.  When the first grandchild was born, only my father-in-law was still alive.  His comments about her still make us laugh as we remember them. 

Eric and I believe that only good things are talked about in Heaven.  My father passed away several years ago when all of his grandchildren were young.  He missed Eagle Scout ceremonies, high school and college graduations, grandchildren's weddings and great-grandchildren births.  I hope that when my mother passed away, she was able to tell my dad about all of the things that had happened since he was gone.  I know he would have liked to have been here and I know my mother missed having him by her side.

Out of the 8 great-grandparents that our new grandson would have, only 2 are still alive.  I think the 6 who are no longer with us, picked this baby out for us.  I can see my mother rocking and singing to him just like I think she did before my 2 other grands and my nieces children were born.

This morning as the baby is preparing to be born, I think the 6 great-grandparents are holding him one last time and saying good-bye to him.  I think they are whispering "I love you and I will always watch over you."

Welcome to world little one.  We can't wait to meet you.

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.