Family treasures

While home with my parents, my mom and I spent an afternoon looking through

vintage family photos.

Then she asked me if I would be interested in having the special

"souvenirs" they brought home from their short-term mission trip

to Togo, West Africa way back in 1988.

Wait. Stop.

Did you say THIRTY years ago??

In the summer of 1987, my father was working his job

at Champion Spark Plug in Toledo, Ohio as a computer engineer.

He had been with this company for over 15 years.

All-of-a-sudden, he was given notice that this company needed to downsize

and that he was going to lose his job.  

He was 41.

For all of our school years, my sister and I had

enjoyed the privilege of attending a Christian school.

We loved it and knew nothing else.

In the summer of 1987, I was looking forward to my senior year coming up 

in the fall.

But everything came crashing down around us when my dad lost his job.

My parents felt they could not afford to put us in a private school

with no foreseeable income, so I was handed my high school diploma

that summer (they had checked with the school and determined

that I had enough credits to graduate), and my sister was told

she would be doing her final three years of high school at home.

I went to work that fall, and my dad looked everywhere for work.

But at that time, there was not a huge demand for middle-aged

men who specialized in computers

 in economically depressed Toledo, Ohio in the late 80's.

So we prayed.

And sought the will of God.

In the spring of the following year, there was a revival at our church.

I just remember one evening both my parents felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit

to consider the mission field.

Maybe this was why my dad had lost his job?

To free him up to go?

So they pursued this direction.

In the fall of 1988, I began my freshmen year of college totally on faith

and hard work,

and my parents went off to Togo, West Africa for a short-term (6 weeks)

exploratory missions trip.

It was an amazing journey for our whole family.

I can't remember where or who my sister stayed with,

but I remember letters from my parents while at college.

They came back with lots of stories,

lots of special momentos,

but very, very clear confirmation that this indeed

was not the will of God for their futures.

I honestly don't remember seeing a lot of the things my mom and I pulled

out that afternoon.
So it was a thrill to see it all "again" for the first time!!

Now that our family is involved in our own short-term missions,

I see these things with fresh eyes

and a completely different perspective!!

My mom said these things have been sitting in boxes for 30 years.

I assured her we would be putting these to good use

at our church's missions conferences

and even in furture Foreign Food classes I teach

through our homeschool co-op!!

Basket of "toothbrushes"

"Brillo pad" for scrubbing pots

Homemade broom

Homemade oil lamp

 

Threads for different hair designs

   

Portable baskets

 

My Mom told me she had this skirt and blouse ensemble custom made

for me.  The matching fabric around the waist is used to tie babies

or other objects to the Mama's backs. 

My Mom also brought home several yards of different gorgeous fabrics

and created different things from them.
Here are the potholders she quilted.

We also have an African doll she made as well.

What an absolute treat to slowly walk down memory lane

and revisit the goodness of God and His leading of my family

in days gone by.

When you wonder what it's all for

I love walking the streets of my neighborhood at dusk.

It's my favorite time of the day.

One of the streets our family fondly calls "the rich street" because 

the large homes sit majestically in the middle of well manicured lawns

under tall, ancient trees that umbrella them with long, rugged branches.

As I quietly wander past these peaceful estates, I often wonder about the people who live in them.

What do they do for a living?

Are they sitting by the big, picture windows in a comforting easy chair

with a cup of coffee watching the sun set?

Are they even home?

The street is always so quiet and I have never actually seen anyone

 coming or going into these homes.

 Recently, as I was driving home from a busy morning away, I noticed a sign.

It pointed in the direction of these homes and said, "Estate Sale."

I followed the sign to find many cars lining the street and more signs pointing

directly to the home with the sale.

All-of-a-sudden,  I had a free golden ticket to walk right down the driveway

to one of these grand places with an opportunity to simply walk right

in to the open front door.
Last week, I could only walk by on the street at arm's length with privacy laws

keeping me wondering what happened behind such beautiful doors.

Today, I could simply walk right into the kitchen

where on display was the most breath-taking collection of vintage, floral china 

and gleaming crystal I had ever seen.

I almost felt like I was intruding as I tip-toed on plush carpet up the stairs and

into the hallway cedar closet.
Here I was looking through the clothing and collectibles and sentimental jewelry

and treasured books and bathrooms of complete strangers.

Their whole entire lives where laid out on stacked tables with little price tags on

each and every piece. 

And what big, grand, glorious lives it seemed they had lived.

Based on the abundant treasures stuffed in every room.

But what happened?  

Had they passed away?

Moved to an assisted living facility?

Had their family already come through and culled out what they wanted?

And this is what is left over?

I left that day with an even stronger sense that life is but a vapor.

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of

man as the flower of grass.

The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away......"
I Peter 1:24

Several years ago I discovered the wonder of researching my own genealogy. 

What fascinating stories to be uncovered.

Weaving characters from my family tree into the pages of this nation's

history left me breathless at times.

But I also grew disheartened.

Of all the information available through modern technology,
I was limited to what was permanently documented.
Any given person's life was mapped out simply by a handful of events:

birth, the national census, draft cards, marriage, and death.

That's it.

That's all I know about my great-great-grandparents who led full, busy lives.

I can tell you where they were born, who their parents were, where they lived, if they went to war,

when they died and the cause, and where they are buried.

I can't tell you if they liked their neighbors.

I can't tell you their favorite colors, or if they played an instrument.

I can't tell you about their faith, or how they came to find their faith community.

I have no idea if they attended church regularly.

I don't know what they liked to have for breakfast

or if they drank coffee.

I don't know what size shoe they wore or if they voted Republican, Democrat, or something else.

They lived 70, 80 years on this earth rising everyday with the sun, raising their families,

and it's like they are complete strangers to me.

Nothing left.

I have no memories of them.

I drove away from that estate sale that day with a heightened awareness

of the fact that all the things we run ourselves ragged over to get done

really mean nothing in the long run.

Our central purpose is wrapped up in this:

"But you are a chosen generation,

a royal priesthood, an holy nation,

a peculiar people,

that you should show forth the praises of him 

who hath called you out of darkness

 into his marvelous light."

I Peter 2:9

That's it.

Our central purpose.

To give glory and praise to our Creator.

Because of the great mercy He has shown to us.

The baubles we grasp for and cling to?

Rubble.

The accomplishments and trophies we exhaust ourselves trying to obtain?

Garage sale items.

You may live on the fanciest street with a house full of treasures,

but what will you be remembered for?

"...the flower thereof falls away:

But the word of the Lord endures forever."

I think I'll continue working to focus on the things unseen.

The things that will go on with me into eternity.

The souls of my children and my husband.

The time spent talking to my children about things that really matter.

Seeing things from God's point of view and not our society's.

Building up my faith community and equipping and encouraging the saints

to keep the Kingdom of God moving forward and growing!

Letting my life be a fragrant incense of praise and glory to my Savior.

Saturdays are for: Family Reunions!!

Last weekend, my husband's family got together for our annual Family Reunion.

In years past, it was a weekend long event.

All the families would pull into a campground sometime on Friday,

and the fun would go on through Sunday morning.

As the original sibling group from which this reunion has grown older,

it has become more difficult to pull off something as elaborate as that.

Subsequent generations don't live as close together.
So we've concentrated our gathering to a Saturday afternoon affair.

Once again, we all met at the Cleburne State Park.

This year we had two sets of twins come......cousins!

How much fun to catch up, play together, laugh together, snap pictures together,

and simply enjoy one another's company!!

We love our family!!