Our First House and a Walking With You Update

I have so missed participating in Lynnette's Wednesdays Walk down memory lane, which is now called So We Don't Forget. If you haven't noticed, I haven't been much of a blogger lately. I'm falling behind on ministry work, and adjusting to our school/work schedule as I've returned to my full time school year job. So, this morning, I was delighted to awaken to fog and the subsequent two-hour delay that has filled my heart with joy this morning. So, here I am...graced with an extra two hours.

Today, Lynnette has instructed us to share about our first house after we were married. More than fifteen years ago, Tim and I stood together...two starry-eyed teenagers making big vows before God and a couple friends...shaking under the weight of such promises. We lived in a one bedroom apartment on the edge of our tiny town, with our baby boy. His crib was in our room. The apartment complex was newly built. And we were the first people to live there. It was clean and simple. The kitchen was small, but big enough for a little table and chairs and a high chair. There was a tiny living room, our bedroom, and a very large bathroom. The bathroom was big enough to house a small washer and dryer, which was added later. I think it raised our rent to $25 more per month...but it was definitely money well spent. Prior to that, I was carting our laundry to the laundromat. So, the washer and dryer were a welcome gift!

As a matter of fact, our current dryer (2 dryers after the aforementioned dryer) recently broke down. We ordered a new one, but it hasn't arrived yet. I, sadly, do not have a clothesline. So, wet clothes were hanging throughout our house. I just did not want to go to the laundromat...ugg. I stubbornly stuck it out for a few days, but laundry is a daily issue here with athletes, a hard-working husband (the kind who gets very dirty and sweaty), and myself...having to wear actual clothes everyday to go to work instead of shorts and sweat pants. (Oh...how I love my sweat pants.) So, this weekend, I found myself back at the laundromat to dry some of our clothes (as we wait for our dryer). Nothing has changed there in the past fifteen years, but I was reminded of a time when everything was new and exciting. It was a time when I didn't really mind going to the laundromat. Tim and I were so young and full of life and possibility. We were just so glad to be on our own and doing things our own way. You know how desperately you want to get out from under your parents' wings and prove that you can live life on your own? Well, at least that's how we felt. Funny how I'd give anything to be back in my mother's arms now that she is gone. But back then, I was stubborn and full of vinegar. Enough to go to the laundromat and live in a one-bedroom apartment and work as a waitress to help my young husband who was himself trying to finish school and working at a machine shop, support our little family. I suppose vinegar can work for good, too. I'll try and remember that when I see the vinegar in my own teenage son.

My favorite thing about that time, besides the sheer joy of having our own place to live, was going to the grocery store. It was so much fun to buy what we wanted to eat. My mom was pretty health conscious and also needed to be frugal. So, we rarely had junk food in our house. Never pop and few chips. Well, I've never met a Dorito I didn't like, and I love Pepsi. So, it was on. I was like a kid in a candy store (well...actually, at 18, I pretty much WAS a kid in a candy store!). Hawaiian punch, Chips Ahoy Cookies, pizza, pop, Doritos, spaghetti...along with diapers and baby food of course...filled our cart. And my eyes danced with glee at the festival of junk food! Good times! Of course, I gained weight and learned that it's not all gold that glitters...but, it was a sweet time of simple joys. And, it makes me smile to think back on it. We lived there less than a year before we moved to a larger two bedroom duplex with an attached garage and a laundry room. That laundry room was glorious! At the tender age of nineteen, we built our first house...a little three bedroom where we still live today.

Such sweet memories!

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
~Proverbs 15:16-17
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Walking With You Update: Participation is down on Walking With You (and, I even lost a follower this week!). I will be doing a Walking With You post tomorrow about what it will be like to meet our children in heaven one day, and hope you are able to participate...as we focus on the joy set before us. Then, I am thinking of revamping our format a little. Maybe we could do a study on heaven, maybe just post a comforting verse, with a little commentary to encourage those who grieve. I also thought of switching it to once a month. My desire for Walking With You is to reach out in love and encouragement to grieving families....that they may know they are not walking alone. I hope it has and is ministering to the needs of those families. I know I have been blessed to walk with each of you. But, with participation dwindling, I am considering whether to continue what we are doing...or change it up a little. I don't want to stop it all together, because I know from emails that people are reading even if they don't participate. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.