I am a sentimental person who has been known to keep something that was broken because a special person had given it to me. While I realize that makes no sense to anyone else, it made sense to me. I wish I could be more like people who get rid of something and have no second thoughts.
A few years ago, I decided to really clean out our attic. Part of this urge was brought on by the fact that after cleaning out my parents house with my 2 siblings, Eric and I had to tackle his parents home a year later. Pulling down the attic stairs, I took a deep breath and started going through boxes. I threw away cards and letters from over 40 years ago. I got rid of my prom dress from my Jr. year of high school. I shredded tax papers from the year we got married-1979. (I hope we don't get audited.) T-shirts from youth sports teams were given away. We discarded Christmas decorations from our early years of marriage. I gave away lots of new items that we had bought to make gift baskets for charity auctions. The 2 bathing suit cover ups that I received as high school graduation gifts were put in a donation pile. Gifts that we had given my parents were sold in a consignment shop. I reluctantly carried my dad's old tube case (VERY large satchel) down the stairs to the garbage after holding onto it for over 20 years. Souvenirs from our vacations were put in the box, taken out and put back in. Lastly, I sent an old graduation announcement to the family of a deceased classmate he had given me in 1977.
But the part of the attic that I could not attempt was from Andrew and Paul's childhood days. Some of the items were always intended to be handed down; Cabbage Patch dolls (yes they both had one), rocking chairs, toy chests and tricycles. Then as the 4 grandchildren started having birthdays, we decided to regift other things. The 'Farmer Says' from Christmas 1983 was wrapped up in March. The 31 year old Fisher Price Cottage Family was a birthday gift in May. A small personalized coat rack was given for a birthday in 1984 and then again in 2014. I have enjoyed seeing my grandchildren in some of the clothes that their daddies wore years ago. The clothes were given at recent baby showers, along with pictures of their daddies in the same outfit.
With apologies to our sons and daughters-in-law, you will have to finish the attic someday. Not soon, I hope. But the sentimentality is hard to get past. We kept everything and we didn't mean to.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
No 'Negative' Influences
I have recently been looking through some old negatives from film that has been developed. (For those of you who don't know what negatives are, it is from old school cameras-before digital.) I collected these in a fireproof box in the event that our house would catch on fire and I would at least be able to reprint our priceless photos.
I have been able to view the negative strips through a viewer that you hold up to a light. This viewer was actually used to view the old slides that people had when they used to have slide-shows. It is a very slow process since the strips are wider than the viewer slot and you have to keep repositioning it and turning it around.
Some of our negatives are recent; mostly from Christmas or vacation. The older ones are on the bottom of the box and are the smaller 110 type. I have always kept our photos organized and in albums, most are labeled with a description and year. But as I looked at these small pieces of my life, I was reminded of different people who have influenced me and my family. There were day care workers and school teachers, church leaders and Scout Masters. Friends and family members of friends who were there to offer their help. Some of them never were given the credit they deserved for shaping the lives of so many. Most of them would be embarrassed if you told them 'thank you' for all that they did and would insist they didn't do anything.
I have enjoyed looking at these; yes, I do have the pictures I can look at. But some of these have been lost to my mind until recently. I hope over the years I have impacted someone that could say my name and think 'she was a positive influence'.
I have been able to view the negative strips through a viewer that you hold up to a light. This viewer was actually used to view the old slides that people had when they used to have slide-shows. It is a very slow process since the strips are wider than the viewer slot and you have to keep repositioning it and turning it around.
Some of our negatives are recent; mostly from Christmas or vacation. The older ones are on the bottom of the box and are the smaller 110 type. I have always kept our photos organized and in albums, most are labeled with a description and year. But as I looked at these small pieces of my life, I was reminded of different people who have influenced me and my family. There were day care workers and school teachers, church leaders and Scout Masters. Friends and family members of friends who were there to offer their help. Some of them never were given the credit they deserved for shaping the lives of so many. Most of them would be embarrassed if you told them 'thank you' for all that they did and would insist they didn't do anything.
I have enjoyed looking at these; yes, I do have the pictures I can look at. But some of these have been lost to my mind until recently. I hope over the years I have impacted someone that could say my name and think 'she was a positive influence'.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Could You Sing?
Several years ago this week, our community and surrounding areas were hit by a hurricane. Because we live so far from the coast, no one expected as much damage as there was. Billboards, trees, road signs, power lines and telephone lines were all down by early Friday morning. Restoring power was more important than restoring phone service but Eric and his co-workers were suddenly scheduled 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Other states sent their employees to North Carolina to help get us back to normal. Seeing everyone work together left an impression on Eric and he made a promise to himself. If he was ever asked to go out of town to work in an emergency, he would go.
One September 10 years later, a hurricane hit Eastern NC. Unlike other times where the wind had been responsible for all of the damage, this particular storm dumped rain on the town. A lot of rain in a short amount of time. The town was devastated by the flood waters. Eric signed up to go and was soon in a convoy headed East. After arriving in the town the guys were given their assignments and they drove to one neighborhood.
As far as they could see, miscellaneous items were piled by the side of the road. Clothing, furniture, bedding, all things that had been ruined by the storm. Sitting in his rumbling bucket truck, with the radio playing, Eric watched as an elderly gentleman made several trips back and forth from his house to the pile. Only after he had shut off his truck did he realize the man was singing. As Eric rolled the window down and listened, the still air was broken by the words, "Oh, how I love Jesus". Carrying out what appeared to be an accumulation of his lifetime, the elderly gentleman still had a reason to sing. Losing everything and watching helplessly as the water destroyed what he had worked for, and yet he was still able to sing.
One September 10 years later, a hurricane hit Eastern NC. Unlike other times where the wind had been responsible for all of the damage, this particular storm dumped rain on the town. A lot of rain in a short amount of time. The town was devastated by the flood waters. Eric signed up to go and was soon in a convoy headed East. After arriving in the town the guys were given their assignments and they drove to one neighborhood.
As far as they could see, miscellaneous items were piled by the side of the road. Clothing, furniture, bedding, all things that had been ruined by the storm. Sitting in his rumbling bucket truck, with the radio playing, Eric watched as an elderly gentleman made several trips back and forth from his house to the pile. Only after he had shut off his truck did he realize the man was singing. As Eric rolled the window down and listened, the still air was broken by the words, "Oh, how I love Jesus". Carrying out what appeared to be an accumulation of his lifetime, the elderly gentleman still had a reason to sing. Losing everything and watching helplessly as the water destroyed what he had worked for, and yet he was still able to sing.
Could you?
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Milk Money
School is back in full swing now and the ads for 'Back to School' supplies are no longer on the front pages of the sales circulars. It was always exciting to get the few new things that I needed for the upcoming school year; a pack of pencils, a pack of notebook paper and usually a new lunchbox. I enjoyed packing my lunch everyday when I was in grade school.
At our elementary school we had a milk break early in the morning. You could buy a carton of milk to drink with whatever snack you had brought from home. Milk was 4 cents when I was in the lower grades of school. My parents had a cup and saucer sitting on a desk where they put their spare pennies each night. Every morning before school, I would get the pennies out for my milk money. It's funny how you can remember certain things about your childhood.
When my mother passed away and we were cleaning out my parent's house, the cup and saucer were right where they had always been-sitting on the desk in the bedroom. I brought home the 2 items that had no value other than sentimental.
We made a promise to our grandchildren that they would always have 'Book Fair' money. If it were possible, we would give each of them something to keep their 'Milk Money' in. A small cup but overflowing with love.
At our elementary school we had a milk break early in the morning. You could buy a carton of milk to drink with whatever snack you had brought from home. Milk was 4 cents when I was in the lower grades of school. My parents had a cup and saucer sitting on a desk where they put their spare pennies each night. Every morning before school, I would get the pennies out for my milk money. It's funny how you can remember certain things about your childhood.
When my mother passed away and we were cleaning out my parent's house, the cup and saucer were right where they had always been-sitting on the desk in the bedroom. I brought home the 2 items that had no value other than sentimental.
We made a promise to our grandchildren that they would always have 'Book Fair' money. If it were possible, we would give each of them something to keep their 'Milk Money' in. A small cup but overflowing with love.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
School Is Out
When I was growing up in the mid 70s, things were not quite as fast paced as they are now. When school was out for the summer, we went to the community pool, our best friend's house, the movies, shopping at the mall or just riding around. Seatbelts were not required and we rode with our foot out the window (if you were the passenger). The radio was usually loud and the car full of friends were singing along to the latest hits. Everything was within a 5-6 mile radius of our home and only once in a blue moon, did we venture to the 'big city' 20 miles away.
When our sons were starting to drive, we told them to only drive within a certain area of our small town until they were used to driving. Cell phones were not to be used as they were driving and other rules were given to them as the days passed by. Many jokes were made by them and to them about what mom and dad would allow them to do. Only after many years later did we find out where 'Old Blue' had been driven.
My mother bought Andrew and Paul a Guardian Angel sun visor clip when they each got their driver's license. I am sure that she thought that any extra help would be appreciated as they drove to school, church and soccer practice.
School is out. Parents, please talk to your children about the responsibility of driving. Tell them not to text while they are driving, not to get distracted as they talk to their friends, not have too many people in the car, no drinking and driving and that everyone HAS to wear a seatbelt.
Please. It's not the 70s anymore.
When our sons were starting to drive, we told them to only drive within a certain area of our small town until they were used to driving. Cell phones were not to be used as they were driving and other rules were given to them as the days passed by. Many jokes were made by them and to them about what mom and dad would allow them to do. Only after many years later did we find out where 'Old Blue' had been driven.
My mother bought Andrew and Paul a Guardian Angel sun visor clip when they each got their driver's license. I am sure that she thought that any extra help would be appreciated as they drove to school, church and soccer practice.
School is out. Parents, please talk to your children about the responsibility of driving. Tell them not to text while they are driving, not to get distracted as they talk to their friends, not have too many people in the car, no drinking and driving and that everyone HAS to wear a seatbelt.
Please. It's not the 70s anymore.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Life is Fragile
My family spent time together this weekend to celebrate Eric's birthday. It is always fun to watch the grandchildren play together and to listen to everyone laughing. A few days later I heard the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". We had made a DVD of pictures and used that song for my mother's funeral. I thought about all the things that had happened since then and the babies that have been born. How I wish the great grandparents could have met them.
My family has been blessed. I thank God every day for the gifts in my life.
Life is fragile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_DKWlrA24k
My family has been blessed. I thank God every day for the gifts in my life.
Life is fragile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_DKWlrA24k
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Our Chance to Love Adam
This week Eric and I became grandparents for the 4th time. No matter how prepared we are or how much we anticipate the new arrival, I am always amazed at the gift of life. I have no idea how each baby is selected for their parents but I am glad that God picked each of our grandchildren to be given to our family.
Our new grandson Adam is healthy with all of his fingers and toes. That seems to be what all moms and dads ask the doctor first, "does he have 10 fingers and toes?" And when the baby cries everyone says, "well, we know his lungs work." While mom or dad is holding and talking to the baby, they are sure that the baby opens its eyes and looks RIGHT at them.
The plaque hanging outside of Danielle's hospital room said-
We will be glad of the new life and as we look up at the stars, I will say thank you to God for one more miracle.
We love you Adam and pray that you will have a long and happy life. We pray for good health and that God will bless you in everything that you do. You have made our lives so much better just by being born.
Our new grandson Adam is healthy with all of his fingers and toes. That seems to be what all moms and dads ask the doctor first, "does he have 10 fingers and toes?" And when the baby cries everyone says, "well, we know his lungs work." While mom or dad is holding and talking to the baby, they are sure that the baby opens its eyes and looks RIGHT at them.
The plaque hanging outside of Danielle's hospital room said-
We will be glad of the new life and as we look up at the stars, I will say thank you to God for one more miracle.
We love you Adam and pray that you will have a long and happy life. We pray for good health and that God will bless you in everything that you do. You have made our lives so much better just by being born.
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