Hello to all and welcome to this little village. Welcome to October as well, the month that takes at least another hour of daylight from us!!! Grrrrrrrrr
It is starting out warm here. 68* this morning going to the 80's today. Then rain comes in late tonight and overnight dropping the temps in highs of about 70*.
The sunrise was another spectacular sight this morning. And I saw a hummingbird this morning!!! Quite something for Oct. 1 around these parts.
I did have a good time at home, I know not everyone did. That makes me sad. I can still close my eyes and step back in memory and just feel the love.
I had a lot of quality time in life there, I had sadness there, I had laughs there, I have memories there.
I guess with the passing of Fred in the last week, it has gotten me thinking again. I have gone through pics as the kids wanted pictures to display at the funeral. They know I have all the old ones. We have shared a lot of stories over the past few days. I have talked to them and to my brother more this week, than I have in the past month or so. Good comes from bad, I guess.
Tomorrow we will make the journey to southern IN for the funeral. I will be riding with my brother and SIL. Prayers for safety would be appreciated.
Life sure has a way. We just never know what each day will bring. There are a lot of curves in the road of life for all of us. So grateful that God saw fit to give the ability of memory!
Here I sit and type about things I remember and the people I miss, they are not forgotten. Someone will be doing the same about us someday. We will all be memories to someone in the future. Make them good memories and maybe log the info that they may never know.
I am still contemplating writing a family book - geesh I need to get moving, don't I? I aint getting any younger. I just want all the family history to be remembered - not just about me, but the whole family.
Talk to your family and friends and keep in touch. Create good memories with all. Have fun in life. Pass on the family history if at all possible (good or bad) - as someday it may explain a lot to others.
Love each other.
Have a special day and thank you for being here. That means so much to me.
Have a great weekend.
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EDIT: SEEMS BLOGGER IS ACTING WONKY AGAIN - JUST BE AWARE IT IS TAKING A LONG TIME TO OPEN PEOPLE'S POSTS
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Traveling mercies for you and your family as you head south for the funeral. Yehovah will send your messengers to care for you.
ReplyDeleteMemories, the good ones, need to be preserved in some way. That was a nice house you grew up in, but the most important part was the love that was shown. Mommy kept us kids steady, taught us in subtle ways how to live life and love each other. Lots of little things in the day remind me of my mom. Erin was slow to talk and then it wasn't plain, what we used to call "Dutchy". We have a whole other language from words she used. For a child who didn't talk for quite a while, she sure is making up for it as an adult.
The air feels a little muggy. Rain will be very welcome. I went out early to collect figs and pick some peppers. The fig trees are loaded and I'm hoping that the figs all ripen before the cold sets in.
Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, so that will be a High Holy Day for us, no work. A day of fasting and reflection. Sadly, I don't do fasting very well...
Enjoy your weekend!
Thank you for your prayers.
DeleteThe house was nice then, Mom said it was a hot mess when they first got it decades earlier. She was embarrassed to walk up to it she said. Daddy did so much to it.
I know that Dutchy talk - a couple littles in the family did that!
LOL - making up for lost time.
Glad you are getting some harvest still. I have tons of peppers out there, and still have green toms. Been helping a neighbor this morning - wrangling her cat and kitten!!! Oh my.
Have a lovely Holy Day and reflect and enjoy.
Safe travels, Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteIt is strange to be the oldest of the family. That was my experience in 2018. I'd always been the youngest!
I can't say my childhood was happy, though there is no reason I can point to saying "this is why", but it was secure and I was carefree.
My joy now is that my son and daughter love each other. That was not apparent when they were little but they grew together over the years. :)
MaryB
Thank you.
DeleteYes, I am the immediate family matriarch at this time. That sure doesn't seem possible.
Secure and carefree is good.
That sounds like a lovely joy to have and says much about you as well.
I found the most difficult part of selling the family home, after my parents died, was seeing photos of the house when it had been modernised and put back on the market. I knew it wouldn't stay the same but actually seeing it completely altered was very hard. Long before that, the fields I used to play on across the street as a child had been covered with houses and my school, just up the street, was demolished and new houses built on the site.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has asked me to write down my memories of growing up and I think the first step in doing that may well be to draw a map of all those places that no longer exist, but that I often wander around in my dreams.
That would be tough. I remember the day I got the call saying moms had burned - I ran up there, and stood in the drive and cried like a baby. From the ground I could look up through my old room and see the sky.
DeleteThings sure never stay the same - I guess that is called progress, but not so much in my mind.
Drawing a map is a great idea. And PLEASE write things down! I got Momma to do that, it is huge (even though I still can't read it all).
I am with you in wandering - those places and times are forever inside of us.
Wishing you a safe journey, and while for a sad occasion, a lovely time with family remembering Fred.
ReplyDeleteI'm fortunate as my Dad left handwritten notes from his childhood; born and raised on a ranch in Southern Saskatchewan, the family left during the dirty 30's for a better life further north. The young men road on the train with the cattle and the household goods, sleeping under the train at night to ward off potential theives. They arrived in the town I would grow up in on his 21st birthday. The women travelled by car and only beat the men there by a few hours. There were two families, and the group lived in a 2 bedroom house for that first winter. There is more of course, but I've always been amazed by his story.
Mom's story, I have learned through genealogy and a partial family history in a community history book. I'm fortunate too, to have a number of photos from the early years. The oldest, I believe was taken when my Dad was 18, in 1928.
We woke to a temperature of 3C/37F this morning...it was chilly!!
Thank you so much.
DeleteWhat an incredible story. The fortitude our ancestors had. I often think about the stories of people traveling across country into wilderness no one had ever seen before. Clearing land to build homes and start homesteads. It would never happen today - people are too soft.
Genealogy is so fascinating and you can learn so much. Mom didn't know a lot about her family and I found out so much for her. Daddy thought we were it in his line and I found so many relatives. It is something everyone should try.
Brrrrr - stay warm!
The pioneers of today are the immigrants. Braving jungles, lack of food and hot temperatures to start over somewhere they don’t know the language but are willing to work hard. You are right that Americans are too soft - and spoiled.
DeleteI remember many a story that my Mom told me about her family, Dad didn't talk about his that much. I probably know more about Harvey's family than many of his siblings, but that is another story.
ReplyDeleteBoth Mom and Dad came from families that settled in the central section of Saskatchewan. Dad's family in a town that was mostly settled by Germans, Mom in an area further north that was settled my mostly the Scots, Ukrainians, and Norwegians.
I really miss hearing the family stories.
God bless.
I find family stories just fascinating. Many people do. I think that is why we should write down all the neat things we remember - so the future knows where it came from.
DeleteMaybe write the things you remember down for your boys. No way we can recall all the things for years.
Safe journey tomorrow, and blessings on your family as you gather together in love.
ReplyDeleteIt is so important to write things down, because once you are no longer here to ask, the questions remain unanswered forever! I have different recollections than my one sister, our other sister and parents have moved on the heaven. So many things puzzle us! When our son was born I asked the four grandparents to write their story. My father was the only one that did, and have typed it up and sent a copy to all the grand and greatgrands. It is a treasure. And reading it as a more mature adult makes me appreciate all the more everything they lived through and did for our family. And dates, names and locations on all photos!
Thank you so much.
DeleteYes it is important. You are so right, we all remember things differently, so it is so important to have it documented. Yep, those questions most often don't get answered. Maybe with a little genealogy, but a lot will always be lost. forever. How cool that you have that, what a treasure for sure.
They sure did go through a lot and the experiences of seeing the world change, that we just take for granted.
Those things are all precious.
I will be praying for your safe travels and for comfort for the family.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter gifted me a book called "Mom's Story." Inside it asks questions about my life and I tell my "story." It's a fun way to share my memories with my family. My husband and my mom has one too. I think it's so important that our family's memories aren't forgotten. I have also done some genealogy investigating and I want to write that down, too. Darcy
Thank you so much.
DeleteI got one for Christmas from my niece (Aunt story). It is fun to fill out. I love it - she wanted to make sure that her kids and grands knew all about me. I think we should all get a book of some sort and fill it out - just to pass on.
I agree, it is very important.
We wrote about the same thing today-memories and looking back. Life really is a bittersweet journey, isn't it?! Our old house burned down many years ago, too. And the old barns are long gone but the memory of them standing there is still strong. Life just moves along if we are ready, or not....xo Diana
ReplyDeleteYes, things change every day - we just can't stop it - no matter how we try. Sometimes I drive by where the old house was and just sit for a bit. The neighbor bought the ground and extended their yard.
DeleteThose memories stay forever in our hearts.
Safe travels to you all, Cheryl, as you travel to the funeral. It's wonderful to revisit those old places in our minds. So many good times had there.
ReplyDeleteThanks - it was day of visiting with so many relatives. Glad to see them all - just wish it were under different circumstances.
DeleteI am so grateful for memories.
God's Blessing on you and your family today. Safe travels.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. So many made it - and all had safe travels. It sure was a long day. I haven't been that far from home in ages.
DeleteDarling little home you grew up in, Cheryl. I Love it! Did it have a basement?
ReplyDeletePraying for safe travels for you and everyone attending Fred’s service.
No basement - just a crawl space. It really was small. Looks bigger than it was - but we all managed to make it home for decades.
DeleteThank you - it was safe for all thank goodness.
What great memories-we also had a family of 5 kids in a 3 bedroom house in the city. it was chaos but there were a lot of good memories also.
ReplyDeleteWrite that book Cheryl. I would love to read it!
It is amazing how families got by - and now young folks think they need McMansions. We can get by with much less than we have - I bet.
DeleteI need to - that was mentioned today at the funeral as well as a reunion. Of course they all want Auntie to take care of it!!!!!!
I made a family cookbook online years ago with old photos, recipes and stories. It's an absolute treasure and I have already done 2 reprintings as the younger generations grow up and ask for them!
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic and what a wonderful legacy of the past to have. That is a precious gift to all. Great job!
Delete